why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

when i was a kid all the bikes had kickstands, but now that i'm getting into biking again, none of them do. i'm guessing this is some kind of weird bike-snob thing? they're pretty convenient.

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

They get loose and fall down. They're also heavy. You can easily buy one and attach it to any bike if you want it.

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Nothing says newb cyclist like a kickstand. Especially if you are riding a road bike or a mountain bike. If you are riding a cruiser or comfort bike go ahead and get one, anyone who is going to give you crap about it will have more reason than a kickstand.

Another serious reason is that when you have a bike that costs several hundred to several thousand dollars you aren't likely to leave it in front of the grocery store while you go shopping so there is little need for one.

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God I hate bike snobs

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

Because my training wheels hold it up for me when Im not using it.

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

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Another serious reason is that when you have a bike that costs several hundred to several thousand dollars you aren't likely to leave it in front of the grocery store while you go shopping so there is little need for one.


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why would anyone spend several thousand on a bicycle? I mean, you can get a car for that much. Can you try to describe me me what makes a very nice bike better than just an average bike?

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

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Another serious reason is that when you have a bike that costs several hundred to several thousand dollars you aren't likely to leave it in front of the grocery store while you go shopping so there is little need for one.


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why would anyone spend several thousand on a bicycle? I mean, you can get a car for that much. Can you try to describe me me what makes a very nice bike better than just an average bike?

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Yeah, y'all are talking about bycicles right?

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

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Another serious reason is that when you have a bike that costs several hundred to several thousand dollars you aren't likely to leave it in front of the grocery store while you go shopping so there is little need for one.


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why would anyone spend several thousand on a bicycle? I mean, you can get a car for that much. Can you try to describe me me what makes a very nice bike better than just an average bike?

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It should be fairly obvious that any product that is mechanical in nature has different degrees of how well it is made.

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Another serious reason is that when you have a bike that costs several hundred to several thousand dollars you aren't likely to leave it in front of the grocery store while you go shopping so there is little need for one.


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why would anyone spend several thousand on a bicycle? I mean, you can get a car for that much. Can you try to describe me me what makes a very nice bike better than just an average bike?

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It should be fairly obvious that any product that is mechanical in nature has different degrees of how well it is made.

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that's true but nobody's dropping 15k on a pair of scissors. i would be curious to test drive a really nice bike sometime though.

as for the original question, here are a couple times that a kickstand would have been handy.

- i am stopped at a light when i realized that i forgot to roll my jeans up on my right leg. there's really no graceful way to do this w/o a kickstand. i wound up crouching down to do it while my bike leaned against my back.

- a bunch of people leave their bikes in my garage. if we had kickstands they could stand up in free space, but as it is we have to lean some against the way and then lean a few more bikes on top of those bikes.

- in general i find it annoying to lock up my bike on any kind of incline because sometimes the front wheel starts turning and rolling.

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Another serious reason is that when you have a bike that costs several hundred to several thousand dollars you aren't likely to leave it in front of the grocery store while you go shopping so there is little need for one.


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why would anyone spend several thousand on a bicycle? I mean, you can get a car for that much. Can you try to describe me me what makes a very nice bike better than just an average bike?

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lol @ getting a car for "several thousand"

[img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

Im pretty sure he is talking about bicycles, not motorcycles. Im confused, but either way my comment still stands.

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

But to somewhat answer the question of why people would spend that much money on a bike...

It's worth it to them.

As guids mentioned, there are obviously varying degrees of quality. Bike frames differ greatly, they're hardly all the same. Different materials provide weight and durability benefits. The construction plays a big part. The components (derailleurs, breaks, etc) again have different weight/durability/smoothness based on the material and construction.

Aerodynamics, speed, comfort, durability...

I doubt I'd ever spend more than a grand on a bike. I don't want/need to. But some people want what a more expensive bike gives them.

