Folding Bycycles

[Ru88ell]

I have a Mezzo D9 (9sp Shimano deraileur). I've cycled many miles on it as a serious rail/cycle traveller. Folded it's a bit bigger than a Brompton, but much faster. I feel that the components are better quality, yet the bike costs less.

 

[wotayottie]

any advice ?

best makes

Bike in a bag ??

You know the answer really - the Brompton is the best, folds smallest, rides well, is much better quality than any others I have seen and is British. But it is silly money both new and second hand so most people buy something cheap and made in the far east.

 

[starboard]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q6J48kzw4w

 

[Sybarite]

any advice ?

best makes

Bike in a bag ??

I read of somebody who advocated normal bikes but taking the wheels off on the boat. Store frames on deck and wheels in a bag in the lockers (or v-v). A cheaper solution and a better ride once there.

 

[Sybarite]

I have said it time and time again and have one that has been incredibly and handled anything.

If you want more than your average folding then you cannot beat this I promise. They are slightly bigger but not that much bigger..

http://www.montaguebikes.com/2010-mountain-folding-bikes/

What about this?

http://www.nycewheels.com/brompton-electric-bike.html


Or, for boat launching?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fMeWv6QTpk&feature=watch_response_rev

 

[Dockhead]

I read of somebody who advocated normal bikes but taking the wheels off on the boat. Store frames on deck and wheels in a bag in the lockers (or v-v). A cheaper solution and a better ride once there.

I was leaning that way myself, until I actually rode some of the recent small-wheel bikes. Some of them ride like high performance road bikes, and the smaller wheels make a vast difference in stowability, not to mention the folding frames.

In any case, I would not want to carry any bike components on deck -- they will not last long that way, and they will be in the way. And cause windage.

Some people go on about how expensive Bromptons are, but that is really not a lot of money for a decent bike, folding or not. Somewhat off-putting about Bromptons is that they are priced like an upper-middle class road bike, but they have rather low end components, not corresponding to that price level. But any of the higher end Terns, Birdies, Bike Friday, or Dahons cost a lot more than a Brompton. If you want a really good bike, folding or not, it will cost you a couple grand or more.

 

[arfa]

a word of caution

I have been a happy user of dahons.
Until i hit a pothole and heard a crunch on the bike. I stopped checked it over and could identify no problem. Unfortunately i had damaged the folding lock, which being right in the middle of the bike, had borne the brunt of the pothole impact.
A few days later, the bike decided to unlock when turning left in traffic. The front wheel went left, the back wheel carried on forwards. I had to dive for the pavement to escape the following van. I have not ridden a mid section fold up since and would argue that the brompton is a far better design, despite the cost

 

[vyv_cox]

I read of somebody who advocated normal bikes but taking the wheels off on the boat. Store frames on deck and wheels in a bag in the lockers (or v-v). A cheaper solution and a better ride once there.

As keen cyclists we used to carry our mountain bikes in bags on the quarter berth. Assembling them was tedious, especially for short trips. We have owned Bromptons for about ten years now, they ride nearly as well as our mountain bikes on the road but are far more useful. I can carry four slabs of 500 ml beer cans without a problem, impossible on a mountain bike. They assemble and fold in seconds, are far easier to lift on board and to stow.

 

[lenseman]

I have an Apollo from Halfords, 5-speed durallier, £139.99 in 2010 and when the pedals broke late last year, the foldaway bit just fell apart, I went to Halfords Gosport and they said they did not do spares for the Apollo!

I could fit standard pedals but that would defeat the foldaway facility.

I have yet to find a bike shop that sells foldaway pedals.

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

If you want a really good bike, folding or not, it will cost you a couple grand or more.

I am not normally one to shy away from paying a lot of money for something to get quality, but I just cannot agree with this comment.

"Really good" can only be used if you have a clear definition of what the item is "Really good" for!

We used our folding bikes often. In fact I will be going to the boat show every day on mine. They cost less than £400 new and they are "Really good".

 

[Stork_III]

I have an Apollo from Halfords, 5-speed durallier, £139.99 in 2010 and when the pedals broke late last year, the foldaway bit just fell apart, I went to Halfords Gosport and they said they did not do spares for the Apollo!

I could fit standard pedals but that would defeat the foldaway facility.

I have yet to find a bike shop that sells foldaway pedals.

Try Google lots available, ie Here.

