Park Tool TS-4 Truing Stand: Customer Review

In this review, Gregory Marzolf gives us an in-depth review of Park Tool's latest and greatest TS-4 Truing Stand. This stand is now designed to hold up to a 5" wide tire! Park Tool makes quality products and we would expect nothing less with this stand. Let's see what Greg thinks. 

Overview

I recently decided I was tired of having bike shops work on my wheels, so I bit the bullet and ordered a Park Tool TS-4 Professional Wheel truing stand along with a Park Tool TM-1 spoke tension meter. Wow, am I glad I did. This stand is amazing, and with the tension meter, I now longer am guessing on getting my wheels set up. 

With this, I ordered the Park Tool stand from Worldwide Cyclery. The stand showed up on my step quickly, in good shape, and ready to go. The instructions were ok, but better online at Park Tool's website. It was there I discovered the Park wheel app that is really helpful in getting your wheel dialed in. 

The Park Tool wheel app allows you to put in tension reading for each spoke, and when done correctly, shows a graph of exactly where tension mismatches are in your wheel. From this, you can adjust the tensions to not only get your wheel perfectly round, but also with the correct tensions so it stays round longer. I wouldn’t say I’m a great mechanic, yet I was able to get my wheels dialed-in with no problem – so I’m no longer scared of adjusting my wheels. It’s just not that hard.

Initial Build Impressions

As for the TS-4 build quality, Park Tool did an amazing job building this stand. It is very solid, beefy, and made to last a lifetime. What I liked the best was how well it accommodated my large snow bike tires – a Surly Bud front / Maxxis Minon rear – the big arms cradled it like a baby. I thought the arms might flex just a bit based on the weight of the tires – but this thing is made out of real steel – no flexing there.

Performance

I’d suggest you consider the TS-4. It works for all sized wheels—I have 100-177mm hubs—and the stand also accommodates thru hubs too. I no longer pay my local bike shop to do the work while I patiently wait. I am now building myself an even wider-rimed front tire for the snow here in Colorado. This setup is not cheap – but you’ll never need another stand – and the confidence you’ll have in your wheels is well worth the price. In the end, I am very pleased with the stand. Worldwide Cyclery was great getting the stuff out the door and providing after-sale support.

Final Thoughts

By the way, since I ordered the stand, I ordered Park’s accessory that holds the stand perfectly on my bench without any clamps. No longer do I have to C-Clamp it to my bench. Now I can easily move the stand where ever I want (like in my TV Room where I can watch football by the fireplace) – this is very well made too. I suggest you pick up this accessory too – might as well get it all set up. The only drawback is that all your biking buddies will want to come over to work on their wheels – and drink all your craft brew in the process. Aargh!