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Feedback Sports Pro Truing Stand

9
£150.00

VERDICT:

9
10
Effortlessly enables wheel maintenance and proves a portable, compact package
Fits almost every kind of wheel and hub
Trues disc rotors
Solid table mount has option to bolt down
Mounts on Feedback workstands too
Perfect for tubeless faffery
No fatbike hub support yet
Locknut doesn't lock firmly
Weight: 
3,460g
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This product has been selected to feature in road.cc recommends. That means it's not just scored well, but we think it stands out as special. Go to road.cc recommends

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The Feedback Sports Pro Truing Stand is the last word in portable yet pro-level wheel and disc truing. Solidly built, modular and accommodating almost every standard known to humankind, it's the last wheel servicing stand you'll ever need to buy. Just as well considering the price – but it's still way cheaper than the Park Tool alternative.

Feedback Sports is renowned for beautiful and beautifully-functional tools, and the Pro Truing Stand is no exception. Pretty much every aspect – from its mounting, to how it functions, adjusts and even folds for transport, has been meticulously thought through.

> Find your nearest dealer here

Firstly we have to understand this is not a wheel building stand. It's in the name – it really is a truing stand. A proper wheel-building stand is a more complicated, heavy, expensive, accurate and rigid beast.

2020 Feedback Sports Pro Truing Stand - boxed.jpg

For mounting, you have two options: the included 2.6kg steel base for use on a table or bench, or attachment to one of Feedback's excellent workstands such as the Pro Elite. This option is great for travelling mechanics, as the alloy arm alone is just 860g. It also frees up workshop space if you're cramped.

2020 Feedback Sports Pro Truing Stand - base.jpg

The chromed steel base has an indentation to hold small parts (valves, nipples, spoke keys etc) and underneath is a 10 x 15cm steel plate that forms the mounting post section. This is removable, and can be permanently bolted to a worktop or screwed to a wall.

The arm attaches via a toothed adjustable clamp, which also slips over the top of a Feedback stand, and the angle can be quickly adjusted to position wheels just-so.

2020 Feedback Sports Pro Truing Stand - detail 1.jpg

Its party trick is the indicator assembly, which adjusts to bring its spring-loaded white plastic tip close to the rim. It can be fixed with a locknut, but the tolerances are tight enough it isn't needed. The fact the tip is plastic means you don't fear for rim decals, and because it's white it's easy to judge when contact is made without needing complete silence.

> Beginner's guide to bike tools - get all the vital gear for basic bike maintenance

There's a small amount of play if you apply sideways force on the rim, but nothing that affects the performance. Yes, a stand that supports both ends of the axle can remove this play, but at the cost of weight, bulk, compatibility and setup/removal time.

2020 Feedback Sports Pro Truing Stand - detail 3.jpg

On the wheel side of the rod are two knurled discs with machined gaps on their inside faces, and they leave a 2.4mm space when done up tight against each other. It's with this Shimano-calliper-pad-width space you align your 1.7mm-thick disc brake rotor to true it.

> 11 best bicycle repair stands — get the right workstand for you

The ability to quickly and easily true disc rotors is to me of more use than truing the wheel itself – if you're running discs, you likely don't care about rim wobbles as there's no pad there to rub, but an even slightly wobbly rotor will drive you nuts with noise. It can also glaze your pads and wear them down pretty quickly.

There's a small metal tab for adjusting out wheel hop (where the wheel isn't perfectly circular), and as you sneak up on perfection the tab micro-adjusts with the black knob, making the process fast and easy.

Axle standards

The Pro Truing Stand handles quick release (QR) and through-axle (TA) hubs equally well, with no compromise – unlike most other designs. Its TA adapter takes from 10 to 20mm axles, and up to 157mm Super Boost hubs.

Those needing a fatbike-eating 170mm-plus stand need to look to Park Tool's models for support, though. Alternatively, Feedback Sports could release a 170mm rod as an accessory, should fatbike demand in the post-zombie-apocalypse-nuclear-winter really boom.

2020 Feedback Sports Pro Truing Stand - detail 2.jpg

Once adjusted, there's a locknut on the thru-axle adapter to secure your chosen width, minimising the amount of spinning to get the wheel centred and secured. Properly set up, it means you can install or remove a wheel in five seconds flat. 

One area Feedback could improve on is the security of this locknut – if you are doing significantly violent work, for example fitting a tyre or manhandling a tyre bead, then the repeated back-and-forth flexing of the setup can cause the slick steel locknut to work loose. You can get the locknut even tighter by winding in the plastic 'Z-knob' at the end to really crank it down. Some sort of friction material could solve this minor niggle. 

Clearance

The stand takes pretty much any diameter wheel, up to and including a 700C/29in rim with a 3in tyre, so as a workstation for tubeless tapes, valves, tyres and sealant it's a winner. The single-sided design and oodles of tyre clearance win out over dual-sided designs in this regard – my calculations say even a 4in wide 29er tyre on a 100mm hub should fit.

Value

At the budget end of the spectrum (BYO table or bench to clamp it to) you'll get along fine with the Tacx Exact Wheel Truing Stand so long as you only do QR wheels... and if Garmin hadn't apparently killed Tacx's truing stand business in its recent acquisition.

Another half-hearted option is the £100 Park Tool TS-8 which Dave rather took to, except that's QR-only as well. Park Tool does an adapter for £50, but if you want disc truing as well you need the £210 TS-2.2P stand and either the £50 TS-TA disc adapter or the £17 TS-2TA adapters. For Park Tool to match the Feedback means a £227+ mash-up of heavy bits. Not great value, even for this Park Tool fan.

