Workstands are an item we couldn’t do without – raising the bike off the ground makes even the most basic maintenance tasks a far more enjoyable (and efficient) experience. The Recreational is Feedback’s most basic option and trades in the company's renowned tripod design and adjustable height for a lower price.
At a fixed height of 1.39m, this stand puts most bikes at a workable, yet low, height. Adjustable height is a feature you get with more expensive versions and it's something we missed during tedious repairs. On flat surfaces, the stand was stable and allowed basic repairs to be completed without fuss. Even on uneven ground we were pleased with the stability, with no tipping experienced.
To get the price down, Feedback has moved away from its usual tripod design and gone to a simpler two-leg folding design. The stand arrived fully assembled and took under half a minute to unfold. The two legs fold forward and are locked in place by a steel pin. The central support then doubles as the rear base. All the legs have rubber end caps, and everywhere from polished timber to wet grass, the stand remained in place without marking or slipping.
The simple design gives a wide, solid stance
The powder-coated steel construction still allows for a portable 6.1kg total weight and should serve for years of use. The rotatable clamp features a spinner knob without a quick release function, slowing down its use compared to other (often more expensive) options. Similar to our experience with the Sport Mechanic stand, care must be taken to not overtighten the strong clamp, as little feedback (no pun intended) is given through the clamp mechanism.
The clamp uses a hand sized dial on the back to provide a full 360 degrees of angle adjustment. This dial also allows the clamp to be folded flat for storage. Unfortunately, we struggled to get it tight enough to hold the bike without moving. However, it was ample for basic repairs where the bike was at a balanced angle.
Under heavy use, we struggled to get this dial tight enough to not slip
With a claimed load limit of 27kg, the Recreational Work Stand will handle most duties, but it is designed for more basic repair tasks. It's by no means a bad workstand, but we feel spending another US$40 on the Sport-Mechanic version would be money well spent in the long run.