https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d9d1e83664.jpg

We can safely assume that my comment went over your head. 🤣

I don't mind you. I would buy one if I did not already have a Swift. I think there is validity in your criticism of the fold, but you don't know if the trade-offs are worth it never having owned one. So Pinigis's criticism of you seems true and appropriate. Suck it up big boy.

I actually own one better, an FSIR, a bike with a hinge-less, rigid top tube. It also folds properly like a bi-fold, is light at 9.6kg out of the box, it cost something like $600 six years ago, has all standard folding bike parts and is free-standing when it folds. Mine is six years old, I like riding a bit hard, and it's still as rigid and flexless as day one. So I do have a basis for comparison, a higher, more accomplished basis. You guys are stuck in a time warp.

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Do I have to go to the moon to know that it's a miserable place? No. Do I have to own a Swift to know that its fold sucks and so does disassembling it, rigid uninterrupted top tube withstanding? No. Is the trade off worth it? Not to me. To others it may be worth it, but the fold and disassembly still sucks. It's you, chump, who's gotta suck it up and take the criticism that you yourself admit is valid.

Interesting. My Swift was 22 pounds out of the box. FSIR may be a better bike. I don't know. I never saw any in the states.

What became of them? I googled them and don't see them for sale anymore.

I can not judge a bike without trying it.Now I know you have ridden stiff bikes. You have posted mini velos, etc. One of the most important issues to me is fit. The folders I have, Brompton, Swift, and Liberte were designed by and for Western people who are larger than Asians. So may be the FSIR would work for me, maybe not. One of the reasons I like the Swift ride better than the Liberte is that the Swift has a 120mm stem giving more than 2 inches more reach than the Liberte. I had owned folders before I bought the Brompton, but I would not have known what riding a Brompton was like. This is true even though one of the early folders the Mouton had the same size wheels. I suspect that the FSIR and Swift are quite different.

I saw your wrap job at the airport pictures of your bike and that did not appeal me to me. Too vulnerable. I usually take the Brompton when I fly. I just fold it and put in the suitcase. I do stuff some clothes around it to protect and s to limit my carry on. I have disassembled the Swift and flown with it, but that is not that bike's forte. It will go in cars, and it is not that much bigger than your FSIR.

Look at the abnormal geometry of the FSIR Spin: pretty long distance between bottom bracket and rear wheel axle + short main frame explaining why the rear wheel folds right against the front wheel.

And of course a pretty long folded length, longer than a classic bi-fold with the same wheelbase.

I am surprised (and a little disappointed) to see so much sniping in here

I thought that's what P&R was for

The chainstay length on the FSIR, that is, the distance between the BB and the rear axle is 40cm, pretty normal. Nothing unusual there. Same length as FnHon Storm and Gust 20" and my Thrill Minivelo. Ditto for the top tube of 54cm and the wheelbase of 98cm. WTH are going on about? This is right up there with your plainly ignorant "ugly, crowded beaches of Korea" BS. Either that or malicious intent to mislead.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a664a96124.jpg
Standard folding handlepost...

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e1cb9ef4ab.jpg
...unlike the Swift handlepost that must be unattached when "folded". Why, during the "redesign", they didn't scupper this removable handlepost and go with a standard folding one instead is a huge head scratcher. 🙄 It's not like it would have compromised the "fold" for the "fold" was already compromised from the get-go due to the inherent design. 🙄🙄

The folded length of the FSIR is longer than a normal bifold (which I also own, you forget), but the topic and the comparison here is not a bi-fold, but rather the Sw!ft. Don't lose sight of the ball or shift the goalposts as is often your style. On that account, the account under consideration, the FSIR provides 1.) a proper fold, that is 2.) freestanding sans the need for a rack hack and 3.) fits in a standard 20" folding bike bag without removal of any part. These are all fearures that the Swift does not provide. Fact.

