checoles

How many of you have toured on your folders? And what adaptations did you make. I've got some holiday time to book and I'm tempted to book a few days off and use the folder, but somethings making me think it's a stupid idea...
It's a Tern Link A7, 7spd. Has rack and guards currently fitted.
Bonus points for pics of your kitted up bikes!

SO how far did you go, have to change anything on the bike, gradients and road types, etc?

Cheers, Che

Pine Cone

Check out Jur's website, several folding bike tours documented as well as the changes he made to several folding bikes.
Jur's cycling photo albums/photo essays


I have ridden folding bikes thousands of miles, but have never done a folding bike tour yet. I have toured on non-folding bikes, and have brought folders with me on many vacations and work trips.

Getting a folder set up for touring is mostly a matter of having adequate gear ranges for your route and figuring out how to set up front and rear racks/bags for your stuff. I think touring with a folder would work best with both front and rear racks. Most folders handle better with extra weight over the front wheel.

Herb

I've done a couple of multi day camping tours on my Dahon mup8.
I used an Extrawheel single wheel trailer when camping. If just credit card touring a seat post rack and trunk bag with dropdown pouches Vaud i think. Travel light as possible. Good luck have fun

Abu Mahendra

Tour-de-Bali 2017

Pinholecam, I believe has the most recent touring posts on this channel.

I'll be touring Taiwan with my foldie next month. Stay tuned...

L Arnold

Totally worth doing. Gear Range is important. Components (BB and Wheels), Racks. Capacity. Testing. Travel to and from the Tour (the reason you are likely taking a folder but perhaps not).

Best to start with a small tour and build up from there. Check your bike. Check again. Take some tools and tubes of course.

checoles

great links/advice guys, cheers.

I don't think I'll be travelling to my tour as such, maybe go out of town on the train at most and start somewhere else, do a few days or so and then ride home/train home. just be nice to explore areas of the UK I've never been to. Maybe 150-200 miles worth of casual riding through countryside/villages, few pub stops and that.
Didn't think off the BB, and just noticed its a cheap 3 piece thing. For £20, I'll bang a sealed unit in it before i go. Always a worthy upgrade regardless.
Everything else seems fairly decent, even if it is the budget bike in Terns range. Sturdy wheels, alloy components, etc. Maybe the 7spd freewheel could do with getting a "MegaRange" one, 12-32 kinda thing....

input/opinions welcome!

jur

I wasn't going to come back due to the totally unfair banning of Thor but in the interest of safety I must ask you to post a clear photo of the *underside* of the frame hinge area, clearly showing all welds.

checoles

I checked the bike over when I got it, the welds/hinges etc are all spot on

avole

BB? Back brakes? Bed and Breakfast?

Befuddled.

prathmann

I've used my Bike Friday for a number of tours. No 'modifications' really. Sometimes I've used the trailer/suitcase option for carrying gear, especially if it was a one-way tour with air travel on at least one end. But most of the time I've used panniers on the rear rack for carrying my gear. Here's a short 3-day tour from my home to Yosemite Park and a few of the pictures show my bike:
https://triptrack.org/100

Pinigis 

BB = Bottom Bracket

checoles

great pics there!

Quick question, I see you're using a Brooks saddle? How you finding that? I can't imagine the bumps in the road you constantly get with the smaller wheels would be absorbed well by the hard leather saddle? Was it ok?

prathmann

It's an old Brooks Pro and is pretty comfortable. Just happened to be a saddle I had lying around when I bought the Bike Friday. This bike has slightly wider tires than I normally use on my 700c bikes so the ride quality is quite similar.

dancier

Nice bike and scenery, is the red BF a Pocket rocket?, seems skinny tyres.

I want to ride to Yosemite, wouldn't mind walking the John Muir trail as well, might have to quit my job again and go for another ride through the US, my last one was four months.

avole

That was on a trip that included a month in southern Oz during autumn, hence the two bags - sweaters, jacket etc packed in. The spare was for Cambodia, as I wasn't sure how common 16 inch tyres were.

Part of the bulk you see on the back is the bicycle bag as required by the airlines. Interestingly because it was in a soft bag, the bike didn't go through the usual check in but went out in a separate trolley to the aircraft, to avoid damage.

jur

You misunderstood. I need to check if your bike frame is new generation. Need pic. DO NOT tour on older gen.

prathmann

Yes, it's a Pocket Rocket purchased in '94. It came with IRC 20 x 1 1/8" tires but for touring I've replaced the rear with Primo Comet 20 x 1 3/8". One other change was to switch the small chain ring from a 50t to a 42t.

L Arnold

Sounds Perfect to me. I love that kind of travel with a folding bike. Have fun.

checoles

AAAAHH sorry I'm with you now.
Will post later when I'm home

checoles

hmmm, might go get me a Brooks again then Cheers!

checoles

Cheers dude

gdlerner

Most of the time touring with BF
Here my last one
https://lococoupleonabike.com/category/embracing-you-again/

fietsbob

There is a whole folding bike section of CGOAB. Check it out.

Bike Fridays are abundant on that section..


50 years on the road touring the globe Heinz Stuke used many bikes , over the years, including a BiFri, I have a copy of the Bio Book
'Home is Elsewhere' , There are a couple tiny pictures of them , in it but, at the latter years of his touring,

he got a Brompton Sponsorship, and so, ... the Book, Published by Brompton, Does not show those as much as the non folders used most decades ..
And his Turkish green & black Brompton .




...

pinholecam

I tour with my folder.
Namely its the Tyrell IVE, which I got specifically for touring.
I just wanted a bike that rode well and folded easy for the flight and any multi-modal transportation that I might use.

Carrying capacity will be limited on a folding bike unless you get one that is 406, 451 wheeled which will often have a rear rack positioned higher and more rearward to avoid heel clipping.

My bike is a 18" and the stuff goes on the front luggage truss, the rear rack and the handlebar.
Panniers are not possible due to heel clipping, but I have not found a need so far for them.
With camping gear, they just get stacked on the rack and some go to the front luggage truss.
Credit card touring will be much easier of course, usually just needing a day bag and camera bag.

Gearing is important and it will always be good to have it worked out as to what you usually need for most gradients.
I run a 55T, 11-36T 1x10 setup.
The only reason I have a 55T is because I also do some fast rides locally with other mini velos and I need the higher gearing.
If only touring, I think a 50-53T and 11-36t would be real good.

Some picts

20161109-IMGP5589 by jenkwang, on Flickr


20161217-IMGP5179 by jenkwang, on Flickr


20160827-IMGP3795-1 by jenkwang, on Flickr

Abu Mahendra

1. What is the the length of the IVE chainstay?
2. Why did you choose the IVE over the Birdy for touring?