Best stowaway bikes for cruisers??

[Sailingmartin]

As I sit on our pontoon here in Lagos, Portugal, with a bunch of experienced live aboard cruisers, I count about eight boats with people on board. There are four Bromptons (one electric), a couple of Dahons, a couple of full sized bikes on a catamaran and a couple of other folders of indeterminate makes. That about sums up a lot of people’s choices!

[chrisboat]

I agree with Strida. So light and rust resistant. Have carried one for 9 years. Jut keep in mind if you are Caribbean cruising you will seldom use a bike at all. It is mostly too dangerous to ride the roads due to traffic.

[Amapola]

We've had both Dahon fold-up bikes and small motor bikes. We got rid of both due to lack of use. We found walking or taking cabs/public transportation preferable.

[Dr.No]

My Montague Paratrooper, while expensive, is a fully functioning, lifetime mountain bike with 26” wheels. No one even thinks that it is a folding bike. Additional folding pedals help storage in the V-berth. Cheers!

[Karimo]

I bought this Jupiter electric folding bike with a Schwinn trailer for grocery shopping and beach trips. The bike was $500 and the trailer $100. They both fold down to a dimension of less than 20" and slide right into my front sail locker.

The electric assist on the bike is convenient but really a plus when the trailer is loaded.

The solution gets us by without needing any car rides for 3 months now!

[gonesail]

the full sized montague folding bikes are the only ones that are practical if you are covering more than a few miles. speaking from experience

[BoatBumm]

I have a folding Schwinn that I’ve put a lot of miles on. I originally bought it at a Canadian Tire store but they’re commonly sold in the USA too. It has a nice 7 speed rear derailleur with a really low low for hill climbing. Good brakes. It’s main feature is a sturdy rear luggage rack that is integral to the frame, which is the main reason I bought it. No cheap flimsy clamp-on racks. I was able to find a small pair of panniers to fit. It’s amazing the loads I’ve successfully carried on that bike. I’m a big guy too, 6’3” and pushing 250 at my worst. The frame and rims are rustproof alloy. The wheels are a common 20” size - good for riding and tires are commonly available. My only complaint is that the original storage bag was made to just barely fit the bike. It was quite the struggle to get the bike back into the bag. Plus that bag did not hold up strapped to the coach roof. I finally stitched up a slightly larger replacement out of more durable cover vinyl - problem solved. And that bike cost just over $100Can. Highly recommended as an economical practical folding bike.

[COOGOR]

Anyone having a foldable bike with belt drive? I would like to avoid greasy chains...

[RELENTLESS 1]

Montague - the Alston model - has 7 speeds inside the hub, belt drive, full size folds up easy and with the bag none of the cables etc. catch on things. No one mentioned this but we put the 'thorn guards' inside the tires to protect the tubes so it is nearly impossible to get a puncture riding on trails etc. We prefer the full size bikes, much more comfortable and maneuverable on the cobbles and trail ruts.

[COOGOR]

Had a quick look at it - wow! Almost full size wheels, cargo rack etc...nice...and a nice price tag :-)



https://www.montaguebikes.com/product/allston/

[mattyc]

Fuji Folding MTB's are a great option. Full size 26" wheels, Shimano components, fold up in seconds. I have 2 for sale in the classified section of cruiser's forum.

[Happ]

I have a Back Bay mfg by AMC. It was $400. It folds down to about 30’ x 30” x 8”. It is on 20” wheels and weighs 22 lbs. It came with a rack that can hold about #13. While it has 7 speeds I almost never get out of 6th speed on flat land. It’s my daily rider at home. If you need to go to a store that is a mile or two away it is great. If you want to ride around town it is great. There are only 2 drawbacks that I’ve seen in 4 years. The first is the 20” wheels makes it a bit more unstable. Meaning you can’t ride it no hands. LOL! The other is #22 is a bit heavy. If you do go and get a bike make sure you get a cover for it. It will last a lot longer.

[CarinaPDX]

I bought a Brompton while in Europe and put thousands of miles on it in the Med in daily use. If you are on a small boat or are planning on going ashore with the bike in a dinghy or lifting off the boat (never store a bike off the boat or you won't have it long) the small folded size makes the Brompton the top choice. Here in the US I ride it to a store, fold it up, put it in a shopping cart and take it inside with me - no worries about theft. The Brompton folds smaller than any other popular folder, while unfolded the geometry is near the same as a full-size bike. Beware other small folders as they are really kids' bikes and are very hard to ride.

I have recently added a Swytch electric motor kit and really like it. It provides a nice boost but is not enough to pull me up a hill without pedaling. If I were buying new I would buy an electric Brompton, and for those with a Brompton I recommend adding a motor - it is great fun. I had previously put a Mountain Drive planetary gear in the bottom bracket, giving me a near perfectly-spaced 6 gears; I have been very pleased with it. However, with the motor a 3-speed is all that is needed.

There have been a couple of comments about wearing them out and needing repairs, and parts being difficult to find. Bromptons, like every other bike, do need maintenance including occasional replacements (e.g. tires, cables, brake pads). That is only because they get used a lot. Well, 16 inch tires do wear out sooner than 27 inch tires but otherwise not any different from any other. Just as with other items on a boat you should carry a spares kit that includes likely replacement parts, and never assume that a local store will have what you need. I don't see this as a disadvantage. Also, it really helps to know how to adjust and maintain a bike.

When I returned home I rebuilt my Brompton. I had the local seller replace the hinge pins in the bare frame as they were showing wear. I upgraded the brakes and headset, and replaced all of the cables. There are numerous small changes that I made over time to better fit the bike to my needs. But the basic frame and such has been robust. I also rebuilt my old '80s Trek touring bike with upgraded components - other than the folding hinges they were similar efforts that will eventually be needed with any well-used bike.

Greg

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Inanna

STRIDA, very light, folds a bit long but very narrow, all alum and ss, disk brakes, no grease, rubber belt, no chain. No corrosion, once you get used to it its very handy. Have had two for almost ten years, use a lot, no repairs. No good for mountain biking

Originally Posted by chrisboat

I agree with Strida. So light and rust resistant. Have carried one for 9 years. Jut keep in mind if you are Caribbean cruising you will seldom use a bike at all. It is mostly too dangerous to ride the roads due to traffic.

Originally Posted by COOGOR

Anyone having a foldable bike with belt drive? I would like to avoid greasy chains...

Read above. I had one in Alameda for the year I was there outfitting. Then took it to Mexico, for 3 years. It was super simple. Assemble in 30 seconds and disassemble in 20 seconds. I learned to buy higher end./higher pressure tires for it. It was unique looking and allowed me to start conversations with the locals.

[markiobe]

For us the primary purpose for bikes isn’t as a utility it’s for exercise, training and travelling. For that reason we want proper road/gravel bikes and are having our boat built with the area that would usually be an aft cabin (in a catamaran) as a bike ‘garage’. The bikes are carbon and so they’re not bothered by the environment and are light, ~8-9kg.

There will be a big hatch from the cockpit to be able post the bikes through to avoid having to take them though the boat and a door from inside the hull to be able to access the garage for maintenance etc. I’m guessing this wouldn’t be too difficult to back-engineer into an existing boat if you wanted to.

Could live without our bikes!!