Swift is also 13kg (28.7lbs) according to its listed specs on the Origami website. Quite porky. The FSIR Spin 5 was 9.6kg out of the box.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...83130ca248.jpg

You're not alone. You'd hope that a community as small as this would find some common ground and support each other. Sadly, that's not the case.

The subject of this topic is not the Swift but "Putting a Folding bike in a Suitcase", does the FSIR enter in a suitcase ?

Dad?

Yes. BCATC and Splithub, I believe, have done it. Why wouldn't it? The pivot comes apart and so the frame becomes two parts. Search the forum. Thanks for asking. 🤣 Though I am surprised, since you are all of a sudden an FSIR expert with extensive knowledge of its geometry and dimensions, that you didn't know about this. 🙄

Here's a tip for you (and boy, you need it!). In a debate, you don't ask questions to which you don't already know the answer. Otherwise, you run the risk of getting caught with your pants down. You know, like you did here.
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I note that you chose not to acknowledge your latest inanity and address the evidence refuting your bogus claims that the FSIR has "abnormal geometry" and a "pretty long" chain stay. It doesn't. The only abnormality here is your evident ignorance and recklessness in opining on things you know nothing about.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a78a493fd2.jpg
The "abnormal geometry" FSIR Spin 5

You're a man of good spirit and generosity, John.

Yep. The Swift - any edition of it - is a great riding bike that will fold to fit in most car trunks, a closet, or other small storage space not usually available for a bike. It can also be taken apart to fly in a hard suitcase and with a little practice this is about a 30min process on each end. Ron Damon has a personal dislike of Origami Bike company because the owner rubbed him the wrong way on these forums, so take his vinegar with a grain of salt!

We are currently traveling in Asia with 4 folders using Ron D’s suggested method of fold-and-soft-wrap, and every single bike has been damaged in some way from the first flight. The practical convenience starts to loose its appeal after this, especially if one will be checking the bike often. More packaging/disassembly is required in any case.

The FSIR in unobtanium anyway. I’ve only ever seen one for sale used online and the asking price was ridiculous, so yet another unhelpful suggestion.

The Swift is a solid option for you. Or if you want to avoid any disassembly or special packages then trifolds, basically Bromptons and clones, fit nicely in suitcases and are probably your best choice when you travel to and from the same airport or are able to ship your suitcase to your bike destination.

Yes, Swift has interesting features. It comes apart in the middle and the handlebars come off. I endeavored to modify mine to make the assembly and disassembly quicker. I purchased a more nicely machined shoulder bolt that goes in and out easier. I still need a small hammer and punch (just a narrow bolt) to take it apart. I also modified some lighter wrenches to disassemble the fork. And also the rear fender so it could be fitted more easily. And it works OK. I think I could perhaps modify the shoulder bolt to come off without extra tools, but I have not done it, yet.

I know Ron has had some controversies with different posters. Still he does contribute. I believe before he became Ron Damon he was Abu Mehendra or some such. As Abu, he has been banned for being an A. As Ron Damon, I think he was also banned from the English forum. So he is somewhat of a head case. I could be wrong about this and if I am, he will likely be the first to tell me.

I would like to know why FSIR fell off the planet. I googled them and can't find them. It is a good design it seems like it would come back in one form or another.

I think the ideal Brompton would have 18-355 tires. The design would still work. If I see some less expensive forks say on Aliexpress, I perhaps would modify mine. Otherwise and probably, I will be an early adopter of the 20" G when it gets to the states. I do like your modifications to the clones.

Its possible to buy online a fork+rear triangle+wheelset to upgrade to 50x355 and disc brake from Kinetics Glasgow.

For the G-line, from which some stolen pictures appeared with wide G-one Allround 20" tires, I am afraid that the folded size will be significantly bigger than the one of the original Brompton.

Chain stay FSIR Spin 5: 40cm

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0fd25d9b64.jpg
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Chain stay Birdy: 43cm
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https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b43a102ec8.jpg
https://www.r-m.de/en-en/bikes/birdy/

Which one is the abnormally long one now?

