djkenny

So I have this little itty bitty stick barely able to hold the bike up on it's own, let alone if I pack a pannier or 2 in back.

I would like a double kick stand.

I have the Gary Fisher style one on my Hybrid...it is handy for light loads and jumping on the bus... but it is not really all "that" stable. Seems a little short in the stoutness.

Does anyone know of a kick stand that might have enough stout yet not hit my pedals/cranks/rear tire?

tatfiend 

https://www.velo-orange.com/podolegki.html

I have installed this and it is about the stablest double kickstand I have tried so far other than the special one Xtracycle makes for their cargo bikes or the very expensive "Rolling jackass" longtail cargo bike center stand.

It does need the leg folding pivots mechanism greased as part of installation.

backinthesaddle

I'm planning to get the Pletscher installed next month on my Uptown 8. Right now the bike tips over if I've loaded a lot of groceries in the rear.



Anyone use this?

wahoonc

Never seen one before

I have a couple of them and they work great. I do plan to get one of the V-O ones and give it a try.

Aaron

badamsjr

I got one for my touring bike, and it works great!

BTW I especially like how the two legs come to the side away from the drivetrain when up.

tatfiend 

I have both the Pletscher and VO center stands as well as a Hebie one on different bikes. The VO is a bit wider while lowered while the Pletscher is smoother in operation. Both have the problem of still allowing the bike to tip during loading if too much weight is placed on one side. A standard bicycle is just so light weight that too much off center weight can overbalance all center stands I have tried except the Xtracycle specific one I have on my Surly Big Dummy.

2_i 

Isn't VO alu, just as Pletscher, basically a no-no for a loaded bike? Isn't VO interfering with cranks when unfolded making it of little utility as a workstand? Wouldn't the money be better spent getting a steel Hebie?

tatfiend 

The VO and Pletscher are different designs and on my bikes both interfere with crank rotation but this is not a concern to me as I do not try to use the center stand as a maintenance stand other than for puncture repairs. The main similarity between the two stands is that both have articulated arms. I have not read that use of the Pletscher on a loaded bike was not recommended. Certainly I would not sit on the bike with the stand down with any bicycle center stand.

The Hebie aluminum stand I have installed on one bike does not interfere with crank rotation but does stick out to the sides considerably more when folded than the VO. The Hebie is no better at holding the bike upright while cargo loading than the Pletscher or VO stands though.

Nightshade

You will have to search far and wide for a stronger more adjustable and steady kickstand than the "Crow Kickstand". I just put one on my uber heavy Worksman bike and it don't fall over no more!!!!

https://www.crowcycleco.com/double-le...ust-black.html

2_i 

Pletscher is wobbly and a heavier load, particularly on a mild slope, is likely to tip the bike and make it fall to the side. A steel holding bolt will work its way out of an alu thread, under load and tilting, as a matter of time. Any alu stand will be wobbly under load. Complex joints out of alu, combined with steel pins, will loosen over time and likely corrode. Combing alu stands with a load is asking for trouble. When on the road, there is no luxury of choosing a stand for repairs.

djkenny

The Velo and Crow models listed appear to be what I am looking for. Something similar of the same as what an Azor Dutch type bike would come with.

However, I wonder if they (Velo model above or the Crow) would clear the chain guard, crank arms, and my back heal okay?
If not maybe the V.O. is my best bet? Since it sits on one side like the Pletscher and that allows plenty of clearance.

I have a Pletscher on my GT Nomad Hybrid. It is falling off, loosens a lot... It needed to be mounted crooked on the mount due to the design. I wonder what the best way to keep it solid on the bike would be?

fietsbob

Low cost VO one is heightadjustable, the lower section is plastic, though.

Esge I have after I cut it to length a pair of D shaped pads were welded on, which greadly stabilized the support

they are D shaped so folded up the flat sides face each other..

the best way to keep a kickstand solid in a frame is to have a mounting plate for that kickstand welded on the frame either while it was being built, or later then doing a touch up spot paint.

