Customer Reviews

Sunlite Deluxe Wheel Truing Stand

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I gave this a 4 star rating because of price vs quality. This stand is not the best stand out there, but, if you are a part timer bicycle mechanic then this stand will definitely get the alignment job done. When fine tuning and adjusting indicator screws the brackets would flex, therefore not as rigid as I would have liked. Once everything is adjusted though, you will be able to true wheel as good as any high quality truing stand. I couldn't find a better priced truing stand.

Considering that this stand is probably one of the lowest-cost stands if not the VERY lowest cost bicycle wheel truing stands on Amazon I am quite impressed. There really isn't much to it other than some 1-1/4"x 1/4" stamped steel arms, a box-steel base, a plastic harness for the screw-in feelers, and some thumb screws. All bicycle stands are over-priced for what they really are because these tools are so low volume. If everyone wanted one of these and they were in widespread demand they could probably sell them for under 20 and still make a hefty profit including shipping them from Taiwan.

It is firm enough stand to get the job done if you know what you are doing Then again you can get the job done with an old fork clamped into a vise and using some zip-ties as markers. But this tool is much easier to use and set up as well as is adjustable by flexing to fit all common axle sizes. For as little as it costs it is silly to do it the hard way with an old bicycle fork because this stand makes life a lot easier and getting the "dish" correct is a snap in a proper stand.


Pros:

*Folding design makes this stand easy to store as it collapses to only 1-1/2" tall. If you are pressed for space this thing folds down quite cleverly. Better than the park stand IMHO.

*Adjustable by simply flexing over your particular axle's OLD.

*Solid enough when the axle it tightened into the correct slot. It's even more solid if you use a couple of C-clamps at the front two corners to hold the stand down to your workbench/table. You could pay 3-4 times as much for a better stand but it isn't really going to help you do a better job. If you were a pro who sat behind a truing stand all day long maybe -otherwise save you money for other/more tools that you will need as a home mechanic.

*Very affordable compared to other stands. It could be much cheaper for what it is but I guess there isn't much demand or competition. A TON less money than the entry-level home-mechanic Park wheel-truing stand and more or less the same quality.

Cons:

*Absolutely no instructions or even so much as a picture to show how it is set up. It doesn't even NEED to be disassembled as it fits back in the box with all the pieces bolted in. I have no idea why they didn't put them on if they aren't going to inlude so much as a diagram to show where all the pieces go. Maybe it was supposed to be put together but whomever in Taiwan who was building them was too lazy. It would have fit in the box and it would have only taken 30 seconds to finish putting the stand together if you know where the 4 extra pieces go.

*Even the picture is terrible so you can't even SEE where the pieces go.

*The frame that holds the feeler gauge is plastic and bit bendy. It's not a problem if you know what you are doing. For this price what do you expect? It works.

*There are two spots to put the axle into -one on top for smaller hub widths and one lower down for wider hubs. Unfortunately the cut on the bottom two notches is not even or very precise. Using these notches works to hold the wheel but it is held slightly cocked and crooked so measuring the dish is not possible without using a dishing gauge since you don't know where center is. You can still true a wheel that you know the dish it right but building a wheel from scratch in these notches will be guesswork without a separate dish gauge. The top notches, however, are spot-on with my stand and hold the axle exactly perpendicular with the fork sides so center is actually center down at the rim. Since the stand spreads easily and springs back there is no problem putting a wider wheel into the top notches other than with smaller diameter wheels the plastic feeler frame is at a funny angle to use correctly.

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Hints:

*Generic instructions for how to use a wheel-truing stand are on the Park Tools help pages. Do a search for "park tools wheel truing blog" and you will find them. No instructions, assembly diagrams, or even a basic explanation are available for this cheap stand from its manufacturer or in the box.

*Save an old axle from a junk wheel to place in the stand when it is not in use. If the forks of this truing stand get tweaked in storage or transport the stand will not perform well and making checking dish impossible without a separate dish gauge. Clamping an old axle into the stand when not in use with a wheel will protect the stand from damage as it is vulnerable and could be squished/tweaked without it.

*Get a few sets of generic washers from the hardware store. Different axles sometimes don't slide into the dropouts of this stand very straight -especially the smaller diameter axles. If the axle isn't sitting straight in the dropouts the stand is hard to use and having larger washers helps that greatly. I keep a few sets of washers of various sizes right on the tool using one of the extra tapped holes in the side stand and a 1/4" bolt to retain them. Now I have them right where I need them when they are necessary.

i used this stand only twice so far. it helped me true my wheels, but is a little flimsy and on the "cheap" side. can't complain because i didn't pay $200 for the "good" one. i did have trouble with the rear wheels with the gears. maybe i just don't know how to use it correctly (doesn't have instructions) but even though i removed the gears, it still stretched the stand, i was still able to use it though.

I have this truing stand it works ok but.Its not the best to use.I going to get the Park truing stand it cost more but you also get what you pay for too.