A Bike Is Supposed To Have A Freakin' Kickstand...PERIOD!
10-04-13, 07:08 AM
#176
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This thread is getting very amusing 
GREEN underwear - TOTALLY unacceptable! I will get very angry if I find out anyone is wearing green underwear (if you do, just don't tell me, or my blood will boil ... seriously don't)
I have to say if someone leaves a bike free-standing, locked only to itself they are almost asking for it to be stolen. Not anything to do with the reason to have a kickstand at all.
An interesting comment, so the only place where you find something to lean your bike on is at your destination. What does everyone else do that doesn't have the same destination as you? And more seriously do you never stop en-route, not for any reason at all?
I am still 100% for a kick stand and the convenience it brings. It is, of course, not the answer to every situation, but is very useful to have.
For those that have never had one - Think of it like a smart phone. You can live without it, but once you have one you wonder how you managed without.
For those that have had one and don't like it...well, you can bring a horse to water!
An interesting comment, so the only place where you find something to lean your bike on is at your destination. What does everyone else do that doesn't have the same destination as you? And more seriously do you never stop en-route, not for any reason at all?
I am still 100% for a kick stand and the convenience it brings. It is, of course, not the answer to every situation, but is very useful to have.
For those that have never had one - Think of it like a smart phone. You can live without it, but once you have one you wonder how you managed without.
For those that have had one and don't like it...well, you can bring a horse to water!
Last edited by subwoofer; 10-04-13 at 08:46 AM.
10-04-13, 08:20 AM
#177
Senior Member
Want one? Fine. They are never absolutely necessary. As I said in a post above about bikes in public transit, people who use them on trains annoy me because they take up the room that two bikes would normally fit in, and the trains do provide racks to lean your bike on, and strap into.
Last edited by CommuteCommando; 10-04-13 at 08:24 AM.
10-04-13, 09:07 AM
#178
bill nyecycles
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that's not the fault of the kickstand, that's the fault of the jerk who used one there. I wouldn't use my kickstand in that particular situation either.
10-04-13, 10:31 AM
#179
GATC
A friend I do recreational rides with had his eye twitching when he saw my wife's bike loaded on a car for her triathlon, kickstand, fenders, rack, and all. No headlight though! Just a tail light.
10-04-13, 02:12 PM
#180
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10-04-13, 05:49 PM
#182
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Thread Starter
>>>>Would you leave your bike unattended supported only by a kickstand in winds that were gusting up to 20 mph or more?<<<<
(OP) No! I think you need to re-read my posts. I'm not talking about locking the bike up and leaving it alone. I'm talking about all those little stops a cyclist makes during a journey -- to work -- or elsewhere. Of course, when I lock the bike up somewhere, I lean it against a stationary object. All other times, it's on the kickstand.
(OP) No! I think you need to re-read my posts. I'm not talking about locking the bike up and leaving it alone. I'm talking about all those little stops a cyclist makes during a journey -- to work -- or elsewhere. Of course, when I lock the bike up somewhere, I lean it against a stationary object. All other times, it's on the kickstand.
10-04-13, 06:08 PM
#183
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OP, here's my $.02.
If someone doesn't see the need to use a kickstand (whether they have used them or not), you're not going to convince them to start. As someone who has used or is using a kickstand, you are not gonna let anyone convince you otherwise, are you?
Kickstands are a personal preference- no more so than the type of handlebar configuration or how the carry their stuff on the commute.
If someone doesn't see the need to use a kickstand (whether they have used them or not), you're not going to convince them to start. As someone who has used or is using a kickstand, you are not gonna let anyone convince you otherwise, are you?
Kickstands are a personal preference- no more so than the type of handlebar configuration or how the carry their stuff on the commute.
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10-05-13, 06:54 AM
#184
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Thread Starter
Closing Words from the OP...
Thanks for participating in this discussion, everyone. It hasn't been active for a few hours now, so I'm assuming it will now slip down the thread list and disappear into the archives forever.
