Do I really need to pamper myself with a stand?
Almost all jobs are easier in a repair stand. It also a lot harder to knock over the bike in a repair stand, which is otherwise quite easy to when reaching for tools with the bike upside down on the floor.

Here's a few things that are much easier in a stand


headset service
replacing brake and gear cables/bleeding brakes
front mech adjustment
rear derailleur adjustment
brake pad replacement


The only one out of this list that is actually quite tricky is headset adjustment, especially if you have a headset with loose ball bearings; although many quality bikes nowadays come with cartridge bearings. Most of the these jobs should be fairly infrequent too. Once initially set up, your derailleur should only need tiny adjustments using the barrel adjuster to account for cable stretch.

It really comes down to how many times you needs to service your bike. I would normally be commuting to work by bicycle covering approx 100km per week. I therefore need to service my bike each month, sometimes more if the weather is particularly horrible.