Folding Bikes - So I did it. I bought a Twenty.

I bought my first folder, a Twenty off of ebay and now I'm waiting for it to be shipped. My plan is to take it to Europe at the end of the summer for a month-long tour. Problem is, I know almost nothing about bikes, except or what I've read. I want to upgrade the thing, but for little cost. What are my options?

Here's a picture:
http://i.ebayimg.com/24/!BNrwQbQBWk~$(KGrHgoOKi8EjlLmZdNYBJq2eyTV6!~~_12.JPG

I'm 6-1 and 220 pounds, so I wanted something sturdy. I'm guessing I'll need to put in a longer seatpost, but I that's about all I know.

If you get yourself a 27.2 shim, you can get yourself a 27.2x500 seatpost for it from Downtube.

If you get yourself a 27.2 shim, you can get yourself a 27.2x500 seatpost for it from Downtube.

Kewl...thanks for the heads up on that!

I am 6'-2" with a saddle to pedal dimension of around 38.75":eek: I have been working on getting a twenty, because of the price and the upgrades that are possible per Sheldon Brown and others.

Aaron:)

Excellent.

I have no need of a folder, yet.... if I get a good shot at one I'll probably buy one because they're so freekin cool.

Try some strong bmx rims. I've got some Sun Ryno Lites on my twenty and some Alienation Runaways on my tote cycle. I eBayed some of the rims and got the others off a bike at the police auction. Get them 36 holes and use your Raleigh's Sturmey Archer hubs. A local sike shop will build them for you if you can't drink much beer.

I was watching that one. Looks nice. I bought a DaHon Sunday instead. :)

Congratulations. You're now part of the "20" club.

As you may already know, the R20 has a loyal following and many have upgraded their old clunker into quite a capable ride.

But if you you want to upgrade your 20 for little cost, be prepared for a shock because you'll be spending a lot of money. To upgrade the bottom bracket to a modern one is an endeavor in and of itself. Someone could write a book on just that very topic.

Or you could do as I do: keep your bike relatively stock and enjoy and appreciate the bike as it is. Just don't expect to go very fast.

For the amount of money you would need to spend to make your R20 modern, you might as well spend all that on a Dahon or Brompton or Downtube.

Just my two bucks.

Congratulations. You're now part of the "20" club.

As you may already know, the R20 has a loyal following and many have upgraded their old clunker into quite a capable ride.

But if you you want to upgrade your 20 for little cost, be prepared for a shock because you'll be spending a lot of money. To upgrade the bottom bracket to a modern one is an endeavor in and of itself. Someone could write a book on just that very topic.

Or you could do as I do: keep your bike relatively stock and enjoy and appreciate the bike as it is. Just don't expect to go very fast.

For the amount of money you would need to spend to make your R20 modern, you might as well spend all that on a Dahon or Brompton or Downtube.

Just my two bucks.

New Brommie would cost me close to $2kusd equipped the way I want. I bet I can get a 20 upgraded to equivalent condition for half that. FWIW when I get on the upgrades are going to be saddle, rims and wheels to start.

Aaron:)

Or you could take the $1K and spend it on a $1K Dahon that will ride just as nice if not more and would have saved yourself the muss and fuss of going through all that upgrading.

Restoring a R20 is like people who restore old cars. It's not gonna be cheap and the end product wouldn't ride like the Toyota Camry you can purchase off the showroom. But then again, that's not the point.

So you're the one who outbid me at the end!

Congratulations...looks like a nice bike.

I ended up winning the one that finished yesterday...from the pictures, it looks like it may already have the BB updated...but we'll see.

Twenty2goaround, I bought the sibling to your bike, the green one listed just prior to yours. I asked the former owner for some history. He said "The bikes were my parents, the green one was my moms, it was purchased new in 1974. The odometer has 340 some miles on it which is accurate." I would surmise that yours was used in a similar fashion. Good luck in Europe.

Or you could take the $1K and spend it on a $1K Dahon that will ride just as nice if not more and would have saved yourself the muss and fuss of going through all that upgrading.

Restoring a R20 is like people who restore old cars. It's not gonna be cheap and the end product wouldn't ride like the Toyota Camry you can purchase off the showroom. But then again, that's not the point.

Dahon's don't fit me without modifications.

Aaron:)

If you get yourself a 27.2 shim, you can get yourself a 27.2x500 seatpost for it from Downtube.

Where do you order that seat post? The only one I can find on the Downtube site is a 30.4mm:wtf: IIRC the Twenty has a 28.6.

Aaron:)

You'll have to get in touch with Yan at Downtube. It's the stock seatpost for the Downtube Mini.

You'll have to get in touch with Yan at Downtube. It's the stock seatpost for the Downtube Mini.

Thanks...as soon as I get my hands on the twenty I will order a couple of them. I need one for my Raleigh Compact RSW too.:thumb:

Aaron:)

$1k? Oh no, what did I get myself into. Thanks for all your comments guys. Proud to be part of the club.

$1k? Oh no, what did I get myself into. Thanks for all your comments guys. Proud to be part of the club.Seems to me that you got a nice working, useable, classic folder that is worth upgrading as you go as you see fit.

I'm certainly not riding my folder for speed, but rather for convenience. Nothing wrong with that! :) Enjoy it.

Here's the seatpost I use:

http://www.niagaracycle.com/product_info.php?products_id=11949

I'm 6'4" but I have short legs, and this seatpost is just long enough.

About the $1k price tag- I did a pretty good upgrade for way less than that:

R20 frame, no fork: $20
Fork, headset: $50
Front Brakes: $12
SA 8-speed hub with drum brake: $80 (I was lucky on Craig's list)
rims: $45
spokes: $50
cables, chain, etc: $10
Bottom Bracket: $20
used crank: $5
Front hub: $10
Seat post: $25
tires, tubes: $20

Sum total: $347 (I maybe left a couple of things out).

If you just need a serviceable folder for short distances and not-too-steep hills, you'll probably just need brake pads and cables. The next thing I'd replace are the wheels. If you really want to go wild, add some more gearing options or high-pressure tires.

edit: forgot to list the handlebars, brake handles and stem- which I had in my junk box.

Squeazal,
Looks good to me...got pictures? ;):lol:

I have a 400mm post on my Compact RSW, and it barely does the job. Only color I could find at the time was black. Just like the idea of having an extra 100mm to play with:innocent:

Aaron:)

wahoonc,

Here's a couple of pics of the latest incarnation:

wahoonc,

Here's a couple of pics of the latest incarnation:

Sweet! Thanks:thumb:

Got out bid...AGAIN!:notamused:

Aaron:)

Twenty2goaround,

I received the bike yesterday. The box was all but destroyed but the bike was undamaged. That said, the bike was/is naaaaasty dirty, like it had been sitting for many years. Dried, gunky dirt and grease on any rotating component. The spokes and rims are shot for appearance purposes, but they still hold the tires and go round and round. All chrome was very pitted also. After reassembly and a quick test ride, everything worked. Anything needing oiling got oil, except for the cranks-it looks like I can (somehow) pour oil down the seat tube.

The hub dates the bike as a 1970 model.

It will need new grips, pedals, and brake pads for now. Probably some new cables next, along with a new seat and seatpost.

And for everyone who said the brakes on these bikes "need improvement," well...yup. Yeah, pretty bad, or good if you dislike the ability to stop. Pulling the brakes is like squeezing grease, with the equivalent stopping power. I filed the top layer of glaze off the pads, which didn't help. Much fun as long as I didn't really need to stop now or ten feet from now. Noticeable, almost excessive flex in the side pull Weinmanns. I don't remember my late 70's Raleigh ten speed being this bad, but then that was a long time ago and I was lighter.

Anyway, a very solid, stiff, beater bike. Way stiffer than an '06 Dahon D7 I test rode earlier.

Did you receive yours?

Nope. Incorrectly routed to Idaho. Still waiting.

Its in need of a Brooks B-66. Appropriate for the little brother to the Raleigh Sports!

Its came with stock steel wheels. When you put alloy on them, its a fast bike. Mine is currently set up as fixed gear but I hope to upgrade into a three speed fixed with the new Sturmey Archer fixed IGH S3X in the future.

Another one drinks the kool aid... :thumb:

Congratulations. You're now part of the "20" club.

As you may already know, the R20 has a loyal following and many have upgraded their old clunker into quite a capable ride.

But if you you want to upgrade your 20 for little cost, be prepared for a shock because you'll be spending a lot of money. To upgrade the bottom bracket to a modern one is an endeavor in and of itself. Someone could write a book on just that very topic.

Or you could do as I do: keep your bike relatively stock and enjoy and appreciate the bike as it is. Just don't expect to go very fast.

For the amount of money you would need to spend to make your R20 modern, you might as well spend all that on a Dahon or Brompton or Downtube.

Just my two bucks.

A Dahon or a Brompton can never be a Twenty and if one is judicious a nice build can be done for a very reasonable amount of money.

I have some mad skills and good resources so my builds tend to cost less than most but I would have to get pretty radical to spend $1000.00 on a Twenty... or any bike.

Forrest was built out of recycled parts save for the bb which cost me $15.00 and the tyres which were $30.00... I built and re-built my own wheels and re-tapped my bb to ISO and liked the look and function of the stock fenders so much I saw no point in replacing them with something lesser.

The fact I chose to build a fixed gear made the build much cheaper than if I had used a newer internal gear hub and my other Twenty uses it's stock 3 speed with a dual drive I fabricated very easily and cost effectively.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/forreststronglight2.jpg

Twenty2goaround,

Just wanted to do a followup on the bike. It cleaned up very nicely with chrome polish and fine steel wool. I had the front end serviced, which really improved the steering feel-no more binding. Some of the bearings were missing and the grease wasn't grease anymore. I also put new brake cables and pads on it. These items, along with steel wooling the rims, radically improved the braking performance. It stops pretty decently now, definitely usable and safe. The steel wool did not scratch any of the chrome.

Also found new/old pedals at a Western Auto. The original pedals were toast.

Given the condition of the grease and the missing bearings, I recommend similar servicing to yours.

Thanks Fold,
When or if the damn thing finally gets here, that info will be very useful. You planning on switching rims anytime soon?

I'm going to pretty much leave it alone for now, except for a seat, seatpost, and better tires. The former owner put on some cheap 35 psi max rim protectors. Later on new rims attached to the existing spokes and hubs may come into play. Right now it weighs 35 pounds. Hopefully yours arrives soon.