on kickstands:
paintbynumbers asked me about kickstands, and i started to reply in comment form, but i think it works as an entry.
i have two bicycles with them, only because they are heavy bikes with fat tires.
i stay away from them because they can rattle around, they can scrape on things, and they're kinda dorky.
if you happen to park your bike places where you don't have to worry about locking up... like umm... inside a factory? on your winery estate? middle of kansas? then they're nice to have and just park the bike anywhere.
with all my bikes, i either end up hanging it from a hook at home, or placing it on a rack at work or the community bicycle shop, or locking it to poles or what have you when i'm out about town.
annnnddd if i'm not locking it, if i'm leaning it somewhere safe, then i like to lean the rear tire against the surface, if the surface is grody. if it's a clean surface, and i have a non-leather saddle, then i lean the bike against the surface via the saddle.
i don't lean it up against things via the top/cross tube [scratches paint, i care about even my stickered bike] or by the front wheel. i also prefer not to park front wheel in to racks either - it's pretty unstable.
my sister is having a baby, and i'm thinking about assembling a spawn hauling bicycle with a child carrier and a more stable double kickstand.
see also: the flickstand, a device to stop your front wheel from swinging and rolling when you lean it.
use a the purple rubber band from a bunch of broccoli around your front brake lever to keep the bike from rolling when you lean it, or wrap it from the front tire valve stem, around the down tube, and back to the valve stem for your own flickstand. works really nice when you hang bikes on the wall to keep the wheel from swinging.
i have two bicycles with them, only because they are heavy bikes with fat tires.
i stay away from them because they can rattle around, they can scrape on things, and they're kinda dorky.
if you happen to park your bike places where you don't have to worry about locking up... like umm... inside a factory? on your winery estate? middle of kansas? then they're nice to have and just park the bike anywhere.
with all my bikes, i either end up hanging it from a hook at home, or placing it on a rack at work or the community bicycle shop, or locking it to poles or what have you when i'm out about town.
annnnddd if i'm not locking it, if i'm leaning it somewhere safe, then i like to lean the rear tire against the surface, if the surface is grody. if it's a clean surface, and i have a non-leather saddle, then i lean the bike against the surface via the saddle.
i don't lean it up against things via the top/cross tube [scratches paint, i care about even my stickered bike] or by the front wheel. i also prefer not to park front wheel in to racks either - it's pretty unstable.
my sister is having a baby, and i'm thinking about assembling a spawn hauling bicycle with a child carrier and a more stable double kickstand.
see also: the flickstand, a device to stop your front wheel from swinging and rolling when you lean it.
use a the purple rubber band from a bunch of broccoli around your front brake lever to keep the bike from rolling when you lean it, or wrap it from the front tire valve stem, around the down tube, and back to the valve stem for your own flickstand. works really nice when you hang bikes on the wall to keep the wheel from swinging.