Lalato

The Tikit rolls fine while folded. That said, it is very active rolling as it doesn't stand on its own. So you are still holding some of the weight as you roll it. This means that your arm(s) will get tired if you have to go a very long distance.

If you roll it a lot, you do get better at weight distribution so that your arm doesn't get tired as quickly. But if you're rolling it that much... why aren't you riding?

bhkyte

Birdie also rolls when folded if you get the Rack version. Although it only has two wheels on the Rack it is the best bike for rolling folded imo. I have tried many folders. The reason is the front rack acts as a pull along handle and it wheels along like a pull along suitcase with an extending handle. Simple. Can't fine a youtube video of it. It does not seem a widely known feature.

Sir Coastalot

Quite right. There's a bit of knack to it to rolling it while balancing it, but I like the fact that it's possible to roll it at a jogging pace (when rushing to catch a train).

jur

I find it a slight puzzle, this rolling while folded. Whenever rolling my bikes, they aren't folded because they roll best like that. So jogging to get to the train, not folded, definitely. When shopping these days, I just wheel my Brompton through the supermarket as is, only parking it while selecting goods off the shelves or when getting to pay. The only time I roll my Brompton when folded is when shoving it under the workbench for storage.

So am I missing scenarios where wheeling a folding bike is not possible?

Sir Coastalot

Here's one: At train and subway stations in Japan, only bikes placed in a bicycle bag are allowed to pass through the ticket gate. Oh, and just draping a giant bag over a non-folded bike won't work since there are size limitations.

tds101 

Because, in quite a few locations, when multi-modal commuting is necessary, it's illegal to ride in quite a few locations. Getting a ticket from a police officer in NYC isn't always pretty.

vmaniqui

my multi modal commute is quite challenging also.wish i could do a straight bike commute. i start my day biking 1.5-2 miles, fold the bike and take the bus 12 miles to bart. take bart for my 1 hour train ride, then get off the bart and take another bus ride for an hour. get off the bus and i will unfold my bike to go my workplace. it's the same reason i bought a folding bike but why can't bike friday or dahon make their bikes easy to roll when folded. i checked the geometry and it is doable. with bike friday and dahon you need a balancing act and lalato is correct in the sense that it gets too tiring doing the balancing act. still i do love my dahon bikes. would be nice though if we can fold it and roll on both tires instead of one tire and do a balancing act.

tds101 

I will be (starting Tuesday morning) riding my bike to the LIRR train station, taking it for a 2 train, 1:30hr plus ride, then carrying my bike up & down about 6 flights of stairs to my job location. My Speed P8 will be carried. Later, when it gets colder, I can roll my TernJoeP24. Still, the ability to roll a bike when folded is priceless. A long carry is a PITA.

2_i 

You can put a dedicated cover over a folded Brompton that keeps the bottom with the wheels on the rack exposed. It looks then as inside a bag but rolls fine. Leaving the zipper partially open on top allows you to grab the top tube that serves then as a handle. While I have no experience carrying a Brompton in this fashion across Japanese subway, I did fly in the US taking the so-covered Brompton as a carry-on on Delta, without paying their bike charge. The rack wheels allowed to roll the bike across terminals. Once out of the view of gate agents you could unfold the handlebars and pull the folded rest inside the cover.

invisiblehand

You would never get into a Metro station during peak hours with a non-folded bike. They're quite explicit about it.

More broadly, I've never tried rolling a regular bicycle into my doctor's office or shopping. But I imagine that you would not get very far.

invisiblehand

The best rolling while folded bike I've ever had is easily a STRIDA. Well balanced and neat package -- cables are all internal -- can be rolled up and down stairs.

Rolling a tikit ...

How I hold my tikit depends on how fast I'm walking. If I'm doing a quick walk, I hold the handle low and push the bike forward. At a more casual pace -- a trick that I learned from the STRIDA -- I hold the bike more vertical with the wheel slightly forward and closer to the body. It's much easier to support the weight and a teeny bit more effort to balance.

reppans

Wow, that's an insane commute - gotta be >5 hrs/day round-trip. You need to move.... or get a new job.

keyven

That's actually pretty much how I felt when I decided to get a folding bike over 2.5 years ago. Having only had an MTB and zero experience with foldies, I just looked at weight because in my naivete I thought carrying a 10kg foldie around wouldn't be much of a hassle.

Being in Singapore, a folding bike sounds perfect because most trains and bus stops are mere minutes away. So around end of 2013, I bought an SS Dahon MU Uno because the weight was less than 10kg. Turned out the folding aspect was a lot more annoying than I realized - after 6 months I installed an SRAM Automatix 2-speed hub and sold it within a month of installation.

I realized I'd most likely only be happy with a Brompton, but I still had a look at the BF Tikit and a Brompton clone, the MIT V8. I also considered the Tern X10, but by then I was more sharply aware of Brompton's "rolling capabilities".

