So if you have raced it is OK to not have a kickstand?

I thought the fixed gear crowd was pretentious...

hehe

My collection is pretty much the same as yours. Kickstands on the touring and commuter bikes, none on the racing bikes. The ones without kickstands annoy me. I hate trying to find a place to lean the bike where it won't fall over, scratch the paint, or skin up the bar tape and saddle every time I air up the tires, stop for a break, or get back from a ride. I restore, try not to destroy, bikes. I'm buying stock in Greenfield! :)

My two newest bikes came with no kickstands. My old 10-speed from the '70s had one, and I liked the convenience of it, but I kept hitting it with my right heel when riding, so I took it off. I'd like to have one on my Long haul Trucker, but an concerned with the heel-strike issue, especially as my heels sometimes hit the chainstays now.

You have a couple options for touring bikes. The Greenfield I mentioned above sells a rear mounted stand that works great. There's one on my High Sierra but you can't see it well in the photos. I would get this longer "Road bike" model and cut a bit off the end at a time until your loaded bike becomes stable...
http://midtownbikeco.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=2517

Then there's the Click-stand made by BF member "tomn". Scroll down to post #9...
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=239191

or go directly to his website...
http://www.click-stand.com/

never knew the kickstand was such a polarizing issue! I guess that's why they're hard to find, people want to avoid the contraversy...

I have used both kickstand and walls, signposts/trees etc... I didn't know that having your bike leaning against a wall was a "majickal" cure from having it fall over... I've used all methods and I'd say that the bike will fall over least with a proper length kickstand, if it's too long it will fall over consistently, too short, same thing... need to get one the right length or trim it, I've seen some models with a scale cast in which would be good for a bikeshop that's equipping a lot of bikes with them.

Most newer bikes don't have enough space for one and some have the FD cabling running up through where you would put the mount... I've seen bikes where the FD didn't work at all because of this! Also I really dislike when the kickstand is so tightly mounted that the chainstays are crushed, that alone is worth not having them installed on a bike.

I wouldn't. I would just lay my bike down on the ground.

Gravity: nature's kickstand.

All this over a kick stand? 5 pages worth. Who really gives a sh-t?

I can't think of a time when I've needed a kickstand? I have a bike rack in my garage that hold the bike up and i lock it to a tree/post/rack when I'm riding around town. I think kickstands are great for people who can use them but I haven't found a need for one. I ride a hybrid set up as a commuter/greenway bike so I'm not playing the hardcore mtn bike or hardcore road bike card.

Ya know what I think is amazing, is how few people actually bothered to answer the Original Poster's question, "Whatever happened to the Kickstand?" You could cut this thread down to a half page if you threw out all the extraneous, justification posts.

Relax! If you paid a deposit on this thread, it's fully refundable after use.

Funny he/she/it mentioned autos. The original Hot Rods/Rat Rods lived by the ounce/pound. They called it "Free Horsepower!" back then. :D;)

Where's the fun in that?

True, but that doesn't explain why manufacturers dropped kickstands across the board. How many bikes sold are used to race? Like I said, the answer is "Race Poseurs", and the market they create.

Even more than that, they get rid of the mounts for those items.

I love my easge 2 legged kickstand.

ITS its on my main ride and will be on my custom frame when I get it.

I wont deny its heavy but im not riding in crit or TT.

the pluses far out weigh the weight.

1) its a real good repair stand I can work on either wheel spin them , run cable...

2) my commute is on a MUP or a major 4 lane road if I have to stop for a repair or to get rain gear ... I just stand the bike up wherever I want as there is often nothing to lean bike against.

3) it realy is a help when I leave or come home, I can stand the bike up on the driveway and close my garage door and same with backyard gate I dont have to walk bike to lean against house then shut doors ....

4) I use to store my bike at work against a wall with parts on it (always in someones way) with the 2 legged kickstand It now sits under a mezanine by itself not leaning against anything.

5) I rode in the tour de cure last year we had 1600 riders many people didnt have anywhere to lean there bikes on as all the walls and poles were taken no problem I stood mine up right on the sidewalk.

Ive only had the bike fall once and it was in my basement, if I have to park the bike on soft sand , grass ...... ill lay it down or lean it but most of the time its on its own 2 legs.

and in the city well id rather not scratch a nice paint job by leaning up against a brick wall or metal pole. esp when I get the custom frame .

just my thoughts, I probably wouldnt use a KS on a club race bike but for an everyday ride YES for sure.

"John"

Well, it's certainly a better explanation than claiming most people think it is more convenient to pick a bike up off the ground or find something to lean it against.

I was riding out here the other day and couldn't find any place to lean the bike against...very frustrating.
http://www.linesofflight.net/picture..._salt_flat.JPG

Whatever happend to the Kickstand?

Same thing that happened to utilitarian bikes in general. Joe Breeze and the mountain bike for one. The market demands bikes that look like downhill racers, but how many actually even go off road, let alone a mountain or similar terrain? Function follows form these days...

John J has some excellent points! For all the same reasons and more i love a kickstand. Even when touring (when weight IS a factor) the ESGE stand is not only a convenience put pretty much a repair tool. Being able to work on your bike while it is perfectly balanced, standing completely straight, allowing you to spin both wheels is very practical and helpful indeed. Hence kickstands (good ones) can be invaluable, at least to some of us.

Not everyone lives in the middle of nowhere. :rolleyes:

I am in the no kickstand camp, but this is a compelling answer. This seems like a very good argument for the
two leg stand.

I can't imagine not having a kickstand. On an earlier post, somebody said they were not appropriate for all types of riding. How in the world (other than the couple of extra ounces involved) does having a kickstand affect riding?

Thanks Pete. Almost all of my riding is on pavement or well maintained crushed limestone trails. Though mine doesn't rattle or open up accidently, I can see how this could be an issue under different conditions.

If you can afford more than $5 for a kickstand, this usually isn't a problem unless someone is doing hardcore mountain biking. I find it ironic that the person who doesn't use a kickstand has managed to come up with so many percieved problems.

Of course, if you don't have a kick stand.....the bike can be scratched when you lay it down, can be difficult to work on, can damage other people's property when leaned against it, can make it difficult to add or remove things from bags, access the water bottle at rest, and dirt can get on the chain.

In addition, it is more likely to be stolen since the person who sees this condition will assume the bike is living in an unhappy home and needs to be removed from this abusive situation.:p

This is no way to treat a bike:
http://www.introtechcrash.com/images/bike-crash2.jpg