davoice

i'm buying a folder which i can store in my trunk and after work bring it on a short trip to downtown new york city. i read that some of the folders can be pulled or rolled while folded. that would be great so, in case we decide to walk inside buildings or train stations, then my wife can just pull hers without me worryng about carrying two bikes.

i'm choosing between 9s and d7. does any of these tow can be rolled. if not, can anybody recommend in the same price range (300-350) that can be rolled?

mjw

I tried to roll my Vitesse once or twice but it is really cumbersome and not really doable. I've gotten used to the weight and carry it if I need to or walk it unfolded.

Kabir

Same applies to 9NS.

Foldable Two

We previously owned a couple of Boardwalk D7s. When folded the wheels are right next to each other and NOT parallel, therefore it would be difficult to roll it unless bike was tilted back and to one side...or you rolled it backwards on the rear wheel holding it by the front of the seat (the opposite of what is shown). However, this puts the greasy chain next to your leg.

Loch

I'll have to post video. I roll my Curve, Speed, and Mu with no problems. Slight learning curve but very doable.

Leave seat up, tip back, roll on one wheel. WAY better than carrying it all over a store, etc.

makeinu

The trick is to keep the handlebars up and steer the "front" wheel as you push so that they are parallel.

Granted, I haven't tried this on the D7 in particular, but I've done it with my Downtube and lots of Dahons and I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work with any Dahon-style bike.

djgonzo007

Good info here as I had the same question on the D7.

feijai

This is really pushing it folks. Most Dahons and Downtubes do not realistically roll when folded: at best, they may be said to "sort of" roll in a most uncomfortable (to be charitable) fashion.

Two bikes which are specifically designed to roll on their main wheels: the Bike Friday Tikit; and the Strida.

Two bikes which can be fitted with optional "skateboard wheels" to roll on when folded: the Brompton; and the Birdy.

Abneycat

My Dahon rolled just fine, on one wheel. You couldn't roll it on both at once, as mentioned they aren't parallel but rolling it on one wheel wasn't difficult in my opinion - 2008 Dahon Mu P8

mrbrown

I roll my MU P24 with no problems. I use the seatpost up method and push it in front of me.

My friend who has a D7 prefers to drag his behind him.

My Curve rolls on both wheels but I have to admit for the Curve my handlepost has been changed to a VRO one that folds outwards, which keeps it from tangleling up the wheels.

makeinu

The ironic thing is that despite beng "designed to roll" I think most Dahons and Downtubes roll better than the Tikit, reason being that the Tikit is only designed to roll on one wheel, which is unstable. At least you can make Dahons roll on two wheels with some steering.

vik 

Owning both a Tikit and a Dahon D7 [as well as having friends with D7s] I can say that there is no comparison with the rolling of folding functionality between these designs. The Tikit wins hands down as it is so easy to fold and roll that you actually do both without hesitation. An interesting comparison is that with the Tikit I never ride with a lock as I always fold and roll the bike into my destination. My friends with Dahons all carry locks as the fold/roll is more hassle than just leaving the bike outside.

Lalato

Don't do the seat up thing. That's uncomfortable. The best way to roll a bike that folds in the middle like downtube, dahon, giant, etc. is to...

1, leave the handlebar up
2. flip the bike around so you are facing the handlebars from the front.
3. pull back on the handlebars so you are balancing the bike on the wheels
4. push forward using the handlebar to keep the wheels parallel.

NOTE: On bikes that do not have a way of staying together while folded, this works best if you use a bungie cord or other strap to keep the bike together. Just be sure that your cord/strap doesn't hinder wheel movement.

That said, my only true experience is with a Giant Halfway so there may be some difficulties with other bikes, but it works great for me.

--sam

feijai

I also own three 20" Dahons and a Tikit, and have friends with several other 20" Dahon models. There's no comparison. The Tikit is the far superior roller. It's the standard way I get the Tikit around in folded form: but for the Dahons I pick them up. Always.

Dahons and Downtubes have many great qualities. But I think that pushing them here is doing a disservice to this person who need to know realistic rolling options. Let me reiterate: if *usable* folding rollers are an important consideration, there's the Tikit, Strida, Brompton (with optional skateboard wheels) and Birdy (likewise). None of which are in the person's desired price range.

Lalato

I really need to get a video of me rolling my bike. I'm telling you... it works like a charm.

--sam

makeinu

That's exactly how I do it with my Downtube and how I've done it with Dahon Speed, Dahon Mu, Dahon Curve, Giant Halfway, etc.

I'll give you the fact that the tikit is way way easier to get into rolling position and also easier to transition between rolling it and laying it down which is clearly significant.

However, I can balance my folded Downtube on it's two pneumatic tires with no hands (on carpet). Can you do that with your tikit? Also, obviously many tikit owners don't share your same sentiment about how easy it is to take inside or else there wouldn't have already been two tikits publicly reported as stolen.

