exas

do you have a kickstand installed on your bike? yes or no? why?

daniellekuang

It adds weight. Without a kick stand, my friend had taught me how to stand a bike properly ;p

Stacey

Depends on the bike.

djSlvt

I have a cheap hi performance road bike, a kick stand will not look good on it.


I used to have bikes with kick stand, they fall over when you bump into them. If I need my bike to stand it's either between my legs or with seat against something.

Cosmoline

Unless you're a Lance Armstrong wanabe or racing down the sides of mountains, a kickstand is extremely useful. I certainly can't see anyone living car free without a good kickstand on the bike.

Why does this matter? A bike is a tool.

EastBiker

The world is full of things to lean your bike on. If there aren't any convenoent on hand, such as a field in a park, you can lay it on the ground drivetrain up. If you have two bikes you can lean them against each other. I'm car free and I don't have a single kickstand among my bikes.

Cosmoline

Lay it on the ground?!? That's like parking your car on its hood. What if some joker steps on the spokes or trips on it? I think you guys have sacrificed a lot of common sense in the name of appearing "cool."

fuerein

Then you have not seen me, my friend. I have no car nor do I have a kickstand on my bike. Yet to find a condition where a kickstand would significantly improve the issues at hand.

DataJunkie

CF racing bike with a kickstand? No thanks.
I have not had a kickstand on a bike since I was a kid and do not particularly miss it. Though my touring bike may get one if I ever decide to tour with it. Laying down a fully loaded touring bike seems idiotic to me.

Lion Steve

I would think that a fully loaded tour bike would have a difficult time staying upright with a standard kickstand.

vpiuva

Kickstands can dent the chainstays even old a good ol' steel frame. Plus I just don't ever really need one. Leaning the bike against a wall keeps if further out of the way than a stand.

neilfein

Considering that my bike lives on the middle landing of a split-level stairwell, and everyone who squeezes past it would knock it over if it were just leaning against the wall, I use a kickstand. (There's no room there for a rack.)

Siu Blue Wind

In mtb, kickstands may come down while you are riding, thus becoming a danger should you hit it on something.

On a road bike, it adds weight.

Both are really not necessary for the reasons that there are so many things to lean a bike on.

neilfein

I've though about tieing the kistand to the frame, since when I go over a curb, the KS makes an annying spuuuuunng noise. Pretty minor, though. Never had it spontaneously open while riding, and I've been up and sown some pretty steep piles of dirt and gravel, never went over big rocks, though. Maybe if you do some BMX-style jumping this would come into play? I'd think a kickstand would almost certainly be a hazard on a stunt bike.

Bikepacker67

Ding Ding Ding.

Never underestimate the inconvenient lengths that folks will go to appear cool.

crtreedude 

Actually, I hate rattles - it isn't like my body doesn't have enough. On top of that, perhaps it is my ineptness, but I have had bikes drop because of being on kickstand - I find a wall or something is much more secure. With a kickstand, there is a tendancy I think for your bike to get nudged and fall over.

For me, a kickstand is pretty worthless - always an available tree or wall to prop the bike on if need be so why haul something around? Also, for about 8 months of the year, the ground can be pretty soft - which doesn't work well for kickstands.

Philatio

+1

They're not that secure, and they rattle like a mother ****er. I'm extremely anal about noises on my bikes.

Winter76

I either hang my bike at home or lock it to something vertical when I'm out. I never have cause to leave it free standing where it would need a kick stand.

dynodonn 

Looks like I'm in the pro kickstand catagory, since I have installed kickstands on all my bikes. I had one bike for several years that didn't come with a kickstand, it was a constant hassle to find a safe place to lean it against, and the weight factor of a stand is a non issue on a 20 plus pound bike, I can gain or lose twice that much weight in body water in a day. It takes a fairly large bump or pothole to make my kickstand rattle, but not one has dropped down on me.

JR97

I keep mine on. I've never had it rattle, drop down inadvertently, or put my life at risk on the road or on the trails. Coolness? Doesn't matter on my bike. I think I look so far from cool that removing the kickstand wouldn't even be a factor.

I do use mine all the time. There's a few spots on my commute where I take a break before or after climbing some hills that without the stand, I'm laying the bike in gravel. Loaded for commuting means my bags get dirty if I lay it down. Plus it's PITA to try and get it back up. It also comes in handy when dealing with the kiddie trailer.

EastBiker

You mean you haven't done this when you went to a park or a picnic? I actually couldn't care less if a bike has a kickstand or not, if you have it and like it, then I'm happy for you. It's people like you who judge people whpo don't have kickstands as Lance wannabes. Widen your mind, don't be too judgemental, lol.

vtjim

I voted yes. I don't usually rant like this, because opinions are like @$$holes, but the "adds weight" people are just silly. It adds a few ounces. Drink some water before your ride. There, you've added more weight. Are you going to bonk now?

Falls down while MTBing? Velcro-strap it to the stay, or remove it when you're on the trails. I use velcro. Works great.

Rattles? It's a POS. Adjust it or get a new one. Seriously, the 20 year-old stand on my old Peugeot was quiet.

If you don't like the looks of 'em, that's your opinion. Don't rag on others for it. I ride my Liquid into the city a lot and there's no guarantee of a convenient prop-up spot for my bike if I'm sitting outside a bar or whatever.

My (full suspension) bike also has a so-called "dork disk" and the dreaded wheel reflectors, so I guess the roadies I'm dropping don't think I'm very cool.

Rant off. Deep breath. Almost time for a beer.

kjmillig

I use a Greenfield rear mount stand on my commuter/tourer. Supports a lot of weight with much better balance than a center mount, and it won't dent the frame.
https://www.greenfieldny.com/images/b...stabilizer.jpg

Astronomical

No, if I do it squeezes my chainstays, making for angry paint and ****.

chephy

No on my "good bike", yes on my "beater bike".

I believe part of the reason there is so little love for kickstands is that the majority of kickstands are extremely crappy. I went through three or four before settling on the current one. But I absolutely adore it. It will support the bike on the most uneven of terrains, it does not interfere with pedalling, it never rattles and it's EXTREMELY handy. I think it actually looks COOL too: a bike proudly standing upright on its own looks better than one lying helplessly on the ground. Yes, the kickstand is heavy, but my beater bike is heavy as it is and then I pile up a ton of gear on it... so it's really a non-issue.