Super Dave

Hi,

I'm 46 and fell in love with cycling when I was 13. I raced as a junior and have enjoyed riding for (mental) health ever since.

Back in 2001 I was influenced by Grant Peterson at Rivendell to go upright and that has been my riding style since. This photo is from 2001 when I purchased the Atlantis.



I rode the Atlantis happily for 9 years and then in 2010 I moved up to a custom cruiser.



Anyway, I'm looking for a folding bike to take on trips. I'm tired of renting bikes that are too small. (I'm 6'3", 220lbs) My regular bikes have a frame size of about 64cm and my stem / bars are 13cm above the saddle.

Each summer we go to Boulder, CO for a couple weeks. My wife and I met at CU and I love the bike trails. The folder would be for cruising Boulder. It would need a good range of gears.

Cost is not so much of an issue. My main consideration is something that rides well and duplicates my current riding style. I would like a rack / bag for shopping and I do like the feel of a wide bar with swept back handles.

I would appreciate your advice on folders.

Thanks,
Dave

bhkyte

Have you considered fitting SS coupling to your regular bike. I dont know of an upright postion folder in large sizes. Brompton can be set up to be an upright bike but I dont think thats what you are looking for. The other bikes that come to mind are the Diblasi range but not well suited to taller rider, the R22 may fit ok and has an upright postion, and the best, fastest fold of any 20".

The other option is to customise bars on a reqular folder such as a Dahon or consider a full sized expresso with bar risers.
I think you may have to tinker to get an upright postion.
Maybe consider a dahon stem extender to get more rise.

HGR3inOK

What is the height (from the ground) of your handlebars? I don't think any current Dahon, Tern or Brompton will meet your bar-height requirement. IMHO, your best bet is a custom-built Bike Friday.

-HANK RYAN-
Norman, Oklahoma USA

Super Dave

Thanks you for your thoughts.

Saddle to floor: 103 cm (taken from where the seat tube would intersect the saddle)
Top handlebar to floor: 114 cm (this was taken from the middle of the grip area)
Wheel / Tire 650B / 42mm wide

I was thinking a custom New World Tourist with H Bars would work but I wanted to see if there were any other brands that I should consider.

I appreciate the input,
Dave

invisiblehand

Bike Friday has some new bars now including one that mimics an Albatross bar. If you really want to copy your geometry and weight distribution of your Goodrich, they might be helpful.

Scroll down a bit to the first picture of a Bike Friday Haul a Day.

Seattle Bike Expo, featuring Bike Friday Haul-a-Day (and some other bikes) | Family Ride

tudorowen1

Why not look at a Citizen Barcelona 3 speed bike..or some of the other Citizen bikes available in the US..They look like Doppelganger bikes available in Thailand..What you could do is buy an Aber Hallo stem from ThorUSA and then cut down the existing bars..fit the Aber Hallo stem ..then you could fit any type of handlebar you want..Those Citizen bikes look good value..Or if you want something more upmarket buy a Dahon Speed P8 and fit any swept back bars on that..perhaps with the help of an Aber Hallo stem...job done!

Save you a fortune if you buy a Citizen folder or dahon speed p8 compared to a Bike Friday..( I have a Bike Friday..but I know the Speed P8 is a damn good bike)

bhkyte

Its also quite an easy mod to convert the Aber hallo stem to quick release. It gives about 2 inches rise potentialy afaikr.
Dahon androes give 6 inches and it QR as standard.

1nterceptor

Folding Travel Bikes using S and S Machine Bicycle Torque Couplings™

Super Dave

Hey, thanks for the ideas. I was not aware of the Citizen bikes. I like the look of the Barcelona for around town...but need more than 3 gears to go up this mountain in Boulder, CO.



I considered installing S&S couplings on my Atlantis (64cm frame with 700c wheels) but I think the total pack size is more than I want to deal with. I travel with two young girls and my wife. Smaller is better since I end up carrying more than my share....not to mention fitting everything in the rental car.




The Bike Friday bars look like they would do the trick. Thanks for the links and input.

Dave

fietsbob

My Brompton was upgraded with a 150% reduction gear crank made to turn 3 speeds into swiss Mountain climbers .
But I'm under 6 foot..

the Bike Friday options list is extensive, to include all sorts of drive train choices .. and can be dialed in for size and Fit.

They make Big Ones ..

Every one else just Makes One.. One size. all too small for your size.

feijai

It is very clear from your previous two purchases, that Bike Friday will be making your folder. Brompton would fit your style but not your body: it is made for much smaller people than yourself. Go talk to BF.

tds101 

What about a Montague or 26" Tern folder? Definitely sized for the taller rider.

ttakata73

At first I was going to say Brompton since they are so easy to travel with but I know those Boulder roads from motorcycling.
You wouldn't want to come down those roads on a Brompton, the brakes will not be good enough for such long descents.
You'll want disc brakes like on a Friday.

Super Dave

BINGO!

Hey, thanks for all the input. I was leaning to the Bike Friday before I found this forum. What threw me off was how little Bike Friday is mentioned here. I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on something cool. And, there are a lot of really cool folders to consider. But, I'm middle aged and don't like bending over much these days.

Anyway, I appreciate your help. I'll sign out with a photo of a Hobie Adventure Island in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu.



How is it related to cycling? It has a pedal system that powers a wing (inspired by penguins flying underwater) that flaps under the hull. It's amazing and very powerful. Check it out...incredible engineering. And if your legs are in good shape you can get up and move on these kayaks. The outriggers and sail can be removed so you are left with a pretty fast kayak. And with the sail in good winds (20+mph wind)...the thing moves. It's like being in a go cart...very comfortable and stable.

