who's using a folding bike on the train??
 

anyone, i'm considering buying an inexpensive folder to ease the stress of my commute on the train with a full sized bike...

You could also check out the Folding Bike Forum but I am currently using a folder for my commuter. I have it in my stable of bikes. I've carried it on Amtrak trains, Harlem North Line and Boston's Commuter Rail. All without a hitch. Mine is a da Hon Helios 8 speed. I'm 6'3, 185-195 lbs. so size wise it's pushed to it's limit. The little bike cooks along remarkably well. Just this past Sunday I did laps in Central Park and comfortably held with guys on road bikes going a good pace.

I have been doing it for a few season now.... I started with a Bike Friday pocket rocket I traded someone for... but it was to bulky on the fold up and then I tried a Dahon V7 (did not like it). I have since settled on a highly stylized Giant Expressway 2. It does well on the train and the subway.... but I have to use a bungie cord to keep it tougher other than that is is a great ride.
It's a real nice ride and sometime I get off at temple Univ and ride the extra 10 miles into the navy yard.

I would consider a Brompton if I wanted to do this, since it seems like it has the smallest fold up size. But I'm not speaking from any first-hand experience.

when i first started bike commuting to work 4 years ago, i was doing a folding bike/train multi-modal commute because i was not in good enough shape to bike 30 miles a day. i would take my folding bike with me on the train in morning, and then ride 15 miles home after work when i had all the time i needed to take it at my own pace. as the months went by, the pounds started coming off, and i started getting much stronger, so i began to eliminate the train ride some mornings and would just bike 15 miles each way. and after several more months of that, i had eliminated the train rides altogether and was just riding my bike both ways everyday. that's when i switched over to a regular diamond frame full-size bike.

but the folding bike did its job of allowing me to start bike commuting when the distances involved were just too great for me to do it all on the bike, and for that, my folding bike will always have a soft-spot in my heart.

Same here. Got me started on folding bike. I still have it as my rain bike (it's got racks and fenders...) but mostly on my road bike now a day. It's versatility is good and they do ride quite good. Working on my folder last few weeks to get it in circulation again for rain ride. (Dahon Speed TR... making it drop bar).

well, without the train, my commute would be 50 miles - one way. i would love to avoid the train all together, but its just not feasible.

i just pulled the trigger on a cheaper citizen single speed folder. i'll report back on how it goes...

I've done commutes on the LIRR using a Brompton. It's a fast, small fold and you can lay it on one side on the (relatively) newer overhead racks. If you're on a later stop and you won't get a seat anyway, the Brompton can be placed in front/side of you and will take up roughly the same amount of sq inches as a med sized roller luggage case.

My biggest issue was weight. It's not that 25lbs is heavy, but carrying it up and down stairs, through rush hour crowds, makes it seem much more cumbersome. You'll find that you'll unfold and roll it along whenever possible.

Also take into consideration any bag or backpack you'll carry with you.

I believe some NJ Transit trains (the ones I've taken from Newark's hub) have a special bike section. I've never used it, but it seems pretty nice.

I use a DaHon folder on the train going to work in the morning and coming home in the evening. Mine is a Curve SL (with 8 speed Shimano Nexus) and it works very well. It has 16" wheels, so folds almost as small (though not as clever!) as the Brompton.

No problem taking it (folded) on the Los Angeles Metro System (Green line for me, middle of the 105 Freeway), and it's a fun bike to ride the 6.5 miles to the station and the 1.1 mile to work from the 110 Freeway station. My train ride is 10 miles.

Rick / OCRRhttp://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=227285

I do a 26-mile round trip on a folding bike, for the exact reason that I can toss it on the train if I'm tired or if it's raining hard.

It's a Xootr Swift, which doesn't fold up as small as some of the others but rides just like a full-sized bike.

I usually wait till I get off