Best Folding Bicycles?

[Microship]

Hey Capt Sully...

Originally Posted by ssullivan

He he... good creative thinking, Steve. Just perused your Blog a bit and enjoyed the passages I read. Now I think I know what was so cool about your old bicycle days... the *story*. You tell a good one. I enjoyed reading your account of things I tend to take for granted. It puts them in a different light.

Thank you... most appreciated!

Originally Posted by ssullivan

PS: I'd be glad to help with any Link 10 issues. Got mine working perfectly. You do have to do bit of an "advanced setup" to get them accurate.

Ah, I haven't poked around much in there. (Not to hijack this thread, of course, though in my life, electronics and bicycles are kind of a single topic.) I lost confidence in the Link when it kept forgetting the AH rating of the batts, and haven't explored the advanced setups. Will do!

Cheers and thanks again for the kind words,
Steve

[roverhi]

bikefriday.com. Bike Friday make folding bikes that ride like big bikes but fold into a suitcase or softbag. These are not cheap bikes but they do ride very well. I've got their New World Tourist (NWT) and love it. The NWT is their touring version with slightly wider BMX type rims, attachment points for racks and usually a straight bar. These are custom bikes so can be set up with almost wheel, bar, shifting type that you can imagine. They usually have a 9-10 speed rear gears with conventional deraileur shifting. Additional gearing comes with either 2-3 chain ring crank or a 3 speed rear hub for up to 30 total gears. That many gears may seem like overkill but wait till you want to make a 2 mile climb with loaded panniers and then zoom down the backside. They have number of models from a rear geared only base model, super lightweight skinny tired racing bikes, to their titanium seat beam suspension bikes as well as tandems, tridems and recliners. If you are a riding enthusiast, the suitcase can be turned into a trailer. Check the bike as luggage on the airplane. At your destination, unfold the bike, put the wheels on the suitcase and ride off into the sunset. I actually like the suitcase trailer for boat duty as it's a way to carry even large and heavy stuff using the bike.

Ditched my full sized mountain bike soon after I bought the NWT. I rode the NWT almost exclusively till it moved to the boat. They are not super quick folding like a commuter bike (they do make one of those called the Tikit). It takes about 10 minutes, with practice, to disassemble and fold the NWT to its smallest size to fit in the suitcase. They fold in a minute or two if you just want to put it into the soft carrying bag, however.

I've ridden as long as four hours on mine. Comfortable as my touring bike, and covered about the same distance as I would have on the full sized bike. There's a guy riding around the world on one and believe they've done triathlons and coast to coast rides, as well. I commute by air to my boat and used to rent a car while I was there. Found I didn't use the car all that much and was wasting the money. Now, I take a taxi from the airport to the boat, unfold the bike and ride anywhere I care to go while I'm there. Saved me the cost of the bike in a year.

No bike will last if left on deck exposed to the elements. Even on very high end, all alloy bikes, some parts have got to be steel like axles. I know, you can get titanium axles but cost is way up there, about the cost of a complete bike just for the titanium bits. The alloys used in bikes are not marine alloys so will corrode and dissimilar metal corrosion is especially prevalent. If you expect to sail with the bike lashed to the life lines, buy cheap and be prepared to throw them away regularly. I keep the Bike Friday in it's bag stowed in a cockpit locker when cruising. Also carry it ashore in the soft bag in the dinghy to ward off spray. If you have a large boat and the room to store the suitcase, more the better. The suitcase actually has a rubber seal that is semi-water tight. I've sprayed mine down with a hose and no water has gotten inside. Haven't done much cruising with dinghy trips ashore, but storing the bike on deck when I'm on the boat at the marina and packing it away in the suitcase when I'm gone has worked out great. No signs of corrosion after 2 years of it living on the boat.

Aloha
Peter O.

[Zephyr's Aura]

I have the Dahon Mariner D7 (20 inch), 2008 (KA072M) and have been very pleased. No corrosion issues so far and I’ve been using it for 3 years. Still looks brand new. I usually wipe it down with Corrosion-X http://www.corrosionxproducts.com about once a month.

Tim

[jaga]

Originally Posted by Minggat

Check out the Giant halfway model. I bought 2 pairs of them in Taiwan. One pair was was steel frame and the other aluminum. Really nice bikes. Maybe a little hard to find here.

I too have two Giant Halfway's, bought here, and love them. Both are aluminum, and one took an unexpected dip in the marina, but is still going strong. I've often taken them on 20 mile round trip rides and found them very comfortable - I'm 6'2 and my wife is 5'4" and they worked well for both of us.

HOWEVER, the best bike is one you will actually ride. Try hard to try it out (and more than just a loop around the parking lot) before purchasing.

Scort

[bottleinamessage]

Personally, I think Dahon's are crap! I've had 4 (slow learner). The bike I think I like is the Strida. No chain (belt) and other superior aspects.

