Hi all. I've been looking into getting a folder for their ease of transport (as in fold and put in the trunk of my car). I'd like a model that allows me to sit as upright as possible with as little pressure on my arms as possible. I realize that such an upright position sacrifices pedaling efficiency (and more). Any suggestions as to a nice folder that would fit this bill. Thanks, Rich.

How tall are you?

How tall are you?
5' 10" (bit longer than average legs for my height)

How big is your trunk and how much do you want to spend? You may consider a Dahon or Downtube if you are only riding occasionally.

How big is your trunk and how much do you want to spend? You may consider a Dahon or Downtube if you are only riding occasionally.

Hi. I drive a Ford Focus Hatchback (I think that it will handle all of the folders fine). As far as cost, I'm probably willing to go to $1000 or so. Again, I'm looking for an upright - pressure off of the arms and neck riding position - if this is doable in a folder.

How about a Birdy?

You should be able to get a basic one for about $1,000 new. Less for second hand though they don't seem to depreciate as much as most bikes.

Comes with an adjustable comfort stem which should get you to a pretty upright position.

Full suspension, relatively light, durable, relatively small fold, good on the road, will handle off road better than most folders, lots of fun and comfortable to ride.

David

Hello!

A Strida puts you in a good, upright position...the kevlar belt also helps avoid grease stains in your car boot (sorry - trunk :D )...

Hmmmm, maybe something like a Montague Swissbike or a Dahon Matrix?

HTH,
TCS

If you ever want laid back as opposed to upright, there are always folding recumbents.

Wife rides in basically that position, and she can do 20 miles + on her Dahon Boardwalk D7 at age 62. She's 5'8" with fairly long legs. I am 6'3", so my 2005 S1 with the vertically adjustable handlebar stem, and short bar-ends, is a bit more comfortable for me.

Both of our folders fit easily in the the rear of our Toyota Yaris Liftback.

Hi all. I've been looking into getting a folder for their ease of transport (as in fold and put in the trunk of my car). I'd like a model that allows me to sit as upright as possible with as little pressure on my arms as possible. I realize that such an upright position sacrifices pedaling efficiency (and more). Any suggestions as to a nice folder that would fit this bill. Thanks, Rich.

All my folders allow me to sit upright pretty much except for the Dahon Piccolo which makes me lean a bit foward (but not too much like a road bike). I seem to excel in this position ever since I "retired" from my road bikes a few years back and prefer this position nowadays. My Brompton has a "M" type handlebars and my 2 Dahons have straight bars but are raised up higher than usual for my upright comfort. Just look to this Hi-Rise position offered by the choice of stem length, top tube length, and handlebars and you won't go wrong. Besides, I personally don't noticed any great resistance to speed by being more upright, just comfort in my neck, lower back, arms, hands, wrists, and fingers.

Hi all. I've been looking into getting a folder for their ease of transport (as in fold and put in the trunk of my car). I'd like a model that allows me to sit as upright as possible with as little pressure on my arms as possible. I realize that such an upright position sacrifices pedaling efficiency (and more). Any suggestions as to a nice folder that would fit this bill. Thanks, Rich.

A Bike Friday can be custom made for just about any riding position you want. Since you mention $1000 as a limit, later in the thread, you can get one of the lower end Bike Fridays in that range.

Dahons with adjustable height bars can be set with the handlebars much higher than I'd want them, Downtubes are probably similar in this respect, but then, I'm shorter than you, 5' 7" with not very long legs. If you can find a shop that carries Dahons, then you could see for yourself how high the bars will go. It might be possible, also, to modify one yourself using riser bars. It might compromise the fold, or affect safety in ways that aren't occurring to me at the moment. Just a thought.

Maybe a Swift with a long riser stem?

I would second the Strida suggestion, from the pics it sits you bolt upright. But I understand they are hard to get hold of?

Dahons might be not so straightforward, even thought some models' handlebar height is adjustable, since their bars are fairly far forward. So some leaning forward would still result.

You could look at the new Downtube Mini, the top tube is not all that long, so extending the handlebars to their max height will also make you sit up and beg.

Thanks for all of your input thus far. I'm going to check out some Dahons locally over the next week or two. It looks to me as if Bike Friday's approach may be the answer to some objectives. One - getting an upright seating position (it seems they will create anything you want more or less). Two - Getting a bike that can get you up some steep hills (as in one with many gears). I'm thinking that it would be nice to take this bike up for visits to my friends in rural areas and go for a ride, thus the need for a full range of gears - make sense? Three - Getting a well made bike. But....they are really, really expensive (big downside).....I can't check any out before ordering (although I think you can actually try them out and send them back for shipping costs). Does anyone know how the Friday Tourist (which looks the cheapest among them) fold up?...as easy as the 20" Dahons. Thanks again for your input, Rich.