kickstands

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zonatandem

Personally do not recommend a kickstand on a tandem.
Lean it against something, or lay it down.

jgg3

I agree with Zonatandem. Anything as big as a Tandem should be put in the position of lowest potential energy. They do real damage when they go over.

However, if you are stuck on a kickstand, Tandems East sells a two-legged job that is certainly more stable looking than a typical "lean on a stick" American kick stand.

Onegun

I agree with TG. Anything as big as a Tandem should be put in the position of lowest potential energy. They do real damage when they go over.

However, if you are stuck on a kickstand, Tandems East sells a two-legged job that is certainly more stable looking than a typical "lean on a stick" American kick stand.

Actually, I believe that was zonatandem that said that! :o

But I happened to be browsing thru the latest Tandems Ltd catalog, and they too sell the double-legged Pletscher stand, but their catalog says NOT for Cannondales or disk brake Santanas. Interesting.

brewer45

Besides, kick stands are ugly.

Cheers!

jgg3

Actually, I believe that was zonatandem that said that! :o
Sorry, fixed.

Possum Roadkill

Personally do not recommend a kickstand on a tandem.
I don't even believe in kickstands on singles. Seems your standard kickstand protects the side of the bike that needs the least protection. If you manage bump your bike enough to knock it off the kickstand, it's guaranteed to land on the deraileur, using a standard kickstand. You buy this device to protect, what, the finish on your bike, and the first thing it does is clamp harshly to your bike on a painted surface?

The only kickstand I have ever used that I liked was a fully loaded B.O.B. trailer. Not sure how well that would work with a tandem though.

ak slowpoke

thanks for the comments. I don't run kickstands on any of my bikes but on the tandem with the bob it is hard to find places to lean them safely. I thought one of the two legged stands would work good but haven't found one that is supposed to be compatible with the cannondale

merlinextraligh

akexpress

ak slowpoke
Feel free to PM us as we are in alaska as well and it would be fun to meet up with other tandem teams.
Mark

moleman76

Anyone use a http://www.click-stand.com/ ?

Shown with a tandem http://www.click-stand.com/Click-Stand_Products.html (http://http//www.click-stand.com/Click-Stand_Products.html)

brewer45

I couldn't get the pic link to work, so I found it on the site. I rarely lean the Redster, but I am curious about the gadget.

Cheers!

swc7916

Have the two-legged kickstand on our tandem - and I love it. I had the framebuilder braze a plate under the chainstays as a kickstand mount. This way it isn't clamped to the chainstays and can't ruin the paint or rotate into the crankarm or wheel. The bike stands up while I release the front brakes and remove the front wheel in order to put it on the car. It stands there while I put the panniers on it. I can turn the cranks and adjust the derailleurs without a workstand. It stands there while I clean it. I don't have to scuff up the handlebar tape or brake hoods leaning it against a wall. It's so convenient that I just don't understand the prejudice against them. The only downside I can see is the added weight; but if I cared that much about weight, I would remove the drum brake, fenders and rack first.

stevetone

I use the click stand on our (new to us) Trek T-900. I got the heavy-duty version, and it works great.

Having said that, there are two oddities to consider:

- You have to carry the thing with you (folds down to 6-7" long). It is not as convenient as a drop down stand that is attached to the bike.

- You have to lock the wheels with the brakes or the stand simply won't work. 3 stylized "rubber bands" are provided to do this, but it is just one more thing to carry.

When I purchased the tandem a few weeks ago it had a drop-down Specialized kickstand on the rear triangle. It made me very nervous to think of the flexing and the possibility for damage with it sitting back there off-center and all. I was happy to get rid of it, and in my opinion the click-stand is a good replacement (even with the above-mentioned points).

Steve

Possum Roadkill

I've been a long time kickstand hater but the click stand actually looks pretty cool. It actually appears to address all my complaints about kickstands.

wxlidar

I have been thinking about getting a two-legged kickstand for similar reasons to swc7916.

Have the two-legged kickstand on our tandem - and I love it. I had the framebuilder braze a plate under the chainstays as a kickstand mount. This way it isn't clamped to the chainstays and can't ruin the paint or rotate into the crankarm or wheel. The bike stands up while I release the front brakes and remove the front wheel in order to put it on the car. It stands there while I put the panniers on it. I can turn the cranks and adjust the derailleurs without a workstand. It stands there while I clean it. I don't have to scuff up the handlebar tape or brake hoods leaning it against a wall. It's so convenient that I just don't understand the prejudice against them. The only downside I can see is the added weight; but if I cared that much about weight, I would remove the drum brake, fenders and rack first.

brewer45

I ordered one of the Click-stands and will review it once it arrives.

Note that their web advertises the gizmo for $25. By the time I got the length and size of the cradle necessary for the tandem and made the thing store shorter by breaking it into 5 rather than 4 lengths, the cost was $34. Not exactly bait and switch, but about a 35% cost increase seemed a bit steep.

Cheers!

johnlyons53

If the 2 legged Pletscher fits your tandem it is absolutely the way to go. Everything gets so much easier - parking, adjusting brakes and gears, fixing flats, lubing the chains, loading and unloading a trailer or panniers if you have tham - that it's worth every gram and then some. Wouldn't own a tandem without one

brewer45

UPDATE on Click-Stand:

I got a note from Tom at Click-stand. Seems like a good guy. He's updated his website to be more clear about the price ranges for various sizes/configurations. The surcharge for length has been removed. I'm looking forward to receiving the gizmo and will let you know what I think when it arrives.

Cheers!

rcastentman

I've been a fairly avid reader of the tandem forum, but this is my first response to any thread. For the record, we do not claim to be expert tandemists or anything close. We simply love to ride our bike and we do a lot of things that likely make us stand out as novices we truly are.

We have a Cannondale with a kickstand. We had it installed at the bike shop when we purchased the bike. I remember them telling me they didn't know if they could get one, but on the day we picked it up it had a kickstand on it and we love the thing. Contrary to stories otherwise, we've never had the bike fall over. We use it all the time.....sure beats finding a tree or laying the bike down in a bed of poison ivy or something! There are likely better kickstands out there and I have no idea what the dealer went through to get this one or to install it - but evidently it can be done. The brand name on the kickstand is Greenfield. I've attempted to attach a picture to show how it works on our bike - but, again, this is my first post and I'm not sure it worked.

I might add that we've had several people ask us, "Hey, where did you get that kickstand? We've been looking all over for one......." :)

NewbieIATandem

We have two tandems, a 4 year old Trek T-900 and an 20+ year old Univega. We have the two legged stands on both of them. Terribly convenient. If you have kids however make sure you remind them NOT to sit on the bike with the kickstand as the only support. It was not designed for that.

Steve Katzman

I also installed a two legged Pletscher on our Co-Mo Speedster. While some may think it looks nerdy, I have nothing but good things to say for it. I won't bother repeating the advantages that have already been enumerated by others. When on organized rides, places to lean a bike can often become scarce and having the kickstand is real convenient. Since I am not that competitive the extra pound or two doesn't really bother me plus that is less than 1/2 of a percent of the total weight of our team + bike.

I was the first of my tandem buddies to get one and shortly thereafter two of my friends followed suit, after seeing how successful and convenient my installation was. I admit that I had my bike tip over once because it was on a sandy base and the wind was very strong that day. Fortunately the sandy ground caused not a scratch to the finish. Note to self: don't do that again. :D

zonatandem

The Greenfield kickstand is made in USA. Comes in silver or matte black; 2 versions: KS2 or SKS2; info@greenfieldny.com
The clicstand is a good option for folks that do not wish to clamp a stand to the tandem frame.
Instead of the rubber bands to hold brakes when parking the tandem, just squeeze the brake levers and insert part of your riding glove, then release lever. That tip goes back decades.
Have seen parked tandems topple over in high winds, soft sand/grass or on hot asphalt. We either lean our tandem or lay it down.
We did have one close encounter with near-run-away tandem by the Grand Canyon. Had it leaning against a wall at a restaurant. Wind gust pushed the tandem (with loaded panniers) . . . caught it before it left on a riderless journey; used the gloves /brake lever idea to keep from a repeat. Worked fine.
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

tandemfamily

Personally do not recommend a kickstand on a tandem.
Lean it against something, or lay it down.

We love a kickstand on the tandem, infact have one on both our cannondale and our santana. Don't know the brand but bought both from a bike shop. Have you asked any bike shops?

brewer45

Got the Click-stand about a week ago. I like it a lot. It's very lightweight and along with the brake bands forms a stable support for our L-L Co-Mo. It is very useful when simply leaving the bike for a break, and even more useful when dealing with the front wheel for loading/unloading and even supported the bike during a flat-fix. We took it along on the SLC Century yesterday. Lot's of folks admired the gizmo and asked where to find them.

So a recommend from Brewer and Malkin on the Click-stand.

Cheers!

pel

Found that the Swiss Pletcher? double stand - folds out like an inverted V- holds the tandem well but dumped it because it tended to work loose, was damaging the frame and weighed too much on a fully loaded tandem with Bob YAK through the Alps. But paid the price a couple of times when leaning the tandem (Cannodale Mountain Tandem) it fell over a couple of times. Strangely a fully loaded YAK jack knifed holds the bike up perfectly.