I have a great road bike and would like to purchase a good folder for air travel. I would like a bike that is comfortable for 30 to 60 mile rides and as close as possible to the performance from my road bike which is a Giant TCR Comp O. Can you help me with some recommendations.

You might add your price range, luggage size. When you say great road bike does that mean light weight, no suspension, smooth pavement, excellent climbing, large number of gears?

If your great road bike is steel, consider having it "hacked" (in two), sandsmachine.com

Bike Friday is your best choice.

Their bikes are custom, so you can get the exact geometry, components, handlebars, gearing etc. that you want. IIRC if you tell them how your TCR is set up, they should be able to match it, components and all (if that fits your budget!).

If you're looking for road performance instead of a touring machine, Pocket Rocket is most likely your model, PR Pro if you want to take off a few pounds. The "Air" series is more for triathlons and people who want suspensions.

If you don't want to spend a lot of cash, you can pick up a Xootr Swift, ~$700, fairly light, packs OK, has a very rigid frame, and is very flexible. You'd probably want to add faster tires, bar ends and maybe an 11-32T cassette; this is how I have my Swift set up, and I have no problems whatsoever with long rides (70+ miles). Many Swift users swap out the flat bar for drops.


An S&S retrofit may be an option, but there are a few caveats: no retrofit on aluminum frames, longer time to pack / unpack than a folder, likely to be an expensive upgrade, plus you need to find an experienced retrofitter.

I have a BikeFriday Pocket Pilot. I run the Primo 1" tires and the ride is pretty close to my full size road bike. I have it equipped with Ultegra all the way around. It disasembles and packs in a Pullman case.
The bike, helmet, shoes and cycling accessories also fit.
I have attached a pic of my bike which I have ridden on rides as long as 100 miles and lots of shorter rides from 10 miles to 75.
I also attached a link to show how it packs. The link is not my bike but someone elses Pocket Rocket.
https://briandesousa.com/bicycling/tech/bikefriday.htm

IMG_0731.jpg

Kenal0

Bike Fridays are great, but I can pack my Dahon Speed P-8 into a 29' Samsonite Oyster suitcase using only a pedal wrench.

I just rode a 100 mile century this past sunday on it and it performed great especially since I added aero bars, very comfortable.

At $500, great bang for the buck, it's definately worth considering.

Ditto. I'd love to own a BF but my Speed P-8 was a great value.

If your only need is to get it easily on and off a commercial airplane, how about a "take apart" bike instead of a folder?

Something like the Dahon Allegro, for example.

- Jeff