Do what suits and serves your needs best. Some riders, for their own valid reasons, will never use a kickstand. You can always use it for riding and stopping around town and remove it for more serious rides and races. As most of my riding is on a boardwalk, I choose to not set the bike down on the sandy, salty and busy boardwalk or to prop it up against the pipe railings. For a different ride or setting, I might remove the kickstand.

There is no right or wrong answer here...only the best one for your situation.

Rob

I have one on my heavy commuter/tourer, but not my other bikes. I have looked at getting one of the two-legged ones. I think the brand is Greenlee, maybe. Of course, to me the ultimate answer to this question is a trike from Lightfoot Cycles.

I have one on my MTB, but I also mount a baby seat on it. Try dealing with a toodler and no kickstand!!!

I had a sturdy center mounted kickstand on my MTB and never thought anything of it. It never popped open even when jumping. I took it off only because I found that I wasn't using it much anymore.

You can put a ziptie over it and the frame this way if you want to try life without your loved kickstand you have not taken it off if you like thin off it goes! if not thin just cut the ziptie

I'm probably less experienced than most here as I've only been riding 15 months (not counting before I got a drivers license!), but I have put in over 5500 miles.

I LIKE a kickstand on my road bike. It just seems so convenient. Sure, I lock it up every time I ride to town, but even in the process of getting ready to lock it, it seems easier to work with when I have the stand. I have a rack on the back where I carry two locks, plus a beach mat (hey, I live in Hawaii). It seems more stable to pull the locks out with the kickstand in place.

In my apartment, I can set it anywhere, not just against a wall - as it happens, it works best for me when it is in the middle of the floor!

Besides, how much does the weight matter? I read somewhere that on a 40 mile course, including some hills, a 10 lb difference only made a 33 second difference! Don't know if they were correct, but it fits in roughly with other calculations I've seen.

Bob

Just a hint for road bikes. I have a rubber band, one of those fat ones like they use on broccoli. It is on my left side handle bar at the top of the left drop. Sometimes when Im getting off the bike and things look questionable I slip the rubber band around the brake lever after I pull it back as if stopping and the band holds it back like an emergency brake. Hey, if the wheels cant turn its much less more chance it wouldnt fall. Oh and by the way, the rubber band is MUCH lighter than a kickstand!

Sounds like a good idea!

Bob

Having seen too many crushed chainstays, I am heavily biased against clamp-on kickstands. Although I was raised on bikes with kickstands (Schwinn 2-speed middleweight and Bianchi base 10-speed with clamp-on KS), I have not had (or missed having) a kickstand for the past 30 years. I concur with the other posters, however, that this is stictly a matter of personal preference.

Not owning a repair stand, I find having a kick-stand makes it easier to clean my bike and perform basic maintenance. Also, since I stow the bike with my wife's machine on the balcony, it's proven easier to tarp them and stage them together without leaning them against each other.

-Rob