Tinsmith's keyed drop stand catch

There's nothing that says "vintage" quite like a rear drop stand. Dan made one some time ago for his stretch Worksman and it turned out very nice as you can see in the photos. The problem was in fixing it to the fender. I had the same trouble with the couple drop stands I have made for my builds, so it has been the subject of much discussion and brainstorming.

The ones I have seen on old bicycles used a bent piece of metal made from spring steel which acted as a catch to keep the stand in an upright position while riding. I had an original one on a 1934 Elgin and while it works, it is cumbersome to use and still allows for some noise of metal rattling against metal while riding. Back when, they also sometimes bounced loose from the catch and ended up dragging on the ground. The switch to side mounted kickstands was for a reason, but if you want an authentic vintage look a side kickstand with one leg doesn't do it.

One I made I simply tied to a leather loop on the fender using leather thongs. It was quiet, but a pain to tie up and undo again which cannot be done with one hand (at least for tying it up). It was one of those temporary fixes that becomes permanent because you can't come up with something better. On my current Indian Hiawatha build I scrapped the idea of a drop stand, much as I like them, because of the dilemma posed by the catch.

After a lot of 'creative staring' and a few wrong turns along the way Dan has come up with an elegant solution to the problem. Here it is: Timsmith's keyed drop stand catch. Dan is a quiet guy and doesn't like to toot his own horn, so I'll toot it for him with this little thread. It may seem to some of you like a small thing, but it is the cat's meow for those of us who have lived with a vintage drop stand.

The inspiration came from a standard sliding chain door latch. While at the hardware store one day the light bulb flickered to life when he looked at the door latch with that "creative stare" and saw not just what it was, but how it worked in principle and what it could be in another application. This is his first one, right on the money first try. Elegant in it's simplicity, the catch works perfectly. It looks good, is quiet, holds the stand securely and can be done with one hand.
SB (cont.)

The pictures in the previous post pretty well tell it in themselves, but a few comments may clarify. First he made a template in tin of the little brass plate which he made to attach directly to the fender. I believe he used a metal punch for the hole in the template and a square file and round file (chainsaw file) to finish out the "keyhole". ( a Dremel type of rotary tool would work nicely, too). The "key" could be made from a bolt, but since Dan had access to the machine shop tools where he works he turned his on a lathe.

Dan cut the same keyhole shape into his fender and then bolted the brass plate directly over it. So, the smaller end of the "key" fits into the hole in the keyhole and is able to slide up and down in the vertical channel. The key cannot come out unless it is in the uppermost position.

Using an old belt, Dan made a strap to attach to the "key". This would be the chain if it were a door latch. A hole was punched in the strap in the dimension of the narrowest part of the key shaft. A slit in the leather an inch or so long was cut at the bottom of the punched hole. With some manipulation the leather fit onto the key. The large end of the key sits to the outside of the strap and is easy to use.

Dan looped the strap so the catch was level with the horizontal lines of the bike frame and with small brass bolts fixed it to two holes in the fender which were already there. Since he left his wheel in place while doing this work, he used a piece of bent tin behind the finder while drilling... don't need a flat! Holding the brass nut in place is made easier by a piece of tape folded over so it is sticky on both sides... then a drop or two of locktite and stick the other side of the tape to his finger... fit it behind the fender and cinch it down. Nice.
SB (continued)

And there we have it. Being the perfectionist he is, Dan has already seen how he could have done this a little better, a little more easily, but that's Dan. If he makes another it will benefit from the experience of this prototype. He is considering a different piece of leather (black harness leather) to match the seat upholstery, but the worn leather he used looks good, too. He was about to mount the reflector on the strap and then remembered the beveled stained glass jewels I like to use as lenses for my tail lights. The button end of his "key" is 7/8" in diameter, so we'll get a jewel in 7/8" and glue it to the button. It will be ruby red and a final touch of elegant beauty. Like I said, this is the cat's meow... well done!
SB

On behalf of Dan, thanks for the nice comments. I'm glad to see his little invention getting some attention and I know it makes him feel good to think someone else may benefit from it.
SB