 

[RobbieH]

Folding full suspension electric trike

I just fell completely in love with one of these ....

http://www.hpvelotechnik.com/presse/eurobike_neuheit_Elektrorad_Scorpion_fs_26_S_Pedelec_e.html

Now all I need is a bigger boat to put it in

 

[LadyInBed]

we have an Apollo Transition ally folding bike that does us.. light, fairly compact and seems well made

So do I, excellent bike, gearing just right.

 

[Burnham Bob]

It mauy have been YM or PBO but the test panel liked bike in a bag as a previous post pointed out. the low price meant that longevity wasn't an issue but there was no hint that it would clap out quicker than the others. there were no riding problems IIRC

so in terms of cash outlay it was seen as a great value choice

 

[ytd]

I have a $159 aldi folder which I store in its bag on the side of the sugar scoop. Tyres and tubes are junk. I got numerous flats from prickles until I replaced them. You need to true wheels, adjust gears and brakes and tighten everything up to get them rideable. 7 speeds shimano and a bit of alloy gear. It rides ok but still a bit small. But strong enough to stand on the pedals if you need to accelerate and it has a reasonable rack. Years ago I had an all alloy bickerton which was lighter but less stable at speed and so flexible you couldn't stand on the pedals. I only use a folder once or twice a season so not worth buying a good one. If I was going to do a lot of riding I think I would take my Mtb in a big bag on deck and assemble it in port.

 

[Cspirit]

For what it's worth, we have sailed for a few years with road race bikes stowed in bike bags on the passage berth - the boat is a Westerly Corsair and we tend not to use this berth for sleeping. The wheels are removed and the bikes then put in the bags. The process take around three minutes max per bike. The bikes are two of our old road bikes - not particularly high end - you could buy the equivalent new in the UK for around 600 pounds. I know that this solution would not suit most people, but if you want to go for a good long on-road ride, this is the answer, and if your boat is big enough, storage is not an issue. In my experience, folding bikes are great for short trips to the shops/chandlers, but I wouldn't choose to undertake a longer ride on one.

 

[interloper]

I was given a Dahon. I found that it was frustratingly slow and I could never get the gear shift mechanism adjusted so that the chain wouldn't rub. I quickly passed it along. I'd rather use an old mountain bike.

 

[Sailfree]

I carefully followed this thread as we seriously considered replacing our folding bikes with something better and was considering a mountain bike and just accept having to remove the front wheel and pedals and loosen handlebars to twist them straight BUT

at YC last weekend talking about the boat show one said he had bought a "Montague" folding bike and they are a full size "folding" mountain bike with 27gears, made in Switzerland - not cheap though.

They were at the boat show and yet another stand we missed (had I had access to a map and stand index anyone selling foldiong bikes would have been visited).

Anyone bought one /ridden one and can offer an opinion on them please.

They look so good I am surprised no one mentioned them in this thread.

While Monague are still likely to get our money I hope the exhibitor notices this thread and the other one "Boat Shows - missing an opportunity" as that exhibitor missed out on £1700 sale unless he is also the cheapest on the internet.

 

[Talbot]

......at YC last weekend talking about the boat show one said he had bought a "Montague" folding bike ............Anyone bought one /ridden one and can offer an opinion on them please........

I have a montague DX (no longer available, but similar to the paratrooper.

I had previously tried the standard cheapy folders - absolutely terrible for me(over 6ft and not light!!!) Kept on banging my knees.

The montague gives me what I wanted - a large frame bike that folds. It also has 26" wheels. This means of course that folding is not quite as simple as a dahon or similar. You have to take the front wheel off, but it is very quick to do, as all parts come with fast connectors and the bike has a great solid feel. I folds down so that length and width are similar to cheap folders, but the height is more. Good enough to be relatively easy in a dinghy.

One of the compromises is that the peddles are abit closer to the ground than would be the case on a normal bike - can be a bit embarrasing leaning into a tight corner and still peddling hard. The gearing and feel has more mountain bike than on-road, and it is probably never going to be the choice for a 90km ride, but as a bike for a boat for a large guy, or just someone wanting a large frame and bigger wheels than normal, but still wanting to stow in as small a space as possible - this should be at the top of the choice list.

 

[Cspirit]

If you are thinking of spending that much money, you could consider an Airnimal. Amongst the cycling fraternity, these are generally regarded are being the best folding bikes available. Not cheap though. See: http://www.airnimal.eu/