Just like mudguards, kickstands seam to of fallen out of favour, some time when people stopped using bikes for real trips. Almost every bike that it is sold through bike shops (a branded bike) in Australia is devoid of these very simple and practical pieces of equipment. This is quite strange as almost every bike sold through the supermarket department stores has a very cheap kickstand attached to it. This could be the basis of the "unreal" saying as many people that regularly ride bikes call the supermarket bikes a BSO or "bicycle shaped object" in other words not a real bike. I find it funny that a supermarket bike will have a kick stand but not a branded bike. Even the branded bikes that are being sold as utility/city bikes seam in most cases to be devoid of them. I could go on in my theory of how this has happened but the simple fact is that it has happened this way.
When I got my first branded bike I was surprised to find no kick stand, how was the thing going to be stored next to the door in my unit without it falling over. I quickly had that fixed when I got it back from it's first (6 week) servicing. Since then I have bought two more branded bikes and both have been fitted with kickstands before I even picked them up. It is always quite interesting the reaction you get from a bike shop assistant when you inform them that you wish your new bike to have a kickstand. Some don't blink an eyelid while some look a little surprised. My current bike is fitted with disc breaks which made a challenge for fitting a kickstand but one was fitted as you see down below.
The reasons for having a kickstand are quite simple. They stand your bike up. This means storing your bike in your home is very easy, mine live near the front door in some dead space that could be used for nothing else. As well as making things simple at home it makes it easy to store your bike when you are out. Everyone has seen the a bike in Australia that is locked to a poll but has fallen over and is laying on the ground. While this is still possible with a kickstand it is less likely. It also means that when locking up the bike when out you do not need to lean it against something so less chance of scratches on the paint work. There is also the times when you are out riding you can stop have a look at something without having to lye your bike on the ground.
When I look over in Europe at the countries that still use the bike for transport the kickstand is alive and well. I love my "Unreal" bikes with there kickstands and I would not been seen on a bike without one.
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