Feedback Sports has developed some very useful tools for bike mechanics. They take into consideration many things like functionality, price, and performance. Inside we take a look at their Pro Truing Stand that has received a few updates recently.
Words/Photos : Jason Nixon
There are a number of bicycle truing stands available on the market today and the Feedback Sports (www.feedbacksports.com) Pro Truing Stand 2.0 has a lot to offer that we’ll be reviewing in more detail below.
Feedback Sports Pro Truing Stand Features
More and more wheels today are using thru-axles and their new adapter works well with them. Previously Feedback Sports used quick-release style adapters for 12mm/15mm/20mm hubs but the new thru-axle adapter makes things much easier.
On occasion, with the quick release 1.0 version thru-axle adapters (pictured below) we noticed some hubs have a hard time gripping these adapters securely if there was a gap or size difference between the end-cap and the inner axle diameter.
The new thru-axle adapter vs 12mm & 15mm quick-release adapters
If you happen to still have a regular quick-release wheel it bolts directly to the truing stand.
The new thru-axle adpater holds thru-axle wheels easily and securely up to 157mm wide hubs (SuperBoost)
The “Z Knob Indicator” is the arm that is used to true wheels, rotors, and check for run-out. It moves up and down the truing arm and has a spring loaded nylon tip to protect your metal or carbon rims as well.
The spring loaded nylon tip used for wheel truing to keep your wheels safe
If you’ve ever needed to straighten a bent rotor this stand is a game-changer. New bikes often have slightly tweaked rotors and straightening them can be quite time-consuming without a tool like this. You can easily move the knob up to true rotors similar to how you true a wheel. It’s much easier to use this as you can quickly fine-tune a rotor as it spins.
Feedback Sports also sells a very nice steel rotor straightening tool called a Rotor Truing Fork that has multiple slots to help you straighten a bent rotor quickly. We like the Feedback Sports one because it’s solid, doesn’t damage easily, and has some two angled cuts that make it easy to feel the adjustments. The rotor slots are not too thick so it gives a positive interface that makes straightening easier.
We would recommend using two of these in concert. Use one to hold the rotor straight and the second to help micro-adjust the straightening process as needed.
The truing stand can be removed from the steel base and mounted onto a Feedback Sports bike repair stand.
The truing arm comes off the metal base plate and can be easily mounted to a Feedback Sports bike stand for use at races, remote repair, or just a rigid bench that wants to a lower profile workspace or wheel station. The base has 4 screws if you’re looking to bench mount the arm itself.
The final highlight of this stand is its ability to be used as a wheel holder. You can easily add sealant, inspect a tire, mount tubeless tires, clean a wheel, clean a hub, and clean a cassette much easier than on the ground or table for example. The arm moves easily on the base to support a wide range of angles or on a Feedback Sports bike stand.
While it’s nice to highlight the benefits of the Pro Truing Stand 2.0, we also thought it’d be useful to give some thoughts as it compares to the Park Tool TS2 (TS2.2) that you can find in just about any bike shop. Price-wise the TS2 is quite a bit more expensive however but it’s a truing stand many are familiar with. The Park option offers a little bit more table-top rigidity and faster small precision truing. The TS2 also can be mounted to a table with its pre-drilled exterior mounting holes and has a wider footprint. The TS2 can take longer to extend and adjust for wheel sizes if you don’t often work with the same size wheels. A wide or dirty tire can also be make truing a little more time-consuming on the TS2. The TS2 style stands also allow you to check runout easily and straighten the wheel between two fixed points as well. Bracing on the TS2 gives more even support should you need to hold a spoke while turning a nipple or building a wheel.
While both stands can true a wheel, there are a number of areas where both shine in their own ways. The TS2/TS2.2 is going to be a bit heavier, works well on table-tops, and generally works well to build and true wheels in a fixed environment.
The FeedbackSports Pro Truing Stand 2.0 offers a lot of other benefits we’ve come to love comparatively such as
Purcahse at your local bike shop or online www.feedbacksports.com
Overall we’ve been quite happy with the Feedback Sports Pro Truing Stand as you can see and there are a lot of areas where it really shines. The ability to quickly true thru-axle wheels and rotors in a lightweight package makes it an easy product to recommend. If you’re a mobile mechanic, the benefits become even more transparent. At $124.99, the Feedback Sports Pro Truing Stand 2.0 is a great option if you’re looking for a stand with all the features we’ve covered in this review. Home and professional mechanics can easily find ways to love the Feedback Sport Pro Truing Stand 2.0 as it is a very versatile tool for bike maintenace and repair.
If you’ve never looked at the full range of Feedback Sports products outside of their bike stands, be sure to check out their latest range of products. While they’re well known for its sturdy bike repair stands they’ve also developed new tools and portable trainers that many professional athletes and teams have been swooning over.
Feedback Sports integrates its tools nicely within its product line as well where possible. You can see how their Team Edition Tool Kit can securely mount to their bike stand and even has space for integrating their T-Handle wrenches to be added as well.
We’ve added a few extra pictures as well in the gallery below if you’re looking for some more detailed pictures of the Feedback Pro Truing Stand 2.0