mtalinm

a friend at work wants to start commuting by bike, but he lives on the fourth floor of a walk-up apartment building where there is no bike parking downstairs.

I pointed out how light my road bike is, but he said it would be much too awkward to carry up the narrow staircase.

I then thought about recommending a folder like the Xootr Swift, which is about 24 pounds.

He seemed intrigued, but I thought I'd ask here if there are other bikes I should recommend (folders or non-folders).

AngryScientist 

any reasonably light bike with a QR front wheel shouldnt be a problem.

FWIW, my commute involves taking a NJT train in the middle and i hustle my bike (ss road bike) up a very narrow flight of stairs every time i take my bike to work.

i dont remove the front wheel, but that would make it all the easier...

Kojak

Brompton or Bike Friday or Dahon

https://www.brompton.co.uk/

https://community.bikefriday.com/2010

https://www.dahon.com/

Rob_E

If they think a road bike would be too awkward to carry up four flights of stairs daily (and I'm not disagreeing), then I think any full-sized bike would be a chore. Removing the front tire might make corners easier, but then you've got an extra tire to carry.

I would definitely consider a folder. There are a variety of folders out there for a variety of situations/price-ranges. I would recommend going to the folding bike section of the forum with details about the commute. I bet they could come up with a number of decent recommendations.

Azreal911

oh yeah also how far is his ride? if it's within like 3-4 miles he can get away with a strida which weighs around 20lbs. and it just folds up into a walking stick that you can easily go up the stairs with. If the ride is any longer then he will probably like a bike friday tikit or brompton or dahon which have a more aerodynamic ride ergonomics for some distance travelling.

if he has to hike it up 4 flights of stairs forget about a non folding bike it's quite the hassle to take off the wheel day in and day out as well has hanging onto it with his workbag or whatever. Going that option would make someone eventually stop riding because of the dread and hassle they face in the beginning and end of the day. Gotta remember these are new cyclists not hardcore people like some on this forum, you don't want to drive them away early .

Seattle Forrest

Tell him to get a 5 lbs frame carbon fiber road bike ... and don't drop it.

When I need to move my bike through tough/narrow corridors and not ride it, I stand it upright on the rear wheel, and push like that. I guess carrying it upright up a flight of stairs ( or several of them! ) is going to be a big pain, but that will make it a lot less awkward.

Pscyclepath

I would recommend a Surly Long Haul Trucker (34 pounds, with racks) and a full set of touring panniers. If you don't have a whole lot to haul around with you, you can always put a couple of bricks in the panniers for ballast.

It won't get musch easier, but you'll for sure get stronger ;-)

Kimmitt 

I saw one of these recently, and it seemed like it would match well.

https://www.cannondale.com/usa/usaeng...HL3-Hooligan-3

Sixty Fiver

My steel fg road bike is 20 pounds, can be shouldered very easily, and is good for 10km or 160km.

Have no issue carrying it up and down stairs.

exile

Is it a side staircase with a door that opens to floors with apartments? or is it a central staircase with apartments on each side of the landing/hallway? When I lived on a third floor apartment with the latter style it was no problem once you get used to it. Go by a visit his place and give him a recommendation from there. Also, does he already have a bike?

colleen c

LOL. 2nd option is get a MTB and ride it up those stair!

It's something that takes getting used to. I have to go up a very narrow stairway and one landing where I am holding the chainstay in one hand and turning the handlebar with the other hand. I have to do this twice a day. One helpful hint is to not mount the pannier on the opposite side of the bike relative to the side you are carrying it. That pannier will bump the corner and hand rail. I chose to not use any pannier at all and just a bag on top of the rack so that nothing is hanging out on either side.

You might want to look at the newer Specialized Tricross comp. The last time I was at my LBS and weigh one, it was 21 lbs. The look and feel of the bike seem very pleasing as a commuter bike.

tcs

Folder. Obvious.

Note how the top tube has a flat bottom back near the seat tube. That's for laying on your shoulder and carrying the bike, as is done in cyclocross.

Mini velos are all the rage with apartment dwellers in Asia.

HTH,
tcs

tcs

Always more than one way to skin a cat. All it takes is money.

tcs

Lenaxia

I live on the 3rd floor with tight staircases. I carry my Trek 5200 up and down it every day. It's 19 lbs and not awkward, I can easily make it up without bumping it.

mtalinm

yeah it's just a few miles through the city, but I doubt he'd want the weird looks you'd get on a Strida (that said, it looks completely functional for the task)

I'll have him look at some folders that are available locally (xootr isn't). thanks all for the advice

MK313

How about the Bike Friday Tikit? It folds up in like 5 seconds and the way it folds, you can use the end opposite the tires as a handle to push/pull it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQscBxx7wLE

Kimmitt 

Ok, so I just test rode one of these, and I gotta say, it was completely awesome to ride. Too bad I'm poor. :/ Go check out the Cannodale Hooligan. It's a great implementation of a clever idea.

bwhite829

if there is a balcony, you can always pull it up, drop it down via rope. i had a 14' ocean kayak that i used to fish out of when i lived in the second story apartment that i brought up and lowered down just by attaching a rope and pulling it up..and i did it by myself

daBiker

Bianchi Volpe. It has that flat spot in the top tube to rest on your shoulder. I've carried mine six floors up without taking the front wheel off. Also haul it over snowbanks in the winter ;-)

NoSho

The cyclocross bikes are meant to be hoisted on the shoulder and carried over obstacles. Several of the lower end models from the various manufacturers come in under 25 lbs, depending on size. I dunno what your budget is, but I have 56cm Specialized TriCross Comp, which has some carbon on it to lower the weight. With fenders and a rack it's under 23lbs. I comfortably carry it up and down the stairs at my office sometimes, but I've never done 4 floors with it. Maybe I should make that part of my morning routine