Kickstands?

[rvklassen]

Click Stand??? Is that the thing we used back in the 70'sand 80's that attacked to the frame and the metal piece flip out and held the front tire in place? 

Nope.  The click stand was only invented sometime around 2007 (patent application filed January 2008).

[deniseh]

I solo toured 6 weeks last year with a burley nomad and a fisher 29er without a kickstand.  I seriously recommend that you get a kickstand if at all possible.  Since there are two of you, the situation wont be so bad if one of you holds the bike when you attach the trailer; however, attaching the trailer by yourself is a royal pain.  Also, it is hard to find things long enough to lean the bike and trailer on.  When you lean just the bike it easily falls down, due to the pull of the trailer, and every time the little black rubber part that attaches to the bike gets harder to get lined up.  Best of luck.

[bogiesan]

the old Esge bipod stand on my Easy Racers Tour Easy recumbnet has 35k on it and is starting to wobble around. I'm going to need a new one soon, thanks for the link to Thor.

bogiesan

[TwoWheeledExplorer]

I have Greenfield rear-mount kickstands on both my Trek patrol bike and my Bianchi Volpe. (Can't find a stand that will fit over the disc brake support piece on my Novara Safari.) I used to take a lot of guff from my fellow MTBers, but almost all bike medics and cops use rear kicks. Makes it easier to get into the rack pack or panniers. 

I tried a center-mount, "traditional" kickstand for the Safari, and it would not stay tight, scarched up the paint, etc. So for now, until one of my LBSs or REI come up with an acceptable solution,  I ride it without.

Ride safe,
Hans

[cyclocamping]

The best kickstand for loaded bikes are made by Pletscher (swiss made). The best deals out there can be found here: Save on Pletscher Bicycle Touring Kickstands

[Tourista829]

I have a Pletscher dual kickstand for my Comotion. I had to take it off, on a recent trip. It wouldn't tighten because the bolt was bent and the kickstand kept hitting the left pedal. (how the bolt got bent was beyond me) It had it's pluses and minuses.
+'s the bike can actually stands up with a loaded single wheel trailer attached, and good for working on the wheels of your bike.       
-'s heavy, can shift and bind cables and when I put rubber tips on the ends, to keep the bike more stable, the kickstand cuts through the tips, no matter how much I file.

I might switch to a click stand. I also saw an interesting kickstand, on a Dutch Bike. It was a dual kickstand that worked differently from the Pletscher. The dual stand was wide, stable, and folded, one on each side. It was from a company called Hebie. Too bad it was on a cargo work bike.

[pptouring]

We tried the Pletscher center stand and it is a great stand, but we couldn't keep it tight.

During our last (May/June 2010) European tour we learned about front low rider stands, so after returning to the states we ordered some and installed them on our Co-Motions. Currently, we've (my wife and i) have moved on to the Greenfield rear kickstand and the Tubus lowrider kickstand for the front rack. Unfortunately, we've only had the stands installed for a couple weeks and have not really tested them under load, but so far we are very pleased with them.  

Greenfield Rear Stand
Tubus Low Rider Stand

I'll post some pics tomorrow of our setup.

ron

edited: I'd like to add that I have put all my weight (~153lbs) on the bike with both stands extended and our bikes held up fine.

[cyclocamping]

I prefer the Pletscher Multizoom rear kickstand over the double leg. And you're right it is annoying to have the the kickstand breaking through the shoe. I add a washer inside of the shoe so it last longer, maybe you can try that. I met a guy once who had someone who welded a wider disk at the end of the kickstand leg, I should have that done at some point too - no shoe problem after that.

[cyclocamping]

Robenne, did you have the Pletscher Double leg mounted with the Pletscher Deluxe F8 plate? People say that the kickstand doesn't get loose with that one - and it's pretty cheap.

[Tourista829]

Ron, I did not know that Tubus offered a front low rider stand. You got to hand it to the Germans. Was Manny able to order it for you? I still use my trailer. Will it keep the trailer upright when parked? (with use with the rear Greenfield) I am still going to investigate the Hebie, but as you know, good luck finding one in Tampa. Are you going to post, your pictures from your recent trip to Europe?

I believe it's Stepanie, from Cyclocamping, thanks for your advice. I went to Home Depot but I needed a 3/8 size 2 3/8'' bolt but they only had 2" 1/2. I  may order the Pletscher Delux F8 plate. Bikes are always a work in progress.

[pptouring]

Here are some pics of the stands.











@cyclocamping - Yes we had the Pletscher Dual leg and it is a great stand, but we couldn't keep it tight. If this setup doesn't work out I'll look into the Deluxe F8 Plate.

@Bob (aka Toursita829) - Yes UBC was able to order these for us from OrtliebUSA. Before leaving Germany I checked OrtliebUSA and saw they were available here in the US. You know I have no idea how this setup will work with a trailer, I guess I pull the trailer out, hook it up, and see what happens. I'll let you know. We are working on a new blogging site that will be complete with pictures, videos, stories, etc... from our tours. We think our next small tour will be along the East Coast starting in Maine and riding down to DC. Then for another tour we'll go up to DC and ride back down here to Florida.

[Tourista829]

Ron, Thanks for the picture of the Tubus low rider stand. It looks good. Your trip from Maine to DC sounds exciting, small tour? We use to vacation in Bar Harbor and toured in New England. You will have a great trip. How long will you alot for your trip? Look forward to your Blog with pictures & videos.

[cyclocamping]

I have seen people traveling with this kickstand too and seem to be happy with it.

http://www.click-stand.com/

[mu2flyer]

I use the Pletscher dual kickstand and find it to be handy if installed and used properly. I wrapped heavy duty thick plumber’s pipe wrap around the attachment points on the bike first. It’s like electrical tape only thicker and wider. This will keep the frame from scratching. At the beginning keep a big Allen wrench with you and continue to tighten until it stops moving. You’ll find as you use it, it loosens but it’s just settling in and eventually finds its final tightened position. When using the kickstand while loaded I Velcro the front wheel to the frame to keep  the front wheel from turning one way or the other changing the balance and causing the bike to fall over. It’s a clever design but it would be nice if it had a wider stance when deployed. That being said, I’m glad I purchased it.