Folding bikes

We used Bromptons for a couple of years cruising (UK/Med) and they are great for a small boat as they fold so small and all the messy bits are inside the fold. We have cycled 20-30 miles several times with no problem, if a little slowly. Also one other thing not mentioned here is that the front bag/luggage system is superb and allows a lot of shopping/gas bottles etc to be carried with ease which we found really useful in a few places.
 
michaelchapman said:
Is there a folding bike suitable for some one my size - 6ft 4in?
Everyone I have tried is just far too small.
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I tried the normal folding bikes and found them to be unsuitable. I could have lived with the small wheels, but the small frame meant that my knees were banging the handlebars all the time.

I have bought a montague folding bike, which is a full size frame and 26" wheels, yet still folds. Recommended

http://www.montaguebikes.com/swissbike-x50-mountain-folding-bikes.html
 
GIANT Bike

michaelchapman said:
Is there a folding bike suitable for some one my size - 6ft 4in?
Everyone I have tried is just far too small.
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I too am blessed with the same ft and inches and find they all fit well on a Giant "Halfway"
all alloy , 6 speed twistgrip , 16 " wheels seconds to fold and really funky mono forks front and rear, sooo light ,streets ahead of the rusty pack ! recommended
 
bedouin said:
Given that the lightest serious folding bike on the market weighs only 7.9kg your's must be something rather special - I make it about 3kg :)

If you want a light, seemingly well made bike then the Urban Lite looks like a good choice (although I've not seen one in the flesh).

Otherwise, as another poster has pointed out, the Compass24 bikes are regarded as good value. They are made by Dahon but much cheaper.
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I had a diBlasi - weight 9.1kg.
The Trek weighs 4.6kg.

Hope that satisfies your query!!
 
We bought 2 Monty folding bikes in Cartagena in 2009, having left UK without bikes. They're a Spanish make, reasonably light and fold up nice and small to be stowed in the spare cabin (along with everything else....).:D

The bikes are aluminium framed with alloy wheel rims and 6 speed gears. We've ridden them for up to 10 miles at a time with no problems. They even survive being thrown in the marina, although all the cables needed oiling up after that incident.:)

Wouldn't be without them now, as they mean we can explore the shoreside of where we cruise to without wearing out the shoe leather. If you're aiming to anchor off for much of the summer, as we do, make sure that whatever you buy will go in the tender easily......
 
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After investigating this in much detail myself last year we bit the bullet and went for bromptons. They are not cheap but do fold very quickly and significantly smaller than most folders, and has been mentioned the luggage system is very good. For example I have used mine for fetching diesel to the boat from roadside service stations, with one 10l jerry bungeed to the rear rack and a second in the front luggage compartment. Word of warning if you do this though - be prepared for some very strange looks when people see you filling up a pedal bike!

Yes they are pricey but should last well. For those of you who are preparing for a trip in the near future, you may be able to buy one using the bike to work scheme which lets you save up to half the price and means when you're done you could easily flog the bike on ebay for more than you paid. It feels good to ride, and is no harder to pedal than my mountain bike. The clincher for us is that the brompton folded up just small enough to jam into the space under the aft berth, which any larger bike would not have fitted.

For those of you blessed with long limbs Brompton also offer extra long and telescoping seat posts as options, which may be worth a look at.
 
On a North Atlantic Circuit at the mo. Have looked into bikes all the way and am now think that folding bikes are a waste unless you are a casual, short distance cyclist. A standard mountain bike will twist sideways, have the pedals and wheels off in a few seconds longer than folding, and fit into a sail bag for passages. Regular oiling etc will keep them. I have just met a couple who modified a kite board bag for bikes.

With a proper bike I can go inland site seeing. just wish I 'd brought mine with me!
 
My tuppence worth

I bought two of these from Amazon. Might suit your purpose.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-M...TKF6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1295982187&sr=8-2

£110.68 delivered in UK. Alloy, no gears to go wrong or rust, only 10kg and carrybag included. Only downside perhaps is 16 inch wheels. Having said that they are fine for short runs.
I did a lot of research on my way to the decision to buying these and am happy with my choice.
CJ
 
'On a North Atlantic Circuit at the mo. Have looked into bikes all the way and am now think that folding bikes are a waste unless you are a casual, short distance cyclist.'

