The Birzman Feexstand takes the traditional chainstay storage stand and adds fork-secured drivetrain fettling capability. If you are very pushed for space it might work for you, just be aware of all the bits needing a home. And the price.
Check out our guide to the best bike repair stands if you're looking for a more traditional option for working on your bike.
Storing of bikes can be a challenge if you live in a flat, or lack dedicated space like a garage. Or maybe you need to work on your bike indoors, and don't want it leaning up against furniture. Or maybe you are travelling, and want storage plus Fettleability in one package.
At a penny under £140 the Feexstand certainly isn't a cheap option, as you can purchase any one of a dozen chainstay stands for around £20. The additional £120 in value needs to come from the hybrid functionality of being able to flip the stand through 90 degrees to enable drivetrain work, by fixing to the stand through the front axle.
Firstly, as a chainstay stand the Feexstand is much the same as other models out there – you hook your bike's chainstay and seatstay over the two hooks and there you go.
The height of the hooks are adjustable as one unit to get things just right. Height is adjusted by flipping the lower hook then sliding the assembly up or down.
You're limited to a maximum chainstay or seatstay width of 23mm, which does then create some instability if your upper stays are thinner, as the bike is not held securely, inducing front wheel flop that needs managing. If someone walks past and brushes the bike, it will move around. It would be good to see Birzman introduce some sort of spring loading inside the upper hook to stop this happening. Also, for the money, independently-adjustable hooks would be good, as some bikes will struggle to fit the pre-determined distance.
For fork mounting, there's a can o' worms right there with multiple fork axle diameters and dropout widths to accommodate. Included in the set are endcaps for traditional QRs (remember them?), standard 12 and 15mm thru-axles, and 110mm ('Boost') 15 and 20mm.
Each standard (no sniggering) is two caps, meaning you have 10 endcaps, or eight loose at any one time to store. It would have been good if Birzman had thought of some option to store them on the stand, maybe on little protruding nubs or something.
The endcaps push in easily enough and stay put until needing removal.
As a fork-mounted stand for fettling, there's the usual caveat that if you have a long front mudguard fitted, it won't work. And by 'long', basically if it comes more than a few cm below a line drawn between front axle and BB.
Then there's getting it fitted – you take out your front wheel, hold the axle, position the bike on its BB, then lower the fork down over the axle-specific inserts you've remembered to fit. You can slide the fork mount back and forth, locking in place with a large lever.
The act of threading the axle through is a bit hit-and-miss too, and requires some pushing and twisting to get home.
Once fixed, the overall package is reasonably stable and will survive a reasonable push from the side. Certainly it's stable enough to spin the cranks with some welly while fettling shifts or cleaning/lubing the chain.
If you use one of those chain baths (which do a bang-up job of evenly-distributing the fine grit so detrimental to chains, but that's another opinion) you need to be aware that the chain angle is now pointing downward considerably, so the fluid is highly likely to spill out the front.
Weight limit
While the maximum weight is stated as 25kg, I wouldn't recommend using the Feexstand to fettle or clean an e-mountain bike or Dutch bike – the stability afforded at that height for that much weight is just too questionable, the likelihood of a heavy bike tipping over too high.
To be honest, for the faff involved versus extra stability, leaving the front wheel on and lifting the rear wheel using the chain/seatstay function is going to suit most needs. Which really begs the 'why spend an extra £120 in the first place?' question.
> Six essential tools for cyclists who do their own bike maintenance
Looking at value, Birzman really has a challenge here proving £140 is reasonable. In comparison, for £25 the Minoura Chainstay Portable stand looks a real cracker. Folds flat, and the bike is balanced on both stays. Width is adjustable too.
Jon rather liked the now-£74.99 Topeak Tune-Up Stand X, which lacks the fork mount aspect, but if the job is to lift the rear wheel while holding the bike upright, job done.
Conclusion
Overall, I struggle with the value proposition of the Feexstand. As a chainstay stand it's really no different to others costing a fraction the price. For travel use it doesn't fold up. And for fork-mounted work, there's little you can't do in that setup that you can't do using the chainstay configuration.
Kudos to Birzman for looking to create a new hybrid workstand product, but the execution is lacking. If it had more adjustability to fit more frames, and it were collapsible, and had endcap storage, I'd rate it as a viable product even at the high £140 price. As is, it's hard to recommend.
Verdict
Looks to combine the traits of stay- and fork-mounting, but struggles with overall value
Make and model: Birzman Feexstand
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 wanting to store and work on bikes in a limited space.
Birzman says:
Feexstand is a multifunctional hybrid combining a storage stand with a repair stand.
Designed to minimise the bulkiness of conventional repair stands, and also maximise frequency of use with the bike stand feature, Feexstand provides a space-saving solution with a friendlier price than two individual stands.
The double-sided stand is compatible with road and mountain bikes, featuring slide rail designs, adjustable components and interchangeable end caps to accommodate frames and wheels of various sizes.
When standing upright as a storage stand, the height adjustable hook holds the seat stay and chain stay of a bike for storage and display; when tilted to form a 3-point standing repair stand, the BB mount and slidable fork mount secure the bike in place for simple repair and maintenance tasks, including cleaning and washing.
The fork mount includes interchangeable end caps compatible with road and mountain bikes Ø5x100 mm Quick Release and Ø12x100 / 15x100 / 15x110 / 20x110 mm Thru Axles; the BB mount comes with a strap hole, where a Velcro can be used to reinforce the fixed frame during maintenance.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
From Birzman:
Max. load: 25 kg / 55 lbs.
Max. distance from front axle to BB: 77.5 cm / 30.5".
Compatible with seat stays and chain stays ≦ 23 mm / 0.9" in width.
End caps x 5 sets :
Ø5x100/12x100/15x100/15x110/20x110 mm
Rate the product for quality of construction:
8/10
As with all things Birzman, the materials and finish are high quality.
Rate the product for performance:
6/10
Individually, as a stay- and fork-mounted stand, it's OK. No better than many other stay stands that are much cheaper.
Rate the product for durability:
8/10
As it's well made, it looks to be durable.
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
6/10
At 1.7kg it's not light, but it's a workstand.
Rate the product for value:
3/10
This is the Feexstand's downfall. It costs A LOT.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
As a stay stand it's OK. As a fork-mounted stand it's OK.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Nothing particularly.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Instability in chainstay mode.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
Compared with a plethora of chainstay stands, it costs a fortune. Compared with a fork-mount stand such as the Feedback Sports Sprint, it's cheap – but then can't really be compared.
Did you enjoy using the product? Not really.
Would you consider buying the product? No
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, but with considerable caveats.
Use this box to explain your overall score
It's average. The issues with stability and lack of collapsibility plus the high price mean it's wanting in multiple respects.
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
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