Fibber

I went on a little quest trying to find a decent bag for my new folding bike, a 20" tire Dahon Speed D7 (with rear rack and fenders = 32" x 25" x 13"). I intend to use it at work instead of my car to get between buildings, so it will spend much of it's life in the back of my wagon. My requirements were:

- Keep the bike out of direct sight of prying eyes when in the car
- Ideally no logos, adornment that scream BIKE INSIDE
- A weave nylon (suitcase-like material) rather than vinyl
- Lightly padded to offer some level of protection against other things knocking around back there
- Totally enclosed / zippered - Important given some of the comments about being able to take it on mass transit (unlikely for me, but on my list).
- Carrying handle and shoulder straps
- Reasonably form fitting, yet a little bit of room for a helmet
- Able to fold up tights so that I can strap it to the rear rack and carry it with me while riding
- Low cost. I set a target of under $40


The Dahon Bolso bag misses on several of the above, as does the older Dahon bag that I saw on the shelf at one dealer. Searching the web, I compared dimensions and specs when available. In cases were the bag ads didn't give size data, I went to the bike pages they listed as fitting, to compare folded size.

Several good candidates emerged:

Bazooka C20 case for 20" wheel bikes - 34 x 22 x 12 , around $50. Looks very nice, but big silk screened screaming logo on outside.
https://www.amazon.com/Carry-Case-Baz...7824936&sr=8-1

Citizen Bike bag - 33 x 23 x 11 - novel hard bottomed rolling duffel style. Handy, but would make transport on the bike more difficult.

PT Cruiser Bike Bag. This bag, sold thru Amazon for around $30 looked interesting on the web. The Cruiser bike has 16" wheels, but due to an offset when folded, the dimensions match most 20" bikes at 32" x 26". The picture shows no external adornment, just an outside gusseted pocket.

https://www.amazon.com/Chrysler-PT-Cr...7825055&sr=8-2

What sealed the deal was that it was on sale for $24.98, and eligible for free shipping if I added something else to get it above $25. You need a cheap Planet Bike water bottle holder for $3 to go with the new bike, right? Sold. $28 total sale, and it arrived in less than a week.

Well, not quite... What arrived was clearly not what is shown, but in the end it did not disappoint. I don't care for the concept of 'bate and switch', but the bag is a decent weave, two layers with what feels like some thin padding between on the sides and bottom. Light and strong. No external pocket (fine with me), but a sleeve zipper pocket on the inside. The heavy handle straps wrap down along the sides, giving more strength, and the shoulder strap hooks to the far ends. The bike fits great, with a little extra headroom above the rack to place my helmet. Nice. Only downside is a screened logo "Bike Parts Source LLC - Folding Bicycle". Not what I wanted to announce to the world, but I will cover it over.

Net is that for the price, I doubt you could find better.

folder fanatic

Patience, Patience here. I did design a simple drawsting bag for folding bike offered free on Flickr right now at:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/world-of-folding-bicycles/sets/72157601331380862/

I intentionly omitted some fancy features like handles, padded sides, and the like you asked for because I intended to be assembled very quickly by someone who does not sew. Or it could be done by an expert, adding on what you want.

In the future, I will offer bags with most of the above you listed. A good business does take time to set up.

cmcanulty

The free bag with the Downtube bikes is surprisingly decent. You could probably buy one at the downtube forums cheap as some people wouldn't use them. I plan to use mine on greyhound bus trips.

Fibber

I went down two avenues prior to deciding to buy: Modify or Make

I took an old folding suit bag that I no longer use and assessed what it would take to modify the zipper and gussets to accommodate the bike. It had most of the prime elements - cheap, handles, shoulder straps, substantial materials. I just would not have been worth the effort, as it was slightly undersized at the outset.

