cyccommute 

I've both driven over and ridden over the Devil's Slide Trestles. They always look like you are riding on a 2x4 with 1500 feet of air between you and a grizzly death. By the way, this is what the trestle looks like from the other side of the canyon

Untitled by Stuart Black, on Flickr

I was still about 600 feet above South Boulder Creek on that side.

Wilfred Laurier

Someone once pointed out to me that if you are using a kickstand then you are probably not locking your bike. In the city I always can find somewhere to lean my bike, usually against to whatever I am locking it.

The complicating factor is cargo. A buddy said that the one thing he would change for our next unsupported tour was to get a kickstand. Also my spouse's townie bike has an old centre-mount kickstand. I cannot imagine getting the groceries into her basket without it.

Retro Grouch 

That's a good thing because a kickstand on a trike is definitely not cool.

rumrunn6

don't think my grandfather had one, but looks like he had a front mudflap ...

davidad

The drawback to a kickstand on a bike with a rear der. is that if the bikes falls it falls on the der.

JTSpeedDemon

I will always want a kickstand. I don't find them uncool at all, and it's definitely cooler than my bike laying on the sidewalk!
Plus, like davidad said^^, It can damage bikes with rear derailleurs.

02Giant 

The can be a chain stay crusher also.

Hamstring

Just saved a pair of kickstands on Amazon for mine and my Wife's bikes. I like to be able to walk around catching my breath and drinking water w/o having to look at my bike laying on the ground. I gave that up when I was 13 yo. Cool? Who gives a chit?

wltr w8 

So, for those interested, I was able to incorporate a kick stand into my bike build. It also happens the bike is made of PVC, but I am glad it is working for me thus far. Thanks all for your comments.

alo

Don't live for what others think. Just do what is best.

alo

When there is nowhere to put a kickstand, or the kickstand you have is not strong enough, be creative.



This works and is very strong. It will probably never break. It is not ideal as it adds weight to the bike. If I had aluminum parts available at the time, I would have used aluminum. When I make a new one at some time in the future, it should be better.

That was just before I replaced the tire.

I take that bike on rough tracks often. Some other bikes would have broken with what I have put that bike through. And it is fun fun fun.

Miele Man

When it comes to my bicycles I'm not too concerned about what other people think about things I put on my bike. I like a spoke protector for insurance just in case a derailleur goes out of alignment or an overshift into the spokes occurs.

I like kickstands on my touring bike. Note the plural KICKSTANDS. I have one mounted between the chainstays near the seattube and another mounted on the left chainstay/seatstay. Those make the bike quite stable and come i very handy when there is no place to lean a loaded bicycle against Such as here.




Cheers

flanso 

+1

Digger Goreman

I'm tellin' ya: having seen where someone did a stand with their helmet, and not wanting to sacrifice mine, that piece of 2x4 under the pedal is the bee's knees, as my granny would say! That and a threaded bungee cord (end threads through a plastic loop) locks my brakes and ties to any available fence/pole/object. Sadly, perhaps, technology was not my saving grace this time....

Papa Tom

I'm so tired of cyclists trashing the kickstand and anyone who uses one. People buy expensive bikes and cringe any time they get the slightest scratch, but then they'll argue 'til they're blue in the face that throwing the bike down on the ground or precariously balancing it on a stone pillar is a far superior way to park it over using a kickstand. I'm so intent on making a statement about kickstands that I use a DOUBLE one just to piss anti-kickstanders off!

Seriously, though, if you carry a load on your city bike, a double kick stand (similar to a motorcycle kickstand) can really make balancing the load a lot easier any time you stop. It also serves as a makeshift repair stand if you have a blowout or broken spoke while traveling.

My opinion is to stop asking for opinions and just do what works for you.

cyccommute 

Your statement cuts both ways. I’m tried of cyclists telling me that I have to have one! Not “you should get one” but “you must have one”. I haven’t had a kickstand in 35+ years and haven’t missed it. It more or less started when I started mountain biking. A kickstand is a liability when hitting the ground after a jump. Once I stopped using it there, I just stopped seeing the utility of using it elsewhere.

I have done roughly 10,000 miles of touring...most of it on the road but some in rugged off-road terrain...and, again, I’ve not found a lack of a kickstand to be a detriment. I’ve loaded bikes with and without kickstands and don’t find the kickstand to be stable when I used on long ago.

On that we can agree.

aggiegrads

All of my problems from not having a kickstand are solved with a toe strap or a voile strap to lash the front wheel to the down tube. It acts as both a brake and a headset lock, so it is much more stable and less likely to fall regardless of what it leans against. It only takes a few seconds to secure and remove.

Papa Tom

Oh, I should have mentioned that, for a mountain bike, I would NEVER (and DIDN'T ever) use a kickstand! I belong to so many bike forums but the MTB forum is not one of them. I probably should not have assumed the OP was talking about either a commuting or touring bike. Maybe I need to re-read.

Phil_gretz

City bikes are already not cool. So what's the question?

wltr w8 

Would certainly disagree with city bikes not being cool but that could be a different thread. Some with kickstands some with not. Here are a few of mine I think are really "cool".