Laters,
Dave

ThorUSA

The hobie is nice.... a little different pedal action .. its not round .. which is ok, but needs to get used too
20 knots yes indeed a hoot ...lol
back to bikes

although I am selling others I would suggest that you give the fine folks at Bike Friday a call .... Yes I do have longer seatposts and we could use a T handlebar and an Andros stem, maybe wit an upsweep handlebar even ....
But You would still not sit as upright as you do on your bike...

HGR3inOK

FWIW, by my measurements, the handlebar grips of the Dahon Vigor P9 (Dahon Vigor P 9) and the Dahon Speed P8 (Dahon Speed P8) that we have each measures 45" from the floor at its maximum height. The Tern Verge S11i with Andros stem (Tern folding bike Verge S 11 i) that we have measures 43" at its maximum height. The maximum saddle height of the Vigor P9 is 42.5" and the Speed P8 is 42". That said, a Bike Friday, IMHO, is probably your best solution. Hope this helps.

-HANK RYAN-
Norman, Oklahoma USA

tudorowen1

Very honest of Hank to recommend a Bike Friday..even though he sells Dahons and Terns..Yes a Bike Friday is a better bet for longevity..They are built to last ..Mine is about 20 years old..but...they are expensive..For what you are going to use your folding bike for a Dahon Speed P8 or pre-owned Speed 7 or even a Dahon Speed TR24 will do the job and probably be less than half the cost of the Bike Friday..
Some of the latest Terns have excellent reports about being strong even though they are alloy ..stick some fat tyres on you will not know the difference..

fietsbob

Also .. R&E in Seattle makes , another custom.. their 6 pack .. it uses S&S connectors
But 2 per frame tube, 1 each at front and back end.

to take the triangle down to Straight tubes.. uses 406 , 20" wheels .. a pack to travel rather than a folding bike .

BruceMetras

Or hell, get exactly what you want .. check out Rob English Travel Bikes

fietsbob

He was in Alan & Hans' design team at Bike Friday. BF has spawned a few ex employees that got funding from some where ,

to start custom building businesses.

blakcloud

I am glad to hear you have come to a decision on a folder and Bike Friday will serve you well.

You mentioned you wanted something easy to travel with because of kids, car rentals etc but the case for a Bike Friday is 62" airline legal and so is a S & S coupled bike. Now I am not 100% sure your large frames will fit into a standard case but if it does then the only difference is in shape of the 62". The S and S coupled bike will outperform almost any folder out there when it comes to the hills of Colorado.

Of course the folder will have benefits such as smaller footprint while it is in the hotel etc and it can accommodate different sized people with saddle height and bar height changes so it can be your loaner bike.

They are both great choices, just something to think about.

Super Dave

Hmmm, those are some nice customs. I was not familiar with Rob English or the R&E stuff. Rob's background and bikes are very impressive. I sent him an email to find out his wait time.

This R&E is my style.
Custom bicycles and custom tandem bikes hand-built by Rodriguez and Erickson in Seattle

I guess it comes down to how long I want to wait.

I keep reading that the 20" wheels magnify the bumps and there is a limited variety of good tires. Are there any fat, cushy, 40 to 60 PSI, nice rolling tires that give a 20" wheeled bike a pleasant ride?

Thanks for the input.
Dave

jur

Unfortunately there is quite a lot of ignorance about how small wheels compare to larger ones. When bikes were in the early stages of invention, it was recognised that with the rough roads, the bigger wheel give a smoother ride. With the invention of pneumatic tyres, the situation improved a lot. Paved roads made an even bigger difference.

To see how wheels respond to road bumps, consider a blade-like obstacle square to the direction of riding. The axle of the wheel rolling over the blade will describe an inverted arc, same as the wheel diameter. So a smaller wheel will describe an arc exactly as high as the bigger wheel, but with a corresponding smaller diameter. The vertical impulse is bigger by the ratio of the wheel diameters. There is also a slowing down impulse which reaches the limit when the blade is as high as the axle. So the bigger wheel definitely rolls easier over the obstacle and provides smaller impulses.

However, tyres change the picture. The tyre gives, and absorbs a large part of the impulses. They are actually dominant over wheel size.

There is a VAST tyre selection for 406mm wheels, from 28mm to well over 50mm. The best is probably the Big Apple by Schwalbe.

Bottom line, on paved and reasonable dirt roads, smaller wheels do not really slow you down. They don't make for a significantly harsher ride, especially as folders tend to have long seatposts and stemposts, which also absorb bumps. I would call folders significantly smoother than road bikes, for example.

Super Dave

I corresponded with Rob English and his wait is almost two years. I don't want to wait that long. He was very professional.

The R&E's look very nice but I found very little info on the net regarding the Six Pack. So, I sent in my measurements to Bike Friday this evening.

Speaking of the Big Apples...how wide do you need to go to have the tire soak up the road vibrations and bumps. I want a plush ride.

Thanks,
Dave

invisiblehand

How heavy are you? I recall that you're quite tall.

Lately, I've been using Tioga Power Blocks 20x1.75" with a lot of success. Super plush and nice rolling tires. At ~200 lbs, I can ride 40 mm wide tires down to the low to mid 40s. The Power Blocks I have are wider than that ... Tioga makes them in a ton of sizes (maybe 1.95" too). But so far, I have not been very scientific about my experimentation. It seems that I can ride them at very low pressures.

Eyeballing it, I think Big Apples (50 mm) would fit on my NWT. Moreover, judging from the Bike Friday Facebook group, more recent versions of the NWT seem to fit Big Apples.