General Cycling Discussion - Whatever happend to the Kickstand?

Thinking back, I always had a kick stand growing up, then at some point BMX bikes that kids rode stopped having them, then all of the sudden no one had them anymore. What happend?

Well...this is exactly why I prefer hybrids. It seems the people who market bicycles tend to do so at the extremes, and assume we are racing on the roads or in the dirt. Doesn't anyone just ride their bicycles in a mixed environment for fun? (road, trail, gravel)

As a casual bicyclist, I also appreciate lightweight and well built components, but not at the expense of reliability or practicality. Fortunately, my dealer threw in the kickstand for free with my new Trek 7500. Of course, my choice is not going to let me win any races...

I miss my kickstand... a lot.

Kicked mine into touch when it fell off the bike and I could not be bothered to get another one. Why spend good money on something that is not going to work when a wall is more convenient.

' pends on the bike...some of mine have them built in, others are add ons. Unfortunately they are not a one size fits all proposition. I have more than one that was cut too short and would not hold the bike up properly. Also parking on an uneven surface can be a challenge. I have found 2 solutions that work for me at this time, one is a double legged stand, the other is a long stick that looks similar to a fold up tent frame post, that you can flip open and it will support the heaviest bike when placed under the edge of the tubing near the seat. The guy that makes and sells them is a member on here but I can't recall what the thing is called:o

Aaron:)

Marketing types think "Drop kickstand and see if customers holler".
"Good, now we'll leave it off but not lower the price 'cause it's left off"
"More profit either way 'cause if they want one we'll SELL IT to'em!"

and customers didn't holler at all............:rolleyes::rolleyes:

I just got an "adjustable" kickstand for my hybrid/commuter. Pretty cool, huh? Sometimes there is no wall when I need one...

Fashion won over function.

Marketing types think "Drop kickstand and see if customers holler".
"Good, now we'll leave it off but not lower the price 'cause it's left off"
"More profit either way 'cause if they want one we'll SELL IT to'em!"

and customers didn't holler at all............:rolleyes::rolleyes:

This must be the real reason as to why the truly functional touring bicycles have two kickstands, forget that supporting the load stuff. :p

This must be the real reason as to why the truly functional touring bicycles have two kickstands, forget that supporting the load stuff. :p

My touring bikes have never had kickstands...and I haven't seen too many come from the factory with them. Kickstands and heavy loads don't really work that well together. Have your bike crash to the ground because the kickstand either collapsed, the stand dug into soft ground or the wheel wasn't turned the right way and you'll soon pitch the thing to the side of the road. Bikes lean against stuff well or can be leaned against each other or, in a pinch, can be laid on the ground.

Don't need 'em.

They're available for just about any bike. I choose not to carry one around when most of the time I can lean the bike.

kickstand + mountain biking = nasty crash
if you make a left or maybe right(haven't had a kick stand in so long that i don't remeber what side they were on)
i will take the left had aproach, lets say the kick stand is on the left and you are turning left, and you hit a bump with enough force to pop the kickstand down it digs into the rock that just happens to be there and boom you hit the ground and then the bike hits you.

I must be stupid for liking kickstands. I didn't realize all the problems they create. Now I need to remove my dangerous kickstand from my motorcycle as well....and maybe lean it against a car in a pinch.

Kickstands are unneeded, anytime that i leave my bike alone it is locked up and if its locked up there is something to lean it against. Also, on mountain bikes, any trail riding or hopping of curbs and the kickstand makes that obnoxious twang sound.

When I am off of my bike, most often it is either indoors or locked to something. In either case, a kick stand doesn't serve much of a purpose for me. If I am just taking a break, I find it best to just lay the bike on its side. Things can't fall over when you put them on the ground to start with.

threee of my bikes have kickstands. I like kickstands. Bikes like to be upright. The most popular one (Greenfield) is still made in the USA!!!


below is NOT a good picture of a kickstand, just a bike standing up...

Mine was an option that I took when I bought the bike. I like having it there. I even put it down when I put my bike in the rack in the basement. I also use it after I pull my bike out of the stands to do the final preparations just before actually starting my ride. I wouldn't like a bike without a kickstand.

https://shop.sunrisecyclery.com/item/10240

Thinking back, I always had a kick stand growing up, then at some point BMX bikes that kids rode stopped having them, then all of the sudden no one had them anymore. What happend?

Kickstands went the same place that fenders and chainguards went and for the same reason. See below.

Marketing types think "Drop kickstand and see if customers holler".
"Good, now we'll leave it off but not lower the price 'cause it's left off"
"More profit either way 'cause if they want one we'll SELL IT to'em!"

and customers didn't holler at all............:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Not only don't holler but proudly chant the "the less (weight) is more (important than anything else)" mantra as a universal truth.

I have a kickstand on my commuter. Very useful as I fumble for a security pass to get into the office, or for my keys when I get home. Have not got one on roadbikes -- just think of the extra weight..... :)

I've got one on the hybrid and one on the touring bike. I like them. Sometimes, I lean the bike on something, anyway. No problem.

