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review

FWE Compact Folding Workstand

7
£49.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Good budget workstand for occasional fettlers
Weight: 
5,000g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The FWE Compact Folding Workstand from Evans Cycles is a good investment if you want to make your bike fettling easier but you don't want to break the bank. It's a good stand for the money.

  • Pros: Inexpensive, clamp is better than average at this price, folds down well
  • Cons: Build tolerances are a bit loose, unstable at full height and for heavier bikes

If you look around at cheaper folding workstands then you'll see a lot that follow this basic design, with two fold-out legs, a height-adjustable work area and a quick release clamp. They're not all exactly the same, and the FWE stand has a few notable features.

> Find your nearest Evans store here

Firstly, the top section with the clamp folds down, making it a very compact package when folded. It's easy to stash in the corner of the shed or bung in the car for pre-sportive faffing. Secondly, there's a foam rubber sleeve on the clamp section, so you can hang your bike over the stand by the saddle if you just want a super-quick gear fiddle. As it were.

FWE Folding Workstand - clamp head folded.jpg

The clamp itself has a simple bolt-through cam mechanism and rubber inserts to keep your paintwork intact. It'll accept tubes between 35mm and 75mm and does a pretty good job of holding onto aero seatposts too. It's better than the majority of clamps we've seen at the bottom end of the market.

FWE Folding Workstand - clamp.jpg

The stand is rated to 35kg, so Evans says it's fine for e-bikes; in reality it's a bit wobbly for anything really heavy, especially at full height. The footprint is big enough to make it pretty stable with road bikes, but if you're spending any time with a 25kg e-bike in a stand you'd be better off with something that has a full tripod base.

FWE Folding Workstand - folding mechanism.jpg

The taller you make the stand, the more unstable it is, because the build tolerances aren't that tight; the maximum height here is 180cm but it's better below 150cm, which means a bit more bending over than a more expensive stand.

> Buyer's Guide: The tools you need to do your own basic bike maintenance

Overall, you can't really grumble for less than 50 quid. If you're just fettling your own bikes from time to time then this FWE stand is likely to last you a good while. If you're the person who fixes everyone's bikes then you'll probably find the stability and build quality a bit below what you really need. It's a good starter workstand, and worth the money.

Verdict

Good budget workstand for occasional fettlers

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: FWE Compact Folding Workstand

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for

Evans says, "The new FWE Compact Folding Workstand has been redesigned to be more feature rich, more stable and easier to store - perfect for the home or travelling. A workstand makes repairing your bike an easy task with good access to your drivetrain, wheels and underside of your bike.

"Listening to our mechanics and customers, we added rubber jaw inserts to suit different shaped tubes the clamp for quick, secure clamping that protects your frame. The cam-lock opens and closes the clamp in one easy movement and is fully adjustable to hold frame or seat tubes from 25mm - 75mm wide. Uniquely, this stand has a foam wrapped upper to hook the nose of your saddle over for quick inspections of your bike. Once fully extended, the stand has a large footprint for stability, yet still folds down for easy storage with quick releases. The stand has been rated to 35 kg so can take the heaviest E-bikes as well."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

From Evans:

Compatibility

Max loading: 5.1kg

Loading weight: 35 kg

Dimensions

Extended Dimensions: 180cm (H) x 105cm (W) x 85cm (D)

Folded Dimensions: 110cm (H) x 9cm (W) x 25cm (D)

Material

Steel and nylon

Fit system

Clamp specification:

- Easy to use cam-lock clamp

- Fits tubes 35mm – 75mm

- Rubber jaw inserts to protect frame

- Head folds away for compact storage

Extra Features

- Rubber inserts

- Foam padded clamp tube to hang bike using saddle for quick inspections

- Angle adjustable

- Quick release foldaway head

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It's a good budget stand.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Easy to use, clamp is better than average at this price.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Feels a bit flimsy, unstable at full height.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? No, but I do quite a lot of work on bikes and I don't think it would last.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

It's a good stand for the money, a bit compromised in terms of build quality but plenty good enough as a home mechanic stand for most people.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 44  Height: 189cm  Weight: 94kg

I usually ride: whatever I'm testing...  My best bike is: Kinesis Tripster ATR, Kinesis Aithein

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

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