Unior Bike Tools BikeGator Bike Stand 2022
Reviews / Tools
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At a glance
The Unior BikeGator repair stand is a foldable stand aimed at both professional and amateur use. The 5.3kg stand folds down for easy transport or storage and has a max load capacity of 30kgs.
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About the brand
Unior Tools is a Slovenian based company, and part of the Unior Group. They are one of the world's leading steel and metal manufacturers and employ more than 1800 people. Founded in 1919 they have been in business for more than 100 years, continuing the local blacksmiths traditions of the Zrece region. Their factory is based just down the road from the Maribor DH track, and have a big bicycle tools department led by enthusiastic riders. Besides bicycle tools, they make tools for automotive and motorcycle markets, as well as an extensive range of hand tools.
They are the official tools sponsor of the Jumbo Visma road cycling team, the Trek Factory racing team, Commencal team and of course the Unior Devinci racing team. When walking around the pits area, it’s easy to spot their tools in most of the racing mechanics tool boxes.
When it comes to care and responsibility it is refreshing to see they have a big section dedicated to this. (http://www.unior.com/en/group/care-and-resposability) . The company is ISO 14001 certified and focuses on substituting materials that have a hazardous effect on the environment and people, as well as on sustainable production and consumption.
The product
Having a bike repair stand makes a world of difference when it comes to doing your own maintenance. The ease of taking off wheels for cleaning and the ability to work on the correct height make life a lot easier and I would highly recommend making the investment.
In the world of bike stands there are basically two groups. One is the workshop stand, very sturdy but very heavy and not built to be moved and the portable stand, which this model belongs to.
Made from steel and aluminium, you feel directly this is a quality piece of equipment made to last. The tubes are made of thick walled, black anodized aluminium and the clamps are CNC’d from a solid piece of alloy instead of the plastic we see at many other brands.
The clamp jaws are made from high quality steel, and use a ratchet mechanism to quickly adjust the clamp size. You can clamp anything that has a diameter between 22 and 60mm. To firmly clamp your bike in place, you then rotate the handle until tight.
To undo the clamp, you just flip the quick release lever and it’s jaws open up automatically making it easy to take out your bike. The jaws come with rubber protection to make sure your bike doesn’t get damaged. Added bonus is that you can replace these separately if they wear out.
The folding legs are sturdy and come with rubber caps for better grip and stability, but do require a level surface for them to be stable. You can rotate the clamp to either use on the seatpost or top tube position and adjust the height between 98cm and 150cm, offering loads of positions to work on. There is also a tool tray available to organise small parts and tools in case you don’t have a work table.
Out on the trail
Well we did not use the stand on the trail but you get the idea. Putting the stand together or taking it apart for transport is a breeze, and although it’s not the lightest stand out there, it is a great mix between portability and sturdiness. If you plan to travel a lot with it, I recommend you also get the special carry bag for it.
The clamping head is great to work with and allows you to quickly clamp and release your bike with one hand. There are plenty of adjustments available to make sure your bike is where you want it, and it’s sturdy enough to hold even an E-bike or DH bike.
Verdict
Although not the lightest bike stand out on the market, we do believe that this is a great buy. This is mainly down to the extreme high build quality, combined with a really user friendly clamping system. Throw in the portability and extensive spare parts catalogue and you have a winner. You’ll have to save up a little, as at 350 Euros this piece of equipment is not cheap, but it will be the last bike stand you’ll buy.
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This review was in Issue 69 of IMB.
For more information visit Unior Bike ToolsRelated
By Jarno Hoogland
Jarno's life has revolved around two wheels ever since he swung a leg over his first BMX at age 4. After a BMX and DH racing career, he moved on to work for bike shops, distributors and brands before ending up in the editors seat at IMB. Based in the ultimate testing ground in the Swiss mountains, he runs his guiding operation and makes sure every IMB issue is filled with top notch content.