Now, if I had a road bike, I might rethink this. If I had a road bike, it would probably be for riding for the sake of riding, rather than going somewhere, if that makes a difference.

I don't know how anyone can actually claim laying a bike on its side is more practical than a kickstand for everyday riding. That being said, I do find I am fastest with a shaved head, after I have pissed, taken off my shoes, had liposuction, and removed the seat/handle bars. Not real practical for turns, but very fast!

BTW, my hybrid also has one of those lightweight and unobtusive chainguards. No more grease on me or my clothing...

I don't have a use for a kickstand with my current bike because it is either in my garage or under my butt, and in neither case would a kickstand be useful. But I'm pretty sure I'll want one, probably a two point stand rather than a leaning one, when I build my touring bike. And I'll have fenders and a chain guard on it too!

below is NOT a good picture of a kickstand, just a bike standing up...Off topic, but I have to ask: Where did you get that mudflap? I've been looking for one of those forever.

Well, the real problem, of course, is that the technology has not kept up. Where is my Easton CNT kickstand with Mg bolts? I want it to weigh about 2g and be wind tunnel tested!

that obnoxious twang sound.

That's the only reason my bike doesn't have one. I ride over potholes and curbs like it's a mountain bike. It's not.

I don't know how anyone can actually claim laying a bike on its side is more practical than a kickstand for everyday riding. That being said, I do find I am fastest with a shaved head, after I have pissed, taken off my shoes, had liposuction, and removed the seat/handle bars. Not real practical for turns, but very fast!


I said 'in a pinch'. When you have a bike that is loaded like this

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/My-bike-12_1.jpg

You don't want to be depending on a stand that might sink into the ground to hold it up. In a pinch you can lay it over like this.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/EasternWA17_1-1.jpg

Or lean them together like this.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/Missoula2_1.jpg

Frankly, after having a loaded bike fall over a couple of times into the traffic lane in the late '70s I ditched the kickstand and never looked back.

yeah, yeah, you can also get an Esge Pletcher twin legged kickstand and alleviate a lot of that worrywarting about your loaded touring bikes tipping over.

many tourists use twin leg kickstands and have little or no trouble picking spots to use them, even on dirt roads :eek: gasp!

you sink the kickstand in, fasten the front wheel and you are good to go. remember the Flickstand? it was a handy aid to keep a loaded touring bikes' front wheel straight. wasn't it a Blackburn product?

Here's some photos of loaded bikes on kickstands, on dirt, gravel and snow- no problems.

If I'm leaving my bike unattended it's locked against something. If bike thieves and vertical objects such as walls ceased to exist I just might put a kickstand on.

If I'm leaving my bike unattended it's locked against something. If bike thieves and vertical objects such as walls ceased to exist I just might put a kickstand on.

Getting off a bike doesn't always mean leaving it unattended.

Ever get off the bike to stretch, wee-wee, pick up something shiny, adjust your clothes, or any of a million other reasons? Sometimes there is something to lean it against, and sometimes there ain't. The kickstand is useful for the ain't scenarios.

Kickstand: The Ultimate Anti-Theft Device!

I have a kickstand on my commuter. It comes in handy, especially when transitioning. I swear somedays my bike just wants to fall over, though, and the kickstand really makes it act like it has a mind of its own. I can't decide whether or not the twang is more annoying than the fact that the LBS charged me for it. Seems to me that at least a basic bottle cage and kickstand should be included in the price.

Whatever happened to the Kickstand?Nothing much. I folded it out this morning when I parked my bike at work. I expect to find it there when I get out of the office in a few hours.

Around here, bikes still come with kickstands, with the exception of dedicated road cycling and MTB bikes.

--J

yeah, yeah, you can also get an Esge Pletcher twin legged kickstand and alleviate a lot of that worrywarting about your loaded touring bikes tipping over.

many tourists use twin leg kickstands and have little or no trouble picking spots to use them, even on dirt roads :eek: gasp!

you sink the kickstand in, fasten the front wheel and you are good to go. remember the Flickstand? it was a handy aid to keep a loaded touring bikes' front wheel straight. wasn't it a Blackburn product?

Here's some photos of loaded bikes on kickstands, on dirt, gravel and snow- no problems.

I don't worrywart over my bike tipping over because I don't use a kickstand. If they work for you that's great. But once I got used to not using them, I found that I didn't need them. For me it's not a weight issue but a utility issue.

The Flickstand was made by Rhode Gear and was marketed to be used primarily on bikes without kickstands. My experience (from the dusty mists of time) with kickstands was that the wheel needed to be turned towards the stand to make the bike it's most stable. At straight front wheel would destabilize the bike...not stabilize it.