I did see your drawstring bag posted earlier, and I did consider it. I was nice of you to post details. But again, it did not fit a number of my setforth criteria without a lot of modification, and that would have sent it way over budget. Go to a fabric store today and price up even basic materials. Suitcase fabrics, reinforcement web, zippers. Unless you are buying in bulk, it just doesn't pay. My wife is heavily into sewing and crafts, so unfortunately, I know the drill. She has had to travel or got to extremes on group buys to get partial bolts at workable prices.

I did look for a resale bag, but did not come up with much at the time. Or course, that can change on a moment's notice.

striegel 

Can you post some pictures of the bag you actually received? It would be great to see it with the bike fitted inside as well.

werewolf

I'm looking for a bag with very similar qualities to fit my Xootr Swift - mostly to carry it around in my vehicle. I'd prefer it to look like as ugly a piece of crap as possible, and definitely no big "Bike Inside Steal Me" sign on it!

Fibber

I'll try to take some pictures for posted this evening (assuming the kids, wife, dog, office, all cooperate!).

folder fanatic

Thank you for the kind pointers. I do have an suggestion about buying fabric (after all it is my business). All of the samples shown on Flickr were made with very inexpensive fabric that are from the bargain bins, end of bolt fabric pieces, fat quarters (the quilts), or flat folds (see: https://www.flickr.com/photos/world-o...7601331380862/). Tell your wife to shop at the back of a good fabric stores for these things-and even then buy good quality fabric. This keeps my personal and professional costs down and I can afford to pass it to my customers.

For another route, consider buying a inexpesive duffel type bag from a company like JIO. See my Geocities Webpage for more information:

https://www.geocities.com/folder_fanatic/Security4.html

werewolf

For another route, consider buying a inexpesive duffel type bag...


________________

I was in a big surplus store recently. They had some very large and very strong and very nice and ugly duffel bags in black and olive green, and they were pretty cheap, too. Not sure if any of them are large enough for the Swift though. I'll look at your webpage, FF.

werewolf

FF -

Where's the section on duffel bags? Would you happen to know what size might fit the Swift?

Quick suggestion:

"Here is some things I do to my Dahon folding bikes to keep the wheels together when folded..."

A short length of parachute cord would work fine. Handy stuff. I use it for all sorts of tie downs, etc. Just cut it and sear the ends with a cig lighter to keep the nylon from uunraveling.

folder fanatic

Here is the section of page 4 that has the information on these bags and where to get them (at least in the US):

My Purchased Bags

I make my own bags and also buy premade store purchased ones from the local 99 Cents type store. The company that makes the store bought ones is JIO and they are located on-line at:

https://www.jioluggage.com/
....
Location In Los Angeles, CA:

Jio Luggage, Inc.
1355 S. Santa Fe Ave. #D2
Los Angeles, CA 90021

Phone: 213-891-9292
Fax: 213-891-0124
Email: inf@jioluggage.com...

I don't know if these bags will fit a Swift. My bikes are either Dahons or Bromptons. I recommend that you click on the JIO website link above and see what they offer now (I have not checked them out in a while). And if you see something you like call them to find out if there is a retail outlet nearby your residence or if they can ship it directly to you.

Fibber

Good comments all around.

Attached are a few photos of the bag that came (Front / Perspective / Top / Open, and the bag I ordered that was featured on the Amazon site (PT bag).

Edit: one photo (top) did not load a thumbnail, but is visible if you click on it.

Fibber

I checked the Jio site, and they do have a square tote that looks like a possibility. Unfortunately, I don't see any dimensional data to go with the images.

folder fanatic

Really nice bag and the photos were great and descriptive of the bag's features and use. As for JIO, call them at the phone number provided during business hours Pacific Standard Time (the middle of the work week is the best time). Don't bother to e-mail since sometimes e-mails tend to get ignored more often than not. Let me know what you decide to do.

Fibber

Thanks. It is a nice bag, but I also intend to follow-up with Amazon about the 'not as advertised' aspect of what was shipped. Assuming that they do not have the original offering and I keep the shipped bag, I need to black out the screen printed text. Annoying, but not tragic.

