I'm considering a two-legged kickstand for my 2005 Trek 520. Does anyone have experience with this Pletscher or anything similar? Any recommendations for good-quality alternative implementations? This is what I'm planning to upgrade from, assuming that something better can be identified.

Thanx!

[Incidentally, I'm fully aware that many folks consider a kickstand to be completely useless. So there's really no need to bother with the usual "just lay your bike on the ground; lean it against a wall/fence/tree/etc." subthread.]

I use one of these an love it for commuting and when I'm pulling my Burley Nomad. Makes loading easy. Very sturdy. Not cheap. Needs to be cut to length for you bike.

https://biketrailershop.com/catalog/p...products_id=53

I have the Pletscher. I like it better than my previous $5 stand, but it has drawbacks. It doesn't stand up well unless it is loaded evenly. If you put your load on rear panniers, you must have equal weight on both sides or the bike will tip. Like the other poster said it works great when loading a trailer. I imagine it would be great for a front-center basket too. If you load your bike with the weight centered it can't be beat. I weigh 215 and I can sit on my bike on the stand no-prob.

I have an ESGE and it has all the advantages and drawbacks the previous poster listed. I weigh 160# and I definitely can't sit on mine - it would fold up like a wet noodle or the mount would break.

I've been kind of looking for the same thing, so I will be paying attention to this thread. My bent Agio needs a double stand with the faring, double mirrors and bar-end shifters and all.

Steven

The ESGE and the Pletscher are one and the same. Good stand.
Hebie also makes one available in the US, it's a little chunkier looking.
The Pletscher can be trimmed to size, the Hebie cannot.

I definitely will be watching this thread. Those that think kickstands are a waste don't load their panniers like I do and don't park where I do. I NEED a kickstand - and I have a 'bent.

I've had double leg kickstands and they tend to get loose and interfere with your pedaling and the rear wheel. I can't know if this one is better but it doesn't look it. I use a rear stand that attaches to the chain stay and the seat stay (hope I got the anatomy right). Something like this one.

There great. A little heavier than single stands but being able to stand the bike up while one of the wheels is removed for flat repair is nice. As others have said there great for trailers as well. Of course non touring cyclists will not under-stand them (pun intended)!

Has anyone used the click stand?

Hebie bipod looks *great*. Google not showing me any US dealers though.

I am using greenfield rear triangle stand which works well except on one particular slope where I often find myself putting 3 yr old into trailer.

I have a Pletscher on my LHT. I've been really happy with it - but be forewarned that you'll put some scratches in the paint on your chainstays when you install it. And rubber won't work to protect the paint - the stand will cut right through it if you torque it down properly. And if you try to go light with the torque, it will rattle around on your chainstays and do some real damage to the paint. I don't really care about a few scratches (that you can't even see with the kickstand installed) so it's a non-issue for me.

I just wish that there was an easy way to clean the pivot mechanism on the Plescher. Mine has picked up a lot of sand and grit from winter, and there really isn't any way to dissassemble it and clean it. I think I'm going to drill out the rivet that holds it together soon and pull it apart, and replace the rivet with a smooth, hitch-style bolt with cotter pin.

I use one with my Salsa La Raza. I keep it in my handlebar bag. It works well, however you have to keep a rubber band on your handlebar so you can lock your front wheel. If you don't lock it, your bike will roll either forward or backward and fall over.

I've considered this one for when I finally upgrade to a new bike.

https://www.bikefront.com/products/stands/705/

https://www.bikefront.com/products/st...leg)_kickstand

I had a ESGE on the Safari,and thought it was the ish. Until the spring broke and it locked up one morning when I was about to leave for work. Ticked me off as I had only had it on the bike for like 8-9 months. I've since ordered one of those Hebie stands which I should be picking up tonight.

Was pretty happy up until then,but also had the prob of the bike wanting to flop if I loaded the panniers heavy on one side at a time.

I've been afraid to trim mine, although it's a bit long. I'm afraid it will become even more unstable from trimming it because the legs will be slightly closer together. Anyone have experience trimming the pletcher?

I trimmed mine so that the bike sits _almost_ on both wheels- if the front's loaded it'll sit front & stand, if rear loaded rear wheel & stand. I park mainly on asphalt & concrete- if on dirt the stand is just long enough to ram down into the ground a little bit...

I don't really have problems when loading one pannier and then the other unless there's more than 20# or so a side (the kid seat comes off & is replaced with panniers)

There's a line on the stand which, if you trim it there, gives a couple of inches ground clearance with 26" wheels.

If anything the stand is more stable after trimming. Having the weight of a load way up in the air is what makes it unstable.

I'd be careful trimming the stand for use with 700c, not that you shouldn't. Just make sure how much clearance you will end up with.

I trimmed mine, but unfortunately, I trimmed a bit too much--I will explain. The tires I had on the bike at the time were smaller (from the tread to the rim distance) than the ones I have now, so the kickstand does not elevate one of the wheels off the ground. To correct the problem, I have been using a rubber chair tip on one leg to even it out.

So, be careful trimming the legs!

Earlier I posted that it was impossible to clean the pivot mechanism of the ESGE stand...

Well, today I tried to drill out the rivet to disassemble and clean it - and there is no way that's coming out without a grinder. The rivet is made of tool steel and drill bits don't do anything to it.

After the failed drilling attempt, I decided to try cleaning it out by flushing it with solvent. I used almost a whole can of generic WD-40 from Wal Mart to hose down the mechanism. It washed all the grit, sand, and powdered aluminum out, and now the stand works like new. Just thought I'd share...

I also use the Pletscher/ESGE/SKS/whatever stand. I got it because I got tired of my bike tipping over whenever I'd start to load beer in the panniers. So far, it works great! It did get a bit tippy one time when I loaded some heavy stuff (maybe it was a 12 pack of bottles) on one side and nothing in the other, but ever since then I've paid attention and it's been fine. I probably ought to trim mine since the front wheel (the nexus 8 makes the bike balance to the rear constantly) is probably about 3-4 inches off the ground. The downside of this is that the front wheel will swing around and when it stops, that can throw the bike off balance.

As far as sand a grit, I noticed the mechanism getting a bit stuff, so I shot some dry lube in there. It was fine for a while. The next time I used a bristle brush to clean it out, then WD40, then this lube I picked up at the local indy auto parts store called "Fluid Film." That worked even better than the dry lube.

The pletscher kick stand seems to be typical German mechanical engineering. Well made, should last a lifetime or two and just works like a hose.

I've decided to check with my LBS either today or tomorrow, and see if they can order the Pletscher for me. My only real concern at this point is with trimming the beastie, since it will require some care to ensure that it's sized correctly (not to mention level), but that should be manageable. Heck... they'll probably be willing to take care of this for me.

Thanx to everyone for your assistance!

It is great. I have one 'cause I run a Bob Yak on the back, and the Hebie holds everything up flawlessly.

It's been ordered, and my LBS offered to trim it for me. Needless to say, I accepted... but I've got a pretty good LBS.

Thanx again!