Not all folding bikes are a compromise, by any means.

When you have companies like Bike Friday out there offering custom, high end folding bicycles with all out components and excellent engineering, a good folder like that can make a lot of normal bikes seem like a compromise.

Personally, my Pocket Llama rides better than my Rocky Mountain Hammer, and better than many, many others i've tried and / or owned.

There are lots of other great, high end folders out there, ones that can give their bigger equivalents real scares.

My personal solution for fitting the Llama in a thin closet was simply thinner bars. But those Oredon security stems look like a theoretically great solution, it'd be nice to see something on them in here.

It's also been completed several times by various individuals on Bromptons, which are considered to be one of the most compromising folding bikes.

So don't fool yourself, for the vast majority of riders out there even a midrange folding bike is more than enough bike.

handlebars that turn instead of fold..
 

you can turn your handlebars if you install a flipphandle. install it once, and you just press a button when you need to store.

precisely what I was talkin about! where can we buy them?

The Raleigh 20 handlebars stem differs from the conventional quill type in that is no bolt and is a quick release type but there is a steel cable attached to the stem near the bottom that loops around the the brake bolt inside fork tube so that safe height can not be compromised and it deters theft.

I folded my handlebars about 30 years ago on my BMX bike. They didn't unfold so good, though.

Handlebars that turn
 

We should be up on kickstarter within the next ten days.. You can follow us on @flipphandle on twitter or fb or website www.flipphandle.com for updates.

Bike Friday for knock down packing,
uses a slitted sleeve, around the bars, that is held in the stem
with 1 small bolt in the center of the face plate
inside the handle bar section, there is an inner sleeve.
so it's plenty strong.

loosening the 2 face plate bolts allow the bar to slide out of the slotted sleeve

On my touring bike, I had 2 narrow bars, cut each to become 1 wider bar.
and Joined them in a 4" wide open face stem..
not a quick release scheme either , but iT made packing for travel
as checked luggage easier..

recently I got a Bike Friday , the bike has their optional folding handlebar riser,
then the bar folds down ..QR, Lever + a spring loaded button lock and a pull up
lets it fold over..

I was thinking about this folding bars idea this weekend while tooling around on my niece's razor scooter. It would probably only work on like a fixed gear with no brakes or a bike with only a back coaster brake but it would be pretty cool to put a handlebar like the razor on a bike. It would be just a straight bar that locks in and can be pulled out and folded for storage. I was trying to put a lot of weight on the handlebars while riding around and they felt solid enough to be able to work on a bike, though that may not be the case. They lock in with like a spring loaded ball and socket type of thing which you can maybe see on the pic but im sure most of you have seen a razor and know what i mean. [IMG]http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u...-a-scooter.jpg[/IMG]