Kickstand... to be or not to be?

machinebike

I have a 2002 Rocky Mountain downhill bike and was wondering if I should drill a hole under the swing arm and mount a kickstand... good idea or not?

fenix

Why in gods name would you do this ?

1. Who needs a kickstand
2. Drilling your frame - I can't see any risks with this at all. Oh no. Nothing. Please let me watch your next downhill after you've drilled the frame though.

Long_Time_Lurker

Bad idea - very bad idea.

Angus Young

Why on Earth do you want a kickstand? It's just more weight to drag around and serves no useful purpose whatsoever. Lean it up against a tree, put it down on the grass, it's a mountain bike.

cooldad

If it will kill it quicker, it's an excellent idea.

I would just use petrol and a match.

rockmonkeysc

A kick stand on a downhill bike??????
What the hell is wrong with you? First rock garden you hit it'll drop and you will go headfirst in to the nearest hospital.
I wouldn't be drilling any part of a downhill bike.

LimitedGarry

Kickstand is a bit of a strange topic, as a lot of people are against getting one and then feel stupid when they need to put their bike down in some of the most inconvenient places imaginable. I mean, if you get a proper one, it's only like 300-400 grams, doesn't rattle or anything and lasts you a lifetime. What's the big deal? When i got a new bike, I thought I would not get a kickstand, only to realize that it's something I really do require to have on my bike.

That said, if all I was doing were trails, I would most likely not get one and I would absolutely not drill holes into my frame to be able to mount it, no matter the kind of riding I do.

fenix

I've been riding for 35+ years.

Never needed a kickstand. Fences, walls, trees, cars, gates, hedges, kerbs, bins, benches, chairs, cairns, statues, snowbanks, cafes - there's always something to lean it on.

fat daddy

LimitedGarry wrote:

then feel stupid when they need to put their bike down in some of the most inconvenient places imaginable..

I have a very wild imagination, but even I am having trouble trying to conceive of somewhere inconvenient that requires a kick stand, but you cant lean the bike ... or lay it on the floor.

I suppose it would be quite useful if you wanted to park your bike in those really thin central reservations between lanes that don't have a barrier and are too thin to put the bike on the floor ..... I guess I could put the bike upside down at that point though

.... the only other place I can see where a kick stand would be essential would be out side the library or City Hall in 1963 if you were going in to meet Mary Beth for a study period

cooldad

LimitedGarry wrote:

Words...
That said, if all I was doing were trails, I would most likely not get one ...

It's a Downhill bike. That's all it's good for. (In theory, in reality this one may not even be that.)

rockmonkeysc

Downhill bikes are only good at smashing down the nastiest hillsides. They're absolutely useless for anything else at all.
I literally couldn't ride mine up more than a gentle incline, and that was a fairly modern and relatively light downhill bike.

Herdwick

Dude are stoned or something? :?

FishFish

So I take it that a shopping basket on the front may not get universal approval?

Jonesinamilion

FishFish wrote:

So I take it that a shopping basket on the front may not get universal approval?

My six year old would beg to differ!...

And the kickstand will stop the contents of the basket spilling out

LimitedGarry

fat daddy wrote:

LimitedGarry wrote:

then feel stupid when they need to put their bike down in some of the most inconvenient places imaginable..

I have a very wild imagination, but even I am having trouble trying to conceive of somewhere inconvenient that requires a kick stand, but you cant lean the bike ... or lay it on the floor.

When you're somewhere in a remote area and end up wanting to stop for some refreshment and the occasional beer, they don't always have stands and even if they do, they often can't accommodate any wheel above 2". You can't just randomly lay your bike on the ground and they'll tell you not to lean it against the facade. On narrow paths, there may not even be a place to put down your bike without interfering with other riders. And everywhere else, it's a way more convenient way to "park" your bike. Plus, if you're riding in a group, it's a freaking mess to have 5 bikes lying all over the place.
All in all, it's a preference, and it happens to be a very strong one in my case. On long rides and tours, there's plenty of stops and having a kickstand is a huge convenience.

cooldad wrote:

It's a Downhill bike. That's all it's good for. (In theory, in reality this one may not even be that.)

