Purpleorchid

I just got my H6L on the weekend and have been practicing folding/unfolding the bike. I find that as I swing the back wheel under, the rear mud flap usually ends up scraping the ground either during the swing under motion or the swing back because I mistimed the lowering.

Do you other folks scrape your mud flap during folding? If not, do I just need more practice? Lift the back higher when I swing the wheel under?

I'm afraid that if I lift the back too high during the swing motion, the little wheel on the top of the fender is what will take the brunt of the force as I lower the bike down. Or is that is what is supposed to take the "drop" force during the fold?

Thanks for any pointers!

ml2spin

I think it's a matter of timing and lifting the bike enough for the rear wheel to swing smoothly down and under without thumping it on that little roller -- a bit of scraping is probably unavoidable. My bike was a M3L for just a short while before I installed the rear rack and turned it into a M3R and the rear Ezy wheels on the rack are the ones taking the abuse.

ml2spin

I hope your LBS went thru the folding and unfolding demo/instructions with you properly -- it's not rocket science but there is a specific order. The positioning of the pedals also matter to keep the fold neat and don't forget to unfold the left pedal first before flipping out the rear wheel -- the unfolded pedal can scrape/catch against the rear triangle if the crank is rotated.

Purpleorchid

I saw videos dozens of times on the internet before buying the bike, practiced a couple times at the LBS. The pedal is usually the first thing I unfold. My issue is the mudflap scraping on the ground during the fold and unfold process (more during the fold than the unfold). I guess I'll just practice more.

How easy was it to install the rear rack? When I asked the LBS, they said it's an involved process because you need to switch out the fender section too instead of just adding a rack.

fietsbob

Yea, the rear fender is attached to the rear rack,
instead of with the wire braces to the small wheel
on top of the L mudguard.
so hole pattern in the mudguard is different..

jur

You will soon get more experienced and it will become second nature. I also was pretty clumsy at the start but now it is a smooth movement. The flap only scrapes occasionally these days. As the bike accumulates life, one also tend to worry less and less about items such as these.

ml2spin

DIY-able but quite fiddy if you don't have the right tools and a bike stand or something. My brother helped me and we were cursing as we went along... the instruction/install sheet wasn't that clear and the alignment of the holes and fender/rear rack stays were a bit of a pain.

alhedges

Just practice more. Think of the fender as being like a landing plane, with the little wheel being the landing gear. I.e., you want the little wheel to hit first, but at an angle so it rolls; not straight down.

pammieellen

I just converted to Ezy wheels from a homemade roller blade job and it has made the folding/rolling situation 100 times better. Seriously. Super clean. Also the shop inserted a gasket at the end of the seat post. This rubber gasket stops the ezy wheels from rolling when folded; yet if you wish to roll slight raise the seat in the folded position. I have to say, I am now a fan.