Surely you can admit that rolling on a single wheel is less than ideal (even if you do think it's better to have a polished implementation on one wheel than an fortuitous accident on two). For the record, although I'm perfectly happy to admit that the way my Downtube rolls is pretty cumbersome, the only time I have ever opted to carry it instead of rolling it or riding it is when I needed maximal compactness to board the bus (on the flip side the only place I find it worthwhile to roll instead of ride is train platforms and vestibules; I don't take it into stores anymore at all). A big plus of the tikit is that you can actually roll the bike in its fully folded position (as opposed to Dahon-style bikes which require leaving the handlebars or seatpost up, depending on your style).

vik 

That's a meaningless statistic in the context of our discussion. The earlier Tikit that was stolen was outside because the owner had been chastised about bringing bikes inside the university buildings - not due to the difficultly of taking the Tikit inside. I have no specific knowledge of the other Tikit that was stolen. It could have been stolen from the owner's car or garage.

Sure I'd happily admit that the Tikit and how it rolls isn't perfect. I'd be thrilled if Bike Friday made it even better - which they might. My point is that a polished easy to use rolling mode is better and more functional than a more optimal rolling mode that is not easy to use simply because you are more reluctant to actually roll the bike.

Ultimately it's up to the bike purchaser/owner to decide what's more important and then get the appropriate bike.

I need to be clear that I'm familiar with Dahon Speed D7 and the Curve D3....I'm not up on the rest of the Dahon line up so my comments are based on this subset of bikes.

makeinu

Fair enough, although I think it's still relevant to this forum at large and I'd be surprised if the other tikit was stolen from a car or garage.

I can agree to that too.

I think they're all pretty much the same and I think we've both observed the same capability. I just think you view the ability to roll while folded more along the lines of "can you roll it everywhere you would otherwise want to put it?" whereas I'm thinking more along the lines of "can you roll it anywhere while keeping it mostly folded?". In truth keeping the handlebars up is really a cop out to superficially satisfy folding requirements on trains or to enable you to move the bike without the hassle of completely unfolding it when you might not otherwise be physically able to carry it. Not for rolling into little shops in NYC, that's for sure.

Hopfully lalato will post a video to clear it all up for the future because I'm too lazy.

Chessbored

I've just been in the garden trying this D7 trick out and I thought...'Where's the benefit'? It's very tricky compared to just wheeling the bike around and only slightly more compact.

Lalato

The trick... at least for me... is that oftentimes I can't wheel an unfolded bike into a building or into a shop. However, I would say that most of the time I can take a semi-folded bike in without muss or fuss. I can also take the semi-folded bike onto most trains whereas I can't take a completely unfolded bike on some packed trains.

Also... if I'm weaving in and out of heavy pedestrian traffic, it's a lot easier to maneuver than an unfolded bike. I've been using this method for the last couple of months and it has made a huge difference for me. I may have access to a camera here soon and I'll see if I can get a quick video for folks to see what I'm talking about.

You do bring up the only downside in that with handlebars up, the bike doesn't seem very small or compact. Keep in mind that the goal is to fold the bike for easy rolling in places where you can't leave the bike unfolded. If you get to a place where you need a truly compact package, lowering the handlebars is quick and painless. I do that often right before I get on a rush hour train.

--sam

makeinu

I agree, but the benefit is that you get to stay when the train conductor comes around gives you a hairy look and says "I guess since that's folded it's allowed" (and there are lots of empty trains here in the US where the only reason you should really need a folder is because the rules say so).

I've said it before, but I really think the majority of the compactness of most folders doesn't come from folding as much as simply being small bikes (come to think of it, perhaps this is why small nonfolders are popular in Japan where I hear they have a "bicycle pollution" problem when bike parking runs out at the rail stations). Nevertheless, the MTA has decided that the size of the bike doesn't matter (only that the frame is somehow folded). So this way at least you can roll it on the platform while placating them.

neilfein

Actually, that's not true at all. My experience is limited to my Dahon Curve, and it's quite easy to roll on one wheel, very maneuverable when some idiot commuter drone almost walks into the bike.

I'd be interested in pushing a Bike Friday or a Strida through Penn Station one day to see how they handle.

mrbrown

I've tried the handlebar approach before but I find the magnets disengage easily, sending one wheel going in one direction and the other wheel in another. Maybe I am doing it wrong? Yes, a video would clear things up for many of us. I am quite used to the seatpost method myself, but I am always looking for a better way.

If the handlebar approach works, I'd gladly switch, because then I can rest the bike on the seatpost in its semi-folded state.

Lalato

keep in mind that my main experience is with a Giant Halfway... which does not have magnets. I use a bungie cord to keep the bike together while folded. The bungie only takes an extra few seconds when folding/unfolding.

--sam

Karlgw

. . . and the IF range by Pacific (https://www.pacific-cycles.com/produc...?cat1=1&cat2=4)