I had to pay extra to have this Greenfield installed on my new bike. It has an extension made of aluminum tubing that was added by the LBS. It works just fine on the uneven or soft ground I encounter whenever I stop off the pavement around here. Not too many walls to lean it against.

I like the kickstand. It gives the racer types something else to whine about after they have run through their standard negative comments about my wheel reflectors and handlebar mirror.

http://www.pbase.com/billd9/image/84466850.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/billd9/image/81450678.jpg

One of my bikes has a kickstand, the other doesn't. I've adapted.;)

I never really understood the 'kickstand weight' argument. If you really wanted the ultimate lightweight method of conveyance, you wouldn't use a bike at all -- you would walk from one place to the other stark naked! :eek:

Trailtrekker in Iowa

Not intended to be a plug, but, at last year's Seattle Bike Expo, I met the founder of http://www.click-stand.com/

This thing weighs almost nothing and supports any loaded tour bike from the top tube. Comes with a parking brake. I love mine and use it all the time. I paid dearly for my panniers and will only lay them down in a moment of extreme need.

I can't imagine laying my motorcycle on its side every time I get off the bike. This isn't the exact version I own, but these kickstand wideners keep my motorized two wheeler from falling over in the mud when camping.

http://store.bobsbmw.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3402

Of course, when my Trek is hooked up to the trailer it is almost impossible to lay down. I suppose the trailer could also be flipped over on its side, but then my wife wouldn't be happy if I did that with my daughter still strapped in. Maybe I could just ask a thief to hold my bike up until I get her out of the trailer?

I also tried laying my truck on its side, but now just prefer to leave it upright.
http://www.beloblog.com/ProJo_Blogs/newsblog/CRASH%20040301%20BM.JPG

I don't have any need for kickstand so I don't have them currently. But I think they are great if one does.

I know two high milage (20k mi/yr) cyclists who have been high mileage riding for 25yrs+, who race very competetively in their age group and have kick stands on all their bikes including the ones they race on.

Al

Kickstands rock. I didn't spend thousands on my bikes to have them lay on the ground or scrape them on a wall, which I've done and it made me run out and get a kickstand.

That click stand is a neat idea, but I prefer the integration of an installed stand. I think if only because the last thing I want to do is keep track of one more thing when getting on and off my bike.

Hell I am thinking about adding a stand to my keirin bike, which would probably horrify just about everyone out there. ;)

Kickstands have gotten a bum rap in the past. Early models were heavy and unatractive. They were kinda bolted to the bottom of the bike. People who rode with them frequently did little maintenance on the bike so the arm would sometimes impact the crank arm making for a noisy ride. It just did not spell riding efficiency.

There was a class of bike called a "touring bike". It has milder angles, and longer wheelbase, often equipped with front/rear panniers. This was not a cut-rate Walmart bike. It was well constructed and very durable. It needed a good sturdy kick stand because you don't want to lay a fully loaded bike on its side. They have become passe and the new so-called "better bikes" did not come with them for effiency reasons. (I bet Lance never uses one). As a result, they became frowned upon as inpractical and extraneous because you could simply lean the bike against a wall or lay it on its side.

Nothing wrong with them at all. I have not seen any kickstands lately, but I imagine the ones that exist today are lighter and more effiecient than the old clunkers of yesteryear.

I've grown to appreciate the clatter of mine as I go over rough pavement. It also works very well when I'm on the road, and I want to stop here for a break (stretch the legs, get a snack, whatever). Plenty of spots on the road where ther is no guard rail to lean against, and plenty of times when I've had it and just want to stop and not look for an "ideal" spot.

To each their own.

All my bikes have kickstands.

You seem to be very defensive about your choice to use a kickstand.

If everyone boardwalk cruised, tootled along on bike paths and towed their spawn around in trailers then many more folks would have kickstands.

The cycling population is not that homogeneous obviously.

Gee...and I was just thinking you might be an anti-kickstand lobbyist who represents bicycle manufacturers.

I am not defensive, but simply confident in the practicality of a kickstand for most people. IMHO the lack of kickstands being included on bicycles is illustrative of how the bike manufacturers market to people who think they will race their bikes rather than ride them.

Most cruiser, comfort and hybrid bikes I've seen come with kickstands.

Nope, just a guy who rides bikes who has been amused by many of the inane comments that have been made in this thread.
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You shouldn't spend so much time reading your own posts... folks will laugh at you.:p

I do not mourn the demise of the kickstand, since it is alive and well on all of my bikes.

Thinking back, I always had a kick stand growing up, then at some point BMX bikes that kids rode stopped having them, then all of the sudden no one had them anymore. What happend?

Because people realized kickstands were for noobs.

We put kickstands on the childrens bikes(the few that do not come with them) We will also put a kickstand(free) on a comfort bike that does not come with one(most of them do) if the person wants it(most don't)

I wish all bikes came with kickstands. Then the average rider would have a simple mod that would make his bike lighter and maybe he would leave all the screws with the "H"s and "L"s next to them alone.