Shop Talk: Is It OK to Clamp My Dropper Post in a Repair Stand?

Рет қаралды 266,845

Күн бұрын

Do you dare subject your precious dropper seat post to the crushing forces of a bike stand? What about carbon? Calvin and Truman have the answers, and they're prepared to show their work. We go in deep on the physics of clamping, employing load cells, digital torque testers, and of course, a white board. We also go through the proper methodology and simple tips for safe clamping.
Questions or comments? Leave them below!
Learn more about Park Tool repair stands: www.parktool.com/category/rep...
➤ Fix It:
Did you know that Park Tool is the #1 resource for bicycle repair education?
• Visit our KZfaq Channel: / parktool
• Visit the Repair Help section of Parktool.com: www.parktool.com/blog/repair-h...
• Check out The Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair: www.parktool.com/product/big-b...
➤ About Park Tool:
Since our founding in 1963, Park Tool has been the leading name in bicycle tools. Our KZfaq channel is an extension of our mission to be the ultimate resource for mechanics and riders of all skill levels. Here you will find comprehensive repair help tutorials for a wide range of components and processes, as well as troubleshooting guides, tips and tricks, and information on the latest Park Tool products.
➤ Subscribe: kzfaq.info...
➤ Like: / parktool
➤ Follow: / parktoolblue

Пікірлер: 410

@jaydavee 5 жыл бұрын

yeah. Don't ride with the workstand attached to your seatpost.

@nigeljohnson8022 5 жыл бұрын

I wouldnt get very far my workstand is bolted to the garage floor !

@MTBinKY 5 жыл бұрын

I can't believe they didn't test that scenario. 😁

@elcolessio5767 5 жыл бұрын

@@nigeljohnson8022 Try! Someday you might be surprised ;-)

@nigeljohnson8022 5 жыл бұрын

@@elcolessio5767 it would be one he'll of a workout

@wreams2964 5 жыл бұрын

I have been waiting for a legitimate argument for clamping dropper posts (from a good source). Thank you.

@xsmilezx 2 жыл бұрын

This is awesome. I appreciate you going into the math and actually proving that the bike will be fine. Too many sources just estimate and don't PROVE that the bike will be fine. I have no room below the collar to clamp, so this makes me feel a lot better.

@dmannino72 5 жыл бұрын

I’ve always clamped my dropper post fully extended with a clean rag. Something I also do is loosen the pivot clamp on the stand so that the bike can slightly sway as you put the bike in, then lock it down. Especially if you pull a wheel out, loosen it, then the bike will automatically settle and then re tighten and keep working. This will reduce the lateral forces out on the post. I was a mechanic for 10 years, but also I have a physics and applied math degree, this logic plus my experience seems to be the best method to work on a bike with a dropper. Glad that you guys have done some testing to confirm my intuition about this. Thanks!

@Jean-jk4zv Жыл бұрын

I don't have physics and applied math degree, but I do exactly like you do.

@dmannino72 Жыл бұрын

@@Jean-jk4zv well I’ll be the first to tell you, you don’t need one haha!

@TheTennisCompany 5 жыл бұрын

I've been clamping my Reverb dropper post (same one) for the last 3 years and no issues. I clean my post and the inside the clamps before mounting. Instead of using gloves I use a cut out piece of an old tire tube. When I clamp the post, I find the balancing point of the bike while clamped in the stand, so the force on the post is straight down (fully extended). For most bikes this means the back wheel will be higher (the bike is not level). Great video!!

@jen3800 4 жыл бұрын

these guys have amazing chemistry ! so nice to se happy people in their work life !! it makes me happy !

@El33G33kGoat Жыл бұрын

Love this video.So refreshing to see someone showing the number and the actual engineering involved. Love it. 🖤

@seany2345 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the videos guys! My bike is soooo happy I watch you videos and use the great knowledge I learn here to keep it clean, maintained, and ready to rip every ride!

@tommyestrada6464 4 жыл бұрын

Thank You for clearing this up, although I was already clamping my dropper fully extended on the sanction, I hated having that seed of doubt.

@kenhuffmire9134 2 жыл бұрын

What a great video guys this clears up a lot of debate in the shop! Changed my mind about this whole controversy. Thanks!

@biketoshi5348 5 жыл бұрын

Great video and backing it up with numbers. Thank you so much guys!

