Sometimes you see a new product launched into the world of gravel riding and your brain instantly comes up with two thoughts a) Ooooh that’s super clever and b) I wonder why no one has thought of it before? Altangle’s new Hanger Connect portable workstand fits precisely into that category. Read on to find out all about it….
Travelling somewhere with your gravel bike, whether it’s a few hours away in a vehicle or a long-haul flight away on the other side of the world has one major drawback – what if you get to your destination and there’s something wrong with your bike? It could be as simple as your gears need adjusting or your disc calliper needs re-centering, but without an easy way of lifting your bike off the ground, what should be a straight forward task becomes a much more complicated one.
We’ve probably all seen images of a rider (or mechanic) hanging a bike off their neck while they bend over making an emergency tweak, or bikes hung from tree branches or with an assistant lifting up the back wheel, but all of these are either risky or complicated or unstable (and probably all three), so what if there was a better way?
This is where Altangle’s ingenious Hanger Connect portable workstand comes in. Billed as the “world’s smallest most versatile workstand” by the manufacturers, the diminutive workstand, which measures 36cm long x 15cm wide x 5cm tall and which weighs 1.4 kgs, is designed to clamp pretty much anywhere – an upright on a gazebo, a handrail on a set of stairs, a fence post, a ladder on the back of a 4x4 or van – in fact anywhere that’s reasonably solid and stable.
Images courtesy of Altangle
The double-ended design is designed to essentially replicate a high-end workstand, just shrunk to make it as portable as possible. It’s small enough to fit into your bike bag if you’re flying with your bike or tuck neatly into the luggage space in a vehicle and it means when you get to your destination, as long as you can find something reasonably sturdy to clamp it onto, you’ve got a portable workstand and suddenly all those faffy jobs should become a breeze.
The Hanger Connect is available direct from the manufacturer and they are currently offering free shipping to Europe, USA & Canada for anyone spending more than US$100. We’ve got one on loan at the minute and will be trying it out at a variety of events and rides over the course of the summer.