Tuesday, June 10, 2008

What's wrong with this kickstand?

As I was walking through Grote Markt in Leuven (the world's longest string of cafes) I noticed the front wheel of this bike completely off the ground. This can't be normal.


9 comments:

erikv said...

Maybe it is normal when you're rockin' the sweet double legged kickstand. I've never seen one of those before. Maybe it's a racing kickstand? Is that the kind you use over there in Belgium?

PEANUT said...

That is NO racing kickstand of mine! Mine is made of carbon.

Itinerant Rick said...

Looks a lot like the Swiss made Esge kickstand that is quite popular among the touring set.

place_holder said...

What I am surprised to see is the 2 rear suspensions, vertical and horizontal ones...a practical solution for pavé riding, I guess?

PEANUT said...

They are big on their suspension for town bikes. A cheap town bike costs about 300-400 euros. But don't be surprised if the kickstand is installed backwards. Hey, maybe the kickstand isn't swiss afterall but rather simply TWO kickstands installed inadvertently.

Rickie Rainwater said...

Neat looking bike, but seems heavey and made for flat land. I could carry a lot of pancakes and fruit on that thing though. I'm still telling my friends to keep their eyes open for a bike at garage sells that isn't extremely old, and one that I can rebuuild to my specifications for trips around town for errands. I haven't had a kick stand since childhood, but that one appears pretty stable.
rickie

Thom Kneeland said...

That's a center stand. It's supposed to elevate the front wheel and keep the back wheel on the ground, all the while keeping the bike in a vertical plane. Thats so when you've got your big ol rack loaded up with this weeks groceries, it doesn't want to tip. You see them used on motorcycles when they are being parked in garages or for any length of time.

PEANUT said...

that makes sense - so the groceries don't tip the bike over.

Lorri Lee Lown -- velogirl said...

I have one on my touring bike. with a loaded bike, it's too heavy to lean to one side or the other.