The bottom line is no matter how your stuff is stored on the bike, when you lay it down, you will need to grab something at ground level or pick the bike back up.

To some extent, they do the same stuff to motorcycles. My BMW has both a center stand and a kickstand, while many racebikes and cruisers no longer come with centerstands. The justification for eliminating them is either for looks or weight. That being said, I never heard anyone claim that a kickstand or a centerstand wasn't practical on a motorcycle...

I am also confident, your lean the bike method is more prone to crashing than using a decent kickstand.

Kickstand got kicked out of fashion. I love them though, all my bikes have it.

A month ago I was participating in a 3-day organized ride. Lunch on the second day was in a grass field. There was a big white tent at one end where we ate, and a wide open area were people lay down their bikes as they came in. There were hundreds of them, all arrayed in neat rows on their sides on the grass.

Except for one bike, whose owner rolled in and smartly kicked down the stand (hence the name!), stood his bike upright, and then strolled off to the tent for his lunch. I'm not sure why he did; perhaps it was just a reflex. Or perhaps he was saying, "What? Let my fragile brifters be muddied by this soil? My bicyclette is too precious for such treatment!" Or maybe he wanted to say, "Behold, road poseur weenies of weight, see a true functional cyclist, who values function over pretense, just like our grandfathers did!"

Whatever the message was, it was sadly undermined when three minutes later the inevitable gust of wind toppled his bike and sent it crashing on to the top of the expensive looking carbon jobbie laying next to it.

A 1lb kickstand means I can carry 500ml less water, or leave a change of clothes at home. Not a tradeoff worth making, for me at least. For a commuting or shopping-bike I guess it could have some use, then again all the shops around here, and the place I work at have racks outside.

wow... you guys are really serious about this kickstand thing... :)

ha-ha! let's have a fight over kick-stands!
when i was a kid i never used them as i thought that weight was important and none of the racers had them. i used to ride for the sake of riding. wore tight jerseys and lycra, had bike shoes was clipped into the bike...
now i use a bike differently, for commuting to school and work and for errands. i use it to get somewhere, often carrying stuff. once i got a bike with fenders, lights, racks, and yes, a two-point kickstand, i'll never ride without them. for me, it was a revelation, riding through a puddle and not getting wet, stopping at the store and not worrying about scruffing my brooks on the brick wall... and when i got out being able to stuff the saddle bags with the bike standing up. it works for me. no, i'll never be able to catch the guys on the light italian rides, and you know what? i never could. and now i don't pretent to. but they can't carry two watermelons home from the grocery either. i also don't wear someone else's advertising on my clothes, don't wear sunglasses that make me look like a bug, and god forbid, i don't even wear lycra. oh, and i finally got platform pedals. i wear regular shoes. man i love it! i ride more often than i ever did, and it's a lot more fun (and practical) for me.
to each his own! long live bikes and riders!

[/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]Why don't bicycles stand by themselves?

Because they are two tired!

I would have a Kickstand on my bike if they made one out of carbon fiber. :D

Why must there be a trade off? Who assigned a specific weight limit to your bicycle equipment?

Yeah, but doing either, risks the paint job.

Trees work just fine as a kickstand. Can't they not be dangerous for roadies. take a spill and it can be a pointed object.

Not really worth responding to...but since you are the second person who assumes I don't know the differences....

Let's talk about what they have in common. They both have two wheels and neither one will stay upright without leaning it against something or imagine this; using a kickstand!:p

I have one on my shopping bike. I like to park my bike in full view of the large windows and the racks aren't always in the best place.

Hey bike lay on the side guy,

Weight it a critical factor for both bicycles and motorcyles. Both racing bicycles and motorcycles don't use kickstands. In the real world, I find kickstands to be invaluable on all my two wheeled vehicles.

I don't need no stinking kick stand.

[QUOTE=Pete Fagerlin;5417931]

You misunderstood once again. I'll put in bold this time around:

"weight difference between the two"

\QUOTE]

Maybe I am confused....a while back you claimed your bike is too heavy to make a kickstand practical, now you claim it is too light to make comparing to a heavier object valid?

Maybe I should have said mopeds are not usually thrown on the ground or leaned against someone else's property. Where is your anti-kickstand coalition website? I would like to learn more...:D

That's because you be a MF'ing bad-ass biking bandito, eh?:)

Pete,

You obviously have a short memory.

"You are equating the practicality of a center stand on a motor cycle with a kick stand on a bicycle. It's an apples and oranges comparison in many cases due to the weight difference between the two."

You claimed it was an apples to oranges comparison due to weight. Most people would argue that vehicles with two wheels share many common goals. Kickstands are practical for everyday use, any other argument is futile.

Who would have thought that someone's personal choice about whether a piece of equipment is practical for their uses would be as heated as Pro-choice vs Pro-life, handgun ownership vs gun control, or Mac vs Windows. :rolleyes:

You would think it's about chain lube. :D

yet again

the twang. It negates all other arguments.

Since your opinions lack substantiation, it appears you would prefer to be condescending instead.

If you don't believe kickstands are better than leaning them up against other people's property, then there is no reason to be upset. Obviously many people do find kickstands to be extremely practical. I hope you can eventually find some sense of personal peace and tranquility.

holy cow, are you kidding? Mac. :D

Of my seven bikes (3 'racing', 2 long haul touring, 2 commuter) only the latter two have kickstands. Yes, they're useful. Yes, they go twang. And yes, my cycling habits started in the late 60's when the first two things you did to your $100.00 ten-speed was to remove the kickstand and change the steel rimmed wheels to aluminum.

Weight reduction above all, of course.:)

Seems like a simple question. My reply would simply be two words: "Race Poseurs"

Funny thing is, for automobiles, race poseurs throw extraneous stuff on their rides for that "race look". Huge fart pipes, wings and stickers. It's so prevalent now, manufacturers throw these useless things on right from the factory. But, whatever sells, right?

With bikes it's the opposite. Race poseurs strip useful items off their rides for that "race look". No more fenders, racks or kickstands. It's so prevalent now, manufacturers leave these useful things off right from the factory. But, whatever sells, right?

In reference to some of the replies to this simple question: Methinks thou doest protest too much!