Lit Up

I had a go on the Brompton H-type yesterday, and liked it. Now I want to try other folding bikes with the upright position. What other manufacturers offer an "upright" riding position model? I ride in town and won't go racing

thanks!

Bill Wilby

You may consider a Strida, I know Stridas are not too popular here on this forum but I have had the experience of helping hundreds of people try the Strida for the first time. The vast majority of these first time Strida riders are surprised by the comfortable smooth upright ride. The new M-Style handle bars even improves the upright body position more than the standard handle bars. If you want to try a Strida contact me and I might know of someone near you. www.stridacanada.ca

cheers Bill { disclaimer, I sell and distribute Strida in North America, I love to ride my Strida bike even more than I love to sell them**

fietsbob

Bike Friday will build to your height & preference .. Tikit is their fast folding type.

HGR3inOK

Where are you located?

-HANK RYAN-
Norman, Oklahoma USA

Lit Up

London England UK

dynaryder

Lots of Dahons and Terns have adjustable handleposts that can be raised.

Pinigis 

The Origami Crane, Cricket, and Mantis all offer an upright riding position.

overbyte

What do you consider "upright"? That is, how high above the seat height should the handlebar grips be? Some people consider grips at same level as seat to be an upright position. Others say 2" above seat. Others may prefer even higher. What is "upright" enough?

ThorUSA

there are a couple of Dahons and Terns with a pretty upright ( Euro ) position, just like an old fashioned Dutch bike... Dahon is Ciao or Tern is Swoop ... plus a couple bikes which could be easily modified for more upright position with an Aber Hallo or Andros stem

would love to give you links to look at the stuff, but dont want to risk another angry block from the moderators ..... despite other peeps here, I try to stick to the forum rules.

thor

Human_Amplifier

Upright IS right :-) > at least for non-racers :-)

Here is an article about that > https://issuu.com/mark77a/docs/uprigh...the_view_ahead

Strida :

ThorUSA

well.... well....
its a matter of taste HOW upright you wanna go ..lol
you put a lot of pressure on the bum ... and every wind is going to blow you over
I like holland fietze , but they have a super long wheelbase, big wheels and are stable like a tank,
a little weight on the handlebar on our small wheeled foldies will stabilize the ride tremendeously

thor

BassNotBass

+1.

As for that upright Strida riding position... yeah, right, no thanks. It's a penny farthing with small wheels.

overbyte

Personally, I like the posture of a long-wheelbase upright-posture recumbent bike like the ones designed by Easy Racers:

They are low, but not too low to the ground. The rider's head and seat are comparable to the seating position of a car. The feet-forward position reduces the frontal cross section, therefore reduces the air resistance. (Air resistance consumes about 90% of a bike rider's energy input on flat ground since the bike itself and rolling resistance of high pressure tires are quite low in comparison the the energy needed to push the air aside. That's why the front fairing was invented, to slip through the air even more easily.) Recumbent bikes were banned by the international bicycle racing organization long ago because they were winning all of the races against diamond-frame conventional bikes.

The seat is wide and made of firm but not hard foam, so it supports the rider, along with some of the weight being carried against the seat back. You can also shift your sitting position from very upright to less upright, thus changing the weight distribution.

Easy Racers makes a folding model, which is hinged behind the rider so the rear wheel folds under and foward, somewhat like the Brompton after its first fold. But these are not small bikes. Rear wheel is 26" or 700c and front wheel is usually 20". I have one of their small models which has 20" rear and 16" front wheel, compact wheelbase, but doesn't fold. Easy Races does make some models with SS couplers, which let you take it apart for shipping in a box on airlines.

Regarding the weight on the front of a small folding bike -- I found that my folders do better when I carry some cargo on the front in front panniers. The bikes no longer do wheelies when I pedal hard up steep inclines or over road speed bumps (berms) and the steering is a little less sensitive due to the increased angular momentum of the extra mass.

HGR3inOK

I, too, need a fairly upright position. Otherwise, my back, neck and shoulders start aching after riding a couple of blocks. My personal experience has been that most Dahons with a telescoping handle post and most Terns with an Andros stem can be adjusted to a fairly upright position. An Aber Hallo stem (Handlebars, Extenders and Bar Ends) can sometimes make the difference.

The Raleigh Folding i8 (Raleigh Bicycles Folding i8 - 2011 Hybrid) is the most upright of the folding bikes that we have carried. I don't believe this model is available in England. We sold some of them to older (>65) men who refused to ride a "girl's" bike. I am pretty sure a couple of those will never be folded.

-HANK RYAN-
Norman, Oklahoma USA

fietsbob

so whats the problem ?

thats where they make them..

Bike Friday is Made in Oregon, but they have UK dealers 3 are listed. they will not have all combinations available ,
as there are several sizes and many component Built to Order choices .

Bike Friday - Custom folding and travel bicycles hand-crafted in Oregon

BassNotBass

Bike Friday also has a new model, the OSATA which starts at $740 for an 8spd and incorporates an adjustable frame to suit many different sized riders.
Bike Friday - Search Bicycles

fietsbob

https://www.bikefriday.com/bicycles/configure/1741


I see something called the Haul a Day Bike Friday - Custom folding and travel bicycles hand-crafted in Oregon

a long tail Cargo bike ..

dezzie

look on ebay at the xootr swift, its a great folder at a good price, I am after one myself and hope to get it soon!

Human_Amplifier

There is a web site for this > cyclingright.com
We are all different sizes, and ride in different ways, so what might suit a racer (or wannabee racer ) may not suit a utility city rider.

"Sports equipment is the most appropriate when carrying out a sport, BUT for a whole industry to pretend it's also suitable for everyday use is lazy, patronising and absurd."

Ed in Toronto

Join the cult of Brompton. Get a Brompton H-Type. Not only will you enjoy riding it, you'll amaze family and friends at how quickly and small it folds up. It's an award winning design and 80% of the parts are manufactured solely for it. They're handmade in England and they're built to last. The steel sections of the frame are brazed not welded so the bike will last you a life time.

You can build you own on their website, with an interactive webpage;
Bike Builder | Brompton Bicycle

bhkyte

If you add the dahon adroes stem extender to a brommie it does work really well in my experience. I run drop sytle bars.

I can set them up to be low for commuting and upright for family riding.

There are disadvantages to my set up see the brompton with dahon andros stem extender thread. However, straight bars should not have the problems that I had.

However, brommie steering really improve from adding some forward reach regardless ime.

BassNotBass

Exactly, just like what may suit a casual utility city rider might not suit a seasoned utility city rider or what may suit a seasoned utility city rider who's also an avid runner might not suit a seasoned utility city rider who's also an avid sculler. It's illogical to dictate an 'optimal' riding position by just taking riding purpose into account when there are so many more variables to consider. That's why I disagree with the notion "Upright IS right :-) > at least for non-racers :-)".

Human_Amplifier

Hair and splitting ... whatever

BassNotBass

Says the guy who perpetuates a "black or white" ideology.

dynaryder

This. Most of my bikes have this riding position:


...and I find it perfectly comfortable for riding around town. Also note,that website is sponsored by a company selling ergo products.