Tandem Tom

My wife and I just left the automotive paint place where she had picked out the color for the mixte I am building for her. She asked the question"Will this bike have a kickstand?" I got a bit quiet and replied "Custom built bikes don't get them"! It fine for our touring bikes but not for this one.
So.....? Thoughts??

Doug Fattic 

My suggestion is that you put a kickstand on you wife's bike to make her happy and ignore the criticism that might come from those 1/3rd our age. My wife loves her kickstand on her upright handlebar custom bike. Its convenience out weighs any scorn from much younger cyclists. Ignore them and do what you wife wants. Kickstand plates can be ordered from frame suppliers. I had some made by the laser cutting company that also makes my fixtures. Not only do they hold a kickstand but they also have a tab to put a water bottle boss to hold the fender. They replace a chain stay bridge. I have a kickstand on my upright bike too. They are very convenient and the extra weight is almost nothing at the speed we now ride.

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Cynikal 

I brazed a kickstand plate (with a fender mount) on my town bike. I mounted a pletscher 2 leg kickstand to it and love it. I don't agree with the statement "Custom built bikes don't get them", custom bikes are custom and get what they need and want.

Tandem Tom

Well. Food for thought! 😄😄

bulgie 

Glenn Erickson is a hero framebuilder, contender for GOAT, who also has tons of medals from Nationals and District championships. You wouldn't be able to hold his wheel in his prime. He had kickstands on a couple of his custom bikes and no patience for anyone who thinks they are too good for one. They are handy and should be required by law on anything but a racing bike IMHO. OK kidding about the law, but really, get over it.

Use a braze-on so you don't squish the chainstays.

Gratuitous Erickson bike porn shots from Buycycling magazine:


(Note in case you don't like artsy lugs, he did lots of simple classical designs too.)

Mark B

unterhausen

Framebuilder's supply has the braze-ons. I have a couple for when I build a utility bike.

Vintage Schwinn

There are plenty of pletscher and greenfield kickstands that will coordinate well with most any frame, and look good once mounted.

For certain people who prefer having a kickstand, they do serve an important function and ultimately better protect the bikes & frames of the kickstand forever crowd.

Some folks just don't like to lay the bike on its side on the ground, or have to resort to propping up the bicycle by resting it against a fence, a railing, a tree, a stump, a tailgate, a lamp post, a concrete cinder block wall, an ivy covered brick wall, the side of a Port-O-Let, or a roadside guard rail.....

Didn't the MC-5 have a somewhat popular loud , garage-noise rock song back in late 1968, that went "kick on your stands, ____ ____." ??

Andrew R Stewart 

The reason to have a custom frame is so it can be like what you want and need. Not what the builder is about, IMO. Take Doug's advice and make the wife happy. Andy

Doug Fattic 

Tom, here are some tips for when you braze a kickstand plate onto your wife's bike (after you have allowed enough time to mourn and recover from the loss of what you wanted to do). Braze an M10 SS washer over the hole. Put the curved side down next to the plate and leave the flattest side up. That makes it easier to braze and the kickstand washers prefer resting against the flattest side. This has to be done with silver (56% works fine). Do this before brazing the plate to the frame. While it isn't as important, I also braze the water bottle boss in the tab to hold the fender before brazing the plate onto the frame too. After it is painted the paint can be removed from the top of the washer. Now the kickstand's lock washer won't scar the paint. The washer provides additional strength to the plate. That long kickstand arm has a lot of leverage that the kickstand plate has to withstand. Which reminds me that you must braze on the plate with brass and not silver. I made the mistake of brazing the 1st of our Messenger bikes kickstand plate with silver and it couldn't withstand the forces of kickstand.

The position of the plate on the frame will depend on where the tab w/bottle boss places the fender. Ordinarily this is the same distance from the rear axle as the seat stay bridge. It is always a bit of a trick to get it on straight (so the kickstand will be positioned properly against the frame). I use an adjustable parallel but there are other ways. After I get it in position, I put a very small spot on one corner. Then I check to see that it is square and if not it can be adjusted (I usually gently hit is with my little brass hammer). When positioned properly spot the other side. When you are ready to braze it up, 1st braze the side you originally spotted. They take a lot of heat.

You might need to trim the edges to match the angles of the chain stays. Do this before brazing the plate to the frame. There is no reason for them to be sticking out much beyond the stays. When we get together for another fillet brazing session, we can do the kickstand bridge if you are that far along on your wife's bike. If not we can do it on one of our Ukraine frames. I can do it and you can blame me. No wait you want credit for adjusting to your wife's request so never mind.

Here are some pictures of brazed on plates before and after. One time I couldn't find a supplier for these plates so I made one out of flat stock. Fortunately I had the drawing from the company that makes my laser cut fixtures in Ukraine. You can see the pattern before bending in the middle plate.


This is on one of our transportation bicycles we make for pastors in Ukraine

This is on my personal bike I use on bike trails

These are the kickstand plates I have made in Ukraine. Those are M10 SS washers I braze over the center hole.

duanedr 

Glenn had that spot in the Bicycling spotlight sections. That was when I first realized how beautiful a custom bike could be. In the end, I couldn't afford one and ordered a wonderful 753 Rivendell made by waterford that I still have. I now have 2 Erickson's - one simple lugged (bent) and the other bilam construction. They are my muses. GOAT indeed.

Glenn's son is pretty fast too.

rumrunn6

I have a kickstand on 2 of my 3 bikes. I do like them

Fredo76

+1 on a kickstand for your wife's bike. After all, it's a custom bike!

tuz

I'm mostly a commuter and I find kickstands very practical. Have them on three customs bikes, with a kickstand plate. The Esge double-leg is very good and I even managed to wear one out (it still works). I do find that the bolt tends to loosen after a while. Also consider braze-ons for a dutch-style wheel lock. Makes your life easier when running errands.

Doug Fattic 

A Dutch style wheel lock works great for many situations. A cable or chain can fit into the lock on the bike when greater security is needed. They are just so enormously convenient being stored/carried on the frame itself without taking up room in a bag or basket. All it takes to attach such a lock on a frame is 2 water bottle bosses on the seat stays. Here is a picture of an Abus ring lock on my wife's MUT riding bike. It is easy enough to take off and put back on if there is any reason to do so.

Locks in America seemed to be designed and marketed for big city use. Will your bike still be there if parked in NYC? Well I don't live in a big city leaving a bike parked outside for a full working day. I run errands in a town with a population of 15,000. I don't leave my bike parked for a long time and mostly just need one to discourage a spur of the moment opportunist. I think the only reason they aren't much more popular in the US is because we aren't familiar with them and their advantages. I love mine. If I was building a touring bike, I would certainly add those 2 small water bottle bosses for them on the seat stays.

tuz

Nice! Didn't notice it in the first pic. It's nice that your lock has slanted slots, makes locating the braze-ons less critical. Mine have vertical slots which don't always match the seatstay spacing. Those locks even hold the key while unlocked. Have three!!

They've been effective so far here in Toronto. A friend of mine in Rochester NY still had his bike taken but the thief couldn't go far because you can't roll the bike. Caught up to him and only suffered a broken spoke.

Wish I had one on my tandem. Got stolen last week in a snow bank at -15C.

unterhausen

If you have ever tried to lift a Dutch style bike, you know why the locks are so effective. Not going to carry one very far.

guy153

+1 Happy wife happy life. A custom bike has whatever you want it to have.