Mysterious Lady

Seriously, if you don't have a rack to hang your bike on, what do you do with your bike if it doesn't have a kickstand? Even if you stop and hang out for a bit while on a longer ride... do you just lean it against a tree or something? Please be kind, I'm being serious.

I am, of course, well aware that nicer bikes don't come standard with kickstands. lol But I don't understand why my LBS would look down on me for asking for one. Isn't it better to have a kickstand than to risk having my kids knock the bike down from my leaning/delicate balancing act? (Granted, they could knock it down with a kickstand, too, but the balance seems less precarious.)

jtaylor2

I'm actually surprised that your LBS would look down on you for wanting a kickstand on a hybrid. The LBS where I bought my Trek 7.3fx puts kickstands and bottle holders on all the hybrids and comfort bikes they sell as a matter of course. Another LBS I visited didn't, but said they would put them on for free if asked. It amazes me that the manufactures don't put them on to start with. I'd find another LBS that wasn't condescending and get one put on, or get one at Walmart and put it on yourself.

Cyclomania

If there's no tree, I'll place my bike down on the grass on its non derailleur side, preventing derailleur bend. If I place my bike standing near a tree, I'll place my seat against it rather than the frame, protecting the paint.

javal

Lean against something. In the garage it hangs, no rear wheel pressure.

ehdooween

Tie a rubber band through your front wheel and frame. It acts as a very weak brake. When leaned against something, it's enough to keep your bike upright and not spin down.

unterhausen

if there is a curb, place the pedal on the curb so it holds the bike up. If no curb and nothing vertical to lean the bike on, place the bike non-drive-side down in the grass. My experience with kickstands is that half of the time the bike ends up on the ground anyway, but YMMV.

dpeters11

I lean mine against something, or lay it down with the drivetrain up. I agree with the above, when I used a kickstand on a bike, it still sometimes fell over. A strong enough wind going the wrong way as an example completely defeats a kickstand.

ColinL

wife's bike has fallen hard from its kickstand 2-3 times and has 2-3 nicks in the paint because of it.

I would not use a kickstand even if I could. however, my Quick CX fixed that for me because it doesn't support any kickstand I've seen.

rickyhmltn

I think she's asking more of the mindset or culture of not using a kickstand.
If not, that's my question. Why would you NOT want to use one? Not so much as what do you do when you don't have one but why go without one in the first place? Personal preference? Some kind of balance issue? Weight? Looks? Separates the real riders from the posers?

ColinL

weight. could fall down when riding if you hit a big bump (I've heard this since I was 5 years old riding dirtbikes and have no idea if it is a wives' tale or has happened). could skewer your leg if you fell on it (another wives' tale??)

and probably a lot of it, honestly, is looks.

bjjoondo 

Try a Clickstand, https://www.clickstand.com It let's you have something to hold up the bike when you need it but it's not real "added weight", like a normal kickstand, which is what most seem to "complain" about, jmho. FYI, YMMV.

dbc

None of my bikes have a kickstand, not that I have anything against them. If there's nothing to lean it on, I'll lie it on the ground. Sometimes this is not convenient when once in a while my bike will fall over. Even then, I'm still OK without a kickstand.

I think most of the negative attitude towards them come from the cheap nasty ones I've had on my bikes when I was a kid. True, you could bump into the most beautiful, light, and elegant kickstand in existence, but your attitude will always shaped by the nasty ones you first encountered.

McCallum

leaner; wall usually. When home it leans against a chest of drawers in the garage.

Sixty Fiver

I like kickstands on some bikes, especially if they are centre stands which are far more stable than a side stand.

Barring that... it takes a little practice to know how a certain bike balances and can be leaned / propped and laying it down on the non drive side is always a good strategy if the situation allows.

Sixty Fiver

In the winter I often just toss the bike in a snowdrift...

JonathanGennick 

I lay my bike down on the left side. That's if I'm stopping for a break or to chat. Pavement or grass, doesn't matter. The handlebar and pedal are enough to keep the painted surfaces off the ground.

If there's a convenient wall, like when I ride to church, I just lean the bike against the wall. There's a knack to doing that. You prop the rear tire against the wall and let the weight of the bike and the natural turning motion from the front wheel lock the bike into place.

Triode

Umm, usually - just lean the bike where the rear wheel or maybe the seat leans against a tree or similar.

My wife's hybrid does have a kickstand.

We stopped yesterday at a place, no bike rack, no trees, no grass lay bike on - pure asphalt. So, she leaned her bike on kickstand - I leaned my rear wheel on her rear wheel in such a manner as to help prevent strong wind blowing her bike over.

No kickstand seems like a problem if you are used to a kickstand. Once you get used to not having one it works out fine one way or another.

Northwestrider

A rubber band to hold the brake, while the bike leans against anything works just fine.

mac61

My 7.3fx didn't come with a kickstand but the shop put one on for me -- i like it better than laying the bike down or leaning on something.

giantcfr1

You're a genius. I'm going to try that too.

I've been lucky, my bikes have never fallen over. If a wall, I lean the bike on an angle with the back tyre and same side handle bar against the wall. If there is a down pipe against the wall I usually also place the bike so the front tyre is resting into it too. The rubber band on the front break lever should be able to replace this option.

If against a tree, the saddle against the tree and the pedal spun around to hold the bike in place.

No wall / tree etc, on the grass as above mentioned.

BTW, your bike shop must have wankers working for them if they look down on customers whom have a sensible request.

rawhite1969

I've never understood why as the price of the bike goes up, the likelihood that it will get leaned against something, placed on the ground, etc goes up.

spend $5 and put a kickstand on it. If the LBS looks down at you, go find another LBS. No reason to lean your bike against a tree, hope the pedal doesn't move on the curb, etc. EVERY bike (all 6 of them) have kickstands on them. Should I ever buy a bike that doesn't have room for one by the cranks, there are other options. I can't imagine spending a grand + on a bike I'm going to lay in the grass and hope no one rides over it.

goagain

I can't imagine not having a kickstand, so I had the BS install one when I bought my bike. It's barely noticeable and so convenient, and so far my bike has never come close to falling. I don't remember my childhood bike ever falling from the kickstand either. The BS didn't seem to think this was a strange request, so I'd suggest going to a different shop. Get one if you want it!

Triode

My Specialized Roubaix Comp has no place to put a kickstand. Cables routed into a hole in the frame, no room for a bracket. Don't want to drill a hole in the carbon fiber frame, for sure.

Not that big a deal, really.

Easy Peasy

I enjoy my kick stands. Very convenient, and I didn't like abraded parts of my bike against rough surfaces when I lacked kickstands.

load97

X2. I agree.