Centre stand options..

[thelarkbox]

Has anyone experience with any 3rd party centre stands suitable for fitting to a standard cycle with a rear hub motor?

Im considering one to aid in post shopping loading of the bikes bags and boxes, the shift in centre of gravity when loading up the bike upsets the stability of the side stand, its totally manageable but a regular niggle thats become quite annoying. To thge point i actually shouted an expletive and turned heads the other week.

There are a couple of centre stand options on sites like ebay etc before i just buy and regret I thought i would ask here if anyone has any experience with these and if they would offer any more stability if used when loading up with a 'big' shop.. Or are there any versions known to be avoided?

Thanks in advance..

 

[flecc]

Has anyone experience with any 3rd party centre stands suitable for fitting to a standard cycle with a rear hub motor?

Im considering one to aid in post shopping loading of the bikes bags and boxes, the shift in centre of gravity when loading up the bike upsets the stability of the side stand, its totally manageable but a regular niggle thats become quite annoying. To thge point i actually shouted an expletive and turned heads the other week.

There are a couple of centre stand options on sites like ebay etc before i just buy and regret I thought i would ask here if anyone has any experience with these and if they would offer any more stability if used when loading up with a 'big' shop.. Or are there any versions known to be avoided?

Thanks in advance..

My way of dealing with this loading and stability problem on a 20" wheel rear hub motor bike:

The original stand was a twin leg one, this being needed to hold the chainwheel off the ground when the bike is folded in half, but that stand fouled the derailleur chainline. Also, with the handbrake necessary for heavy trailer use on hills, a propstand has to be used to keep the rear wheel in firm ground contact. Therefore two stands have been fitted. One is a frame tube mounted propstand with pushbutton instant length adjustment for uneven surfaces. The other is the esge folding twin leg design from Pletscher. This is fitted to the usual stand platform using a thick spacer to clear the underslung rear V brake, and has some of it's top mount cut away to give clearance for the brake arm cable bolt. Below you see three photos, first showing both stands folded up showing how the twin legs fold neatly into the same side, then centre with the prop stand down, and finally, the twin leg stand down and clearing the chain as it would be when the bike is folded.

The Pletscher isn't as stable as some wide leg stands but necessary to avoid fouling the chain on my bike. An ordinary twin leg stand may be ok on a full size bike.
.

 

[Nealh]

I fitted and use the pletscher model on my road rat , stuff the mechanism with plenty of grease as it will see a lot of road muck and rain. As flecc say's they can be bit unstable as they are tall but not a wide stance, ok if one loads the bike u carefully and distribute the weight.

Hebie Bipod Steel Centre Stand 0605 HBP1 - Black (sjscycles.co.uk)

I have a wide stance stand like this one on the ute, ut it depends if ypu have the room. they are ideal for cargo bikes as there is plenty of space to fit them.
Ursus Jumbo Bipod Kickstand, Black, One Size : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

 

[thelarkbox]

Thanks for the insight and links..My search so far has been focused on the cheaper end of the market until now tbh, but that 2nd stand that expands when 'down' looks like a premium solution worth the cost and not just trading on a brand etc..

Must admit i was thinking replacement of the side stand but @flec now has me thinking as well as perhaps..

I assume chain fouling issues were in part at least due to the folding of the bike? or are you referring to simply deploying and ?reployiong? the stand and it catching the chain?

 

[Nealh]

The pletscher is the only one I know with the folding action that fold both legs to the non drive side stay.

 

[lenny]

 

[lenny]

"The Copenhagen dual leg kickstand is perfect for city bikes. It has a "scissor-action" that folds both legs to the non-drive side of the bike. The leg length is adjustable and can be locked to the desired length. "

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Velo-Copenhagen-Double-Kickstand-Orange/dp/B00MNID4MS

"Avoid touching the chain as single stand in kick up location"
"Bike weight loading : 30kgs"

Pardon our interruption...

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[flecc]

I assume chain fouling issues were in part at least due to the folding of the bike? or are you referring to simply deploying and ?reployiong? the stand and it catching the chain?

It was a conversion from single speed to derailleur gears and with a huge 60 tooth chain ring. Those with the 20" wheels meaning a low bottom chainline, hence a fixed two leg stand fouling the chain whether stand up or down.