Nightshade

To install the crow stand all you have to watch is how much clearence there is between the tire and the "U" of the legs around it. The stand hangs down a bit but unless you jump curbs and such it will not catch on anything. Then it's a simple matter to adjust the leg length to hold the bike square and upright. I figure a decent bike wrench can install a "Crow" stand in under 5 min. they're so simple.

SlimAgainSoon

I've got a Pletscher, the one that has both legs move to the left under chainstay when folded up. I use it on my commuter/utility bike.

It works well -- especially after I trimmed the legs so they didn't raise the bike so high.

With the shorter legs, it is good and stable.

Kickstands are not popular, but I don't know why -- I sure like having one on this bike.

Roll-Monroe-Co

This, previously posted in C&V, might be mildly interesting and/or entertaining...

Good evening and welcome to Over-engineering Today. I'm your host, RMC.

We all love the Pletscher two-leg kickstand for rock-solid stability on our city and picnic bikes.



But mounting can be a problem. The kickstand can pivot on the single bolt. With repeated kicking (er, standing) the legs can move over until they hit your crank when you're riding, or when the bike is up on the stand--say, when you're trying to adjust the gearing or the rear drum brake, and you want to be able to spin the cranks while the bike is up on the stand without the left crank clanking into one of the kickstand legs.

Ideally, you can use the stand all the time and never have to worry about either of these problems.





So we have something that pivots and we want to be able to limit its travel in either direction and be able to apply fine adjustment to get it positioned in just the right place. Hmmm. Where have we seen a technological application like this before??

Ah yes!



Materials you will need:

1. Ample room under chainstays for over-mechanizing with two previously installed extra mounting points.
2. Quarter-inch key stock.
3. Tap, screws, and springs.
4. Most of Sunday.

And ... voila! The world's most over-engineered Kickstand Positioning System (tm). And it weighs less than three pounds!

krome

Sorry, I can do you one better. But you need access to machine shop equipment and the know-how to use it.

I made a custom upper piece for my Pletscher, replacing the weird semi-diamond shaped top piece under the head of the bolt. I made mine from white delrin, as it was on hand. Black delrin would have been my preference. Also, I filed some grooves in the upper part of the kickstand, the part that touches the underside the chainstay. The grooves are fit to the chainstays, which locks them in. I wasn't worried about my paint finish as it is my utility bike, and it is an aluminum frame. I got tired of the Pletscher moving around as described above, and embarked on a lasting solution to the problem.

Here is a photo of the mount from the top:



The delrin block was custom shaped to wedge into the trapezoidal space right behind the BB shell and the cross member that acts as a fender mount (is there a term for that short piece that bridges the two chainstays?)

There is also a groove on the bottom of the delrin block that bears against the front of the kickstand, holding it in position.

I'll take some more pictures to better show what is happening.

It took several hours of my time, but I'm very pleased with the result. I will have to fab up some more for some other bikes I own.

dscheidt

Delrin is workable with hand tools.

krome

So is aluminum and steel. What is your point? Sure, you don't need machine tools to cut it, but it makes it more accurate and better finished. Not to mention faster.

I've done plenty of work with a hacksaw and a file on steel and aluminum.

xizangstan

Isn't weight an issue to anyone? For maximum strength and minimum weight, has anyone tried a good kick stand made of titanium?

fietsbob

Aluminum is lighter and cheaper than Titanium . but heck its your wallet , custom Titanium propstand , go for It.

I fabricated a version of a rear wheel prop stand, from thinwall steel tube..
held the bike up on damp peat bogs.

wahoonc

No...not really. My city bike (pictured above) weighs a solid 50# as pictured. By the time you add my 220# to it and some other things in the bags weight is the least of my worries.

On a light weight go fast bike I most likely wouldn't have a kickstand. I consider the weight of a utility bike to be kind of like the mileage on a pickup truck...you don't worry about it, if it is doing it's job.

Aaron

djkenny

Yeah, utility cycling and weight is hardly a concern. The wheels still spin and most people carrying groceries are concerned with ultimate speed.