If you ask why people would spend several thousand on a bike, I think you have to ask why people would spend several thousand on a tv. TVs all do basically the same thing, right? And a bike is certainly a lot healthier for you [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

btw, I don't think I ever used a kick stand when I was a kid, either. I was definitely one of those kids that just let my bike fall to the ground as I jumped off it and started running.

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Another serious reason is that when you have a bike that costs several hundred to several thousand dollars you aren't likely to leave it in front of the grocery store while you go shopping so there is little need for one.


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why would anyone spend several thousand on a bicycle? I mean, you can get a car for that much. Can you try to describe me me what makes a very nice bike better than just an average bike?

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It should be fairly obvious that any product that is mechanical in nature has different degrees of how well it is made.

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that's true but nobody's dropping 15k on a pair of scissors.

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The person who cuts my hair has a pair of scissors that are close to $1k (i only know cause she seriously almost had a heart attack when she dropped them once. they survived).

Are you seriously surprised that people pay good money for bicycles made to exacting standards out of expensive materials?

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

A decent set of wheels alone runs several hundred dollars.

You can get a set for 99 bucks or so. Then, if you do any serious riding, the piece of [censored] spokes start breaking. Getting a fifty cent spoke replaced costs twenty bucks at my local bike shop due to the labor involved making the wheel true again.

That's just wheels.

Then you can get into shifting components, brakes, etc. etc. carbon fiber frame ftw.

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

why lol @ getting a car for several thousand?

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

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Another serious reason is that when you have a bike that costs several hundred to several thousand dollars you aren't likely to leave it in front of the grocery store while you go shopping so there is little need for one.


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why would anyone spend several thousand on a bicycle? I mean, you can get a car for that much. Can you try to describe me me what makes a very nice bike better than just an average bike?

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Since I have more experience with mountain bikes, I will say that spending less than $1000 you will likely be disappointed if you take the sport seriously at all. Going downhill at high speeds with only front suspension and [censored] brakes gets scary quickly, while full suspension and disc brakes make it a more enjoyable experience. As you add in better components, the price increases quickly.

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why lol @ getting a car for several thousand?

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How many new cars can you get for under 5 grand?

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- i am stopped at a light when i realized that i forgot to roll my jeans up on my right leg. there's really no graceful way to do this w/o a kickstand. i wound up crouching down to do it while my bike leaned against my back.

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Using a kickstand won't make this more graceful. But it will make it more dangerous. If this happens a lot to you, wear shorts or tighter clothes.



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- a bunch of people leave their bikes in my garage. if we had kickstands they could stand up in free space, but as it is we have to lean some against the way and then lean a few more bikes on top of those bikes.

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There are many alternatives to this. The cheapest are hooks that you can put on your walls or ceilings and hang your bikes from. There are also stands and racks for this purpose. Opens up a lot of space in your garage and is a better way to store your bikes with or without a kickstand.



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- in general i find it annoying to lock up my bike on any kind of incline because sometimes the front wheel starts turning and rolling.

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How would a kickstand solve that problem? You should be locking up your front wheel anyway since that's the easiest part to steal next to your saddle.

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why lol @ getting a car for several thousand?

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How many new cars can you get for under 5 grand?

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i dont remember anyone stipulating it had to be new? A used car >>>>> a new bike.

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why lol @ getting a car for several thousand?

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How many new cars can you get for under 5 grand?

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he didn't say anything about getting a new car for several thousand, just a car.

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

A well built road bike will last a life time. It's also much easier to do maintenance and repairs on a decent bike than on a crappy department store one.

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

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why lol @ getting a car for several thousand?

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How many new cars can you get for under 5 grand?

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it has to be new? everyone drives new cars??

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

My BMX Bike cost more than each of my first 3 cars.

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A well built road bike will last a life time. It's also much easier to do maintenance and repairs on a decent bike than on a crappy department store one.

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True, unless you crash! Part of why I prefer a great metal frame to a carbon frame.

Why would you spend a lot of money on shoes? On a nice car? On a nice house? Because it gives you a higher quality product that you can enjoy.

