Kickstand Question......

[caligirl2]

Ok...I just bought a Jamis Coda, which is basically a flat-bar fitness bike with 700c tires. Well, I had a kickstand put on, YES a kickstand. The LBS guy threw it in with the cup holder thingy, I was happy.

I am so upset now...the stupid thing took the paint off the bottom bar where it is attached. You wont see it unless I take the kickstand off, so my DH says I am overreacting. Am I??

I really need a kickstand, esp when I go for rides with my kids. There is not always a place to prop my bike and I dont want it to lay flat on bumpy ground.

Can I ask what the big deal is with getting a kickstand?? I hear it is geeky why is that?

Any thoughts....Thanks!

[Aint Doody]

I like kickstands. I have one on my hybrid and one on my good, ole Schwinn.

[annie]

On the right bike, kickstands rock! Do you put one on your sleek racing bike? I hope not. But on your touring, commuter, about town bike? I vote yes. Don't worry about geeky. If it works for you, then it's cool!

annie

[Aint Doody]

Annie--this is getting freaky! (RE: Divorce prevention thread.) I agree with you 100% I don't have one on my road bike or my new mt. bike that hasn't yet come home. But I really like having them on my hybrid and my in-town bike that lives in our store.

[annie]

Sweetie, we reach a point in life when we know what works. Too bad we have to get "old" to reach that point, but you gotta admit, there are some advantages! Who cares if kickstands are cool? They work. DH's? Well, they work sometimes, too. And we know how to get around making it work FOR us.

annie

[mimitabby]

If you want to have a kickstand, by all means do.
But bottom line, you don't want to take it off, so don't worry about the paint underneath it. That's the last place anyone is going to look for a chip.
We had a kickstand put on our tandem. IT IS WONDERFUL!

(it's even harder to find a place to prop a tandem up against)

[SouthernBelle]

Can't say that I blame you about being upset about the paint. Get some touch up paint from the auto parts store. Then put some rubberbands around the part of the kickstand that rubbed. Don't kick the stand back up til the paint dries!

[makbike]

I simply can't image a bike without a kickstand. I hear a lot of comments, mostly unnecessary IMO, from club members about the kickstands on my bike. However, my parents are products of the depression and we were raised to take care of our stuff. As kids we were taught not to lay our bikes on the ground and I guess it stuck. My touring bike came with a kickstand and I had my BF put one on my recumbent when he was building it back in July. I simply can't image putting a $1000 bike on the ground and I can hear my dad now giving me a friendly but stern reminder to take care of my toys. Darn to be different from the masses and use your kickstand with pride.

[HillSlugger]

I have a kickstand on my road bike; I hate the idea of laying my bike in the dirt and there's not always a good place to prop up a bike. I don't care if it looks geeky, but I will take it off for my triathlons

[caligirl2]

Thanks Everyone for all your candid responses. I love them! I really enjoy my kickstand, it came in handy at the rest stop today on the trail. It really helps my back too. I dont need the extra bending over and lifting at this point in my life.

I am glad to be going against the grain....glad there are others too!

Hooray for kickstands!!!

[Meaux]

I say whatever works for you, works for you.

[run it, ride it]

I always mount, dismount and lead my bicycle from the right side. I've got to lean over and flip the kickstand up and down with my hand. More of a nuisance than anything.

I always tie my bike on bicycle racks and hook the drops over the top of the rack.

[Deborajen]

We were told that the reason to not put a kickstand on your bike is because they can blow over and a lot of damage can be done to expensive components that way. But I don't like laying the components in the dirt so my preference is to use the kickstand and point the bike so the wind isn't a threat. If that can't be done, I'll go ahead and lay it down so it's as protected from dirt, gravel, etc. as possible.

I've heard the same thing about kickstands being geeky but I assumed that was because someone decided not having a kickstand was "the only way to go." Whatever - I just want to protect my bike.

Deb

[bambu101]

My Terry hybrid came with a kickstand, which I have found very useful. However, I was a little insulted when I read a comment from Georgena Terry herself that "real cyclists don't have kickstands".

[KnottedYet]

Now, *that's* a kickstand!

http://www.xtracycle.com/rock-sturdy-stand-p-82.html

That puppy ain't blowin' over in the wind!