Did I read your post correctly - that some of the JIO bags (large enough for a bike) were available at dollar stores? That would be the group buy of the decade!

On the subject of material purchases: My wife and her friends are always on the hunt for the holy grail of fabrics. They do quilts, drapes, clothes, and the like. We have a dedicated sewing room (13x16), with three machines on one wall, a cutting table, etc. A few years back we did the "old mill" tour of Boston in search of the right stuff. She buys cartons from Wrights filled with what I might call junk, she and her friends call treasures! We humor each other. She also has two Singer featherweights (familiar with the 221?) and a collection of other antiques. I restore wind up phonographs (Victor and Edison), fix cars and bikes.

folder fanatic

You read my previous post accurately. I bought some of my JIO bags from my local dollar store for 10 dollars. That is why I recommended you to contact them directly. They can point you to a retail store in your area, and if that is not an option, possibly ship one to you. The bag's logo that you are planning to buy could be quickly covered up with a 1. patch or embroidered decal of your choice, or 2. permament black marker that is not washable are some options to consider.

I sense a kindred spirit in your wife. I have to be careful in the amount of fabrics and other bulky items I keep in my single room right now as my house is being remodeled. But I do roam the Garment District for all that stuff. I really love the Singer 221 model. I don't own one but my ex's mother had one and still uses it to this day!

cmcanulty

Could you post the outside girth for the amazon bag? It needs to be 62" or less even for greyhound now

Fibber

Glad you asked - I should have thought to post that!

The bag measures 31" long x 13" wide x 25" high. This is almost an exact match to the Dahon D7 bike.

striegel 

The dimensions do sound just about perfect for my Mu P8 as well, so I've ordered one from Amazon to try it. My intent is not for this to work as checked luggage, just keeping things neater in my car and at the office when I ride it to work.

Thanks a lot for all this.

Fibber

You are welcome!

Oh, as expected, Amazon cust serv wrote back saying that the description photograph used in their listing is an error, and that they will take the bag back and pay postage. But as it works well, I'll most likely keep it and black out the white logo/text.

striegel 

My bag arrived from Amazon yesterday and it's exactly like the one pictured. The 2007 Dahon Mu P8 fits well. The interior zip pocket is large enough to easily hold my MKS Ezy MT-E pedals with their attached Power Grips.

I like that the shoulder strap has sturdy metal clips on the ends, but am disappointed that there is no padding or at least grip to prevent the strap from cutting into or sliding around on the shoulder.

I also think the bag's folded size is too large to make it handy to carry along on the bike daily. It seems almost as large as my entire pannier.

Overall, still a good deal for the price, so I shouldn't complain.

henge

Bringing up and old post. I'm looking for a carry bag for a Dahon mu P24, folded size 32 × 78 × 66 cm (12.6" × 30.7" × 26"). Unfortunately, the Dahon carry bag, with dimensions of 33 x 78 x 62 cm, appears to be too small on the 66 cm dimension. See https://www.amazon.com/DAHON-Folding-.../dp/B00IZ39QOA . The bag also appears too small for a Dahon Speed D7 and P8 (dimensions 30 × 77 × 64 cm). It seems odd that Dahon would market a bag that doesn't fit a couple of its bikes. Does anyone know if a P24 could actually fit in the bag, posted specs notwithstanding?

While most bike bags seem too small vis-a-vis the 66 cm dimension, I did find this one. Folding Bike Carry Bag - Four Corners HD2012-003 - Bike Supplies - Camping World Anyone know anything about that bag or have suggestions for another (sewing my own not being an option)?

Pinigis 

Our carry bag is not padded (most are not), but it meets all of your other target criteria.

Standard Carry Bag

Nightdiver

How about a Tern Stow Bag? They fit 20"-24" bikes, so your Mu should be no problem.

henge

Pinigis and Nightdiver, thanks for your help.