I couldn't be happier with my BF NWT. I don't really consider it a folding bike as much as a packable one to travel with but most of all it's a competent tourer. I don't see it as a compromise to a big wheeled touring bike, to me it's the preferable option. Years ago I bought a Flite case and made a trailer out of it and it actually has it's pros. It's surprisingly easy to pull and almost doesn't feel like it's there at all and the bike has a more neutral feel than when it's loaded with luggage. However the downside is that a two wheeled trailer like this increases the number of wheel tracks and widens the stance overall so 1) it's a lot harder to avoid road irregularities (try to miss a pothole with the bike and a trailer wheel will hit it and vise-versa) and 2) you have to ride further towards the middle of the lane to avoid running the outermost wheel off of the road or into a curb.

So my advice would be to select a competent touring bike first and foremost. Then decide on a hard luggage, soft luggage or recyclable cardboard box solution for air travel.


Have you seen the GillyBean bag? It looks like a really nice padded soft bag... might even be able to add cardboard panels to help cushion the bike a little during air travel and when you get to your destination it can double as a carry bag atop the rear rack.