Parking Break - What are your thoughts on this?

Greetings guys,

I took the kickstand off of my bike. I found that I never used it because I
always lock my bike to a post or bike-rack anyway. And if I did use it, I
was always at some risk that my bike would get knocked over. I always think
a bike looks better without a kickstand anyway. But, when parking, it is
often times a hassle getting a bike situated so it won't flop to one side or
the other. Think about it. When was the last time your bike fell over? I'm
betting that no matter how careful you are, that at one time or another -
Crash! Your bike has hit the ground! (Bummer.) And that ninety-nine out of a
hundred times, it has done so because both wheels are free and it's just
darn hard to make it stable. So wouldn't it make sense to have a parking
break?

My thought is that the ordinary front and rear calipers (one or the other,
or both) should be manufactured (or retrofitted) with some kind of lever
that when activated, would squeeze the brake pads against the wheels. This
same thing could also be accomplished by simply rigging up a normal
handlebar break-lever with some kind of "holder" - but so doing would keep
the break cable under constant tension. So I like the first idea better.

Obviously a parking break wouldn't be appropriate for all bikes. But hey,
for your average ride-around-town bike it seems like a good idea to me.

So, what do you guys think? Good idea, or bad? And if it is a good idea, why
have the manufacturers not already done it?

- Stan Shankman

They have already done it. It's called the Flickstand or something like
that.
"Stan Shankman" wrote in message
i.com...
Greetings guys,

I took the kickstand off of my bike. I found that I never used it because
I
always lock my bike to a post or bike-rack anyway. And if I did use it, I
was always at some risk that my bike would get knocked over. I always
think
a bike looks better without a kickstand anyway. But, when parking, it is
often times a hassle getting a bike situated so it won't flop to one side
or
the other. Think about it. When was the last time your bike fell over? I'm
betting that no matter how careful you are, that at one time or another -
Crash! Your bike has hit the ground! (Bummer.) And that ninety-nine out of
a
hundred times, it has done so because both wheels are free and it's just
darn hard to make it stable. So wouldn't it make sense to have a parking
break?

My thought is that the ordinary front and rear calipers (one or the other,
or both) should be manufactured (or retrofitted) with some kind of lever
that when activated, would squeeze the brake pads against the wheels. This
same thing could also be accomplished by simply rigging up a normal
handlebar break-lever with some kind of "holder" - but so doing would keep
the break cable under constant tension. So I like the first idea better.

Obviously a parking break wouldn't be appropriate for all bikes. But hey,
for your average ride-around-town bike it seems like a good idea to me.

So, what do you guys think? Good idea, or bad? And if it is a good idea,
why
have the manufacturers not already done it?

- Stan Shankman

"Stan Shankman" wrote in message
i.com...
Greetings guys,

I took the kickstand off of my bike. I found that I never used it because
I
always lock my bike to a post or bike-rack anyway. And if I did use it, I
was always at some risk that my bike would get knocked over. I always
think
a bike looks better without a kickstand anyway. But, when parking, it is
often times a hassle getting a bike situated so it won't flop to one side
or
the other. Think about it. When was the last time your bike fell over? I'm
betting that no matter how careful you are, that at one time or another -
Crash! Your bike has hit the ground! (Bummer.) And that ninety-nine out of
a
hundred times, it has done so because both wheels are free and it's just
darn hard to make it stable. So wouldn't it make sense to have a parking
break?

My thought is that the ordinary front and rear calipers (one or the other,
or both) should be manufactured (or retrofitted) with some kind of lever
that when activated, would squeeze the brake pads against the wheels. This
same thing could also be accomplished by simply rigging up a normal
handlebar break-lever with some kind of "holder" - but so doing would keep
the break cable under constant tension. So I like the first idea better.

Obviously a parking break wouldn't be appropriate for all bikes. But hey,
for your average ride-around-town bike it seems like a good idea to me.

So, what do you guys think? Good idea, or bad? And if it is a good idea,
why
have the manufacturers not already done it?

Ummm.... So how does this parking brake stop the bike from falling over?!?

Bill "apples 'n oranges" S.

I have used a Flickstand. It works well. I don't know whether it is
still on the market.

"Bill" wrote in message
. net...
They have already done it. It's called the Flickstand or something like
that.
"Stan Shankman" wrote in message

On Fri, 15 Aug 2003 15:47:48 -0500, "Stan Shankman"
may have said:

...So wouldn't it make sense to have a parking
break?

You want a parking brake? If you're using the kind of rear brake that
allows it, bungee the cable to the seat. Voila! Similar for the
front, over the handlebars to the top tube. Or use a pair of bedroll
straps to clamp the brake levers.

I think you'll find that it's less useful than you expect, though.
Parking brakes on cars only work because the cars can't fall over. No
matter how you clamp the wheels, they're still round, and there's
still just two of them; the bike can still fall over. It *might*
help, some of the time, to keep the bike from sliding down the pole
that it's locked to, but I'd bet that there will be a lot of times
when it will not make much of a difference.


--
My email address is antispammed;
pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Yes, I have a killfile. If I don't respond to something,
it's also possible that I'm busy.

Bill wrote:

They have already done it. It's called the Flickstand or something like
that.

The Flickstand is a bit different since its main function is to keep the
front wheel straight rather than to prevent the wheel from turning. Both
methods do make it much more secure to lean your bike up against trees,
poles, buildings, etc., but the Flickstand is limited in the types of bike
frames with which it will work and also won't work with fenders. Since the
extra security is especially important when carrying touring loads, the
incompatibility with fenders is a definite problem.

