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review

Tacx Spider Team workstand

8
£173.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Quick and simple to use, portable race-prep stand with some welcome upgrades
Weight: 
4,250g

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The Tacx Spider Team workstand is aimed more at fettling your bike pre- and post-race rather than as a full-on workshop tool, and thanks to its lightweight aluminium alloy/plastic construction it's easy to transport and simple to set up. Since we last tested it it's also received a few tweaks which have removed a few of our earlier criticisms.

  • Pros: Lightweight, adjustable, simple to use
  • Cons: Doesn't suit all bottom bracket shells

> Find your nearest dealer here

Assembly of the workstand is straightforward and simple: after taking it out of the box you just attach the top arm to the leg section via the clamping bracket.

Updates

This clamp is one of the first modifications the Tacx has received since Mike's review back in 2015. The original bracket slotted onto the leg section and had a push button which located into a hole to lock the top section into position.

Without the button pushed in you could rotate the top section 360 degrees, but if you were to pick the workstand up the leg section could drop out.

With this new bracket it is locked by way of a quick release clamp, the same as used throughout the rest of the workstand. This makes it much easier to use as you can undo the clamp, spin the top section and therefore bike to whatever angle you want, and clamp it in place again.

Tacx Spider Team workstand - tool tray.jpg

Because of the clamping system used, the bracket also has a slot cut into it to pinch tight against the leg section. The tension in the part that slots inside the tube means it gives a good tight fit to the leg section even when it isn't clamped, so the lower section dropping out is rare.

The other improvement comes with the tilting of the stand to facilitate working on parts of the bike at different heights, or levelling it out if you are clamping at the rear dropouts.

Tacx Spider Team workstand - angle adjuster.jpg

The older version used a friction-based handle, which when wound in would clamp the top section at whatever angle you so desired, but that left room for movement and an angle change when tightening or undoing bolts unless you could get the handle murder tight.

Tacx has rectified this with the new blue plastic insert that you can see on the opposite side of the handle. It's splined to match the top arm section that it sits against, and when wound in they interlock, stopping any unwanted movement. Yes, it takes away the amount of angle options but the ones on offer are more than enough and it's worth it for the stability.

As before

Other than that, the Tacx Spider Team is very much the same as the original, and that's absolutely fine because it works exactly as you'd want.

It's called the Team as it's been designed in collaboration with pro team mechanics for the type of jobs likely to be carried out in the pit area or back of a lorry: cleaning jobs, gear fettling like replacing cables or new chains, plus general adjustments, with that ability to quickly spin through 360 degrees making it very useful for confined spaces.

Clamping is taken care of by dropping out one of the wheels on the bike, locating the dropouts with one of the clamps, and resting the bottom bracket on the support channel.

Tacx Spider Team workstand - qr clamps.jpg

Depending on what axle system your bike uses, you fit one of the selection of inserts to the clamps. For the fork you get a 5mm quick release option plus 9mm, 15mm and 20mm thru-axles, while for the rear you get 5mm quick release and 10mm or 12mm thru-axles.

They are push-fit so relatively easy to insert and remove, and being made of nylon they are reasonably robust. I could see marks on them from use but nothing major. Tacx also supplies a front and rear quick release that you can leave inserted in the clamp for speed.

The bottom bracket of the bike isn't clamped to the stand, it merely balances on the two edges of the support channel. On frames with standard sized BB shells and threaded outboard bearing cups things are a nice fit and quite secure, but some of the large/odd-shaped/oversized carbon versions can sometimes not sit squarely, though I never had any issues with a bike falling off.

Tacx Spider Team workstand - detail.jpg

Stability & portability

As I said above, for the sort of tasks the Spider Team is designed for, the levels of stability are just fine. It isn't designed for removing stubborn bolts or bottom bracket cups, so if you're looking for a heavy duty stand for the workshop, look elsewhere.

As for stability, it's worth mentioning the legs as their large stance makes for a secure setup, and the feet move too, which helps on a less than flat surface.

Tacx Spider Team workstand - foot.jpg

One issue you may find with the Team is that there isn't much adjustability for height other than not fully opening the legs out. Keeping a narrower stance buys you a little elevation but compromises the stability.

Tacx Spider Team workstand - legs detail.jpg

At my height I had no real issues. Unless you spend a lot of time working around the bottom bracket area you should be fine – for any other component you can just alter the angle to raise or lower the bike.

At just 4.25kg the Spider Team is ideal for travel and is easy to fling in the back of your team van or boot of the car. It folds down quickly and without fuss, which makes it easy to carry to the pit area if you're at a race with no vehicular access.

Value

Money-wise, the price has come down a few quid since 2015 – which is a rare thing to see at the moment – plus you can find it healthily discounted from its £173.99 rrp on the internet.

The Tacx doesn't have the adjustability of the Topeak Prepstand Elite that we tested last month, but it is 2kg lighter and over £50 cheaper. (The other stands we've tested over the years are more workshop-based and not really comparable with the Spider Team. For more ideas, though, check out our buyers guide below.)

> Buyers Guide: 8 of the best cycling workstands

On the whole I got on very well with the Spider Team, and those couple of upgrades have improved its performance over the previous model we tested. I'll continue using it and update this review with my findings, so if you see me at any team road.cc events this year you're sure to find the Tacx set up in our pits if you want a closer look.

Verdict

Quick and simple to use, portable race-prep stand with some welcome upgrades

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Tacx Spider Team workstand

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for

Tacx says: "The Spider Team is developed with the help of WorldTour team mechanics who use the repair stand intensively on a daily basis. Thanks to their tips, you too can professionally and efficiently adjust, assemble and repair."

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

From Tacx:

Weight 4.25kg

Max. load 15kg

Suitable bikes MTB, Race, TT

Footprint (lxw) 88.5x88.5cm

Working height 100cm (bracket)

Dimensions when folded 120x23x18cm

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

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

As a stand for tinkering with a well-maintained race bike or for minor repairs it is really good.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Ease of use.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Some bottom bracket shells work better than others.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

Improvements to the previous version have nudged the overall score up to 8 – it's very good for lighter work and transporting to races, whether you are the team mechanic or an individual who wants the option to be able to fettle pre- or post-event.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 38  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: Kinesis Aithein

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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2 comments

Avatar
maviczap | 6 years ago
0 likes

Not sure if this is the same model, looks like the one a bought at Decathlon for £99

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/spider-team-workstand-id_8242726.html

It's a nice light stand, and does what I want, although I did want a Feedback Sports stand, but at this price the Tacx won the day

Avatar
photek replied to maviczap | 6 years ago
1 like
maviczap wrote:

Not sure if this is the same model, looks like the one a bought at Decathlon for £99

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/spider-team-workstand-id_8242726.html

It's a nice light stand, and does what I want, although I did want a Feedback Sports stand, but at this price the Tacx won the day

Oooo, hadn't seen that - thanks for the heads up!

 

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