OP, if you want a kickstand, get one, don't be a biketard.

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Another serious reason is that when you have a bike that costs several hundred to several thousand dollars you aren't likely to leave it in front of the grocery store while you go shopping so there is little need for one.


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why would anyone spend several thousand on a bicycle? I mean, you can get a car for that much. Can you try to describe me me what makes a very nice bike better than just an average bike?

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why would anyone spend 10k+ on a watch, you can get one that tells the time just as well for $20

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

You can get a kickstand that connects near the back of the frame (and is out of the way) for less than $50. Sometimes they're useful, even on a decent bike. They're trivially removable too, as 99% of the time a kickstand just gets in the way.

I love how so many people are always waiting in line to jump on the "I don't know anything about item X, but I think it's ridiculous for people to spend more than Y on it" bandwagon.

Like, I think that every single "mid-luxury" type of car is a complete waste of money. They're marginally nicer than the cheapest options, but completely suck when compared to really nice cars. Everyone with an Acura instead of a Honda, or a Lexus instead of a Toyota is wasting money. Either buy the cheapest option that does what you need (in terms of seating and basic performance), or buy a Ferrari/Bentley/Whatever. Spending $30k on a car is fine, and spending $300k on a car is fine. Spending $60k on one is a complete waste of $30k.

But you know what? Someone might actually get a lot out of the prettier trim and the alarm that tells you to put the seat belt on. Let them be happy with their purchases.

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I love how so many people are always waiting in line to jump on the "I don't know anything about item X, but I think it's ridiculous for people to spend more than Y on it" bandwagon.

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Amen. I was going to type out the difference between materials used, components, stiffness, and all the other stuff that make expensive bikes worth it but...people who don't ride still won't get it. I don't blame them, because why would someone who doesn't ride care about how stiff his bike is? He doesn't, and he probably shouldn't, but that doesn't mean others don't.

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

I can't understand how people spend so much money on poker chips. Me and my friends use colored paper clips and they work just fine.

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I can't understand how people spend so much money on poker chips. Me and my friends use colored paper clips and they work just fine.

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And what about those "shoes" that people waste so much money on? I saw a Kenyan run a marathon barefoot and crack 2:20.

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I love how so many people are always waiting in line to jump on the "I don't know anything about item X, but I think it's ridiculous for people to spend more than Y on it" bandwagon.

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Amen. I was going to type out the difference between materials used, components, stiffness, and all the other stuff that make expensive bikes worth it but...people who don't ride still won't get it. I don't blame them, because why would someone who doesn't ride care about how stiff his bike is? He doesn't, and he probably shouldn't, but that doesn't mean others don't.

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Since you seem to know about bikes, and I was thinking of getting back into it, I have a couple questions. It's been 15 years, and I'm 6'6" 230 and basically rode a mountain bike as if it were a BMX bike.

1. What do you think of single speeds? Aside from climbs being out of the question, and needing to stand a lot of the time, are there any other "gotchas?"

2. Disc Brakes: are they a scam or do they work well?

3. If I only ever had mountain bikes in the past, would my riding style likely destroy a road bike? I'm used to hopping all over [censored] and kind of weigh a lot. I was thinking of getting 2 bikes, but don't know if the road bike would be a waste of money.

4. Are there durability issues with 29" wheels?

5. If you had $1k - $1500 to drop on a bike, what would you get?

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

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why lol @ getting a car for several thousand?

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How many new cars can you get for under 5 grand?

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it has to be new? everyone drives new cars??

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Some people do for about a day.

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

Sorry, don't have too much time to get into details, but basically, the world of bikes can be INSANE, especially for road bikes. My friends who ride competitively obsess about shaving grams off of their bikes by buying carbon water bottle cages...so be wary- once you start heading down that road, there is no turning back!

Single speed not a good idea if you want to put real rides on your bike. They are fine for driving around town, but if you go out for a weekend 100 mile ride through some hilly terrain, you want every gear possible to make your life less miserable.

