Fifty Plus (50+) - kickstand or not?

I am buying a Specialized Sirrus--I am using it for exercise and an occasional commute. ( part 15 minute train ride)
I get a free kickstand with it..As a new rider, I am not sure if I want it. I have received great advise here, so I will ask the experts again. Kickstand or not?

If it's one of those kickstands that squeezes down on the tubing near the bottom bracket, there's no way I would ever put something like that on.

knotty

Good kickstands, the kind that attach back near the rear axle and are adjustable in length can be very useful if you get off the bike a lot during rides. If you stop for pie, it seems cool (Fredish)(and I like that) not to have to lay the bike down or lean it against something. IMHO

Last summer I had 2 bikes with kickstands and 2 without. I found the kickstands to be very handy several times, so I broke down and put them on the other two. Glad I did. Several of the towns that I ride through don't have any bikeracks and I was always searching for somewhere to lean my bike, or lay it down. I use mine several times on each ride.

We've chatted on this topic here before and there are always strong feelings on both sides. I think some would rather carry their bike than have a kickstand.

We could coax them over to the dark side with a titanium and carbon fibre stand with a CO2 actuator to rase and lower it.

Kickstands are for Freds. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I can't see why you shouldn't have a kickstand ... but then again, I can't see why you'd want one. We must be spoilt for trees and buildings and things to lean bikes against (why else would you build a multi-story office block if it wasn't to lean bikes against it?).

Richard

Call me a 'fred' or 'dork' or whatever . . . I like my kickstand. I don't care about the extra weight. I ride for the shear joy of being in the fresh air and seeing things I never did while driving my truck. When I stop for a few minutes I don't want to have to teter it against a curb or lean it against a wall. Or, heaven forbid, lay it on the ground.

You guys/gals in your clown-colored-stretch lycra, special shoes/pedals and stupid aerodynamic helmets can laugh all you want. I'll keep my kickstand.

DON

Never. Even when i was 10 and got a new bike the first thing I did was get rid of teh kickstand.

It's difficult to put just-behind-the-bottom-bracket kickstands on some bikes without possible chainstay or cable damage or interference issues. The stand that was on my RANS attached to the chain and seat stays and worked well but was removed because there wasn't really any need for it.

Absolutely. No kickstand.

I find a kickstand quite useful, particularly when loading or unloading the bike.

Paul

Kickstand- Don't leave home without it.

Fortunately, neither my Bianchi nor my Schwinn can take a clamp-on kickstand, and no one ever had the audacity to put one either of the Capos. Count me among those who are strongly biased against kickstands, irrespective of whether you perceive us a rational or irrational. This is one of those personal preference issues, such as handlebar or saddle design.

My name is Motorad ... and ... I am a kickstand user.

(covering his face with his retro cycling cap, Motorad silently sits down ...)

I even added one to my BoB trailer to make it easier to park without having to do that origami thing the maker thinks is the best way to park it.

they are like 350 000 miligrams! That would be suicide!

I've got kickstands on my commuting bike and on my grocery bike, but not on my MTB or road bike. If you're using your bike for utility cycling, it makes sense to add things that give it utility. When attaching panniers on the bike, a kickstand is really handy.

I put a kickstand on my Trek, which I use for commuting. The bike was getting so heavy anyway (with fenders, a rear rack, lights, batteries for the lights, etc.), I figured, why not? I find it really handy. It makes the bike really handy to load in the morning for my commute, and it "sits" better in the bike rack at work leaning on its kickstand than it did before leaning against the rack. Since this is my "utility" bike I am willing to put anything on the bike that makes it more useful, and the kickstand does that.

Never. Even when i was 10 and got a new bike the first thing I did was get rid of teh kickstand.

+ 1

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a kickstand on a bicycle. Just like there's nothing wrong with walking a bike up a hard hill. I wouldn't be caught dead doing either one, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. ;)

If there was someplace where I felt I could leave the bike unlocked, I might consider a kickstand. Since I like my bikes and never leave them anyplace (including my own living room) unlocked, a kickstand is superfluous.

:D
There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a kickstand on a bicycle. Just like there's nothing wrong with walking a bike up a hard hill. I wouldn't be caught dead doing either one, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. ;)


Thats the best it's been said so far.:D

Kickstands are smart and cool. In 5 years, everyone will kickstand.

I've got kickstands on my commuting bike and on my grocery bike, but not on my MTB or road bike. If you're using your bike for utility cycling, it makes sense to add things that give it utility. When attaching panniers on the bike, a kickstand is really handy.

+1, I use a kickstand on my utility bikes too, but not MTBs or road bikes.

I always get a kick out of the comments that make using a kickstand seem like one is deserting the army during a time of war. All they do is keep your bike from falling over. I don't understand why they have become so vilified.