[Steve Rust]

Originally Posted by Oceansandmts

Montague full size folding bikes ride about as well as a "real" bike, fold to about half size. I can fit two folded Montague 18 speed hybrids under the berth in the bow of my 32'er. I had a Dahon which I sold because I think the Montague folding and locking detail is much better. Folding Bicycles and Folding Bike Accessories by Montague

I have a Montague 18 speed folding bike and and I also think it is very good product. I just don't find any of the small wheel folding bikes acceptable for any serious riding, not to mention they look a bit silly. Cheapest place for Montague and Dahon folders I have seen is Bikesarecool.com - Dahon bikes and Montague bicycles are sure to please

[maxlev]

I have a Di Blasi folding bike and am happy with it. 7 gears to choose from, lights and small carrier standard. They do a stainless version (R24S) but only the steel (R24P) was available down under.

http://www.diblasi.us/Folding_Vehicl...rodotto&Lng=en

[fastcat435]

We have been using the Strida aluminium bike , 9 kilo or 20 lbs in weight made from alloy and plastic. a belt drive , no oil or chain and good for a 10 mile trip
after 3 years of experience we now place them as standard equipment on our FastCats
Greetings
Gideon

S T R I D A folding bike "a whole new way to move"

[bobnlesley]

...Does anyone have suggestions for good folding bicycles?...

The cheapest you can find; that way when you're sick of carting it around and barely using it, you won't feel bad about abandoning them on the quayside (our first went in London, the other in Southern Spain)

[dickj]

Originally Posted by fastcat435

We have been using the Strida aluminium bike , 9 kilo or 20 lbs in weight made from alloy and plastic. a belt drive , no oil or chain and good for a 10 mile trip
after 3 years of experience we now place them as standard equipment on our FastCats
Greetings
Gideon

S T R I D A folding bike "a whole new way to move"

We have just returned 2 strida bikes. I am over 6ft 3 inches and could not get my knees under the handle bars. Also they are no use for going up hill as the main belt drive / crank bends under load. When I checked the instructions it said not to stand up on the pedals! This does limit where you can take a bike that is not fitted with any gearing .

Regards

Dick

[roverhi]

Looking at a lot of the bikes, especially the Strada, the riding position is suitable for only casual riding. They seem to have the seat way below the handlebar height. Fine if you are just going a block or two and want to sit up and be noticed. It's a poor body positioning to make proper use of your bodies musculature, however. To get additional muscle groups involved in the pedaling process (get more power to the pedal and spread the workload) you need to be leaning forward. That gets the large muscles of the upper leg, buttocks and lower back involved. Not only does it get more power to the pedals but makes it less tiring to pedal. You don't need to be in an extreme racer tuck to get benefit but should have some forward lean, at the least. Leaning forward is also way easier on the back as bumps in the road don't get translated as vertical forces on the vertebrae. As should be obvious, the more forward you lean, the less frontal area and drag. Easier to pedal into a headwind. A tail wind is an entirely different story.


Also, your legs should be fully extended at the bottom of the pedal stroke. It makes for way less strain on the knees. In my case, getting the seat height right for my leg length eliminated nagging knee pain.

Aloha
Peter O.

[ssullivan]

Peter - you sold me!


Your bike sounds perfect... until I went to the site and saw the cost. I suppose you get what you pay for.

[Sandero]

And then you are paranoid riding such an expensive bike. I would like a nice folding bike or two as well. As far as leaning forward goes, it IS a better position, but it means you bend your head back and this can be a problem if you have problems in your neck vertibra etc. I found this to be the case so I need to find a bike where I the bars are higher and I sit more upright, or else it's not comfortable. I also find it is safer because your vision is better and when you are leaning forward.

I only want the bikes for a range of a few miles and perhaps with the ability to carry or tow some supplies back to the boat. I see the bike as a extension of the dinghy function for cruisers and secondarily for pleasure biking.

[forsailbyowner]

We purchased two Gmc Danali bikes from walmart. Theyre go fast bikes with aluminum frames rims and hardware for only $150 apiece . Ive always rode racing bikes and find mountain bikes heavy and slow. The danali is full size but with the rims off they fit in the quarter berth while underway. One thing Ive tried that works is a when I put them up I lightly coat all threads and ferrous parts with sewing machine oil then spray the whole bike down with silicone. They still look like new after a year. The silicone does a good job of keeping the salt off the surfaces, I also use it on the dinghys outboard and inside the cowling it looks absolutely new. The bikes are our only land transport and they go thousands of miles a year.

[james3]

Does anyone has a Montague Paratrooper? I really love this bike as it is done but I'm a afraid that it is a little bit too big once folded too, anyway should be a good deal price/quality since it's designed for paratrooper US use