Folding Bikes - First Official Folding Bike Thread!! :) Name Your Bike!

So now that we have a "haven" for our bikes, what kind of bike do you have?

I have the Bike Friday folding bike. Specifically, the Pocket Rocket, and I swapped out the components for the Ultegra components. I'll provide a pic later (loaded during a tour).

Koffee

I have a purple bianchi folder, it weighs a ton, the wheels on it are off a BMX, and need to be replaced, as do the other components. I fixed it up with a 52t engagement ring, bolted it to the one piece cranks and have a halfway decent little folder. I want to build those wheels, maybe over winter, and get the right seat post, and handle bars, of course this is money I don't have at the moment, but I have the bike.

http://www.thaicycling.com/webboard/images/6049.jpg

Mine is a Giant Halfway single speed.

I have two Bike Fridays - a Pocket Rocket (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/page/pic/?opts=300&pic_id=9216) that's set up as a skinny-tired road bike with Ultegra components, and an Air Glide (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/page/pic/?opts=300&pic_id=3915) set up for touring with a mix of Ultegra and XT components to give me lower gearing.

I use both bikes for wandering around my home area, I use the Air Glide for loaded touring, both for credit-card touring with small amounts of gear, and the Pocket Rocket for commuting to work.

I have got a Dahon Impulse D6 and this one (dont laugh):

I have got a Dahon Impulse D6 and this one (dont laugh):

I saw someone riding a bike like that the other day! Needless to say, I was impressed with the speed he was able to keep. That would be a very practical folder if you're multi-mode commuting with buses. It's not cheap from what I understand.

I have two Dahon folders (Piccolo and Speed 8) and it was the folder that brought be back to bicycles afer a 10 year layoff! My Piccolo today is the junk bike I take to the train station 11 blocks from my home. I don't use the Speed 8 like I should because the saddle was horrible but now that it has a Brooks Champion Flyer, that's about to change soon.

The quality of folding bikes have gotten much better over the years and I really believe the hybrid of the furture will be a folding bike. I wouldn't suprise me to see all those comfort bikes in the future have the ability to fold in two pieces.

I think the folder is probably the most underrated bicycle out there.

I saw someone riding a bike like that the other day! Needless to say, I was impressed with the speed he was able to keep. That would be a very practical folder if you're multi-mode commuting with buses. It's not cheap from what I understand.

You can get quite a good speed going with it. It is Ok for short distances over smooth terrain but not a patch on the Dahon. You certainly get some attention when riding it though.

It was not expensive. I got it from ebay (new) for 75 euros.

No problem taking it on public transport. I have a strap with keyrings on either end that can be clipped to either end of the bike so it can be just slung over my shoulder.

Royalflash, I know I've seen that one before, but I sure don't remember what the name of that bike is. What kind of bike is that again?

Koffee

Royalflash, I know I've seen that one before, but I sure don't remember what the name of that bike is. What kind of bike is that again?

Koffee

Hi Koffee

that´s a handybike

for more details see http://www.handybike.com/

I have a Dahon Speed P8. Now that I have a folding bike I take it everywhere with me since it fits in the trunk of my car.

2 NWTs in our stable, My wife is only 5' tall, and has always had a problem with getting off a regular size bike, even 24"wheel. Her first try on the BF. and being able to stradle the main tube. She exclaimed, this is the 1st bike I have ever felt in control of, instead of the bike controling me. Now it is her only bike, And they are perfect on trips as they fold up so small and go in back of the car, and we still have room for all our regular baggage.

Brompton L3, 5 years old, all black, brooks pro saddle

Anyone have pics of their ride yet to go with the descriptions?

Koffee

Got a Breezer I-7. Love it for commuting and just riding for fun with the kids.

I've got a Bike Friday Pocket Rocket that I use for a daily bike/train/bike commute to school. Sure beats driving!!

So how far do you travel with it ? It looks like a strictly short haul bike.