A standard kickstand weighs about 1/4th as much as a 16oz bottle of water. Or about one half of the weight of a Brooks B17 saddle.

If they were more accepted by road bikers, I bet we'd see ultra low weight carbon fiber kickstands. But as almost everyone who would dare put one on their bike today doesn't care that much about the weight, nearly all of them are aluminum.

Not sure why anyone would hesitate to put one on an aluminum hybrid bike.

Until I can get my bikes to levitate on their own I'll stick to using the kickstands...

First of all- if you are going to fit a kickstand- then it must be of a high enough quality that it will stay in one piece and stay in one place whilst riding. Nothing worse that a kicksatnd trying to park the bike when you don't want it to. Then the kickstand has to hold the bike upright at ALL times. The number of times I have seen bike fall or get blown over for the stand being useless is often enough to say don't bother. Then on top of that- do you need one. I can always find a wall or tree of kerb and occasionally a bike stand to keep mine upright. On the few occasions I cannot- I can always lie it down on the ground.

So I will stand up for common sense- and say don't bother.

I've a kickstand on my Atlantis and love it. It weighs almost nothing and I don't have to be leaning the bike against things. For the several decades and bicycles previous, I'd always thought kickstands were just a style taboo and would not even consider using one. So function was slave to form. Which, I'd now say, is not good style.
http://flickr.com/photos/20197891@N08/1968623315/in/pool-rivendell/

+1, I use a kickstand on my utility bikes too, but not MTBs or road bikes.

+1

But please let's move this topic over to Politics & Religion...;)

I've a kickstand on my Atlantis and love it. It weighs almost nothing and I don't have to be leaning the bike against things. For the several decades and bicycles previous, I'd always thought kickstands were just a style taboo and would not even consider using one. So function was slave to form. Which, I'd now say, is not good style.
http://flickr.com/photos/20197891@N08/1968623315/in/pool-rivendell/

You have some pretty pictures there, Ralph. I think that Atlantis, may be my next bike.

Thanks, George. I've had the bike since July and really love it. Be advised: the bike is a little bit heavy. For me, the feeling of solidity and sure-footedness it gives (I'm running 700X35's) is a fair exchange for the weight. I believe the people at Rivendell are entirely worthy of the kind of trust that's required. So I recommend it. If you do decide to seriously consider it, I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have, though, of course, the Rivendell folks will too.

During my grad school years I commuted on a Raleigh Sports 3 speed to school & work. It had a kickstand that was an appropriate & useful accessory. Another pound didn't make a lot of difference. None of my current bikes have a kickstand, nor do I see a need for one. If you think a kickstand will be useful, by all means take the freebie.

I use a kickstand on my 'bent that I only use for paved trail rildling. It's convenient at rest stops &c. I am aware that a certain crowd looks at this as proof of my being a wussy. Well; so what. bk

The kickstand on my LWB bent broke last spring so tried it for a while without it. It drove me nuts! Always looking for a solid place to lean against, or adjusting something an looking around for a third arm to hold the darned thing!
Asked some of my roadie friends why then didn't use them. They all said "weight" but talking to them further, they should have all screamed "FRED' and "undool!" Some said their bikes would fall over in our ever present ND wind. I thought that was perhaps the first legitimate claim! I had ever heard about a bike stand! However, during that same century ride, I saw more bikes leaning on stuff that came crashing down - you guessed it -blown over by the wind! At least one guy had his derailler bent! LOL
So I think it's purely a Fred thing! My wife won't put one on her carbon fiber road bike, and it drives me nuts when I try to hang it up with one of those pully things from the roof of the garage. I either need a third arm to steady the danged thing while hooling it up front and back and startign to lift it, or need to weld up a seperate temporary bike stand to put her darned bike in it to hold it while I hook it on front and back, then start lifting it up! She says she doesn't want to haul the weight areouned, but as someone astutely noted, it wieghs less than 1/4 of a water bottle.

My name is Motorad ... and ... I am a kickstand user.

(covering his face with his retro cycling cap, Motorad silently sits down ...)


Congratulations! The first step is the hardest!

Just say no to kickstands! Friends don't let friends put kickstands on their bikes. Same goes for streamers on the handlebar ends, or playing cards to rub against the spokes to make it sound like a motorcycle.

I am buying a Specialized Sirrus--I am using it for exercise and an occasional commute. ( part 15 minute train ride)
I get a free kickstand with it..As a new rider, I am not sure if I want it. I have received great advise here, so I will ask the experts again. Kickstand or not?

