Anyone who has a high-end bike probably at some point gets asked by those not in the know, “where is the kickstand,” and most of the time the joke is one them. Kickstands add weight, don’t look all that great and generally aren’t needed. At least until time comes for you to want to leave the bike for a moment. Leaning it against a tree, car, building or curb are usually the only options and a lot of the time the joke is on you when the bike falls over. But there are some alternatives for portable kickstands that might be worth considering.
The first is Upstand, which is much like a basic kickstand but made of short sections of carbon fiber, and it relies on a neodymium magnet to fold up when not in use. It reportedly can be installed in less than a minute as it can be added to a bike via the rear wheel’s skewer. As it is folds and isn’t all that long this one seems reasonable to stash in a pocket or pack. Video after the jump