Bickerton Portable
 

Moin to All!
The project is stopped. There are neither those british oldschool tires, nor 14" cycle wheels available, or they camouflage themselfs as good, I can't find them. Keep in mind my being Germany based location, please, if you don't mind.
So I'm going to sell both. I heard some tales of their being recommended in Japan very strong. Is anybody capable of giving some information, as there are shipping, which platform, ebay perhaps?
I would appreciate it!
Thanks to you all in advance!
Sporty wishes, and have a nice and peaceful easterfest!
Peter

Your posts are likely being caught by our spam filter. Stop putting symbols, emails, and telephone numbers in your posts.

This might be helpful:

https://www.bickertonportables.co.uk/

What are you after? I'm 2 miles away from CH White.

Have you tried holland bike? Bickerton used to be Dahon licensed products; Dahon hardware with an English-like paintwork and fancy leather grips.

I've heard mention in past of CH White for folder parts, usually for the folding joint latch parts.

There have been other threads on here in 2024 regarding a newer Bickerton bifold on the Dahon pattern (not original Bickerton).

Hi there, thank you very much for your kind, and interesting response!
But I cancelled all of this, because I found out tires for this bikes are rare, and therefor expensive. Additional fact is my being germany based, so shipping costs leave explode the total. I got lucky in finding another one to buy, so the option of changing both wheels to 14x1,75 is opened with enough of time seeking them.
Ok, originality doesn't look alike, but there are a lot of reasons doing so! Frame #: 2291!
Have a nice Osterfest!
Peter

Hi there, it IS! But I romed all of those sites, on my trace finding oldtimer threads, old bikes forums, as I did several years ago restoring a Raleigh 1 tourist from '70. It took me about one year to complete it, with rare battery tube, and I changed the ilumination to LED. Finally I sold it for 450€. But it's restorer's intention, after a project is ahead of a project.
Nice Osterfest, to all of you bikers!
Peter

Tires rare? If it's a rebadged Dahon 20" folder, the tires are 20"/406 x 1.5" or 1.75", many frames can also fit up to 1.95" section. Very commonly available, these tire sizes fit BMX bikes.

First generation Dahon bikes (I think never rebadged as Bickerton) 1980s and 1990s used 16"/305 wheels and tires. Those tires are not as common in bike shops but still available.

Smaller wheel Brompton bikes use 16"/349 wheels and tires, so quite common as there are many Bromptons in current use.

There's nothing "rare" about the bike OR the tires. 20" wheels and tires are some of the easiest to locate. These kind of bikes and tires are common all over the world...

Okay, understood!

Bickerton Portable, 1971~1989:

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ce13fd4803.png

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3aa0dbb75b.png

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...67d6eb4267.png


Front wheel: ISO298 (14x1 3/8)
Rear wheel: ISO349mm (16x1 3/8)

Tires in the ISO298 size have become rare since the 1971 design date. The Bickerton Portable intelligentsia has begun rebuilding their front wheels in common ISO305.




Modern bikes with Bickerton badging have been manufactured by Tern for several years.

Thanks for the info about the early wheels. That's a really strange front size.

As I said in #5 above, "There have been other threads on here in 2024 regarding a newer Bickerton bifold on the Dahon pattern (not original Bickerton)." I thought he had a more recent Bickerton, like another thread last year. I guess he has an original one! One of my early bike books deep in storage, has a drawing of one hung up on a coat rack.

Richard's Bicycle Book, page 63. The book's drawing was taken from this photograph which appeared in Bike World magazine:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1e35183bb7.png

Compared to a Raleigh or Peugeot folder of the early 1970s, the Bickerton was a revolution in small folded size and light weight. As a bicycle, it was overly flexible, the ergonomics were odd and the handling was an acquired taste at best. Back in the day, modified for touring:

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0c0915a7da.png

As documented in her book, Daisy, Daisy, Christian Miller rode across the USA on an almost stock 3-speed Bickerton in the late 1970s.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...05b7fd0e0e.png

Mointoyou!
You are confusing me: 16"/349 are compareable with both, front 14" x 1 3/8 37-298, or the same rear in 16" ? 37-288 are available, but they don't fit for heavens sake!
Please let me know, for a pint-
Peter

My mistake on two points. 1) I thought you were talking about the later Dahon or Tern folders that were simply branded Bickerton, those use 406 tires, (not an orginal Bickerton), and 2) I was not aware of the obscure front tire size on original Bickertons.

That's the pic/drawing! Well done sir!

Wow that's a big chainring on the tourer. Not unlike light touring on a Brompton with just a big front bag, multimode transport is easy. I can only picture touring on my Dahon Speed because at this point in modifications, it sacrifices little versus a 700c touring bike, in fact, the agility of the 20" wheels helps counteract the heavy steering of a fully-loaded tourer.

On Bickerton, still?
 

MointoAll!
In my opinion, riding a Bickerton portable is like riding an ambling camel, I presume, or surfing with the alien in a longitudinal wave. The more you increase a weight in front, with a pocket f. e., the higher become the wave. Or to say: it takes a little practice. But then it's great in making "big season in a marina"! It was created by a Rolls Royce engeneer, not any bicycle mech. at least.
The pictures were AI related art as they were handpainted at century's edge, With those excited ladies on it, smiling. The reason is explained with women's anatomy, but not in riding a special brand.
Peter

Front loading versus stability: It can make a huge difference if the load is steered mass (lowriders on the fork or high bag on the handlebars), versus unsteered mass (bag held via a "front block" rack or from frame like an early Moulton front rack). Both will move the steering toward self-correction, but steered mass is more likely to overshoot with a heavy load. Plus, add in the factor of front trail (greater gives better self-centering at speed) versus wheel flop (greater can increase wheel flop at low speeds). I did a deep dive on the subject, read some great stability studies and design references, in trying to improve the steering stability of my 20" wheel folder. It's better, but I still can't ride it no-handed like every previous bike.