Mountain Biking - Bar ends and kickstands

I just purchased a Specialized Hardrock mountain bike. The main use of this bike is transportation with trails and stuff second. This bike as with most decent mountain bikes I have seen does not have a kickstand. I would like to add a kickstand, but I was told a front mounted one would not work. Does anyone have any experience with rear mounted units? Any particular model to look for? I am not do anything too serious now, but will they get in the way of normal and light trail riding? Second, I would also like to add bar ends to the bike, but do not know how. I was looking at the Specialized Dirt Rodz Bar ends. The grips on this bike seem to have solid ends with no place for the bar ends, am I supposed to put the ends over the grips or modify them in some way?

Thanks,
Brian

For the bar ends, you need to cut the grips accordingly, so the bar ends will fit on the ends of the handlebars.

For the kickstand, I believe that the rear mounted ones mount on the eyelets, or maybe the rear axle, but not sure. Why don't you ask your LBS?

Greenfield makes front mount kickstands with two different clamps, one of them will work. Greenfield is the brand just about every shop carrys. The problem with kickstands on trail bikes is they tend to pop down after hitting big bumps or going over a jump.
The rear mount would be a pain, they clamp on with the axle nut and you have a quick release.

The quick and dirty method is trim enough grip off to fit the barends on. You can also trim off just the end of the grip and slide everything in on the bar to make room. Use a boxcutter with a fresh blade and you can trim fight thru the grip.

Thanks, I am planning on heading over tomorrow or the next day. I wanted to have an idea of what I needed before I went though.

Thanks,
Brian

I personally dislike kickstands and think they're fairly useless at least for me. I find them dangerous... especially the types that clamp at the chainstay bridge since those are prone to working their way loose and swinging into your rear wheel. That said, I've seen some quality kickstands made for attaching to the rear stays (http://harriscyclery.net/site/page.cfm?PageID=49&SKU=KI1002). They seem to work okay as long as the bike isn't subjected to any harsh terrain. I would definately remove it before going offroad.

To mount bar-ends, you have two basic choices. [1] You can either try to find barends that has a clamp which fits inside your handlebar end with an expander bolt ala a quill stem or [2] move all your handlebar furniture inwards a bit to accomodate the wrap-around clamp of more common barends. Either way, you will have to cut the ends off your grips. This can be done with any sharp knife. Be careful if you've got carbon fibre handlebars. If you choose option 2 then you'll need to loosen up the clamps for your shifters and brake levers and then squirt some Windex (there are other solutions here too) under the grips to lubricate them. Use a screwdriver or something to lift one end of the grip (once again, use something very dull if you're working with carbon fibre handlebars) and squirt liberally. Try twisting it about until it breaks loose. Then slide everything inwards the amount needed for the barend clamp.

I hate bar ends (especially on riser bars) and kickstands in general

In my opinion, bar ends are only good if you ride long distances or are constantly doing uphill climbs.

With most ppl, the kickstand is the first thing to go, why would you want one?

Originally posted by troie
In my opinion, bar ends are only good if you ride long distances or are constantly doing uphill climbs.

That'd be me but make that "long distances AND are constantly doing uphill climbs." :D

Nothing beats good technique when climbing, kicks stand on a mtb, no. The only bike I have that has a kickstand is a 1970 schwinn Cruiser.

Originally posted by danka24
1970 schwinn Cruiser.

That thing is older than me :)

If everyone really thinks kickstands are a bad idea I will reconsider it then. The bike is mainly transportation and there will be many times when I have nothing to lean it against. Do you just lean the bike on its side when you are somewhere with nothing to support the bike? How about when it is in your house? A friend of mine is a bike police officer and rides a Trek Police bike with a rear mount kick stand that seems to be well made and never has gotten in the way for them, unfortunately it is sold with the bike. As for the bar ends, thanks for the install instructions. They are a matter of personal preference and I like the riding position they give and extra options they provide.

Thanks,
Brian

hey guys he didn't ask for opinions he wanted to know if you had experience with one or the other. Look around brian and definitely head over to your LBS they might even have a parts book that you can look at and weigh your options. I currently have Cane creek ergo control barends, but they're quite pricy. I got mine as a trade for an old frame. I think performance or nashbar might have some plastic ones as well, look around, there's lots of options and good luck in your search

One other thing about barends (and the same could probably be said about anything sitting on your handlebars)... don't overtighten them (especially if you have carbon fibre bars) or you risk crushing the bar in a crash. You want to tighten things enough so they don't move normally but will still "give" in the event of a sudden hard impact. It's easier to readjust your barends than to replace the handlebar.

The best kickstand I know is made by ESGE.
Usually you can find a wall or post to lean the bike against. You should lock your bike to something heavy and imovable when you leave it. Kickstands tend to encourage leaving the bike free-standing. They are useful if you have to carry children on a rear seat, but otherwise an unneccessary extra.
I use a luggage rack on the rear to lean the bike against walls. The rack absorbs all the scratching so the frame is OK.

If the bike is going to be used mainly for transportation, there is nothing wrong with a kickstand to help support it while it is locked up. I wouldn't run one on my mountain bike, but I don't use if for transportation. You might notice a problem with the kickstand bouncing around if you use the bike for rougher MTB trails, but it shouldn't be a problem on the street. I'd say go for it. If you know you are going to be riding some rougher trails ahead of time, you could just remove the bolt and take the kickstand off for the weekend/day of riding.

You have to remember that kickstands will not always hold up the bike. Strong winds will push the bike over. You also alwayus need to remember to lock the bike when leaving it.

-Moab

he has a Hardrock, which hes mounting a kickstand to. I seriously doubt he has a $150 carbon bar, plus anyone who did would have enough sense not to cut the thing with a box cutter or overtighten the barends, thats just stupid

Originally posted by copper RS
he has a Hardrock, which hes mounting a kickstand to. I seriously doubt he has a $150 carbon bar, plus anyone who did would have enough sense not to cut the thing with a box cutter or overtighten the barends, thats just stupid

I try not to assume. :D

The bike is currently all stock. I believe the handle bars are aluminum. I went to my bike shop today and looked around. A normal kickstand will mount, but will interfere with the brake cable a bit and a rear kickstand might not mount because of the disc brake mounts on the bike. According to the shop the front mount would be fine, but if I ever wanted to seriously ride I should unbolt it. I am going to wait to buy it and see how often I would actually use it first. I ended up purchasing Specialized bar ends and a Cat Eye Enduro 8 computer. Thanks for all the help.

Brian