wobrien

Who would have thought that Kickstands would have created such an active thread????

I have enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing ideas and pics for both not having a kickstand and for kickstand options. Both have been very helpful to me.

Rje58

I understand the issues involved with kickstands on bikes set up for touring with panniers or for trail use on mountain bikes. But I have two hybrid bikes, both equipped with racks and rack bags, and I have a combined 3,000 miles on them and neither has ever fallen from the kickstand even ONCE. I use them every time I ride, including every water break or stop I make, which is usually at least one per ride, or sometimes as many as three or more quick breaks if I'm doing a 20+ mile ride.

Yes, there are times that it takes me an extra 5-to-15 seconds for some kind of quick adjustment if I'm not on level ground, or for some other contingency. I'm guessing that if I weren't willing to adjust the orientation of the bike to the terrain or the specific situation (there goes THAT 10 seconds I'll never get back again! darn!) that I would have probably experienced some falls from the kickstand... also, I don't ride trails or with panniers, so there's that to consider.

I do usually have 2-3 water bottles (1 or 2 in bottle holders) and probably an average of 1 to 4 pounds of stuff in the rack bag, depending on situation and length of ride: extra water bottle, lock or locks/cable, patch kit, keys, spare tail light, spare head light, cell phone, etc.

To each their own. Whatever works for you. Kickstands work for me, big time. YMMV.

SuperRecord

I agree, stands are handy in some riding situations. Though they do give a false sense of proper bike etiquette, that is easily challenged by a strong wind or rogue passerby.

For the kind of riding I do, I dn't have a great need for one. I usually rest it against some immovable object. You could carry a soft towel or shop rag to rest between the ground and the bike in some out of the way spot. Perfect to have for when you change a flat or perform some other roadside maintenance.

indyfabz

I shave my legs, and I don't use a kickstand. I take blood thinners, so any help I can get in the event of a fall is appreciated. And I have enough weight to tote already. Makes me smart, not a snob.

indyfabz

You must be new around here.

Have you experienced your first waving thread yet?

wobrien

I am new around here and I have not experienced my first waving thread - so I guess I have that to look forward to.

This seems like a really good group.

Korina

I have a similar issue as the OP but for a different reason; my vintage steel mtb. doesn't have a plate, so the standard Greenfield kickstand doesn't fit. I like my kickstands; I've always had them, and they've never been a problem. If the ground won't allow for the stand, I can lean it on something. Having to always find something to lean my Princess on is proving problematic, and no, I won't lay her on the ground, I like her bits as they are. Also, my mirror sticks out too far. I've thought about a chainstay mounted one, but the husbeast is concerned about possibly crushing the stay. He's a worrier.

Any ideas, kickstand fans?

BCDrums

Youch! Perhaps I are one.

Korina

There's always this one.

Cycle Tourist

I agree. There's always something. I've seen too much damage caused by them. I had one on a touring bike that needed a brace brased across the two bottom tubes anyway but I avoid them.

ksryder

We got 15 pages out of valve stem caps last year. I'm proud to have participated.

https://www.bikeforums.net/general-c...cool-what.html

alanf

Hi,
Many years ago I was at a bike shop when the topic of kickstands came up.
One of the guys said (basically) "Keep your money, just get a heavy elastic band like they wrap veges in and put it on the bar.
When you want to park, just put it around the brake lever.
Whichever wheel you lock will not budge. You can lean it against a lamp post or touching a wall and it will not move. For the real trump card put one on each bar." If it isn't strong enough wrap a single wrap around the bar to shorten it or double it around the brake handle.

It is amazing simple cheap and uber light and won't damage the bike paint job. I thought he was joking but it is awesome!!!!

alanf

The other thing is that in my garage I do some woodworking and the bike gets in the way.
Also it is visible to thieves, so I went to a hardware store and bought two large rubber coated hooks, screwed them into the ceiling rafters and just throw my bike up and hook the wheels on the hooks.
It's partially hidden from passerbys because it is up out of view and a bit difficult for someone to just grab, so it is a bit safer. My neighbourhood is pretty safe anyways. Very cheap answer.

I have seen some setups where the person put one heavy coated hook on the wall and then puts the front wheel on it. Not sure how that works out but it would save some space.

MikeyMK

Yeah, i notice they don't show it with the panniers on, full of stuff... no good for me.

But there's a similar type where just a rear section of the rack works like that, and that's probably the best stand design i've seen. Would be ugly without a rack to hide it against, though.

Gresp15C

Not that there's any wall space in my garage, or ceiling space for that matter, but a steel "closet bracket" is a convenient way to hang a bike from a wall. Put some innertube rubber over the hook.

alanf

Excellent idea as long as you put a hook on the end of it so the bike doesn't slide off.

Another thing I forgot to mention about my setup is that you do have to be a bit careful when taking the bike off my hooks because once I was in a bit of a rush and the spoke got hooked in the hook and broke the spoke fitting by twisting the spoke, and I spent awhile with no bike trying to fix it. I have 2000 vintage Mavic Cosmic rims which are somewhat aero and great wheels, but parts are a tad expensive, so I was in a pickle till someone suggested using a washer as a spoke fitting. worked perfect.

My ceiling is quite high so it makes a nice little stretch at the end of the ride to put the bike up. : )

OBoile

My road bikes do not have a kickstand. What's the point of spending a bunch of money to make a bike light, and then adding unnecessary weight back on?

My winter commuter/utility bike does have a kickstand. For that bike, it's pretty handy.

indyfabz

Did you ever see this?:

https://surlybikes.com/info_hole/spe..._haul_truckers

cyccommute 

I never had a bike slide off a hook on the wall in 20+ years of hanging my bikes up this way. Nor have I ever damaged a wheel. I’ve had nearly 40 bikes that I’ve hung up this way and nearly twice that many front wheels.

I did lag bolt a 2x4 to the wall rather than use inserts into my cinder block wall. I have two 8’ long 2x4s lagged to the wall to accommodate all of my bikes. There are 4 and 5 bikes hanging on each one (mountain bike handlebars take up a lot of room). Here’s what it all looks like

Untitled by Stuart Black, on Flickr
Untitled by Stuart Black, on Flickr
Untitled by Stuart Black, on Flickr

I’ve never had a bike fall off the hooks nor damaged a bike in any way.

woodcraft

My first bike when I was ten had one- a three speed.

I remember the sound it made when being retracted.

alanf

That's quite the collection cycommute. Are they all yours?

ColonelSanders

And the sequel

https://surlybikes.com/parts/kickstand_plate

rfields

I found a way to reliably lean my bike against anything without it falling or sliding down the wall/window/telephone pole/etc. I have a strap of velcro that I set one of the brake levers with. With one wheel locked like that the bike won't roll forward/backward and fall.

Korina

No, I hadn't, thanks. The max I've ever put in my panniers (pan-yers) couldn't be much more than 20 lbs., so my circumstances are slightly different.

Or maybe I should just admit reality and live without a kickstand.

cyccommute 

There are 9 in the picture (my wife is riding to work today). All but 2 of them are mine.