I am not a casual short distance cyclist and have a top end touring bike also. The six speed Bromptons can be cycled fairly long distances in comfort and can carry lots of stuff. We used them lots over 3 years with no problems and we still choose to ride them quote often now we are back home also. I thought we would sell them but they are just too practical/useful.
 
As keen cyclists we began by carrying mountain bikes aboard, but space dictated that wheels were removed from each before stowing them in purpose made bags in the quarter berth. This became tedious in time and the two bikes occupied much-needed space.

So we bought two cheap folders in Italy, aluminium frames, three gears, smallish wheels. They occupied less space but were dreadful to ride, even with our reasonable cycling fitness we struggled to do more than a couple of miles.

So we sold them and bought Bromptons around seven years ago. They have proved to be excellent, as comfortable to ride as the mountain bikes, fold to a very small size. Many Dutch commuters take them on the train to ride the last distance to work and we have done the same when cruising, taking them on buses as if they were suitcases. Originally we only bought one shopping bag but it was so useful that we bought a second one last year.
 
Apart from use on trains/buses/taxis which we also did from time to time we also found it useful to be able to fold them up and put in a shopping trolley instead of locking up outside. We did not do this very often but there were a few places where we did not feel comfortable leaving them outside. Also avoids having to carry a large heavy lock everywhere.
 
We have two lightly used DiBlasi s/s folders already out in the Ionian. Thinking of selling them as we don't use them much. Easier to hire a 'real' bike locally at rock bottom prices unless you are a regular cyclist.
 
On board we have two folding 'birons' which were ancestors to the Dahons, which we bought cheap from someone swallowing the anchor. V good and reliable, they have a huge advantage of lightness, which matters. We stow them below in bags, and haul them through the forehatch when we want them. In practice they don't come out for less than 1 week in a place.

Brilliant for provisioning, sightseeing etc, though less good for longer distance and high temperatures.

In the UK we also have a dahon, used for local trips, particularly in London. Great little bike, but much harder work to ride any small-wheeled bike than a fullsized one. Five miles is about my limit before I need a break on a folding bike, rather than 10 miles on a big one.

Absolutely worth having on board though.
 
Any bike you like, for a price

If you have a bike you like, or are getting a new one and have a bit of money spare, you can have any bike made foldable using S&S couplings.

http://www.sandsmachine.com/

http://www.kinetics.org.uk/html/s_s.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_Torque_Coupling

Etc, go look in google. They're used by all sorts of bike enthusiasts who want to take their prides all over the world. Apparently very effective, and high end cycle builders offer them. The biggest hurdle will then be your wheels, but if you're not using every berth aboard, these'll fit at the side of one.

Otherwise, grease your bike well and hang it from the davits!

p.s. Don't overlook steel bikes, far from being outdated, these are now becoming the frame of choice due to their superior comfort from the spring in the material as opposed to Al. Thinner tubes make for much prettier bikes too.
 
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Bikes

Ours are Dahon,6 gears and cost £300 each in jubilee year..when was that?2002...they are v chunky though with big wheels but ours is a big boat so plenty of storage....wouldnt be without 'em we fetch everything on 'em,water,fuel,lager for the lout,wine,the lot.
 
I used to have an old beat up folding bike that I never took on board (boat too small) in B.C. Canada. I just left it locked on the dock and rode it (on a bike trail) shopping five miles or so. In the Med I never needed a bike because the shops are so close to the harbours. I prefer to walk to the mom and pop shops or outdoor markets in the villages even if they are a bit more expensive (I enjoy the cultural experience), rather than to the big supermarkets, which are outside of towns usually.

Also, I'd rather rent a scooter for excursions - it's cooler and easier to ride a scooter on bumpy roads in the summer heat. Also, many roads in places like Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, are very narrow, hilly and the drivers don't look out for cyclists. You must be a very dedicated cyclist in my opinion to want to ride a bike in the Med.
 
tennisgirl1

If it helps at all we bought two compass bikes (which is really irrelevant to my point) and brought them out to Greece from UK we had to pay 17 pounds at the airport to transport them one way which was in 2006. Don't know if the rates have changed but they go as sports equipment and not your baggage allowance - we thought it was a bargain and never looked back. They are great to have to exploring around the islands forget the shopping!!!

Our yacht was a Dromor Apollo so we had a nice sugar scoop which housed the bikes folded up brilliantly and never impeded our transit on and off the yacht. Happy cycling.
 
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