A bike parking brake is trivially easy to implement yourself. I have used
two styles: 1) a rubberband that I keep wrapped around the handlebar and
that is pulled around the brake lever when parked; and 2) a little piece of
wood on a string tied to the brake-lever mount and inserted at the top of
the lever to keep the lever from releasing the brake. A friend uses a
third method - a velcro strap he keeps around his seatpost and wraps around
the brake lever & handlebar when stopped; works the same as my rubberband
but is more durable.

"Stan Shankman" wrote in message
i.com...

I always lock my bike to a post or bike-rack anyway. And if I did use it, I
was always at some risk that my bike would get knocked over. I always

think

a bike looks better without a kickstand anyway. But, when parking, it is
often times a hassle getting a bike situated so it won't flop to one side

or

the other. Think about it. When was the last time your bike fell over? I'm
betting that no matter how careful you are, that at one time or another -
Crash! Your bike has hit the ground! (Bummer.) And that ninety-nine out of

a

hundred times, it has done so because both wheels are free and it's just
darn hard to make it stable. So wouldn't it make sense to have a parking
break?

My thought is that the ordinary front and rear calipers (one or the other,
or both) should be manufactured (or retrofitted) with some kind of lever
that when activated, would squeeze the brake pads against the wheels.

"Stan Shankman" wrote:

My thought is that the ordinary front and rear calipers (one or the other,
or both) should be manufactured (or retrofitted) with some kind of lever
that when activated, would squeeze the brake pads against the wheels. This
same thing could also be accomplished by simply rigging up a normal
handlebar break-lever with some kind of "holder" - but so doing would keep
the break cable under constant tension. So I like the first idea better.

So, what do you guys think? Good idea, or bad? And if it is a good idea, why
have the manufacturers not already done it?

BMX/freestyle brake levers (e.g. Dia Compe Tech 77) sometimes had a
"locking button" which worked to accomplish what you describe. You
pull in the lever, push in the locking button, and release the lever,
which puts the locking button in a bind. To disengage, you squeeze
the lever firmly to free the locking button and it pops out.

It really works, both as a parking aid and as rudimentary protection
against rideaway theft.

Chalo Colina

"Sorni" wrote in message
...
"Stan Shankman" wrote in message
i.com...
Greetings guys,

I took the kickstand off of my bike. I found that I never used it
because
I
always lock my bike to a post or bike-rack anyway. And if I did use it,
I
was always at some risk that my bike would get knocked over. I always
think
a bike looks better without a kickstand anyway. But, when parking, it is
often times a hassle getting a bike situated so it won't flop to one
side
or
the other. Think about it. When was the last time your bike fell over?
I'm
betting that no matter how careful you are, that at one time or
another -
Crash! Your bike has hit the ground! (Bummer.) And that ninety-nine out
of
a
hundred times, it has done so because both wheels are free and it's just
darn hard to make it stable. So wouldn't it make sense to have a parking
break?

My thought is that the ordinary front and rear calipers (one or the
other,
or both) should be manufactured (or retrofitted) with some kind of lever
that when activated, would squeeze the brake pads against the wheels.
This
same thing could also be accomplished by simply rigging up a normal
handlebar break-lever with some kind of "holder" - but so doing would
keep
the break cable under constant tension. So I like the first idea better.

Obviously a parking break wouldn't be appropriate for all bikes. But
hey,
for your average ride-around-town bike it seems like a good idea to me.

So, what do you guys think? Good idea, or bad? And if it is a good idea,
why
have the manufacturers not already done it?

Ummm.... So how does this parking brake stop the bike from falling
over?!?

Bill "apples 'n oranges" S.




The parking brake would make two friction points, and the object being
leaned upon would be the third. Physics states that you need at least three
points of frictional contact to be stable. If the wheels are free, you only
have stability in two of the three axes.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

schreef ...
"Stan Shankman" wrote:

My thought is that the ordinary front and rear calipers (one or the other,
or both) should be manufactured (or retrofitted) with some kind of lever
that when activated, would squeeze the brake pads against the wheels. This
same thing could also be accomplished by simply rigging up a normal
handlebar break-lever with some kind of "holder" - but so doing would keep
the break cable under constant tension. So I like the first idea better.

So, what do you guys think? Good idea, or bad? And if it is a good idea, why
have the manufacturers not already done it?

BMX/freestyle brake levers (e.g. Dia Compe Tech 77) sometimes had a
"locking button" which worked to accomplish what you describe. You
pull in the lever, push in the locking button, and release the lever,
which puts the locking button in a bind. To disengage, you squeeze
the lever firmly to free the locking button and it pops out.

It really works, both as a parking aid and as rudimentary protection
against rideaway theft.

IIRC Blackburn used to make a small wedge with a tiny cord that you
could put around your brake cable (this is a l-o-o-o-ng time ago). You
applied the brake, put the wedge between lever and lever body and voilà,
your parking brake is ready.

--
Regards,
Marten

"Werehatrack" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 16 Aug 2003 06:04:24 GMT, "Phil, Squid-in-Training"
may have said:

The parking brake would make two friction points, and the object being
leaned upon would be the third. Physics states that you need at least
three
points of frictional contact to be stable. If the wheels are free, you
only
have stability in two of the three axes.

If the method of securing the bike to the fixed object admits no means
of slippage, the other two points will remain fixed anyway.
Immobilizing the wheels only makes a difference if the lock is loose
and there's room for motion, which, now that I think about it, used to
be distressingly often. These days, I generally lock in places where
it's not an issue, so such a feature wouldn't do me much good.
Although, now that I think about it, since I lock through the rear
wheel in any event, only the front would need to be immobilized, and
running the cable through it so that the cable passed behind one fork
tube and in front of the other would stop the motion there, so I guess
I can get the effect without any additional stuff at all.

Yes... I believe the original poster was referring to a situation in which
he would lock only the top tube, as I usually do. My bike is junky enough.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training