A kickstand has killed my touring bike...

[zenitb]

I read this thread while sitting in a cafe with my german utility bike outside. Nice custom frame mount for the stand but as you can see..not actually being used!!! In fairness I used it yesterday at the postbox. Really if you are leaving the bike for any length of time you want to lock it to something rather than leave it on the stand..as I have here

[pwa]

I went out for a couple of hours today, mostly on hilly lanes, and had to stop to fettle the gear adjustment a few times. Minor tweaks after putting a lot of new parts on. Every time I wanted to stop I just found a field gate to lean the bike on. Got home and leaned the bike on a fence. It is never a problem finding something suitable to lean the bike on. I can't imagine wanting to carry around more ironmongery just for that.

[mjr]

Really if you are leaving the bike for any length of time you want to lock it to something rather than leave it on the stand..as I have here

I'm glad it's still safe enough there that a wire string lock suffices.

[mjr]

It is never a problem finding something suitable to lean the bike on. I can't imagine wanting to carry around more ironmongery just for that.

For that repeat of a post from page 2, I refer you to my explanation back on page 1 viewtopic.php?p=1205989#p1205989

[pwa]

It is never a problem finding something suitable to lean the bike on. I can't imagine wanting to carry around more ironmongery just for that.

For that repeat of a post from page 2, I refer you to my explanation back on page 1 viewtopic.php?p=1205989#p1205989

A very fair response. And after all, it's up to you what you put on your bike.

[LittleGreyCat]

I should add that I ride out with a group on Wednesdays and they all futter about trying to find somewhere safe to lean the bike and I just pop mine on the stand, wind the thin wire padlock through everything and head for the counter in the cafe. Low crime area. Long may it remain so.

As for field gates, what are they?

If you ride in an area with mainly livestock then there may well be fences and gates to stop them escaping. I haven't seen herds of sugar beet or winter wheat charging down the road and blocking the traffic. The only gates seem to be to stop expletive deleted cyclist riding down private farm tracks. Mainly ditches and thorny hedges around our way. Edit: Thorny hedges on the far side of ditches.

I may, of course, change my view once I'm riding my nice new shiny but if/when I start touring with a laden bike I'm not sure that I would want to lay it down on its side in the muddy wet, or lean it against anything which was not exceptionally sturdy.

Another concern is bike furniture at cafe stops. If they are the big steel inverted "U" shaped you can lean the frame against that is fine but the ones designed to take a wheel (remember the concrete blocks with a notch in?) are a bit more risky with the chances of a buckled wheel. They have some at a local cafe and virtually nobody uses them.

[LittleGreyCat]

https://www.pletscher.ch/index.php/en/products-en/kickstands-en/center-kickstands-en

I think this implies that you have to measure the bottom bracket height, and also that plastic feet and a plate (what is this for) are optional extras.
Nothing is simple, is it?

[pwa]

I'm sure I've said it before, but if I were clamping summat around the chain stays in the bottom bracket area I would pack between clamp and tubes with something like hard rubber to avoid direct pressure, and use minimal clamping torque. Enough to prevent unwanted movement, but no more. And then cross everything and hope for the best.

[pete75]

I personally struggle with the point of spending all day dragging a kickstand round the countryside when leaning it up against a wall, tree etc is lighter and costs nothing.

I too have been mystified by this for a long time. It would be interesting to have an explanation from somebody who thinks a kickstand is worthwhile.

There's not always a convenient wall or tree, plus leaning the bike against stuff (especially cycle parking stands) scratches it up, plus it's a lot more difficult (but not impossible) for a bike to fall off a good stand than to fall over while leant against something - especially in crowded cycle parks, your bike is a lot more likely to be knocked over by people moving other bikes near it if it's leaning rather than stood.

That said, I am fairly careful to take the bike off the stand before attaching heavy bags and I wouldn't fit one of those chainstay-crusher ones. If a bike doesn't have a plate for a centre stand, I'd probably fit an axle-mounted one or at least a near-axle one.

I've got ones mounted near the back axle. The fitting goes on chainstay and seatstay forming a triangle with them and the dropout. Three of our bikes have had these for several years without problems. An advantage of this type of fitting is you don't have to clamp it very tightly. The single tube type often need to be very tight to stop them turning.

Something to also consider is what was the usual method for many years of standing a bike upright with a pedal on the kerb. I still do this on a bike without a stand when wanting to "park" where there is a kerb at the side of the road.

[mjr]

Ooh get you townies with high square kerbs (!)

Ours are relatively low and the face slopes at 45°

[pete75]

Ooh get you townies with high square kerbs (!)

Ours are relatively low and the face slopes at 45°

Never seen any like that. We have square kerbs where there are pavements and none where there aren't. There's even some on the road outside our house https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.83189 ... 312!8i6656

[Mike_Ayling]

Dunno if ithas already been mentioned but Thorn states that their use will void their frame warranty and Surly used to say the same but they may have changed their opinion lately.

I use a clickstand if i can't find anything to lean my bike against.

Mike

[Vantage]

I read an instructional that advised tightening of the kickstand bolt enough to stop the stand moving about, no more. I also read that the wedge shaped bracket that Pletscher use is less likely to crush stays as it spreads the clamping load.
Said advice was followed and my old Vantage had a single legged stand without damage for its life of 7 years till I killed it. Not through the stand.
The current Spa has a twin leg stand and Pletscher supplied a rubbery resin spacer of sorts to further reduce the chance of damage.
I believe that as long as one isn't a complete idiot when installing the stand, the bike will be perfectly fine.
Also, given the amount of time, money and effort I've put into building the bike, I'm not about to leave it on its side or risk leaning against something which could (and did in the case of the Vantage) scratch the living daylights out of the top tube if it wanders.

[LittleGreyCat]

<snip>
Said advice was followed and my old Vantage had a single legged stand without damage for its life of 7 years till I killed it. Not through the stand.
The current Spa has a twin leg stand and Pletscher supplied a rubbery resin spacer of sorts to further reduce the chance of damage.
<snip>.

Ah! Did the spacer come as standard or as an extra?

[fastpedaller]

I have always, since a teenager, had kickstands on my bikes.
The alternative seems to be to drop the bike on the floor (as with yoof of today) or search for something safe and sturdy to lean against. Which is not always available.

A brick placed under the pedal! This got me thinking..... I could be on to something here! An Aluminium tube with a washer 'foot' welded on could be used, removed from the saddlebag (or even custom clips on the frame - a whole new income stream for the salesmen ) and placed under the pedal as a prop. Or we could use 'one at each end' supporting the quick release or dropout! Even better a modified pump which when extended locks in to position and provided a support from top tube to ground. We should work on this.... next year we could be millionaires!