Anyone have factual information as to why bicycle manufacturers stopped putting kickstands on bikes? It isn't an improvement..........

dl

Just a guess, but I suspect it's because it's cheaper to manufacture. You don't need it to ride the bike. So, if you want one, you can get one and install it yourself.

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I googled it. Apparently it's quite the issue - who knew?

For those who are into biking and want a super-light, streamlined bike, it adds about a pound and a half of one-sided weight, which they don't want. Those bikes are made of light materials and installing an aftermarket kickstand can crush the bike's metal tubing. They prefer to lean the bike against a stationary object and use a locking chain to keep their big investment of a bike safe. Additionally, kickstands have been known to accidentally flip out in the middle of an important race, scratch the bike itself, and unless you're using a kickstand on nice, flat pavement, you're likely to return to a bike that's on the ground, anyway.

Because that's how the 'pros' do it these days, it became uncool to *have* a kickstand in the minds of many, and that position permeated the biking manufacturing world.... the idea that 'cooler, better bikes' are bikes without kickstands.

Kickstands are now right up there with the pocket protector in terms of the 'nerd factor'... but there are people who don't care and have them put on, anyway. There are double-sided ones that a lot of people seemed to swear by.

High end bikes don't come with pedals, either.

This was all news to me - I'm not a biker and my kids are all past the bike-riding stage!

We do a lot of mountain biking and I do not want a kickstand getting in the way.

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I figured it was a financial issue to cut costs in any way possible. I don't do mountains, races, or high end bikes, just a run of the mill thing that I think a kickstand should be standard. If attached properly, it doesn't get in the way.

I will look at it that at least I have a seat and brakes!

dl

No doubt, the manufacturers of lower-end bikes like yours (not saying yours is poor quality - just doesn't sound like it's a $5K piece of art!) are delighted that they can charge the same amount and not have to expend anything for that particular piece.

Kickstands can be purchased separately. Might google around or go to a bike shop to see what it takes to install them.

I had to go and check, and my bike (about 6 years old, Trek, very retro style) has a kick stand, though I remember actual old bikes having a sort of double-prong kickstand that raised the front tire up. It looks like my model still comes with kickstands, maybe because they're modeled on an old style?

m3, I honestly don't know anything other than a four-page-long thread I read on a message board for serious bikers.

I'm not one myself - not in the least. So... if my info is wrong, my source seemed credible. But it certainly wasn't first hand knowledge.

Retail $349 at Dick's Sporting Goods ( and no, I didn't pay near that for a Nishiki. Not the cheapest, not the most expensive. I didn't want a repeat of my old $89 Murray ( that does have a kickstand).

I wanted something decent to ride recreationally and now I have to prop it against something or intall hooks in my garage.

dl

You can have them installed. When we bought my girls bikes several years ago at a bike store (around $249 each), they didn't come with them, either. I think they were $7.95 each to have them added.

Lisa

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