Inevitably, I bought a Brompton and since then bought another 2 (and sold 1). However I'm kinda done with my Brompton infatuation and working myself up into a Birdy frenzy.

RMXO

I almost got a Birdy and one of the main reason is because it folds and rolls so well but the best i think is the the IF Move when it folds. So smooth and easy but expensive. I wasn't sure if i wanted to spend 1500-1750 on a bike and was worried about theft so I bought a Downtube to commute to work for 1/3 of the price instead.

I'll reconsider the Birdy or IF Move down the road if it get serious about biking outside of just commuting to work.

northernlights

Folding bikes are awkward and cumbersome to roll in their folded position. They were not designed to be rolled when folded. Its really a stupid rule that they have to be folded while on the train and platform. You end up having to carry the folded bike on and off the train and its hard not to bump into other passengers while awkwardly carrying the folded bike. It delays the boarding process. It is slow and awkward versus simply walking the unfolded bike on and off the train which is much quicker.

A folding bike doesn't take up any more space when unfolded versus folded. It just becomes wider instead of longer when you fold it but is taking up the same amount of space.

jur

Not really. The Helix is an example of a fold which is designed to make the folded package take up comprehensively less space that the full bike. If the folded package is shorter, narrower and lower than the unfolded bike, then by almost any definition it occupies less space.

bhkyte

Some folders have very easy rolls while folded qualities. Have you tried rolling a birdie with rack and rollerblade wheels. I now use my birdie in towns and shops over my rolling rack mezzo,much better also than previous bromptons I have owned. Which is usually considered the best.

Bill Wilby

Yes the Strida rolls very easily and because of it's shape gripping it under the seat mount a carrying it next to your body up stairs is also easy.

I think it is to bad that most people on this forum have never been able to experience a Strida first hand, what most people know about the Strida is what they have read. And usually what people read is written by people who have never experienced a Strida! The Strida is much more capable than it is given credit for.

Because I am in a situation where I demonstrate the Strida I have often seen the surprised look on Brompton and other folding bike owners faces when they discover for the first time the Strida. Most are surprised to find the Strida is a stable, comfortable, fast, clean and very easy folding bike.

The Strida is 30 years old next year and in 30 years it has evolved considerably. But in thirty years the folding bike community's idea of the Strida has not evolved.

For people to try a Strida in North America it is difficult as there are very few dealers. I have been successful many times matching people who want to try a Strida as I am connected to so many Strida owners.

So if you see a Strida ask the owner for a demo, most Strida owners are more than willing to share a little Strida Love.

Cheers, Bill

"Disclaimer, I am the Canadian Strida distributor"

tds101 

I tested out a Strida, and it was actually a pretty nice ride. I was quite impressed with it's fold, and I was shown how easily it rolled about. It's definitely one of the more easily transportable folding bikes.

Now, I've had my eye on the Nanoo folding bike as well. If I could have easily managed to get a 16" model I'd own one. Only the 12" wheeled version is available for sale in the USA.

I'd also located the Jango Flik. It's another folder that's easy to roll. It really has a unique look (to someone from the USA I guess,...).

Auclan

The Citizen Gotham 7 (and I assume the Miami, Tokyo and other Citizen models though I don't have direct experience with those) rolls forward on both wheels when folded as it has a pretty secure ball catch (that can be adjusted - the plastic nut caps on each wheel need to touch and push on each other to keep the wheels from wobbling). If secured correctly both wheels are parallel to each other, making it a cinch to roll. The rear brake adjuster might need to be loosened a bit because the cables are under some tension when bent in folded position. Leaving the handlebar up alleviates this problem however and gives you something to push with. I was surprised that the Terns don't roll very well when tested in a bike shop. The magnets on Terns also didn't seem very strong so the wheels often separated when rolling (something you don't want to happen when hurrying to a train).

wildpanda86

Here's one that rolls while folded. Fold's pretty compactly too.


Nyfti Bicycles

tds101 

This is, sadly, available only in the Philippines. Bummer,...

bikexpert

I have 2 Pacific CARRYME and personally I think it is the best bike to carry onto subways.
Of course it rolls when folded, either push or pull...but most importantly it weights 8.5kg! Very easy for my wife carrying up and down the stairs.
Also it stands tall when folded and takes little standing space, which is perfect if you're on a crowded subway.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/pacifi...7664710064365/

wildpanda86

They are probably waiting for the right investors so they can scale production up. Looking at the videos its made in a tiny shop.

Curious about the handling since it looks to be a longer wheelbase than other folding bikes and curious about the weight. But that lower bar would act to box and strengthen the frame and less likely for it to break at the hinge while riding (id replace that lower bar with a CF piece). Good price too... Converted to US currency thats $800.

And I feel some pride seeing this come from my home country.

Could be a cool souvenir to bring back if i go to visit, but i have too many bikes already.

tds101 

I received an email from them last night, and they stated they plan on selling the bike in the USA. I'm going to see where this ends up,...

Oh, yes, 250lb weight limit,...sweet!!!