Here's a side on photo taken during the conversion amd before the stands were fitted, showing the low chainline etc:

 

[AntonyC]

There's this useful table of pros and cons of the various types of stands. Especially when fully loaded stands are more stable if you lock the front wheel. There are brake levers with a button for that or you can stretch a band around the lever.

How do you folk go about researching your accessories? I'm not mechanically minded and easily buy parts off the page that clash in the real world, and I think the Ursus Neil linked is the first time I've seen more than one dimension given. What I do is to begin by visiting German sites to find the blue sky solutions that aren't available here and work back, but it doesn't feel right.

 

[thelarkbox]

Well I have gone from undecided if a sub £10 ebay-china import special was worth the punt and am now considering something 3-4x the price.. Good job i asked ???

I think i may take a punt on the Ursus Jumbo via amazon, and should there be any chain or fit conflicts, take advantage of the no hassle returns and opt for a Pletscher one sided type instead.

but its gonna suck the suspension seatpost and or stem budget dry too..

Researching my accessories? @AntonyC , this is my fallback, ask a friendly community of folk who should know.. It generally pays gold and always breaks the initial budget, while letting me only buy(pay) once , well thats the plan.. thanks for the wheel lock tip btw.

 

[guerney]

I'm tempted to give the one side two legged Copenhagen a punt - if it doesn't work out on my 20" wheeled folder, I could use it on my 26" wheeled folder, because unlike the Pletscher it appears to be variable height without cutting. What puts me off is the extra weight, and besides that I use bicycle trailers or a rucksack these days, instead of saddle bags. However, when the trailer is very heavy, and when I stop and dismount to open a gate or something, the connected towing arm (awkward to disconnect and connect when the trailer is very heavy) can pull the bike over, unless I carefully angle the bike on it's otherwise well designed and lightweight integral welded on Dahon kickstand on a slope to prevent that happening (this usually works, when there's a slope). Unsure if it's worth about £38 removing this niggle. Also, it's something else which can be unscrewed and nicked from the bike if left locked somewhere, not that I actually leave my bike locked up anywhere.

How do you folk go about researching your accessories?

I Google, then look for genuine amazon reviews, if the item is available there, and if genuine reviews can be identified on amazon and other websites such as Youtube... I search ebay and AliExpress and buy the same item for less. But there are oodles of shills.

EDIT: Sure enough, as usual the Copenhagen is available about £10 cheaper at £27 on ebay Amazon warehouse feeflation at 28.89%

VELO Bike Copenhagen Double Kickstand | eBay

Bought 2023, fitted to bike then dismantled as we sold the bike. Manufacturer‎velo orange. Item model number‎Copenhagen Dual Leg Kickstand. Included components‎Kickstand. Style‎Modern. Features‎Foldable.

www.ebay.co.uk

There's this useful table of pros and cons of the various types of stands.

https://www.cycletourer.co.uk/cycletouring/gear/propstands.shtml

Turns out, the kickstand on my Dahon Helios isn't welded on after all, but bolted through a mounting plate which is... therefore this worrying prospect is avoided:

"Unless you have a fixing hole plate mounted between the Chain Stays you will have to use a clamp which could distort or damage the Chain Stays."

I should be able to simply replace the singled legged Dahon kickstand with a Copenhagen. Well designed by fiendishly clever Asian minds are Dahons.

 

[thelarkbox]

It was a conversion from single speed to derailleur gears and with a huge 60 tooth chain ring. Those with the 20" wheels meaning a low bottom chainline, hence a fixed two leg stand fouling the chain whether stand up or down.

Here's a side on photo taken during the conversion amd before the stands were fitted, showing the low chainline etc:

60T?? Gulp hope you have some big tooth number low gears at the rear end too.

 

[guerney]

60T?? Gulp hope you have some big tooth number low gears at the rear end too.

Would 60T get you into this forum's currently inactive 50mph Club? That's got me itching again to get a 130 BCD spider, to fit a generic 60T chainwheel for higher downhill speed. A younger me would have done so already. But I don't know where the chainline will end up and whether it'll cause problems on my particular bike, I'd have to lose the plastic Bafang chainwheel guard, and I'm too old for that sort of thing. As Clint Eastwood said in Unforgiven, "I aint like that no more."

