Tandem Kick-Stand
 

I just purchased a Trek T900 tandem and after a few modifications we really like the bike. I replaced the big 26X195 off-road tires with 26X150 street tires, Bontrager "Crow-Bar" handlebars up front, SPD pedals, and I had the bike shop install finger shifters. The front is set up just like my Gary Fisher hybrid and it works GREAT! The bike also turns nicer and rolls faster with the thinner tires. I want to install a kick-stand, but can't find any that will work on a tandem. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Don

I am sure many riders will reccomend the ESGE Pletscher Double Kickstand. I have one on my co motion and it works great. You might have to get a little creative in mounting it, but they work great.

http://www.gtgtandems.com/parts/pics/KI5000.jpg

Noooo. Please don't put a kick stand on. They are heavy and never work reliably in my experience, and in my view are especially unsafe with panniers or a child seat.

Much better to become expert in leaning your bike. Variations I like include putting the bike in the gutter and propping the pedal on the kerb so the bike leans on the pedal, reverse the bike at an angle of 30 degrees into a wall so that the the rear tyre leans against a wall with nothing else touching, lean the saddle against a lamp post and touch the pedal against the post to stop the bike rolling away etc...

Most common newbie mistake is leaning the handlebars and saddle against things. The bars always move and then saddle gets scratched. The search function will reveal quite a funny thread on this same issue, where the original poster replied that where he is there's nothing where he lives to lean the bike against.

We have that stand on our CoMo, and like it -- noting that we have no child seat or panniers, and we pay attention to the ground/pavement condition and wind. You can see ours at http://bikes.lukefisher.com -- Monte

Ok,
I think I 've now seen everything. $200 worth of CF bottle cages to save perhaps a cummulative 40g over $6 aluminum cages, and then a 2lb boat anchor bolted on.

He asked for suggestions on a kick stand that he wants, not to be bashed for wanting one.

The ESGE model works very well. I have not seen one that works better. If I were to get one, that is the one I would get.

My comment was not aimed as kickstands, as much as the juxtapositon of kickstands, and CF water bottle cages. Seems rather odd to go to significant expense to shave every last gram, then put on a kickstand.

I did very much get the irony of it and appreciated the humor side of your post. My thought was that your post coupled with Bill G's (which I think has been deleted) did not have much positive to say to Don.

My thought was, this small community needs us helping and sticking up for each other rather than trying to organize everyone to the same line. I just wanted Don to come away from this thinking he wants to come back here to participate in the forum. He may be a great contributor one day. This forum is nothing without the small postings of the many.

I have not been to a tandem rally yet but I don't think any of us are worried about them losing their small event feel anytime soon :).

How
 

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That is a Click-Stand. It folds up to be about 10" when you don't need it. The one in the picture breaks into three parts because I have a longer rackbag, but typically they fold into four parts. If you look at the brake lever there is a bungee strap that holds the brake on, I use two for loaded bikes & just the rear if just out riding. They are included with the Click-Stand. It works really well. I am a bit proud of it because Click-Stand TM is my invention. I am making them in my basement, and will be selling them very soon. I own Click-Stand.com, but don't have the web site set up yet. I can show & tell you more if you would like.

I'm glad you think it is interesting, I hope others do too!
Tom

http://users.techline.com/tomn/click-standcloser.jpg
http://users.techline.com/tomn/click-standw:hand.jpg

Well get crackin!

You can count me as one more order.

-D

Thats just what I have in mind for our bike! We have used the ESGE Pletscher Double Kickstand and two problems have popped up, The first is you have to lift the bike to get it up on the stand, the second is that the threads have pulled out of the kick stand body. Loaded for touring the tandem is about 140 pounds.

The problem with all kickstands is that the contact the bike below its center of gravity. This cause two problems. First it applies a great deal of lateral strain on the stand & its connectors. Second, the leaning bike acts as a lever. With the stand below the load, it forms a third class lever, which works with a mechanical disadvantage. The stand is the nut in a nutcracker, the stresses on it are multiplied. I ran into a tourist who had already broken two kickstands last month. The Click-Stand supports the bike above the center of gravity, so that the force acting on it is compression, much easier to deal with. Also, with the leaning bike it forms a second class lever, like out at the handles of wheelbarrow, working with a mechanical advantage. Sorry that that sounds like a lot of blah blah.

I hate to admit it, but it wouldn't be one more order, you would be order number 1!

The head of the Click-Stand is nylon, and fits 1 1/8 or 1" top tubes. If it comes with three segment it is about 13" long when folded. If it comes with four segments it folds to about 10". I have a mini, for road bikes that is skinny, five sements, folds to 7", and can fir in a jersey pocket. They are made from expedition quality Easton tubing. They weigh less than 90 grams. I'm charging $22 for the 3 section, and $24 for the four. Shipping is $3.50 first class anywhere in the US., or $5 Priority Mail. All you have to do is measure the distance straight down from the bottom of the top tube of your bike where you want the stand to make contact. I will custom cut it for you.

Just let me know,
Tom
tomn@techline.com

Thanks for the kickstand advice...... I don't use one on either my hybrid or road bike, but the new tandem is just so long I would like to have more options when it's not being used.

