So on Monday Preston and I went for a bike ride. good times.... I felt like I had almost forgotten how to ride a bike and those bike seats, I forgot how truly uncomfortable they can be. I guess it's one of those few times that I am glad to be a girl :-) well Preston got our bikes out and he had put them in the driveway and both were lying on their sides. I asked him why? mine had a kickstand. You have a kickstand he exclaimed chuckling. Bewildered I looked at him. Aren't you supposed to have one? He then informed me that only kids are supposed to have them, and that when he went on his group bike ride a few weeks ago, they made fun of this kid that had one. I then began to get defensive as I claimed that my dad has one and he should know because he rides his bike to work every day. Well days later...the thought is still on my mind. I love my bike. I think it's super nice and it even has an air pump to pump up the tires when they get low. So I open up the floor to you ladies and gentleman to enter into the debate. Kickstand or no kickstand. You be the judge.
7 comments:
I can bring an expert opinion to this discussion. I was a bike mechanic at a bike/ski shop while in college, and I am still an avid mt. biker. No self respecting biker, road or mountain biker, would ever be caught dead with a kick stand on their bike. The reasons are simple. First and foremost is a weight issue. You are trying to reduce as much unnecessary weight as possible on your bike. A kick stand provides lots of unnecessary weight. Also, kick stands loosen over time and have a tendency to "pop" open while riding. That can not only be annoying but also quite the hazard. Also, when do you really ever have the need to stand your bike upright that you won't have something nearby to lean it against, i.e. walls, trees, bike rack, etc? Ok, maybe someone in Kansas on a dirt road with no trees or fences for miles, but even then you can lay it down on the non derailleur (yes, that's how it's spelled) side. So, as a bike expert, I emphatically agree with Preston and say NO KICKSTANDS!
Oh heavens...I am ALL for the kickstand!! Christian and I ride our bikes all the time and both of our bikes have kickstands! They make life so much easier! And to counter the comment by cody...he said that no self respecting biker would ever be caught dead with a kick stand...so unless your not an avid biker then the kickstand stays!! Good luck on that one!!
This is what Joe said: "Why would you pay a thousand dollars for a bike to weigh as little as possible and then add a huge, heavy metal bar on the bottom? Not to mention it throws off the balance of the bike." I am all for not looking like a novice if you bike, so that puts me in the no kickstand category.
Sorry, Miss, I agree with Cody 100%. In fact, he mentioned everything I was going to! I used to think it was wierd too, but bikes stand upright surprisingly well without a kickstand (when leaned against something of course).
Also, the floating away from the frame and interfering with your pedaling thing has happened to me before on my way old mountain bike-good thing I was just getting on the bike so I was still going very slow! Dangerous...
Boy am I glad to have a nice new road bike now (with no kickstand)! I LOVE riding it!
**weird. sorry, had to correct the spelling error
I'm in favor of kickstands... yes kickstands, we all need them.. builds muscle, gets your heart rate going, its good looking and functional...
Uncle Ken
Yeah...but Ken's comment was lame...LOL...but what can you expect from someone who still doesn't have caller ID or a cell phone...LOL
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