I have two yeah bicycles A 16 inch wheel 7 speed 30-64 inches. and a 20 inch wheel 1 speed with a 56 inch gear . A bike friday metro a Dahon lll and a boardwalk 6 now a 7 with the addition of a shimano megarange 11-34 freewheel ,gear range is 30.4 to 94 inches.

I have an old Raleigh Twenty:
http://home.comcast.net/~cheg01/hook_np.jpg

I built it in January and have about 1200 miles on it so far. It is big fun.
Here is a web site on it. It has packing instructions for travel:
http://home.comcast.net/~cheg01/r20.html

Here are some more recent pictures, as a racy 7 speed with a 451 rear wheel and different bars:
http://home.comcast.net/~cheg01/20_light_1.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~cheg01/20_light_2.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~cheg01/20_light_4.jpg

Thanks for the pics. I've never seen a Raleigh folding bike before!

Koffee

This is what they looked like new:

http://cheg01.home.comcast.net/4c_3.jpg

There are popular bikes to modify. Sheldon Brown has a site about them.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/raleigh-twenty.html


There is a sample of what people have done with them:
http://cheg01.home.comcast.net/20_collage.jpg

Nice pics, everyone! I'll really try to get my bike up on the forums by tonight. I've got to search for that picture I took of my bike while I was in Switzerland.

Koffee

>>Third row, second from the left is a Dawes Kingpin, but I'll let you off :)


[EDIT] Yes, you are right.

>>Here's my folder.

<snip>
Nice ride. Are those Syntace Stratos bars? I have some on my road bke.

I took a picture of my bike when I was staying in Switzerland:

My 20 inch wheeled 7 speed yeah has been transformed into a single speed with a 56 inch gear.

I'm working on a Raleigh Twenty... someday it might get done too, I just have to get the Dept of Education off my back... well I just have to do a lot of things...

Well I have just bought a Bright Red Brompton L3, what a bike, fantastic, superb, and changed my life forever :D Saves me 45min EACH way to work in London, so more time in the pub :D

A folding bike section - nice!

I have a Bike Friday Pocket Nomad which I converted to a 56" gear single speed via Singulator (otherwise it won't fold), and just recently purchased a Brompton L6 which has basically turned into an L4 - I somehow lost the ability to switch into 2nd low or high gear for some reason. No matter though: I'm a fan of single speed anyway.

Here's some pics (http://tbb.gotdns.org/bf/bf.html) of the BF.

What type of people drive Fold Up Bikes? I am trying to find out what kind of personality you need to be seen on such a daft looking contraption :D

Well for me it was for saving time which is important, but I have now found that I LOVE the thing and look forward to cycling every day, in fact some days I do a couple of extra loops :D

I don't care what people say, it suits me and I feel THEY are loosing out. I ask the question as I have seen and heard school kids laughing at me cycling past, but then again perhaps they don't understand :p

Any ideas about keeping dry in a suite would be handy, I got soaked today :mad:

It's funny, but no one has ever commented about my bike looking different. Sad to say, I think most adults don't remember what a bike is supposed to look like!

I have 2 Raleigh 20 that seldom been used since I bought them for my daughters 30 years ago. The wheels are heavy, the sturny-archer hubs are pains in the neck to maintain. After I saw Cheq pictures I am now planning to modify them. Thanks you cheq :)

I have 2 Raleigh 20 that seldom been used since I bought them for my daughters 30 years ago. The wheels are heavy, the sturny-archer hubs are pains in the neck to maintain. After I saw Cheq pictures I am now planning to modify them. Thanks you cheq :)

Heh, if you ever want to sell them... let me know :D

http://cheg01.home.comcast.net/20_collage.jpg

If I did not see this pictures I would had give them away for free. But now I want to have fun improving the two bikes. I plan to change the wheels to aluminum and a single speed hub then see if my daughters will ride them. If not I shall spend more and try to make one to match a Bike Friday and ride it myself. :)

i have a Birdy Red. No pics but have a look at the pics from the Birdy annual day i attended. You'll see all kinds of Birdy's and some other odd looking folding bikes if you look closely.

