The Golden Boy 

When I got my bike, it had a Greenfield kickstand on it. Like many- one of the very first things I did was remove the kickstand. Got kinda miffed that the previous owner, or the shop had clamped this chainstay crushing paint scratcher onto my bike... Touched up the paint, tossed it in a box and forgot about it.

Last week as my wife and I were preparing to go for a ride, we pulled our bikes out of the garage, I walked mine over to the fence, leaned it over and unscrewed the valve covers to check tire pressure- and promptly dropped one of the caps into the grass. Looked a little for it and got the pump... In other words- a little mini-ordeal. My wife just pulled her bike out and dropped her kickstand... If she would have dropped anything, it would have been plainly on the concrete. When we got to the turn around where we stop and talk and kick back, she again, just drops the kickstand- and I have to find a place to lean my bike.

I started thinking- why did I pull the kickstand? For all the times that it would be handy to just prop the bike up where I am, instead of finding a place to lean it... the mini-ordeals... For goodness sake, it's a steel touring bike- not particularly built to be fast and exceptionally light. I ride it everywhere and worry about leaning it up against stuff.

Do you still have your kickstand? What's the best, and safest manner to reinstall this kickstand? It's going on an 85 Trek 620- relatively stout chainstays- but outrageously long. Is there a better kickstand option- like the ones that attach to the rear dropouts?

Thank you!

Mike552

I thought you were going to show us a great solution for a kickstand.
Your title is deceiving, and I feel cheated.

seedsbelize 

I just clamp it on the way it was when you took it off. Have yet to crush a chainstay. If you have some sense of how tight is tight enough, there usually isn't a problem. I do have to re-tighten occasionally, as 'tight enough', but not so tight as to crush the chainstay, loosens up on occasion.

irwin7638

The best kickstand I have encountered is the new Pletscher "Zoom." It's lighter, has a better mechanism, a nicer finish and a larger, adjustable foot.

Pletscher also makes some rubber protectors for the chainstays which really help when mounting without a kickstand plate.

Marc

MRT2

Funny, my wife has the same complaint. She just doesn't understand why her new road bike doesn't come with a kickstand. I explained that there just isn't room on her modern bike to mount one.

sailorbenjamin

I figure if it doesn't have a kickstand it's too posh for the likes of me and I flip it.

Savagewolf

I used to (for a few short years) be one of those that shunned the kickstand as being dorky or any other slang. As I've grown and my tastes in bikes have changed, I've come to realize that for a lot of my style of riding, that a kickstand comes in pretty handy. It's pretty easy to find something to lean a bike against normally, but not always.

In some places, such as at big bike events or especially my garage, there just isn't enough leaning space to lean my bike against. Kickstands can also sometimes even be useful at bike racks that are too wide. Another solid use for the kickstand is when I tow a trailer. It's very nice to be able to use the kickstand to prop the bike up just about anywhere.

rcschafer

It's probably overkill for short in-town rides but I just got a Click-Stand and love love love it. Used it on a half-loaded weekend tour and it worked great. Takes about 45 seconds for setup & teardown.

PlanoFuji

+1. This too is my favorite on the bike kickstand. I also have the click-stand mentioned below for those bikes that don't have attached kick-stands. That too is great, but just not quite as convenient, IMO

Michael Angelo 

The very few times i've been asked to install a kickstand, I've
Used black sprinkler piping cut lengthwise in half. Helps stop scratches on chainstays.

mainstreetexile 

I have kickstands on all of my touring and city bikes. For me, they're incredibly valuable and I use them all the time.

If there's enough room and the stays are beefy enough at the regular kickstand area, I clamp them there with a bit of old inner tube or cloth bar tape wrapped around the stays to help protect them from scratching/spinning.

I've used rear-mount stabilizer style kickstands on bikes where they're necessary (old MTBs with u-brakes, converted for city use).

I usually just use regular greenfield style kickstands with the greenfield rubber boots that slip snugly onto the end. I bought a bunch of the boots in bulk when I was doing a Niagara cycle order a while ago since they were only like $0.75 per boot. They help give the kickstand a little more foot coverage and help prevent it from sinking into dirt etc.

I don't put kickstands on lighter, faster, racing bikes, but I don't end up riding those as much either.

John E

I was pleased to see that Pletscher is still in business and still making an updated version of its mousetrap rear rack. Now I just have to find a search for a source. Great info!

eschlwc

valve covers? you mean the little thing atop the presta tube i always throw away?

i've never had an issue leaning my bike against a tree. i must be doing it wrong.

David Newton

I'm much faster without extra weight. The extra weight of the kick-stand.

CardiacKid

If anyone wants a kickstand, I have a box full of them. They immediately come off any bike I purchase that already has one. Even my kids don't like kickstands. They just set their bikes on the pavement right behind my car in the driveway.
I can't help with the valve covers. They go straight to the trash.

Shp4man

The only bike I own with a kickstand:

zonatandem

It was not yet YOUR bike when someone installed that kickstand . . .
Kwitcherbellyachin'!

randomgear

Your '85 620 came with Reynolds 531 CS (Club Sports) tubing, the chainstays may not be terribly thick walled. You might be better served with one that's not designed to crush chainstays.

PRoberts

Yeah, not sure why I removed mine. Don't think I can bring myself to put it back on again though.

E1000

Kickstands were fitted for a reason
Here's my transporter with steer-lock and kickstand.


If you got a normal bike, just reinstall it where it belonged.

Some mountainbike's have a kickstand near the rear-axel fitted, those often break due to unbalanced weight or your bike tips over on unsmooth surfaces.


Regularly check the main bolt, as it loosens over time and this certainly damages your frame. So will dirt and moist which clogs around it.

mapleleafs-13 

let's ask xzibit of what he thinks about kickstands.....

peazweag

what a stupid thread.....LMAO

SJX426 

it can barely stand on one leg.

The Golden Boy 

Perhaps you could enlighten me with your wisdom as to why it's "stupid?"

Thank you for your constructive feedback.

The Golden Boy 

Actually, on the 531CS tubeset, the main tubes are butted 531 but the fork and the stays are equivalent of 501 (don't know if it's seamed or not seamed). So the bike is more "stout" than the average 531 framed bike.

I guess what I'm looking for is a good way of installing the kickstand to not damage the paint or the chainstays. I know of people using innertube and have read about using twine.