Just to reiterate, my stubborn, brazen title for this thread: "A Bike Is Supposed To Have A Freakin' Kickstand...PERIOD!" was intended to stir up discussion and NOT to criticize, judge, or convert any of you who feel differently. I just wanted to make sure my opinion was clear.
I think there was some confusion caused by my use of the word "park," as in "parking my bicycle." I suppose I should have gone with "standing my bike upright for short periods of time" or something like that. On those very, very rare occasions when I "park" my bike (as in leaving it outside a deli to go sit and eat breakfast), I most definitely lean it up against something and lock it firmly to that object. But when I stop to take a photo, grab my phone from the pack, pull out a banana to eat in front of a gorgeous ocean panorama, or put my bike back in the car after an out-of-town ride, I do not want to spend even one second looking for a tree and trying to balance the bike - with all its hanging bells and whistles - on it. It just makes no sense to me, as the kickstand adds nominal weight to the bike (for commuting/touring purposes, anyway) and presents no great threat to my safety when I'm zipping along the 2-3 miles of newly paved roads that take me to work each day.
The kickstand on my mountain bike is a totally different story! I put it on a few years ago when I retired from "serious" mountain biking and just started cutting into dirt trails every once in a while. When I was bouncing over thick roots and rocks and brush years ago, the kickstand would not have been practical or intelligent. Now it's a convenience I wouldn't want to do without.
Anyway, this is my favorite of all the bike forums, so I hope I didn't piss anybody off too much. I intend to start a thread about mirrors next, so be on the look-out!
[h=1][/h]
Thanks for participating in this discussion, everyone. It hasn't been active for a few hours now, so I'm assuming it will now slip down the thread list and disappear into the archives forever.
Just to reiterate, my stubborn, brazen title for this thread: "A Bike Is Supposed To Have A Freakin' Kickstand...PERIOD!" was intended to stir up discussion and NOT to criticize, judge, or convert any of you who feel differently. I just wanted to make sure my opinion was clear.
I think there was some confusion caused by my use of the word "park," as in "parking my bicycle." I suppose I should have gone with "standing my bike upright for short periods of time" or something like that. On those very, very rare occasions when I "park" my bike (as in leaving it outside a deli to go sit and eat breakfast), I most definitely lean it up against something and lock it firmly to that object. But when I stop to take a photo, grab my phone from the pack, pull out a banana to eat in front of a gorgeous ocean panorama, or put my bike back in the car after an out-of-town ride, I do not want to spend even one second looking for a tree and trying to balance the bike - with all its hanging bells and whistles - on it. It just makes no sense to me, as the kickstand adds nominal weight to the bike (for commuting/touring purposes, anyway) and presents no great threat to my safety when I'm zipping along the 2-3 miles of newly paved roads that take me to work each day.
The kickstand on my mountain bike is a totally different story! I put it on a few years ago when I retired from "serious" mountain biking and just started cutting into dirt trails every once in a while. When I was bouncing over thick roots and rocks and brush years ago, the kickstand would not have been practical or intelligent. Now it's a convenience I wouldn't want to do without.
Anyway, this is my favorite of all the bike forums, so I hope I didn't piss anybody off too much. I intend to start a thread about mirrors next, so be on the look-out!
[h=1][/h]
10-05-13, 07:00 AM
#185
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I knew I had a picture of the pedal balance somewhere. Works on curbs, curb-height rocks, and the plinths of odd-looking public statues.
10-05-13, 09:01 AM
#186
bill nyecycles
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kickstand ftw.
10-05-13, 03:03 PM
#187
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1) I am so intellectually challenged that I cannot imagine how anyone could find use of a kickstand.
B) I am so intellectually challenged that if my bike didn't have a kickstand, I cannot imagine what to do with it when I stop riding.
iii) I am capable of rational thought.
10-05-13, 05:45 PM
#188
Senior Member
I have missed most of this thread and what I have read is far too opinionated for the likes of me, but I use kickstands on two of my bikes now. It used to be three, but the double legged pletscher I had on my touring bike just sucked so I took it off. All the kickstands I have ever seen were deceptively convenient. That is convenient until they didn't work. All of them suck...except this one; the new Pletscher Zoom!