@miiprai 5 жыл бұрын

Wow! This is everything I was hoping for when I suggested this topic. Thank you so much for this extremely helpful video!!! ☺️👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🙏🏻

@michaelbauer6126 4 жыл бұрын

Great tutorial video. I was concerned about clamping my carbon pivot by the dropper post while servicing my bike. No longer! Thanks guys!

@tolgaakyay 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for clearing out this myth 😊 I always tried to avoid clamping to dropper, but clamping to awkward points. Now it’s clear!

@wheeleyguy 5 жыл бұрын

Excellent "Post" !!....Seriously, very informative. Thank You.

@MattRettmer 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for clearing up the question of whether or not to clamp the post!

@DriverDude100 5 жыл бұрын

It is about time authorities put this issue to rest. Clamp away! Thank you Park Tool.

@BartoszRogowski 3 жыл бұрын

I'm trying to do as much as I can without going to a bike shop and your channel is the single best source of knowledge for me. Thank you for your time and thank you for this thorough explanation.

@DGmtb51 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the great info and explanation. Recently installed a dropper post, don't have enough room under the collar, so this helped a lot.

@AdF-RepublicOf6 Жыл бұрын

thanks, just brought my bike stand and this was great in providing me answers to my concerns when working on my MTB.

@kevinadam327 2 жыл бұрын

Great video guys! I appreciate the measurements, loads, and comparisons.

@chrisw3327 Жыл бұрын

Fantastic! Thanks! I am just about to get my first carbon-framed bike and only just considered that I should not clamp the frame. It's really good to know from the experts exactly how to clamp the dropper post without causing any issues.

@bengeist3227 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks guys you thoroughly answered the very questions I had!

@SargeHitch95 3 жыл бұрын

You guys bring out my inner geek. I love this kind of info.

@ronalcasid3844 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you for settling this!

@evergoodstudios 2 жыл бұрын

After working on my own bikes for years, i’ve never had a dropper post mainly for the myths this video has explored. Recently just got a bike with a dropper, and the question raised its head again. Needless to say, Park Tools have given reasoned and logical explanation, and put my mind at ease. Thank you so much. This video is invaluable. Another reason to choose park tool thanks guys. 👍🏻

@backpacker3421 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Not the outcome I was expecting, and I think I'd still think twice about it. But I never really run into scenarios where post clamping is the only (or even best) way to put the bike in the stand. But I definitely learned a lot watching. You guys are great and I recommend you to all my friends interested in doing their own maintenance.

@alantaylor6691 5 жыл бұрын

I feel bad about clamping my seat post due to the weight of my wheels which are fat bike wheels. And the whole bike is 15 kg.

@tubesockets120v Жыл бұрын

Your welcome for clamping. Thanks for being a entertaining and informative duo!

@jdcunn11 4 жыл бұрын

These guys are awesome! I love how they turned it into a discussion between the two of them lol

@steviebye1 Жыл бұрын

Thanks guys. I have the park tools stand and have been clamping my heavy (24kg) emtb on the frame, as I was lead to believe you should never clamp the dropper. I always wince when putting it on the top tube. No more, seat post from now on. Thanks from the UK. Great video.

@dlbro8460 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this vid! Very helpful

@lufe9187 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you, this very helpful for me !

@michael_emtb 3 жыл бұрын

Brilliant video guys, thank you!!

@machine7767 3 жыл бұрын

Great analysis. Love the load cell and torque meter. In regards to torque 20 ft lbs is just that , twenty pounds hanging on the end of a lever that is one foot long. Convert that to inch pounds and it is 240 in lbs, which is 240 lbs hanging or pushing on a lever that is one inch long. So if the clamp was two inches tall, there would be one inch each direction of center to then there would be a 240 lb force pushing on the seat post to hold the bike in that position. If the clamp is 4 inches tall then the force would be half that. Good wrap up that the forces encounter ed riding a bike are higher than what the repair stand clamp will cause.

@user-rn6rq3bn5m 3 ай бұрын

Thanks guys. I really appreciate your expertise. Bike and bike components aren't cheap, so knowing how to and understanding why something is or isn't okay is money in the bank and more time riding!

@MattiRemonen_Hki 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks guys! This was very enlightening & helpful. And nothing beats the science.

