In Search Of... Kickstands. Whatever happened to kickstands?

In Search Of... a razor, for that 'stache. Yick!

If you recall, In Search Of... went deep undercover to discover the whereabouts of Pete's Bike Shop in Hazleton, only to discover a front for the Ransom Young 2012 election campaign. Then there was something about an alien sasquatch, Elvis' attempt to sabotage the investigation, and I don't recall too much after that, but that's not what matters. What matters is that bicycles don't seem to come with kickstands, anymore, and I don't know why.

In my investigations, I've uncovered a myriad of reasons for this oversight on modern bicycles. One possibility is that kickstands just aren't "aero." Another cites weight as a possibility. Then there's the argument that kickstands are "useless" and that, eventually, your bike is just going to fall over anyway.

Actually, my favorite theory comes from a bike forum user who asks, "Is it just a 'Fred' thing?"

Nail on the head, sir! Heaven forbid we look "uncool" in our skin-tight, day glow racing kits while propping our bikes up against walls, bushes, trees, homeless people or whatever else is most convenient at the time. Imagine being seen with a kickstand hanging from your chainstay... Sakes alive!

Personally, I kinda do really want a kickstand, but rather than purchase another aftermarket part to scratch up my paint job, I decided to go DIY on this problem. Presenting: The PVC Bike Rack.

Instructables user fuego316 describes the steps necessary to build a small, "apartment" sized bike rack. Well, after a quick trip to Lowes and a swipe of the ol' debit card, I managed to put this little beauty together:

The best part is, it cost less than $10, and only took about half an hour to complete. It seems pretty sturdy, so I feel like I can trust it to hold up my Precious. Meanwhile, I plan to get another length of pipe and some more fittings to build another one for the office. I'm actually quite proud of this!

And so, another episode of In Search Of... comes to a close, with us no closer to a definitive answer. Until then, the search continues!