Erratum
I was not banned as Abu Mahendra. Instead, I was very busy with work at the edge of the world that I stopped cycling, wrenching and posting. When I came back, I had lost access to the email account associated with that user account here. Ergo, the new moniker, Ron Damon. The Abu Mahendra account does not say "banned" as is the case with accounts that have indeed been banned. ThorUSA and Fietsbob are two examples. And neither have I been banned from any other channel, including the English forum (which I am not even aware existed).

If you have evidence to the contrary, by all means post it, but this business of "I think he was banned here and there" without an iota of evidence is bogus and fundamentally unfair, for it shifts the onus of the evidence from the accuser to the accused. As is precisely the regrettable case-in-point here. 🙄 And still people lament and wonder that there is no community and support here when this BS is the rather common par for the course here. So, there you go, John.
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​​​​​​Nothing clears the air and sets the record straight like facts and the truth.
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Agreed. But I think for most Brompton use-profiles, I think it will still be fine. I think most important will be that distance from carrying hand to ground will still be greater than height of bike where grabbed, so not having to lift the bike higher. It should still be less cumbersome to carry than my 20"/406 bifold.

Now for air travel, it may be a different story; 349 Bromptons fit *easy* in checked luggage, and I think a 406 Brompton will also make max 62". Many 349s have been brought aboard as carry-on in the overhead or gate-checked to the forward "closet". A 406 Brompton may be too obviously over carry-on size to allow in the overhead, though still about same size as a large garment bag (I don't know the success of those in carry-on). I think the height of the folded 406 may be no longer than some rollaboards, which fit the long-way in overheads (It would be close, as 22" rollaboards are allowed in USA, but 20" internationally I think; Total folded size would definitely be way over carry-on limits). Gate-checked, if they are nice about it, it's no bigger than a wheelchair.

So I think a 406 Brompton may be more versatile and check more boxes, like carrying full size panniers, than a 349, and provide better gear range. If compact carry is the priority, 349 will still rule.

If I am wrong I apologize, but there was heavy moderation on some of your last posts as Abu. Anyway, that is how I thought it was. As for the English site, that is how I remember that. I do give credit for contributing. As for being a headcase, I will let others gage if there is any truth to that.

As Abu Mahendra last posted in, I believe, in 2020, four years ago and memory can be quite unreliable, suggestable and partial, it would be good if you provided a scintilla of evidence to back up your claim. You persist in the deplorable tactic of asserting things without evidence. Apology not accepted.
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I agree it is on what we can prove. And I am not going to bother to try, because it does not matter to me. It is just my opinion and it is not even on topic.

That's right. On all accounts. Funny, though, that when you find yourself painted into a corner, you pull the out of topic card and say it does not matter, when plainly this didn't inhibit you before.

The other part of this is your (pl.) incessant fixation, constant obsession with alledged bans that never took place, about things that never were. It's almost as if you have lost your grip on reality, confusing what you wish were true with what actually is. But yeah, I am the one who's a headcase with a fragile ego. Right.

The just below 60cm folded length is not only useful to fly with the folded Brompton, 60cm is also the width of passengers seats in many road vehicles including many cars, with a folded length of 60cm its easy to put the folded Brompton behind of on a seat which is for instance not possible with the 72cm folded length of the Birdy.
From the pictures, I would say that the 20" G-line tires are bigger than 50mm maybe 55mm, meaning and increase if overall wheel diameter of almost 100mm and an increase of the folded length of about 100mm.

With the rear rack of the G-line seen on the published pictures of supposed G0line, it won't allow to carry full size rear pannier, they will still be hit by the heels when pedaling. A rear rack allowing full size rear pannier must be placed higher and extend further to the rear like the Birdy folding rear rack or the Vellobike folding rear rack (this one is placed slightly too low to allow the highest, biggest full size rear pannier).