@JNOTECH 5 жыл бұрын

I sometimes clamp my bike on the chain

@th_js 5 жыл бұрын

That's the only true way of doing it, my friend.

@wawawewwa 5 жыл бұрын

somewhere in the metric world.. :)

@wolfendenracing2826 4 жыл бұрын

No clamp it by the degreaser

@peakltd7634 4 жыл бұрын

Ah that's a goo idea normally I clamp it by my spoke

@fonzo9405 4 жыл бұрын

I clamp it on the brake lever

@scottjenson1344 5 жыл бұрын

Lookin good in the Park Tool lounge guys! You guys would be proud of me, after the wheel bearing Tech Tuesday, I had the guts to disassemble and fix my in-laws' stuck sliding door and make it smooth as butter... now to fix their bikes:-)

@parktool 5 жыл бұрын

Miss you Scott!

@PedalingDave 5 жыл бұрын

Reading some of the comments below, how about putting the bike in the stand again and take a few measurements tightening a threaded BB to spec with a longer handled torque wrench...just to show those numbers too. Regardless, great video. Really enjoyed it.

@PetervandaRita 5 ай бұрын

Two geniuses at work. Thanks!

@ianbarber6463 Жыл бұрын

Love these guys and Part Tool kit

@user-ny7ps1ij2t 9 ай бұрын

good job boys great help

@cobuskok2794 5 жыл бұрын

Great video! Thank you🤩

@jen3800 4 жыл бұрын

I can NOT believe how much I have to learn !! Holy Cow !!

@northkyt 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome video guys! I've always gone by the conventional wisdom "Don't clamp dropper post stanchions"...not anymore. Clamp away! Only problem I can think of is, like you said at the end the rubber clamp pads better be very clean. If there is a piece of hard grit in there it could easily scratch the dropper post stanchion.

@newttella1043 5 жыл бұрын

Ok, now I feel better about clamping my seatpost. Thanks for the nitrile glove idea.

@giulianoMX 4 жыл бұрын

Great video guys!!!

@richardklassen8082 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the great info

@williamtaylor5899 6 ай бұрын

This was totally smart and funny. Thank you!😂

@dwaka08 4 жыл бұрын

Great team work 👍

@snyper1401 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks guys, I have one of my bikes clamped in my stand at the post right now and was thinking I hope I am not doing any damage to the post. Great videos always very helpful.

@pmmtb699 3 жыл бұрын

Great name

@WBOS72 2 жыл бұрын

Great video - you answered my question.

@that70sschwinn 5 жыл бұрын

Nice demonstration 🔧👍

@datjeepcray4188 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for making this video.

@leroyholmes9131 Жыл бұрын

Awesome. Well explained

@ericzingeler7140 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I was worried about this.

@andriy_moskalyk 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the great topic

@Superrun357 3 жыл бұрын

GREAT info, TY!

@robbstack 5 жыл бұрын

After watching this video, I went out to the garage, voided the warranty on my dropper post and clamped away! :D Thanks for the informative video.

@mrd6093 Жыл бұрын

THANKS GUYS YOU ARE THE BEST I HAVE 60 OR SO POUND FAT TIRE E BIKE WITH A DROPPER POST. I HAVE THAT STAND YOU WAS TALKING ABOUT AND I SURE ENOUGH WOULD NOT WANT TO HOOK IT UP WRONG.

@werdna130 4 жыл бұрын

You guys are hilariously intelligent. Rock on and thanks for such great info!

@johnhayes1641 5 жыл бұрын

Love the gloves over the clamp trick.

@skinnybricks 2 жыл бұрын

11:32 "Please clamp" lmao good reference

@MaquinasDePalomitas Жыл бұрын

Man oh man, fun and informative.

@mathman0101 5 жыл бұрын

Great thoughtful video Park Tool set the reasoning out for why we do things the way we should. That should be knowledge banked before you work on the bike. Can we have more videos on the mechanical side as well. You need to do a complete video work on Bearings - I would bring Hambini into that discussion. Also get manufacturers feedback as you did here. There are lots of claims being made but we need objectivity and measurable data to prove the claims.

@The_G 5 жыл бұрын

Thank for this - nice to know I am doing something right!