It really works.
I wear black underwear.
Marc
It really works.
I wear black underwear.
Marc
10-05-13, 06:13 PM
#189
GATC
I really like the greenfield rear triangle kickstand. Can tilt the bike up on its front wheel and the kickstand and spin the cranks for maintenance/repair w/o whacking the cranks into the kickstand.
10-05-13, 06:29 PM
#190
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(OP) After reading the many responses from all you kickstand scrooges, I am convinced - as I was before starting this thread - that there are ways to park a bike without a kickstand. What you haven't convinced me is WHY you would choose a fence or a tree or a sign or a crack in the sidewalk over a device specifically built to hold up a bike.
By the way I shopped at three LBS a 7-11 and a Subway today and did not use a kickstand nor lock my bike; I also did not wear bike shorts.
Last edited by bhchdh; 10-05-13 at 06:41 PM.
10-05-13, 11:17 PM
#192
Senior Member
I used to have a flickstand that clamped to the downtube with a lever that would wedge against the front wheel to keep the front wheel from flopping around. It let me lean the bike against almost anything. Too bad they aren't made any more (and were probably not a great idea for other than steel frames in any case).
10-06-13, 06:18 AM
#193
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takes to long to move your pedals around so they are in the just right position, and if the step/curb is too high you lose the pressure on the pedal and it goes more towards leaning on the crank arm which means higher center of gravity which means its chances of falling over are more.
kickstand ftw.
kickstand ftw.
10-06-13, 02:54 PM
#194
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Proof that it doesn't matter.
10-06-13, 03:00 PM
#195
bill nyecycles
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ah, but did the bike fall into the side that had the kickstand, thus forcing it over, falling to the side that was unsupported, OR did it fall in the direction of the kickstand, thus overcoming the kickstand?
this is important info.
this is important info.
10-07-13, 07:52 AM
#196
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Kickstands are useless. (1) Unless your bike has a plate, it will eventually damage the chain stays (unless you run a kickstand from the rear drop out). Very few nice bikes have kickstands because they are unnecessary. (2) If you're riding the bike, a kickstand the dead weight. If the bike is at home, get a stand or hang it on a hook. (3) If you're going to lock it up, the kickstand doesn't help you.
bikemig I hear what you are saying and I'm not wanting to argue. I believe that a double kickstand will be helpful, especially since my larger tires do not fit in a standard bike rack (the tires are too tall) so I'd stand the bike next to the rack to lock it up. Also, I see that some of the shop owners are not happy with me (gently) leaning the bike against their plate glass front windows. Many places have no other leaning area.
Last edited by Ridefreemc; 10-07-13 at 02:01 PM.
10-07-13, 08:22 AM
#197
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It's a shame there are so many poorly designed kickstands out-there. Those products lead to confusion and even injuries amongst the cycling community. Kickstand technology is rather sophisticated and is really meant for advanced cyclists only. Anyone can bomb down a dirt hill over jumps and ruts or tour hundreds of miles along back country roads hauling provisions and a tent or simply ride rain or shine every day to work for years. None of that is particularly impressive. What is impressive though is balancing a bicycle on 3 points using a metal thingy on the left. Not just anyone can do it. Not to brag or anything, but I happen to know how to use kickstands. I didn't know how to at first, but then I went to Kickstand Academy down in Tennessee for a 3 day intensive (had to fly in with my own kickstand). I tell you, it was worth every penny of the $3000 entry fee. They fed us roast beef sandwiches and taught us to use kickstands properly. There is so much to know! Now I use a kickstand with confidence almost every day. When people see me deploying my kickstand so confidently in broad day light (I don't ride at night), girls want to date me and guys want to be my friend. If you believe you're an advanced cyclist like I am, you may want to consider getting into kickstands.
10-07-13, 08:35 AM
#198
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10-07-13, 09:08 AM
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My "kickstand" adds about 40g to the weight of my bike and can stand in anything less than a full gale. Even so, I seldom use it.