CycleStand Precision: the Two-Click Planetary Kickstand

Twenty-five years ago, I bought a new bicycle and was excited about its modern design, but I quickly realized the kickstand didn’t match—it was outdated, clunky, and lacked the sleek, modern style I wanted. At the time, the kind of modern kickstand I envisioned just wasn’t available, so I decided to design my own. That’s what started my journey to develop the CycleStand Precision: The Two-Click Planetary Kickstand. As a self-taught engineer, I taught myself Fusion 360 to model this concept, working without sketches and spending a lot of time on each step to get the components in place. My goal was to assemble everything in CAD to show how a modern kickstand could work, even though the design isn’t complete. Now, I’m ready to hand it over to professional design engineers to refine and finalize. This Instructable shares my process of creating this concept in Fusion 360, and I’d love feedback from the community as I move to the next stage!

The kickstand uses a planetary gear system, opposite winding springs, and a telescopic mechanism to provide stability, adaptability, and a user-friendly two-click operation. The CAD files show the core functionality with a modern aesthetic, but they need professional engineering to optimize the design for manufacturing. I’ve filed a patent application for this design (US20160311483A1, available here), and I’ve chosen the NONE (ALL RIGHTS RESERVED) license for this Instructable to retain full control over my content while sharing my journey and seeking feedback.

Materials and Tools

1. CAD Software: Autodesk Fusion 360
2. Computer: For running Fusion 360
3. Learning Resources: Online tutorials and forums for Fusion 360 (e.g., YouTube, Autodesk forums)
4. Inspiration: A modern bicycle that needed a matching kickstand

I began by identifying the issues with my bicycle’s traditional kickstand: it was hard to deploy and had visible springs that detracted from its appearance. I wanted a kickstand with a modern look, easy to use with a two-click operation, and adaptable to different terrains. My idea was to incorporate a planetary gear system for locking, hidden springs for smooth retraction, and a telescopic tube for adjustability. I set a goal to model this concept in Fusion 360, focusing on placing all the components to demonstrate how it would work, even though the design wasn’t fully detailed or complete.

With no prior CAD experience, I taught myself Fusion 360 through online tutorials and trial-and-error. I didn’t use sketches—instead, I built each component directly in 3D, which was time-consuming but allowed me to visualize the parts in space. I learned how to create bodies, assemble components, and render my design, spending hours on each step to get the shapes and placements right. It was a slow process, but it helped me understand how the kickstand’s parts would interact in a modern design.

The heart of my modern kickstand is the planetary gear system, which locks the kickstand in place. I modeled the ring gear, planet gears, and a pawl gear for one-way locking, building each part directly in 3D without sketches. I also added opposite winding springs to balance forces and ensure smooth retraction. This step took a lot of time—I had to adjust the gear sizes and spring shapes repeatedly to make sure they fit together. The exploded view below shows the components I’ve placed so far, giving a sense of how the mechanism will work, though it’s not fully detailed yet.

Next, I assembled the gears and springs in Fusion 360, adding a linkage to create the two-click operation. This mechanism controls the pawl gear, allowing the kickstand to deploy or stow with two clicks. I also started modeling the telescopic tube for adjustability. I spent a lot of time aligning the parts to make sure they moved correctly, even though the design isn’t complete.

To demonstrate how the kickstand will look when not in use, I modeled it in its stowed position. I focused on placing the telescopic tube and giving it a sleek red-and-white design to match the modern aesthetic I wanted for my bicycle. I haven’t fully modeled the locking features (like the clothespin catch and latch) yet, but I positioned the components to show the compact form factor. The image below shows the kickstand in its stowed form, illustrating the modern concept even though it’s not a finished design.

My goal with this Fusion 360 model was to put all the components in place to show how a modern kickstand will work: a two-click operation for ease of use, a planetary gear system for stability, and a telescopic mechanism for adaptability, all with a sleek, modern look. Now that I’ve reached this stage, the design needs professional design engineering to refine the gear tolerances, spring dimensions, and locking features, and to optimize it for manufacturing. I’m planning to collaborate with a precision engineering firm to create a functional prototype and test the mechanism. I’d love feedback on how to improve the concept or tips on preparing my CAD files for professional engineers!