droy45

That euro one looks nice. Is it made of an alloy? Is it heavy?

droy45

Those are really nice too. I never really had any problems with my greenfield kick but I'm starting to see that there are much better choices out there.

Dwayne

Here's a crappy picture of mine. I have no idea what brand it is, I bought it while I lived in Germany, so that must be... geez... '94? Still works perfectly, and the best part is it adjusts in very small increments, just turn the silver collar, and each click shortens the stand about a millimeter or two. Easy to dial in just the right amount of lean. Doesn't rattle, doesn't come down on its own, and not terribly heavy.

GrouchoWretch

I love my kickstand. I love the sound it makes when I kick it up. That sound means it's time to go.

HvPnyrs

To borrow and modify a saying from the motorcycle crowd.

I feel the key here is that the Front Wheel MUST be prevented from pivoting from side to side and rolling ( ATTENTION ATTENTION, inventors / entreprenuers ).
The Flickstand addresses both issues very elegantly in my experience ( I still use the mtn bike version on my trek touring bike ).
Maybe someone will chime in with their experience with the SPOKEBUG which as the name suggests engages the spokes, preventing the wheel from rolling ( which I feel is the more important of the two factors which cause a "parked" bike to fall ).

Once the front wheel is restrained the "parked" bike becomes Extremely Stable ( I would even go as far as saying ROCK SOLID ). Front Panniers and / or handlebar bag? No big deal.
Front rack or basket? no problemo.
Uneven, buckled and / or broken pavement?, tree roots?, rocks?, gravel?, sand? YAWN. A nice Fescue turf over a rich loam? HO HUM.

harshbarj

Most are. I do not own that one (yet) but suspect it is an alloy of some sort. My current one is an aluminum alloy and is quite strong, only tipping in strong winds. For me weight is of no concern as my bicycle is already around 50lbs, but being alloy they should be light.

droy45

Oh boy, I'm at 27lbs and am concerned with going up any more because I live in very hilly terrain. That's why I'm asking about the weight.

neil

I have found front wheel pivot to be a problem when I've had kickstands that mount in front of the bottom bracket. I have not found that style to be particularly stable, and it seems to be the most commonly stocked style.

However, I have had no problems with stands that mount near the rear axel (like this one), since they prevent the rear wheel from rolling, so the bike can't pivot. When I have panniers on, it also provides support to the heaviest part of the bike. I've also found this feature handy when using bike racks that only provide a single support point.

Another option is the old elastic band "parking brake," though I've never found that necessary.

One time a stong gust of wind blew my bike over, but I don't think the kickstand can be blamed. Otherwise, I can't think of my bike ever being dropped.

CenturionIM

where I grew up, it would be unthinkable to NOT have a kickstand. And this is a big city too with plenty things to lean on.

My bike does look "cooler" without it, though.

fietsbob

My Koga Miyata WTR came with 2 Kickstands one is at the bottom of the left Low Rider rack.
a particular part of its being a world tour trekking bike, the front one supports both stopping the rolling
and the wheel turning under the pannier load..

A Tool, well designed for a given purpose, is cool

whk1992

I don't install a kickstand because I don't need one.

I always lower one side of my crank and lay the pedal to an object, e.g. a curb, a water bottle, etc. Sometimes, I raise the crank and lay the pedal onto a bench.

Notso_fastLane

My 'bent has a kickstand on the rear swingarm. It's most similar to a rear wheel mounted stand on an upright bike. I can just reach down and pull it up or down while sitting.

IthaDan 

I have a double kickstand on my e-bike. For all the added weight the ebike carries, it's nice to have something like a center stand on a motorcycle to keep it upright. I'm debating getting one for my commuter/touring bike as well, but I have yet to actually do anything about it.

noglider 

Use a kickstand. Or don't use a kickstand. Whatever you like.

For some reason, I don't crave one on my bikes with drop handlebars, but I gotta have one on my 50 year old 3-speed.

If I'm in a place with lots of space, I lay the bike down. It can't fall from that position. If I need it to stand, I'm pretty skilled at leaning it safely. But nothing is guaranteed.

Sometimes, we don't like to mar or crimp our bikes with kickstands. Doesn't matter on an old heavy bike, though.

BassNotBass

This about sums it up. And since I carry a lot of extras, the weight savings of foregoing a kickstand on my commuting or touring bikes is laughable as opposed to it's benefits.

droy45

Cool, thank you all for your suggestions. All this helped me to understand why some people use them and others don't. I did learn that more people use them than I thought. I was thinking I was the only one since I hardly ever see them. I would rather not have it on there but if it proves too inconvienient, I may resort to installing one of those nice euro ones.

thorsteno

Someone does. See the close up image of the headtube on lower left.

https://www.en.tout-terrain.de/bicycl...d-silkroad-gt/

BassNotBass

IIRC my Raleigh Marathon that I bought back in '83 had a clip on the down tube that could swing down and lock the front wheel into position preventing it from rolling and flopping side to side. It was such a wonderfully useful little gadget. I'm surprised I haven't seen it become more popular.

**EDIT**
Yes it was a Marathon. Here's a pick of one... you can see the little wire clip that swings down to lock the front wheel.
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u9QnbXM81B...h+7-10+031.JPG

cyccommute 

That's a braze-on "Flickstand". Rhode Gear made them as mentioned above.

xtrajack

+1

xtrajack

I would love to get one of those for my bike.

blakcloud

I have the Pletscher double kickstand on two of my bikes and one on the wife's bike and they certainly are handy. I will put one on my winter bike also, just haven't gotten around to buying one yet (not available in Canada, have to order from the US).

My problem, like many other have discussed here, is the stability of the front end. I have a Wald basket on one, and a Wald Basket attached to a Gomah porteur rack on the other. To keep the front wheel from flopping I use a pant leg Velcro strap to stabilize the bike. On the other bike I purchased a stabilizer spring from Velo Orange. I had to modify it to fit a larger down tube but the problem with this one is the spring isn't nearly strong enough to keep the front wheel from flopping over when loaded. Kona makes a nice stabilizer for the Dr. Good and Fisher had one on their Simple Series bikes that had a great spring. They also have the appropriate braze on.

Even with this small inconvenience, I still wouldn't never get rid of my kickstands.

As for the Flickstand, I used one many years ago and it worked great but once you put on fenders, that makes a Flickstand useless.

irwin7638

Somebody here mentioned a velcro strap to hold the front wheel in place. That made me think, what about the reflectorized ankle straps? I just threw one around the downtube and front tire of my city bike, and surprise, the front wheel is stable and I have a place to store the strap where I am less likely to lose it.

Marc

GrouchoWretch

I can understand a submarine without a kickstand, but a bike?

johnplf

does anyone have experience with a Velo Orange Porteur Double Kickstand?