makingmark

So I have a Brompton M3L and like it a lot. Except for one thing. It's a pain to lug around folded. Too heavy.

To get to my desk, I have to walk a fairly long distance from the outside, and through security gates. (My office building is in something of a mall complex). Wheeling the bike unfolded is not an option - they don't allow non-folding bikes inside (and unfolded bikes count as that). I could wheel the bike by unfolding the handlebars, but it's not an attractive option to me. It makes me too "big". I take up too much space in the elevators. This is New York City, so there's a lot of people around. I'd like to be as unobtrusive as possible.

So I'm starting to wonder whether a Tikit or a Curve would be a better option. What I need to know is:

a) for Tikit owners, is it comfortable to wheel around folded? (I'm not even sure if it's possible, but possible isn't good enough. It has to be comfortable). I.e. you don't have to bend your body significantly, exert a lot of effort to keep the bike balanced. Relevant details - I'm 5'6". I'd say the distance I'd be wheeling the bike is about 100 yards.

b) for Curve owners, can the bike be wheeled comfortably when it is folded except for having the seat up?

Let me define "comfortable" a bit further - you can walk with a normal gait, not focusing much on the bike. In other words, like wheeling a carry-on suitcase. It's arguable, I know, but I don't feel the Brompton meets this criteria, because the handlebars, by not being straight up and down, and also by being wide, take up a lot of space. Using the seat as a handle doesn't work because then the package is not locked together.

Folder Fanatic had suggested putting the bike on a luggage cart - an inventive idea, but I tried it, it takes up too much width of space, along with the extra hassle of the cart.

I've also thought about a Titanium Brompton, but it's just not a significant weight savings @ 2 lbs. (The 3+ pounds that you appear to save on stock bikes is also because of different equipment, e.g. 2 speed deraileur instead of 3 speed hub, lighter tires that are more puncture prone).

And by the way, I've thought of the Strida or Mobiky. Not desirable because they're not, in my mind, close enought to be being real bikes.