Overall

Feedback Sports has delivered a small, light, functionally brilliant and adaptable solution for £77 less than Park Tool. Its versatility, multiple mounting options and easy operation add up to a fabulous package for any cyclist. This is an excellent choice for stepping up your home or pro wheel game.

Verdict

Effortlessly enables wheel maintenance and proves a portable, compact package

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Feedback Sports Pro Truing Stand

Size tested: One

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

It's for people needing to maintain wheels - keeping rims and rotors true, and tubeless setups working.

Feedback Sports says: "This single-arm, precision wheel and rotor truing stand is awesome at home and excels at races, events, or adventure-riding weekends. Have you ever wondered why all Feedback Sports bike repair stands have exposed frame above the clamp head? Our Pro Truing Stand is designed to sit atop all of our portable stands! The truing stand also includes a free-standing steel base and a bench-mount adapter for when you're not traveling to races or trailheads. And with the all-new Thru-Axle Adapter, it can accommodate the most common wheel sizes for quick-release or thru-axle hub designs. Use the benchtop mount for an awesome tubeless setup and tubular gluing station."

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

All-New Thru-Axle Adapter accommodates: 10mm, 12mm, 15mm and 20mm – up to 157mm wide hubs (Super Boost)

Single-arm design is lightweight, portable and compatible with most wheel systems

Precision spring-loaded tip can verify lateral and radial rollout

Measurement arm includes a disc brake rotor truing slot

Steel base measures 10.25" x 8.5" (26.5 x 21.5cm) and 5.8lbs (2.6kg)

Bench mount measures 4" x 6" (10.1 x 15.2cm)

Anodized 6061 T6 aluminum construction is ultralight, corrosion resistant and incredibly durable

Can accommodate up to 29" wheel with tire mounted

9mm quick-release hubs use quick-release for mounting

3-Year Warranty

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10

Can't fault it.

Rate the product for performance:
 
10/10

Does every job flawlessly and quickly.

Rate the product for durability:
 
10/10

Everything is sturdily made from long lasting, corrosion-proof materials.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
10/10

Heavy when needed with the base, light and compact ready to combine with a Feedback workstand. Best of both worlds.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
10/10

In as much as it can be 'comfortable' the ergonomics and manageability of use are perfect.

Rate the product for value:
 
10/10

Compared to the Park Tool equivalent at nearly twice the price, value is indeed excellent.

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

Flawless. Perfect. Outstanding. Wheels and rotors can be trued with rapid perfection.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The rotor truing bit. That's genius.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

Against the Park Tool equivalent, it's very well priced: £150 v £227. No one else comes close.

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

There's almost nothing to fault here. It's not long enough to support fatbike hubs – but that's so niche as to be ignorable and certainly forgiveable – and the locknut doesn't lock firmly, but otherwise it's perfect in every regard for modern wheel standards. It's exceptionally good.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 47  Height: 183cm  Weight: 77kg

I usually ride: Sonder Camino Gravelaxe  My best bike is: Nah bro that's it

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, general fitness riding, mtb, G-R-A-V-E-L

Living in the Highlands, Mike is constantly finding innovative and usually cold/wet ways to accelerate the degradation of cycling kit. At his happiest in a warm workshop holding an anodised tool of high repute, Mike's been taking bikes apart and (mostly) putting them back together for forty years. With a day job in global IT (he's not completely sure what that means either) and having run a boutique cycle service business on the side for a decade, bikes are his escape into the practical and life-changing for his customers.

Add new comment

11 comments

Avatar
Miller | 3 years ago
0 likes

What's the retail availability of this stand in UK? I can only see it on amazon.com

Avatar
Chris Hayes | 3 years ago
0 likes

I have a Feedback workshop stand and I'm very pleased with it: superb design; solid tubing - yet very light; telescopic tubing that gives a broad, stable base and very high quality clamps.  It's one of the best things I've bought and I look forward to messing around with the bikes now.

Avatar
Feedback | 3 years ago
1 like

Thank you Road.cc! What a great write-up. As you keep using it, just know there's a 3rd way to mount it (mind...blown)!! Remove the black post from the silver base (threaded hardware underneath) and you can bench mount it! We use ours at the office mostly bench mounted (for gluing tubulars and setting up tubeless) - it's rock-solid!

Avatar
KiwiMike replied to Feedback | 3 years ago
0 likes

Ahem:

"...underneath is a 10 x 15cm steel plate that forms the mounting post section. This is removable, and can be permanently bolted to a worktop or screwed to a wall"

😉

Avatar
Gkam84 | 3 years ago
1 like

Also it's the BEST stand around for glueing and mounting tubs. It's the stand I've used for about 7 years.

Avatar
Feedback replied to Gkam84 | 3 years ago
0 likes

Seriously! Do you bench mount yours for gluing?

Avatar
Miller | 3 years ago
1 like

Thanks KiwiMike! Very fast reply. Does look like an excellent product that might suit my occasional wheel truing and building needs. Since thru-axles came in I've had to resort to bodges as my ancient crappy stand is not thru-axle friendly. 

Avatar
KiwiMike | 3 years ago
1 like

For clarity, here's what it looks like in use - apologies, when the review images were shot the photographer assembled the axle rod the wrong way round 😱

Avatar
KiwiMike replied to KiwiMike | 3 years ago
1 like

...and here's the rotor truing in action. Same arm, slid up and wound out to centre the truing nuts over the rotor. 

Avatar
ktache replied to KiwiMike | 3 years ago
1 like

Nice!

Avatar
Miller | 3 years ago
1 like

Would have been nice to see a photo of this with a wheel mounted. And in the photographs, isn't the trueing element mounted on the wrong side? 

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