Your style wouldn't destroy a road bike, it's just a completely different style. It takes some adjustment/getting used to, but you will be fine. It's just weird when you have to sit hunched over for an hour instead of riding more upright. After getting used to that you can worry about proper form (knees tucked in, pulling up on the pedals, etc.).

Oh, disc brake. Not very popular on road bikes, there is kind of a split in the world of biking- some are pushing hard for them, but last I checked the UCI had outlawed them in competitions. I've never ridden a bike with them, so I can't comment on how they are.

Tires...durability is pretty good, depends on how often and hard you ride, obv. I have never been picky about tires, though- some people are nuts about them. Sorry I can't really give a good answer for this, I don't pay enough attention.

The question of all questions- what bike! That's a really good price range for a great bike. As for which one, that really is a matter of preference. For someone just starting out you will want a little softer bike. At that range you will see some very stiff bikes (stiff = fast, but also = less comfort). You will feel every little bump in the road with a stiff bike, so I would stay away. The best way to pick one is to find a good bike shop and test ride them. Personally, I am a big fan of Cannondale and Giant bikes. Trek gets pooh-poohed in the bike world a lot but I think their bikes are decent, lots of choices too.

I would buy this:

OCR1

But like I said, trying out a bunch of different bikes is the best bet. There are also choices to make like what kind of pedals and shoes you want, what to upgrade (if anything) on the bike, and so on.

Sorry, I feel like I am rambling. And it ended up longer than I thought! Hope it helps at all. There are also plenty of bike forums out there that may have a better answer. I've been running lately instead of biking, though, so I have gotten away from it for the past year of two.

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

Actually, at this price range, you will probably find mostly aluminum bikes anyway, so no need to worry about stiffness too much. If you start looking at carbon bikes, then you can worry about that more (but those would be at the high end of the range, and most likely closer to $2k).

Here is a pretty good Trek for that price:

Decent Trek for under $1500

Here is an entry level Trek carbon bike. Great bike for the price, but I am not sure you need a carbon frame.

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

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when i was a kid all the bikes had kickstands, but now that i'm getting into biking again, none of them do. i'm guessing this is some kind of weird bike-snob thing? they're pretty convenient.

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simple answer, all price aspects aside: they look lame and aren't that important. That's really all there is to it. They're an eyesore. That's really all there is to it.

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

If you want a kickstand, put one on. I don't have a kickstand on my road bike, I do have one on my commuter bike.

The reason for not having one on my road bike is that it's not really necessary, and it would add weight and get in the way if it becomes loose while riding. Also, I'm guessing they aren't allowed in racing because it's one more thing that other rider's bikes could catch on.
My commuter bike has one and I haven't bothered to take it off. It's even come in handy a few times, so it stays.

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simple answer, all price aspects aside: they look lame and aren't that important. That's really all there is to it. They're an eyesore. That's really all there is to it.

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No it isn't.

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Sorry, don't have too much time to get into details, but basically, the world of bikes can be INSANE, especially for road bikes. My friends who ride competitively obsess about shaving grams off of their bikes by buying carbon water bottle cages...so be wary- once you start heading down that road, there is no turning back!

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Reminds me of a story I heard a long time ago about bikes. Wealthy guy not in the greatest shape is bragging about buying the latest carbon-fiber with all the latest stuff for like $40k. His friend asks why he needs that, when he just bought the latest and greatest a few months ago. Wealthy guy responds yeah, but this weighs 3 ounces less. Unimpressed friend replies, wouldn't it have been cheaper to make you weigh 3 ounces less?

Re: why don\'t more bikes have kickstands?
 

cbloom,

For non speedsters/every-ounce-counts type of people, that's generally it. There's other advantages. Less maintenance, no chance of it getting caught on anything (ties in with the maintenance.. we all remember riding our bikes when you and hearing the loose kickstand hit rubber). The latter is a major concern for mountainbikers I'm sure, I was thinking more along the lines of road/commuter biking.

But you gotta admit, it's an eyesore.