It all depends...kickstands take off weight and drag factors but if your not going to use the bike for racing and just as a short commuter bike...why not put the kickstand on

I am buying a Specialized Sirrus--I am using it for exercise and an occasional commute. ( part 15 minute train ride)
I get a free kickstand with it..As a new rider, I am not sure if I want it. I have received great advise here, so I will ask the experts again. Kickstand or not?

If the kickstand squeezes frame tubes to attach, I would say no flipping way! If the areas where you'll ride are to any degree prone to bike theft, I say allocate that part of the weight budget to a lock, and lock the bike when you're not on it.

Road Fan

Weight budget...?

I haul a hundred pounds or so of groceries with mine and I don't think removing a perfectly functional kickstand will make a whole lot of difference.

And the trailer is eaiser to load and unload if the whole thing is actually upright and not laying on it's side, which it usually wants to do when not using a kickstand...

Well my Trek hybrid came with a free kickstand. I used it, but in my efforts to shed 5 pounds off the bike this summer the kickstand went. I really don't miss it. Use the road bike mostly and that is with out. I think it may have a lot to do with where you ride. I use the hybrid on the local tree lined, crushed limestone MUP. There's a tree to lean against every couple feet. Heck, I even leaned it on some wild weed bush the other day. My bike actually fell over more with the kickstand then without. Way to many times the ground was too soft to support the kickstand leg. If I was riding in an urban area with paved roads, concrete sidewalks, I can see where the kickstand would be handy, and I could get a solid base for it.

If the areas where you'll ride are to any degree prone to bike theft, I say allocate that part of the weight budget to a lock, and lock the bike when you're not on it.


Not sure I see the connection between a kickstand and bike security, but will note that while the standard Greenfield kickstand weighs less than 2/3rds of a pound, a typical U-lock weighs between 2.0-2.5 pounds.

My favorite water bottle holds 24 oz of water. Filled, it outweighs my kickstand by a factor of 6:1.

Not sure I see the connection between a kickstand and bike security, but will note that while the standard Greenfield kickstand weighs less than 2/3rds of a pound, a typical U-lock weighs between 2.0-2.5 pounds.

My favorite water bottle holds 24 oz of water. Filled, it outweighs my kickstand by a factor of 6:1.

You should try powdered water. Much lighter.

http://rgh.cc/albums/userpics/10001/____%5Bdon_t_blame_me,_I_m_running_outta_titles%5D.jpg

I took the rubber caps off my SPD shoes where they cover the holes for the shoe clips. I put one on the bottom and one on top. I took it off, to paint and no marks at all.

I agree a kickstand may be handy, and there may be other non-damaging kickstands around. My problem is not with the weight, wind drag or anything like that. The typical kickstand shown has the clamping of metal to metal and the dimples on the jaws of the clamp biting into the paint. It's just a step away from using a pair of ViseGrips on the bike frame.

If you damage the paint on a steel frame, rust can begin and once rust starts, it can migrate a long ways invisibly underneath the paint. I have a frame this happened to. The rust like a spider web traveled 8" from a rock chip on the chainstay to the bottom bracket area and to the seat tube. By the time you see the paint beginning to lift, the damage has long been done. The only proper recourse is stripping the frame, chemically neutralizing the rust and repainting.

Attaching this type of clamping kickstand is an ugly thing to do to a nice frame and paint job.

I agree a kickstand may be handy, and there may be other non-damaging kickstands around. My problem is not with the weight, wind drag or anything like that. The typical kickstand shown has the clamping of metal to metal and the dimples on the jaws of the clamp biting into the paint. It's just a step away from using a pair of ViseGrips on the bike frame.

If you damage the paint on a steel frame, rust can begin and once rust starts, it can migrate a long ways invisibly underneath the paint. I have a frame this happened to. The rust like a spider web traveled 8" from a rock chip on the chainstay to the bottom bracket area and to the seat tube. By the time you see the paint beginning to lift, the damage has long been done. The only proper recourse is stripping the frame, chemically neutralizing the rust and repainting.

Attaching this type of clamping kickstand is an ugly thing to do to a nice frame and paint job.

That's why I had the framebuilder add a kickstand mount to my new custom Rodriguez.

One bike has the mount as part of the frame, no clamp, the old beater has it welded to the frame, the trike sorta doesn't need one, and the folder has one of those that mounts on the rear axle.

That's why I had the framebuilder add a kickstand mount to my new custom Rodriguez.

Our Bike Fridays are set up the same way.

Kick stands work for riding in the city. Hate laying one bike against another, or laying them both on the ground. Can cause more damage than any kickstand.

My name is Roger. I have 14 bikes. They all have kickstands. I'm so ashamed!:(

I have one like this that mounts on the chainstay and seat stay. http://www.greenfieldny.com/images/bicycle/stabilizer.jpg

No kickstand, but my road bike is currently held up by....sniff....a trainer:cry: