What you need: Repair stand, the bike, room to walk around it.

Procedure

Place the stand on a flat, stable surface

Carpet absorbs dropped small parts; a rubber mat or section of plywood underneath catches what you drop and protects the floor.

Extend the stand to working height

The bike's bottom bracket should sit roughly at your sternum when the bike is mounted. Too low ruins your back; too high and you can't see what you're doing.

For clamp-style stands

Clamp the seatpost, not the top tube. Top tube clamping risks crushing aluminum or carbon frames.
On a dropper post, lower the post fully and clamp the lowest exposed section (the stanchion below the collar — never on the slick upper stanchion, which scratches and damages seals).
For carbon seatposts: keep clamp pressure light. If the post can't take it, swap to a cheap aluminum post just for stand work.

For axle-mount stands

Remove the front wheel, mount the bike via the fork dropouts using the included thru-axle adapter, and brace the rear with the support arm.

Position the bike so the drive side faces you

This is your standard working orientation for most jobs.

Test by gently rocking the bike

It should not pivot, slide, or droop.

Common mistake: Clamping over a brake hose, dropper cable, or shift cable routed along the seatpost. Always check before tightening.

Setting Up a Repair Stand

Tools