Not as old lady-ish as I worried it may be. But they werent essential and so far, the stand has been working well for my 51" aluminum road bike. This is no fault of the seller. Again, that gets super expensive and I have to wonder is it worth it! There is a flaw though and it’s a fatal one, the bars are thin and the foam grip is nowhere near adequate to make it comfortable on your hands. One thing that bugged me was the time it takes them to dry and how they feel a little gross and sticky once wet. using it now and love it! Overall happy with the purchase ! And remember the brackets you bolt on have a certain orientation FlL,FR, RR, RL . Ideal with the 3.