Don

Neat idea. I could see where a wider foot would help on softer terrain such as shoulders and grass.

There have been only one or two times where the foot sank into soft dirt. 99% of the time shoulders & grass are no problem.
http://users.techline.com/tomn/bothbikesinpark.jpg

Re bashing my bottle cages: the CoMo Mocha is by no means an ultra-light bike, and I ain't all that light myself -- but receiving the bike last summer with that gorgeous paint job, I looked for the coolest-looking cages that were reasonably priced, and that's what I got! Are they light, too? How about that....

Click-Stand looks cool!

Unless your Trek 900 has rear disks or the chainstay/seatstay assembly is significantly oversized anything sold as a chainstay mounted kickstand should work. One came standard on our Kent and it works very well. Our Raleigh came without a stand and I have learned a lot about kickstands while shopping for one. The first thing I found out was the considerable antipathy towards them by a significant percentage of all classes of bicycle users. Now I have never had someone step on/into the rear wheel of my pride and joy as it reclines on the grass following an event but I have seen hundreds of such accidents waiting to happen. Where would motorcycles be without kick/center stands? Seems that those of us who opt for the increased practicality of mounting one ought not be derided so harshly. My beef with chainstay mounted stands is they usually have an extra piece that goes up to the seatstay complicating the mounting and adding weight. There is only one design I found that has a single mount designed for large diameter (think aluminum) chainstays but I have never been able to find it. It shows up on all the online catalogs but when one tries to order it comes up as unavailable. I am holding out for this kickstand. The Esge is nice but it is horribly heavy IMO and I do not think the mounting bolt would be long enough to clear the extra deep well made by extra thick chainstays. I am sure a longer bolt is available from a local hardware store but I'm just not feeling like putting a motorcycle style centerstand on something as tall as a tandem bicycle. A nice fellow at Raleigh USA advised me that if I did fit the Esge or any other kind of clamp-on kickstand it would instantly void the lifetime frame warranty. So anyone reading is reminded to remove theirs before taking their bikes in for service. The clickstand looks like a nice idea and I intend to look it over but as I have just been introduced to the concept this minute I can't comment one way or another.

H

We have never used or even thought of using a kickstand. We apply the drag brake to lock the back wheel (drum on the triple, disc on the tandem) and lean the bike against anything available. Never had a problem.... but we have never done loaded touring...

Yes, you are right in the fact that Don asked about a kickstand. I was only stating the fact that kickstands are heavy and I did not care for them personaly. I got a laugh out of the other poster calling the kickstand a 2 pound boat anchor in refference to the lite bottle cages. But with that being said after some reflection I did delete my post for the same reason you stated above. No offence meant to Don or anyone else. I just thought the bottle cage and kickstand comment in the other post had some humor to it like you said.

Take Care all, :)
Bill G

I seen this kick-stand on Ebay and wondered if anyone has seen these, or used this kick-stand.....

http://cgi.ebay.com/Bike-Cycle-Tri-t...QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks,

Don

Kickstands are like any other bike 'accessory'.
Either you want it, or you don't.
Click-stand is a different approach. Instead of take-apart sections, how about telescoping? Some top tubes on newer tandems are 1 5/8" so may have to come up with variable size heads on your Click-stand.
In our 31+ years of tandeming have never used/needed/wanted a kickstand on our tandems. Either lean tandem against whatever's suitable or lay it down. Work for us!
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

No offence to kickstand owners out there, but in defence of those arguing against buying a kickstand, there are times when people ask the wrong question and should be put on the right path.

It's like asking what new clip and strap pedals to buy when of course clipless is the way forward. My other issue is that once you've gone for the convenience of a kickstand, why not take the track pump and maybe the chain whip just in case you have a mechanical. Oh, then there's the additional kevlar belts and super thick inner tubes to avoid punctures. Before you know where you are the fun, fast bike you bought weighs as much as a motorless motorbike and is about as much fun to ride.

I think the inventor of the clicstand has a product which solves some of the shortcomings of the currently available stands on the market, but in his position I would have leaned my bike against the tree shown in the picture. Alternatively a bungee or toestrap would allow the two bikes to balance against each other.

What a narrow arrogant viewpoint.

First off let me address the idea of clip and straps, vs clipless. Certainly clipless is an awesome technology. However there are many valid reasons for using clip and strap pedals, so to discount them as you are doing is very short sighted.

Similarily with kickstands. The main reason I am interested in a kickstand (and specifically the click stand) is for the following reason:

When my wife and I ride ourselves we really don't need a kickstand. Leaning the bike or laying it down work equally well. BUT when we carry our children in the trailer, a kickstand would be a great benefit.

Why? Because the way our trailer attaches it does not react well when the bike is layed on its side. It puts alot of undue stress on the trailer joint. And often times we encounter situations where there isn't anything sufficient to easily lean the bike on. It is especially hard since it is much more difficult to manevuer the bike with a loaded trailer attached.

So in this case the click stand would be excellent. Stop, unfold, unload kids. Well worth the $$ and few extra grams of weight.

-D

Good point. We'll have to remember that if we decide to go with a trailer in a future tour.