Wrong.. Saturday I rode with a different group and one guy showed up with a TT bike, wearing street cloths (shorts and polo shirt) and a flip top bottle in the bottle cage.

I didn't realize it until I wound up behind him and he dropped to the aero bars. I quickly dropped a few lengths back in the event he crashes and I didn't want to run into him. No one said anything about his choice of clothing, hydration or TT bike.

Yes, i've seen many groups where all have matching kit. I was glad that I was not the only one not wearing a MBC jersey.

I was given to understand that bicycle helmets are so delicate that such use would require instant replacement, "just to be safe" given the call by helmet salesmen/promoters for replacement if they are ever dropped, dinged, banged or even exposed to too much sun.

I think i'm OK.

Fenders have all the same problems as kickstands:

1. They add weight
2. They might not be useful in all cases
3. They might be unnecessary in some cases, e.g., if you never ride in the rain
4. They might impale you in a freak crash
5. Your bike might be too precious or delicate to support fenders
6. Your bike might fall over while equipped with fenders, and get a boo-boo

Fenders! I can't think of a single other part that I like and dislike in equal amounts all at the same time.

On topic, I bolted a kickstand to one of my bikes just this afternoon:

20170529_163123 (1).jpg

Then again, ride around a trail where horses are allowed in a rain without fenders, and see how bad you want them when you start playing the "is it mud or manure" game!

Looks good. Just a note, I've found it useful to pad the clamp on those Greenfield kickstands with some old innertube rubber. It protects the frame from getting scuffed up, and seems to help keep the stand from rattling loose.

If it gets in you're mouth... you'll know for sure.

Indeed, all but one of my bikes have fenders. The remaining hold-out is just because the bike is fairly new and I haven't figured out what fenders I want yet. Planet Bike makes yellow fenders, but I wonder if that's just too much on a yellow bike.

Unfortunately I have fenders on a couple bikes that get ridden in those conditions, guess I'll never know. I'll just chalk that up as another drawback of fenders!

Black hammered steelies?

Wait...isn't that how you determine the difference, so you know not to step on it??? I have been doing it wrong!?!?!?!

Love my Mini Click-Stand which is strapped to the top tube of my carbon road bike. Super lightweight and the bike remains upright and stable when used in conjunction with an elastic band engaging the front brake lever (bands come with the stand). When I'm near something I can lean my bike against, I do. When I'm not, the Click-Stand gets unfolded and set in place in seconds. I use it frequently.

Choosing Your Click-Stand

I haven't used a kickstand since about 1974 or so. I cannot recall getting a scratch or ding related solely to having leaned my bike to stand it up.


My reason for not using one is simple. I don't add doo-dads to my bikes for which I have no use. FBinNY summed up the traditional reasons, which are good enough for me. I've not needed one that I can recall. That's with commuting, touring, MTB single track cross country riding, utility riding, and recreational riding.


I hope that I never have to explain this again for my remaining years on earth...

And, I use fenders too, where practical. Certainly, they're on my main commuter and my touring bike.

1) Hella heavy
2) No reason to use one
3) MORE stable to lean bike up against something than using a kickstand
4) Crush carbon stays

Nothing like a good kickstand thread. I personally have a Greenfield stabilizer on my bike and love it. When I first got my bike it didn't have a kickstand, and I hated having to lean it up against something all the time. Not to mention the paint was getting scratched & scuffed up. Now I can park my bike anywhere, and with the large foot on the Greenfield I don't have to worry about it sinking into the ground. Not to mention that I can clean & lube the chain by turning the pedals backwards, since the stabilizer is next to the rear hub and out of the way. Frankly I don't care if other riders think it's cool or not. I'm the only one who has to like my bike.

If it were not for kick stands we would not have 118 opinions here...wow.

Hi, my name is Jeff and my bike has a kickstand.

I can understand why many do not use a kickstand. Some of you have spent some big bucks to get bikes that are as light as possible. Why would you want to add a heavy (relatively) lump of aluminum onto that?

My hybrid bike is may only bike. I use it for neighborhood rides and organized rides. Care to guess where my riding friends like to lean their bikes when we stop? Yep, against my bike...

My hybrid has a kickstand. My cruiser has a kickstand. Even my MTB has a kickstand (though it gets removed sometimes for rides).
My road bike does not have a kickstand; I didn't spend big bucks but I do want it light and I don't use it on rides where I will be stopping a lot.

Being a bike for world touring, with camping gear, my 04 Koga WTR has 2 kickstands..

Research the "Pletscher Double Kickstand". I've used it on my commuter rig that weighed in at 60+ lbs with loaded trunk panniers.

What's also nice about the double kickstand, is that because the rear wheel can come off the ground completely, you can pedal it non-stop and adjust the derailleur indexing (if needed) without needing a bike stand.