No respect, often slighted. To most, the lowly, rarely respected kickstand is the Homer Simpson of cycling components and a sure mark an inferior bike that adorns virtually all lower-priced bicycles, while most higher end bikes tend to come without.
Rolling up on a group of roadies enjoying a post ride espresso at the local chichi coffee shop and popping out the kickstand on a modest cruiser will almost certainly ignite a flurry of eye-rolling intermixed with a cackle of muttering and under the breath derisions and holier than thou stotting about in regard to that “bicycle” you just rolled up on.
Anti-kickstand sentiment is not completely unfounded. Performance bikes that don’t normally carry any gear and are built for speed and agility with a premium on achieving the lowest weight possible most likely won’t benefit from the capabilities the humble kickstand has to offer.
Frames constructed of exotic carbon and epoxy or those with chainstays fashioned of wafer thin tubing may even be damaged by clamping on a kickstand or permanently tweaked from the torsional forces placed on the frame when leaning a heavily loaded bike to the side.
Negative biases against kickstands are rare things that both roadies and mountain bikers agree on but is mostly unfounded.
[Read more…] about Tweaking the Divide: Rocking the Pletscher Twin-Legger Kickstand