http://www.birdyfoldingbikes.com/birdygallery/birdyday04/FrameSet.htm

My 7 speed Bike friday metro has been converted to friction shifting. I did it and so far it works well.

i have a Birdy Red. No pics but have a look at the pics from the Birdy annual day i attended. You'll see all kinds of Birdy's and some other odd looking folding bikes if you look closely.

http://www.birdyfoldingbikes.com/birdygallery/birdyday04/FrameSet.htm

Dope! How could I forget? I have a Birdy Silver waaaaay back from 1999... Now it's in storage in my attic because 18" tires are too hard to come by in the U.S. and I realize I don't like Al as much as I thought I would. I'll probably stick with CrMo from here on out. Nice pics, by the way - that day looked like fun.

I have been riding a Strida for the past 3 years.

Taz . What do you use your strida for? Strictly the daily commute or to take the train and explore on weekends?

I use it during the week to ride from my house to the train. I them take it on the train so I can ride fro the train to my office. Then I do the reverse in the afternoon. Total ride a day is about four miles.
I also do ride it on some weekends around my the aera where I live with my kids.
All the kids in my aera think it's the coolest bike. I also get alot of questions from people on the train.

I'm definitely in the market for a second, cheap folding bike.... after Interbike, I saw options I never even thought to consider before, and I'll definitely make some kind of purchase at some point in the coming months. It would be nice to have a beater folder bike.

Koffee

Cheg - I love your twenty! I saw it a few weeks ago on this site and thought mmm...... Then after looking at Sheldon Brown's fleet and finding the old twenty has quite a following I had to get one...

Just this weekend I got my own stock one (Via ebay of course!) with a view to modifying it and making it my daily rider. I'm currently thinking "Shimano inter-8" hub.... Rode it to work today in original condition - it's a bit ropey (sturmey gears slipping; sadle uncomfortable and right crank a bit bent), but it's nimble, solid and not as heavy as I feared. My work colleagues all concede it's very cute and await with baited breath to see it converted with alloy parts, black powder coat, slick tyres, skyway aero front hub, new raleigh decals etc etc...

Reasons for going folding? I think I want to be a non-conformist. If me and my girlfriend Jo get a VW camper van it can fit inside without adding to the wind resistance and I like the idea of turning an old thing into something new...

Question - Have any of you have any problems spreading the seat stays to fit wider rear hubs?

Anyway - here she is at present (not-so-great picture off the eBay listing)



http://www.theworldkrakcartel.org/littlepixel72/ebay/twenty.jpg

I got mine on ebay last December. I'm keeping my eye open for another one locally at a garage sale, thrift store, etc. I have enough parts to make two now 8~)

I initially tried to be very careful and systematic about spreading the stays, following Sheldon Browns instructions: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html. I undershot the mark somewhat and had to force the 3x7 wheel in everytime. One day I got fed up and just grabbed both sides and pulled them apart, and then bent the dropout plates in a bit with a big crecent wrench to make them more parallel. Now the wheel goes in and out easily and I have not had any problems with handling or tire wear. The wheel alignment appears to be fine. HOWEVER, it is better to follow the process that Sheldon Brown describes.

The seatstays are tied together by the plate brake bridge, so when you spread the stays they only bend below the bridge. There is a slight curve to the seatstays (just like a Litespeed, heh heh).

You should know that on my bike the seatstays are too close to the hub to use the smallest rear sprocket. The chain hits the seatstay and jams when you try to shift to the outermost sprocket. It may be possible to change this by having a framebuilder cut off the old brake bridge, respread the stays, and replace the bridge. It may also be possible to grind off a bit of the seatstay to make room. My solution to this is to get a cassette with both an 11 and a 12 tooth sprockets and not use the 11. The current setup has only 6 speeds, but the range is good. I have a 58 tooth ring in the front now. With the 3x7 hub I had 18 speeds and ran a 52 in the front.