My point exactly. And he's considering drilling holes into it. :roll:

cooldad

I sometimes ride in large groups, and no one has stands. I fact no one I've ever ridden with, which totals hundreds of people over the years has ever had a stand.
They are mountain bikes not touring bikes.

LimitedGarry

cooldad wrote:

I sometimes ride in large groups, and no one has stands. I fact no one I've ever ridden with, which totals hundreds of people over the years has ever had a stand.
They are mountain bikes not touring bikes.

If you do touring through woods, fields, riversides and what not, you need a mountain bike for that.

fenix

LG - if you are on a narrow path - a bike on a kickstand is going to be a bit obstructive ?

Angus Young

LimitedGarry wrote:

Kickstand is a bit of a strange topic, as a lot of people are against getting one and then feel stupid when they need to put their bike down in some of the most inconvenient places imaginable.

Seriously? Never once have I ever needed a kickstand, nor has anyone I've ever ridden with. Who are these "a lot of people are against getting one and then feel stupid" people? I've never come across them. A kickstand is a totally redundant addition to a mountain bike (and most any other bike, too).

rockmonkeysc

LimitedGarry wrote:

cooldad wrote:

I sometimes ride in large groups, and no one has stands. I fact no one I've ever ridden with, which totals hundreds of people over the years has ever had a stand.
They are mountain bikes not touring bikes.

If you do touring through woods, fields, riversides and what not, you need a mountain bike for that.

But definitely not a downhill bike! With 40lb+ of weight and 200mm of very inefficient suspension and super slack geometry it'll just be a whole world of hate trying to do any miles on it. You'd honestly be better off trying to do cross country riding on a Raleigh Chopper, thats not an exaggeration!

cooldad

We do own one bike with a stand. My girlfriend's little shopping truck. It's a bit rubbish on the trails though.

Angus Young

cooldad wrote:

We do own one bike with a stand. My girlfriend's little shopping truck. It's a bit rubbish on the trails though.

Now that is a happy bike!

cooldad

Falls over a lot though. And the beer keeps vanishing.

fat daddy

[quote="LimitedGarryWhen you're somewhere in a remote area and end up wanting to stop for some refreshment and the occasional beer, they don't always have stands and even if they do, they often can't accommodate any wheel above 2". You can't just randomly lay your bike on the ground and they'll tell you not to lean it against the facade.:[/quote]


wow .... so you have actually forgone refreshment, or stopping because you didn't have a kick stand ?

veronese68

cooldad wrote:

Falls over a lot though. And the beer keeps vanishing.

I was going to add to the comment about a basket that kickstands and weight in a basket are a bad combination. The EPO has an old hack with a basket and a kickstand, the basket is more useful because I can put the beer I find next to bikes that have fallen over their stands in it.

cooldad

The basket on it's own would probably be ok, but the big crate I fixed on the back might be a bit much. (The previous one is inside for comparision).

First time she used it she said there might be something wrong with the bike as it felt funny. I checked and the front wheel wasn't really touching the ground. Quick lesson in packing and weight distibution sorted that out.

veronese68

cooldad wrote:

Quick lesson in packing and weight distibution sorted that out.

Quite common not to think about that I should think. I passed a woman the other day riding a bike with a rack on the back and a basket on the front, both empty. But a large carrier bag hanging off each end of the handlebars.

The Rookie

I ride a lot in India where the most common riding is on road at touring pace but using fat tyred hybrids or MTB's due to the road quality (or rather lack of).

Kickstands are very common and actually fairly useful, stopping with a group of 20-30 at a roadside eatery makes finding leaning spots for all bikes next to impossible. But that's rather a specific condition and none of my UK bikes have one (just building a franken to leave in India so that may recieve a stand). The hire bikes started with kickstands but abuse means most don't have them anymore so tend to grab a rare leaning spot ASAP.

As a side note a Vada Pav when riding is like nectar from the gods.

timpop

This just looks like a troll type post. Kiskstand. Pfft.

veronese68

I thought it looked like a wholemeal bread roll with a scotch egg in it and a load of Dijon mustard.

The Rookie

The Scotch egg is a potato pakora and the Dijon mustard is a chilli and garlic mix.....but you're close!