Originally Posted by
fuzz2050
I can do it in about 15 seconds with a 6mm allen wrench. I think you are way overthinking a very simple problem.
You're right he is overthinking it. On the folding bike I have with the QR threaded stem I can fold the whole bike in 15 seconds including the stem. You really don't need any sort of stops, but if it bothers anyone then rubber band a couple dowels to the head tube to catch the horizontal part of the stem.
Originally Posted by
exarkuhn15
I find myself always wanting a folding bike, but I know that if I had one, I would probably rarely fold it in half, since usually just turning the bars 90 degrees would make the bike take up very little space. A bike that was long but thin (like a bike with the bars 90 degrees from the normal position) would probably be easier to store for many people than a bike that folds in half so that it's not long like a full bike, but still fairly wide.
Then you are the perfect candidate for most folding bikes because except for the really small ones most folding bikes are still rather huge when they fold and, therefore, only really appropriate for people who rarely fold them. IMO the best way to view most folding bikes is that they give you options. I hardly ever fold the frame of my 20" wheeled folding bike (and I hardly ever turn or fold the bars either), but I still prefer to ride it because the compromise is small enough that it's worth having these options just in case.
IMO the problem with the folding bike market is that most customers are completely wrong in estimating the level of compromise for any given bike. They look at typical models and think "that is probably 50% as good as a real bike, but is also 50% more convenient" when in fact it's 95% as good and only 5% more convenient. So the customers looking for 50% more convenience get disappointed when they buy bikes which are only 5% more convenient, the customers looking for 5% more convenience don't buy them at all, and folding bikes get a bad rap.
Originally Posted by
Schwinnsta
The Raleigh 20 has what the original poster wants. It has a quick release which allows the stem to turn or to be moved up and down. A wire loop around the caliper brake bolt prevents the stem from being removed and limits the top height to a safe position. The bike is a folder but the ride is like that of a conventional bike due to a stiff steel frame. It has been out of production for a couple of decades.
This also sounds like a QR on a regular threaded stem.
A QR bolt is a very simple object. So even if you can't find one of appropriate dimensions, it shouldn't be that hard to make one.