Of course, with an 8 speed internal gear hub, you only have one sprocket so shifting will not be an issue. The only thing I haven't tried yet is a front derailleur and double crank. Not sure how to route the cable and the chainline may be poor. I'll probably try it eventually anyway.

We should probably start a Twenty "Appreciation and Tips" thread ;)

Thanks for the info - Sheldon's site is like gold isn't it? - I look forward to spreading the stays with a lot less trepidation now....

I was wondering about a double ring on the front chainset... You said on your page there might not be room because of where the crossbar intersects the seat post (i guess this is partially dictated by the size of the outer ring), but I do like the idea of combining the inter-8 at the back and two at the front to give a very respectable 16; I live at the top of a big hill though and so will need lower gears but want a big ring to make her go fast on the flat! So this may not be possible...Hmm.

Also I've just sourced some 20" suspension forks and am feeling more than a little out of my depth with steerers, compatable stems, and - urgh! Headsets... Rome wasn't built in a day though eh?

Anyhow - thanks for the input - much appreciated; I plan to take some pix and get an 'ongoing progress' webpage going at some point soon....

We should probably start a Twenty "Appreciation and Tips" thread ;)

> I was wondering about a double ring on the front chainset... You said on your page there might
> not be room because of where the crossbar intersects the seat post (i guess this is partially
> dictated by the size of the outer ring), but I do like the idea of combining the inter-8 at the
> back and two at the front to give a very respectable 16; I live at the top of a big hill though
> and so will need lower gears but want a big ring to make her go fast on the flat! So this may
> not be possible...Hmm.

That oddball Alivio front derailleur I use as a chainguide would work because the clamp is below the top of the cage. You should consider a SRAM 3x8 or 3x9 if you need lots of gears and a big range. Or you can get a Rholoff 14 speed hub if you're feeling rich, but you could get a decent Bike Friday for the cost of that hub.

> Also I've just sourced some 20" suspension forks and am feeling more than a little out of my
> depth with steerers, compatable stems, and - urgh! Headsets... Rome wasn't built in a day though eh?

The 20 takes a 1" steerer and it is very long, about 9" IIRC. I bought an RST Sprite TL with a threadless steerer but it was not long enough to get the stem clamped on so I had it threaded and used a 1" threaded stem. Sheldon Brown sells a sus fork with the steerer threaded for this purpose. Once you change the fork, an ordinary 1" headset will work.

> Anyhow - thanks for the input - much appreciated; I plan to take some pix and get an 'ongoing
> progress' webpage going at some point soon....

Have fun.

I have a vintage restoration folding bike project. It's a Road Puppy made by Shimura in "occupied Japan". I don't know the year of manufacture, but it must be late 1940's-Early 1950's. It's now completely in pieces.

If I got a folding bike I would name it "Mappy", "Origami" or "Bad Poker Player" :lol:

I have a Raleigh Twenty. Almost completely stock, gets ridden nearly every day. It's fantastically reliable, fits me quite well, and with a milk crate basket bolted on the back, quite a utility bike. One of these days, I'll stick some aluminum rims on it, but it rains so little around here, I'm not terribly motivated.

Just posting a running report on my Raleigh Twenty project and a couple of pix; Sourced pretty much all the parts I need (apart from front and rear reflectors which strangely seem pretty hard to get!) and am just waiting on delivery on a SRAM 7 hub, 1" kalloy quill stem, post-mounted rear rack and seatpost shim. Here she is in our cellar ('scuse the mess - My girlfriend Jo has labelled it my 'lair' of late!), mocked up a bit to look more like she will when she's finished... (Wrong stem, seat held in with blu-tak, no cables, no chain!) It's strange how the 70's metallic paint is growing on me!.. Comments welcome...
http://www.theworldkrakcartel.org/littlepixel72/03_1.jpghttp://www.theworldkrakcartel.org/littlepixel72/IMG_0324_s.jpghttp://www.theworldkrakcartel.org/littlepixel72/IMG_0326_s.jpg

Here's a cameraphone shot of my Dahon Speed P8, sitting next to my desk at work: