Slik Designs - Tire Changing Stand

I don't know whether we're getting smarter or just older, but there are a lot of tire changing stands out there these days. I've been using the Zip-Ty Racing tire changing ring bolted to a wooden box I made, but lately I want to stand straight while doing tires; it's easier on the lower back that way. I was attracted to the Slik Designs stand by the fact that it has a Zip-Ty ring bolted on top. If you want the whole stand, it's $189, but if you already have the Zip- Ty part, the price is $99. I ordered the stand and mounted my ring on top.

The stand portion is sturdily constructed with a stout square-tube center post and four long square-tube feet to stabilize the unit so it won't tip while you wrestle rubber. At the end of each foot a large nut is welded on and fitted with a bolt to level the unit. The feet are so long that I thought the leveling bolts were overkill-until I got the stand in my garage. Apparently, my garage floor isn't flat. Adjusting the bolts is easy and they make the whole unit super stable once they're adjusted. Around the ring there's a cutout to make popping the rim lock simpler. Just below the tire ring, four sections of square tubing are welded to the main support pole. These are perfect for holding tire irons and the wrenches you need handy for rim locks. What a great concept. I'm always looking for where I set the irons, but no longer. All of the tools I need are right at hand.

Slik Designs' stand hasn't exactly made changing tires fun, but it has made it a lot easier to do correctly while extracting less toll on my body. The black (other colors are available for an additional charge) stand base and the Zip-Ty ring are built tough enough to wrestle mousses. And it works great for wheels from 80cc and up. If you change enough tires to be in the market for a tire stand, you know they're worth having. This is the Cadillac of tire stands. -Karel Kramer