Adding a [Kick] Stand to a Thru Axle Bike

 One issue I have had with mountain bikes has been the lack of kick-stands on most models, and the inability to easily add something.

Sure, you don't need a kick-stand while actually riding on the mountain - but then again you don't need a kick stand for any bike while actually riding.  Even if you only ever use your bike at a bike park, it would be nice to be able to park it at the bottom while you go get a drink, etc., without needing to lay it on the job and mess up your paint job with scratches from gravel, etc.  

It has to be said that when actually using a mountain bike on the mountain, it's better to not have a stand, as it's one more thing to bang against rocks, get stuck on roots, etc. - so something easily removable would be ideal.  

Some MTB models do have pre-tapped holes to be able to add a kick stand - such as my XM-1, but for models like the XM-D2, and Yamaka YPJ MT Pro (Moro Pro), there is no such luck.  

There are a few work-arounds:

1. There are stands which attach to the pedals, including the Topeak Fat stand, and AMS Kickstand, and some others.  Despite the Topeak FAT stand being advertised as for larger and heavier bikes, it's made partly of plastic, and I have broken one already.  Also, attaching to pedals - which are designed to rotate - is a bit iffy to begin with.  

2. There are stands which use a tab which is meant to be attached to the Thru-Axle between the skewer and the bike. I have tried these (with my XM-D2), but these have a few issues:

a. The suppliers are few and far between.  There is the Luna "Peg Leg", which has been out of stock for ages.  There is also the "Upstand" with the Thru-Axle option, but this company has never acted on any of my orders and been very bad about returning emails, etc.

b. These tab based systems have the issue that the tab always eventually breaks.  (For some reason, the Thru-Axle sized tabs are always aluminum).  Once the tab breaks, it's very difficult to find a new one.  

c. Bikes like the Yamaha YPJ MT Pro some with a Thru-Axle that doesn't have an outer handle to begin with, so there is no way to sandwich the tab between the handle and hub.  

There is also the issue that the stand isn't hinged, and isn't a "kick stand", so it must be carried with you when traveling - but this is actually an advantage if you are often riding your bike on the mountain.  

Either way, even if I got a replacement Thru-Axle tab for my Peg Leg, I wouldn't be able to put it on my Yamaha without changing the Axle to one with a handle.  

I ride my YPJ MT Pro in bike parks and random mountains, but I also use it more and more around town, and always having to find a place to prop it up on was getting annoying, so I started thinking about proper solutions.  

Revisiting the options:

1. I have the Topeak FAT stand, but it's a bit rickety, so I want something better.  I would be willing to try the AMC MTB stand - but the AMS stand doesn't look like it would be sturdier.  It works mostly the same way and seems to be made entirely of plastic.  

2. Even if I didn't mind replacing my Axle with a new one with a handle, it seems Luna Cycles is still doesn't have Peg Leg in stock.  

3. So I started researching options and thinking of DIY solutions.  Potential places to mount on the MT Pro include:

a. The hex socket of the thru axle.  The main problem here is that when the axle is tightened, the position of the bolt (socket) will be different every time, so there would need to be a mechanism to rotate.  Also, there may be wear and tear on the hex socket since it obviously isn't designed for this sort of thing. 

b. Where the disc brake mounts would seem to be an excellent place to use for support - the disc brakes do, after all, apply enormous stress to the frame.  Even better, as luck would have it, there is a spacer between the brakes and the frame pre-installed on the MT Pro.  This spacer could be replaced with a new spacer of the same base shape that also has extra material for mounting a stand.  However, this is something that would need serious metalworking tools (and skills).  The brakes are again, an area where there is a lot of stress on the components, and safety is an issue, so if this path is to be taken, it would need to be of professional quality.  

c. In searching online, I found this product "MINOURA SL-30TA Smart Leg Kick Stand (for Thru-Axle)".

This is a product designed to mount a kick stand to a thru-axle bike.  It hooks to the axle, and also wraps around another part of the frame for extra stability.  However, there are two problems with this setup:

a. Looking at review videos on YouTube, this doesn't work well at all and is very rickety.  The reason for this seems to be that the part that wraps around the frame isn't that secure, and can slip.  In that case, they would have been better off having the hinge much closer to the Axle instead of in the middle.  

b. Even if it worked well to begin with, this stand is clearly not designed for full suspension bikes.  The part that wraps onto the frame would wrap to a part of the frame that moves relative to the axle, so it seems this would not work at all.  Also, the distance from the hinge to the axle is also long enough to allow for some flex even with the strongest metal.  

But the real point of interest to me was "How do they attach this to the axle?!"

I downloaded the user manual, and found out that this "Davos" part is actually a replacement axle　（And it seems Davos is owned by Minoura, no less).  These axles are designed for attaching rear carriers, so they have threaded holes on each end to screw in bolts that would normally be used to attach carrier rack supports.  

The trouble was to know which part to order.  There are multiple lengths and screw styles.  I extracted the existing axle from my bike, and the specs were written on the side of it.  I ordered one online, and much to my surprise, it fit perfectly.  

Since there are screws on the outside, and these screws are smaller than the Thru-Axle, any accessories to be attached don't need to specifically support thru-axle.  In fact, the screws are a bit smaller than even QuickRelease - so accessories designed for QuickRelease can be used.  

This is great, because QuickRelease accessories are much more common than thru-axle accessories.  For example, there are numerous stands, including the Peg Leg, which have mounting tabs for QuickReleae, which can suddenly now be used if you have these Davos axles.  (or something similar).  

Minoura also makes kick-stands for QuickRelease bikes, and those seem to be a bit of a better design.