For Bafang Mid Drive Motor Chainring Adapter 104BCD 130BCD Spider Black G6U8 | eBay

[Applicable motors]Perfectly compatible with for Bafang electric bicycle mid drive motor. [Scope of application]104BCD: suitable for 32T-55t 4-hole positive and negative chainrings; 130BCD: suitable for 38-60T 5-hole positive and negative chainrings.

www.ebay.co.uk

Subtitles can be enabled. @Nealh had dual chainrings on his BBS01, made me jealous.

 

[flecc]

60T?? Gulp hope you have some big tooth number low gears at the rear end too.

34 tooth Megarange low sprocket, but don't forget this is a 20" wheel so always low geared anyway. One can end up with a rapid cadence just to catch up with the motor's 15mph. The 60 tooth means that I have a comfortable pedalling range from 4.2 mph at a 40 cadence in low gear, which would enable a much steeper than 1 in 4 (25%) hill, and in top gear, 24.8 mph at the generally accepted physiological optimum of a 90 cadence. The maximum I can manage on a slight downslope, a 100 cadence, gives 27.6 mph.
.

 

[Nealh]

The Velo is basically a copy of Pletscher.

 

[thelarkbox]

34 tooth Megarange low sprocket, but don't forget this is a 20" wheel so always low geared anyway. One can end up with a rapid cadence just to catch up with the motor's 15mph. The 60 tooth means that I have a comfortable pedalling range from 4.2 mph at a 40 cadence in low gear, which would enable a much steeper than 1 in 4 (25%) hill, and in top gear, 24.8 mph at the generally accepted physiological optimum of a 90 cadence. The maximum I can manage on a slight downslope, a 100 cadence, gives 27.6 mph.
.

Its just the fact that pre conversion i needed to drop down into 2nd gear on some of the slopes to crawl up to the summit and thats with a 36T chain ring.. I'm sure its within your capacity to ride comfortably, i think i would struggle without battery power and the motor to back me up tho.

 

[matthewslack]

A normal side stand with a longer leg mounted at a shallower angle would do it.

 

[flecc]

Its just the fact that pre conversion i needed to drop down into 2nd gear on some of the slopes to crawl up to the summit and thats with a 36T chain ring.. I'm sure its within your capacity to ride comfortably, i think i would struggle without battery power and the motor to back me up tho.

I only manage because the motor/controller combination on that earlier Ezee Quando is very powerful, able to sink 1000 watts despite a 250 watt legal rating.

As A to B's review said, just sit on, twist the thottle and it flattens the hills. It even manages a standing start without any pedalling on a 12% hill with me and the weekly shop onboard, but I am only 62 kilos / 10 stones, so half some on here.
.

 

[AntonyC]

A normal side stand with a longer leg mounted at a shallower angle would do it.

Exactly what I needed for another steed but couldn't locate. I ended up folding strip to make a perforated wedge at the mount so as to angle the stand outward, meh. Nice to see Pletscher Esge available again here.

Please keep the research tips coming...

 

[thelarkbox]

The Cheapest single side two leg centre stand finally arrived via amazon..

Price alone was not the deciding factor, the leg length can be adjusted without chopping off the leg bottoms, and its one of the few (cheaper) ads that list ebike use as a recommended application

Fitting was a bit awkward due to the position of the locking bolt, and i missed one cable tie securing one of the cables under the bike bottom bracket. but simple enough, my bike has a stand plate fitted so was a simple unbolt-rebolt job.

My bike also employs a naked gear cable from the fitting on the bottom bracket and the rear of the bike next to the gears, which appears to foul against the side of the stand, gears work ok, for now, so i will find a length of cable sleeve to bridge that length.

Use.. it works, Very easy to kick down and roll the bike onto, The legs are not very wide apart but enough to give more stability, the acid tesetwill be loading 6xtins of cola at a time into the rear pannier pockets unevenly, But just on the bike impression is a firm thumbs up..

I forgot the advice above to lift the bike off the stand , and initially attempting to just roll the bike forward off the stand as you would do with a m/cycle and this resulted in the legs fouling on the tyre, i reacted without thinking flicking the legs down a bit with my toe and it corrected itself..
a roll forward and toe flick may be an easier solution than lifting the rear of a loaded bike off the stand? will see how that goes..