@bluestraycat 5 жыл бұрын

Really really interesting! Good to have this issue de-bunked scientifically

@rtmunro 2 жыл бұрын

Outstanding.

@carlosadorno1544 5 жыл бұрын

I clamp dropper fully extended (clean surfaces) by its stanchion, trying to avoid locking on stressful positions that can produce high bending moment at the post.

@TheHolymoses 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome, perfect and to the point with some engineering data. (And that you did imperial and metric)

@CJinsoo 8 ай бұрын

just finding this video today-excellent topic. I stopped clamping by the seat-post when i got a dropper. as a result my work stand becomes less relevant as I have workarounds. I use wheel stands front and rear for most work. I use the Park frame work stand for drive train but rest the saddle on top of the massive Park stand clamp, which has a pretty wide surface. I think I only use the clamp on the Park stand when I remove my fork to service. Will hold it in the clamp by the steerer tube.

@Olzone2 5 жыл бұрын

awsome guys, just answered my question :-)

@psilan1 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks lads.

@piotrkurzydo1817 2 жыл бұрын

great content

@mikeb.3918 Жыл бұрын

Well thought out gents. Appreciate you crunching the numbers for us. Now if I could just get my Fox transfer to stop sticking 1" from the top. LOL 😆

@trailbuilder5789 10 ай бұрын

Thx guys! now i can work on my new bike 🤘😄👍

@MrShinta786 5 жыл бұрын

Really like listening to you guys

@airsoferopromedio 4 жыл бұрын

You can't beat science! Thanks!

@axisludi 5 жыл бұрын

love you, guys

@michaelmann3636 2 жыл бұрын

Personally I rest the front wheel on the ground in most situations when the seat post is clamped in the stand. It’s just more stable and less torque on the work stand also.

@mmaaddict78 Жыл бұрын

More points of contact with the ground the better.

@John-uo1qf 5 жыл бұрын

Would be interesting to see the actual dynamic loads the post takes during a ride - this was alluded to but hard to test - but if it was easy anyone could do it!

@holliskeith Жыл бұрын

dying laughing thank you guys! can't wait to order my diy park tool post

@jumbleross 5 жыл бұрын

I tried the glove on the clamp thing but because I put a thin layer of float fluid on my dropper to keep it slick it just slides around, I clean rag instead worked a treat, thanks guys it’s been a question I always forget to ask after working on my bike

@Max-kw4px 3 жыл бұрын

Super helpful. Finally a clear engineering-minded professional answer, not just some Dad's opinion on mtbr.com ;D

@djfunknuckle3375 4 жыл бұрын

thanks!

@baronvonrichthofen2021 Жыл бұрын

Nice effort, and good to know I can hang it on an extended post. However, I think I’m missing part of the evaluation, namely the part where torque forces on the post seal apply, and the forces in the length of the post. Based on the weight allowance of a rider, and the angles of the post, I would imagine the torque on the seal cap to be negligible in comparison. Likewise, I think the forces in the length of the post (rider weight) to be also not high in comparison. But the construction vertical is very different. It is not designed to have a tensile force acting on the post. So to know if you can hang the bike on the top part of the post, you really need to know what tensile forces the post can take. So personally I would probably not hang it on the top part without knowing. As demonstrated in the video, hanging from the bottom part of the post should be fine.

@8584zender Ай бұрын

I love this video. It sure seems like they had a couple of pops before the director called "action."

@roncooke2188 4 жыл бұрын

You pair should be on national television and make a few people smile

@Mike.Muc.3.1415 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for providing decent metric numbers. Outside the UK and US imperial units are more than exotic and there obviously are reasons why even NASA has switched to the metric system.

@stewartlittle103 5 жыл бұрын

Totally should have end saying “ Please clamp responsibly!”

@arm4238 2 жыл бұрын

Calvin is a national treasure

@BrianVaughn 5 жыл бұрын

Love this video! Clamp it and forget it.

@MusicBent 3 жыл бұрын

I love the test at 9:20, but what happened when you rotate 90 to read the serial number? Or lean on the FRW-1 to loosen a stuck BB, or freewheel? And which manufactures recommend clamping where?

@carlosadorno1544 5 жыл бұрын

Sometimes remove either front or rear wheel to help balance-out weight (minimize bending moment to the post) if a stressful position is needed.