Various bicycle tools have evolved over the years into specialized tools for working on a bicycle. Modern bicycle shops will stock a large number of tools for working on different bicycle parts. This work can be performed by a trained bicycle mechanic, or for simple tasks, by the bicycle owner.
Various devices have been devised to hold a bike still to facilitate working on it, and they are usually called stands. Stands may clamp a part of the bike, such as the seatpost, seat tube, or top tube, or they may simply provide a surface on which a bike may rest with some security. Stands, especially those that clamp to a bike, may provide a means of repositioning a bike in order to conveniently locate the part being worked on. Stands may be either portable (light and collapsible) or fixed (heavy, usually attached to the floor, wall, or bench).
Care must be taken with clamping stands not to clamp a part of the bike that cannot withstand the pressure, such as the tubes of many aluminum or carbon fiber frames, and non-cylindrical carbon fiber seatposts. An auxiliary bracket may be used with clamping stands to keep the steering mechanism from rotating.