Talk to me about folding bikes

[tellyho]

I'm in Braintree and have a Raleigh Twenty that I need to move along. I enjoyed it, but it needs a new home. Not as light or compact when folded as a more modern folder, but price would be right.

Edit: Mostly un-original. I updated all parts (built wheels, modern crank, etc). Still not light, but not a tank.

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by lafish

We owned a Bike Friday New World Traveler (or something like that) for a number of years. Took it to France and had a great time, took it to Kauai, ditto, and I rode it as a normal bike around Marin County for many miles. As a travel bike, as a normal bike, it’s great. I don’t think that model was meant to be a quick-fold take it on the train sort of bike, but their design, their workmanship and their customer service are all top notch.

This is the model I had as well. Mine had 7 speed derailer AND 3 speed internal hub which gave a very wide range of gears. I agree that it wouldn't be ideal to carry very far but it could be fine if all a rider needs is to fold it small enough to lift on/off a train. Is there a clear standard for max size of carry-ons for your trains?

[NHAero]

Originally Posted by tellyho

I'm in Braintree and have a Raleigh Twenty that I need to move along. I enjoyed it, but it needs a new home. Not as light or compact when folded as a more modern folder, but price would be right.

Edit: Mostly un-original. I updated all parts (built wheels, modern crank, etc). Still not light, but not a tank.

I took about 10 pounds off mine years ago, with crank, wheels, brakes, bars, stem, seat post, pedals, and fenders. I think it's about 27 pounds now.

[weisan]

I have commuted to work for several years, nothing hardcore like some folks here - anything more than 10 miles one way is hardcore to me.

I have several foldies and commuter-ready bikes but for the most part, I have used most extensively both my Brompton, and an old classic steel road bike that I have converted to 650b wheels to use fatter tires (650bx38mm). They both have their pros and cons and tradeoffs.

The key word is tradeoff.

Nothing is perfect, you gotta decide what comes first in terms of priority, what matters the most to you and make concessions on those that don't.

To some people who commute relative long distance and use it as a training session, what matters most might be a bike that rides just as nice or close to what they ride on the weekends.

To some people who carries a lot of stuff, then obviously the ability for the bike to ride stable and balanced with panniers or bags in front or the rear or both is important.

No matter what you decide, the obvious concepts are:

1) The fitter you are or the more experienced rider you are - obviously you gonna "enjoy" the commute more.

2) Having said that, not every ride has to turn into a world championship...no, no...for some people who likes to smell the roses and take their time, a FUN bike is more important than a fast bike.

The Brompton is what i would call a FUN bike.

June 3, 1976
In 1976 Andrew Ritchie founded the company, named after the Brompton Oratory, a landmark visible from his bedroom workshop where the first prototypes were built....

The guy who invented or started the company Brompton and has put it through many iterations of improvements and customer feedback loops...guess what - they pretty much had it down and figured it out, you don't have to second guess or question its validity or design as a commuter bike. I can tell you right off the bet, they have perfected it.

It's super easy to ride, super stable, the whole idea about folding it small and pack it away, getting it on and off a train or other public transportation, designing a bag to go with the bracket at the front for easy access, and a breeze to latch on, take off but more importantly when it's loaded up with a heavy laptop, books, lunch box, you name it...the bike rides as it should, stable and doesn't affect the handling in a negative way.

As always, you can't compare a Brompton to a regular road bike or mountain bike. Apples and Oranges. But there's a cult following in Japan and various places where folks would ride their Bromptons over long distances and that's fine, if they want to do it, more power to them. In one or two occasions, I missed one of my trains due to a technical issue and I had to haul my a$$ across town to get home on my Brompton and rode longer and further than I like....it got me home, no problem!


The biggest benefit I get out of commuting by bike is by not being sucked into the daily traffic grind and thus arriving at my destinations at a better mental / physical state and how that affects the rest of my day and my relationships.

Last piece of advice - at the end of the day, your wife just have to give it a go and see if she likes it. We can give all the advice we want but until someone actually try it, they wouldn't know if they like it. And do allow for a transition period, don't just make up your mind at the first attempt, do it for a month or so, make the necessary adjustments along the way, learn from your lessons, in your heart, you will know if this is something for you. If not, there's no shame, at least you try it, isn't life about trying everything and leaving no regrets on the table?






1253184275021-e9lzghr5uoy4-18d085b by Wei San Hui, on Flickr

[benb]

Berm Peak has had some neat Bromptom videos lately.

You see people do enough riding exploits on them that I'd think if one was handling badly it might not be set up right.

Also Bromptons when folded can be rolled along like a carriage on the little auxiliary wheels which can at least avoid some of the carrying.

Does your wife already have significant bike commuting experience? I have never had a folding bike but you are talking 16 miles of total biking per day in the Boston area. If you are really jumping into doing it 100% of the time that is significant mileage with a bunch of hurdles.

- 8 miles is going to require a shower unless a lot of care is taken for significant portions of the year here, you need to make sure that is available, and then showering adds a bunch of time and logistics. If the route is really flat that would help avoid having to shower

- It will require a pretty extensive bike wardrobe to make it work most of the year as it's definitely pushing the distance to ride in street clothes on top of sweating through the street clothes

- That's enough distance carrying a backpack on the bike is going to be annoying if it has to have the street clothes in it or work supplies like a notebook computer

- Does the folding bike take a basket well if you want to get the backpack off your back? How does it handle having a basket when you go to fold it?

I don't go 16 miles, my commute is about 10 miles round trip, I have been doing it a fair amount this fall, about 2/3 of the time. I can do it in my street clothes and if I'm really careful I can avoid getting too sweaty. I don't have to deal with anything multi-modal though, so I don't have to deal with a folding bike. I just ordered a basket though, as wearing a backpack makes it significantly harder to avoid getting your shirt sweaty, even if it's in the 50s.

I commuted into Cambridge one year off and on for work, a lot of places around Boston are pretty hard-core to ride. There are a lot more bike lanes than 12 years ago when I did it but it's still a bit hair-raising.

Not sure what shops are near you but Cycleloft in Burlington carries folding bikes, they always seem to have some Bromptons, they might have others too.

[pinkshogun]

I wouldnt discount the offerings from companies like Dahon. they make a decent product which can be found used for $100 or less

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by pinkshogun

I wouldnt discount the offerings from companies like Dahon. they make a decent product which can be found used for $100 or less

Great suggestion, Pink. Maybe she can buy a $100 Dahon to see how she likes the whole concept, make a list of desired improvements she would like in her equipment and techniques before (maybe) making a bigger investment. She might also conclude that she can't even imagine anything that would make the whole idea appealing to her. You can probably sell the Dahon for what you paid.