easy wheeling foldy
 

hi,

which foldy is easy to wheel around? I intend to wheel it around in school, malls etc. so far, intuition tells me the strida would be easy to wheel around but its pretty large even when folded.. any leads?

Strida is easy to roll around because it is long when folded; the stem becomes a handle, and you can push it in front of yourself very conveniently, even while running to catch a train or something. If I keep the seat extended, I can roll my Downtube Mini pretty much the same way, but it has to be tilted to one side so it rolls on the front wheel. Mobiky is designed to roll around on two wheels, but it's hard to roll it fast that way. Raleigh Twenty is hard to roll when folded. Dunno about the others.

My 2c:

-Fold-in-half style bikes like Dahon, Downtube, Brompton, etc will all roll, but not very conveniently for a number of reasons that I won't get into here. The Mobiky rolls around like an unfolded bike; The distinction being that it has a super short effective wheelbase (distance between the wheels)...which is not very convenient IMO. That being said, I believe the general consensus is that the only folders that roll well enough to conveniently wheel around schools, malls, etc are the Strida, the Bike Friday Tikit, and the Pacific Cycles Carryme (the IF Mode is currently still vaporware).

-Depending on your motivation for folding, long bikes like the Strida aren't really as large as you think. Apart from car boots/trunks and suitcases, there are really very few fully enclosed spaces in life that restrict all three dimensions. Most of the time spaces are unobstructed on one end for easy access. So a long package like the Strida can fit in most places because it has a small footprint. Moreover, since the Strida still isn't too long to fit in car boots/trunks or fly as checked baggage on an airplane, objections to its length are mostly theoretical. I've yet to find a place where I can put a pair of boots, but I can't put my Carryme (sure I can imagine one, but I've yet to find it in practice).

-While rolling is good, don't forget that there may be other factors which can defeat the purpose of rolling. Specifically, you probably want to roll the bike so you don't have to support the weight. If a bike needs to be tilted to roll then you will still need to support some of the weight and exactly what portion of the total weight that will be depends on how much you need to tilt. So a lighter bike that needs to be tilted more may require more effort to roll than a heavy bike that needs to be tilted less. This is my objection to the Bike Friday Tikit. Some people think it rolls fine, but despite weighing about the same as a Strida it takes significantly more effort to roll in my opinion. Although there's really no way around the necessity of tilting when rolling over a bumpy surface, on a smooth surface (like the floor of the mall) the Carryme takes basically no effort to roll because it doesn't need to be tilted at all.

-I don't know how you learn, shop, etc, but I have always found that no matter how much walking I do at school, mall, etc I always do even more standing/sitting. While bikes like the Strida and Tikit may roll fairly well, if you want to just let them sit there then you either have to either keep holding them up (which takes a lot of effort) or lay them down lengthwise (greatly increasing the footprint). Most of the poor rollers (such as Downtube, Dahon, Brompton, etc) do not have this problem, but then you're also giving up the convenience of rolling. While I've requested that Bike Friday fix this problem with the Tikit and the prototypes of the soon-to-be-released IF Mode seem to have it licked, the only bike I'm aware of at present that both stands and rolls well is the Carryme (although even the Carryme compromises standing a bit compared to the poor rollers because it isn't bottom heavy enough).

So, in short, among the bikes I think you should be considering, the Carryme is the best for your stated intention, the Strida is the second best, and the Tikit is the third best. Naturally you also plan on riding the bike, so you depending on the riding scenario and your budget the best for rolling around school, malls, etc might not necessarily be the best for you overall. Towards this end the Tikit is the most expensive and the most versatile for riding; the Strida is the second most expensive and the second most versatile for riding; and the Carryme is the least expensive and the least versatile for riding. I personally own a Carryme because while I can achieve riding versatility by owning other bikes, there's really no other way to get the kind of supercompact, light weight, rolling, and standing abilities that the Carryme has to offer (plus the Strida supply chain was all screwed up when I was in the market :) ).

The Dahon Speed D7 is to rolling what a grizzly bear would be to a herring.

A brompton from the shelf can be a poor roller. But with a rack and Ezy-wheels or - better still - self modification with good skateboard wheels instead of the small hard brompton roller wheels and having the handlebar stem not folded, its perfect for rolling. It can be used as a shopping cart in the mall then (scroll down to pic 17: the guy could do better and use the brompton carry block and a brompton frame or basket/bag on the steering stem instead of carrying the basket in the other hand):
http://www.engtect.net/70

http://www.engtect.net/images/70-bro...olley-mode.jpg

But with the handlebar stem riser unfolded the footprint of the package is tremendous (must be at least twice that of a Strida or at least five times that of a Carryme). As you said, it's like a shopping cart and who wants to push a giant shopping cart everywhere? Like I said, my Carryme fits places like a pair of boots. Although the crowd in this photo was gracious enough to make way for such an unwieldy package (after all, at the grocery store the aisles are wide and people expect shopping cart sized monstrosities), the way that Brompton is sprawled out all over the floor it's fitting more like a big screen television. Most of the 20" Dahon-style folders will fit on the floor similarly in a ready-to-roll configuration with the handlebars up, but I think the general consensus is that, day in day out, it gets pretty inconvenient (certainly that's my opinion).

Also what do you do when you want to walk up/down stairs (ie at the mall)? You can either fold the handbars down or just pick the bike up by the main tube and whack everyone around you as the handlebars wave back and forth.

Isn't it obvious why the chap in the following pic is obviously about to dislocate his shoulder carrying his Brompton like that instead of rolling it with the handlebars up?
http://i.treehugger.com/files/brompton_bike.jpg
To me it seems clear that he's doing it because with the handlebars up the bike is freaking huge.

As I said, the Brompton will roll as will Dahons, Downtubes, etc, but it's an entirely different class of convenience compared to the three bikes I mentioned.

Nothing could be easier to roll while folded than the Mobiky Genius.

When folded, both its wheels remain aligned and on the ground. It can be rolled while fully folded, or semi-folded. It can be steered while folded, and even the function of the brakes is available. It has a really small folded footprint as well. You don't have to bear any of its weight except to negotiate a curb, or stairs.

http://www.foldabikes.com/images/mobiku/mobiku.gif

I would say, rather, that it has to be steered while folded. With only one wheel on the ground (or two wheels locked in parallel) there's nothing to steer. The folded Mobiky handles just like an unfolded bike which I personally find a bit cumbersome; Not to mention the thing weighs 30 pounds (must be a joy going up and down stairs).

For ref here are pics of the bikes I mentioned:

Carrymehttp://brandscycle.com/merchant/278/.../yellow_lg.jpg

Stridahttp://i.treehugger.com/images/2007/10/24/strida5.jpg

Tikithttp://bp0.blogger.com/_vUEhS0lU3eU/...+high+roll.JPG

I don't have anything to add to this topic, but since I am looking for another folder, I want to subscribe to this.

Thanks to all for the information. It has been really enlightening.

Anyone who has ever handled a folded Mobiky wouldn't say so. The shortened wheelbase makes it much easier to handle.

I admit, I haven't tried a Carryme and it really looks handy from the pictures. You make me curious to try one.
A rolled brompton with a luggage block and the handlebar in "position up" can be USED as a shopping trolley or as a luggage trolley while travelling. (This is only true for a brompton with rear rack and easy rollers and the man in the train station carries a brompton without rack.) If one does not need the bike as a trolley but just want to roll the bike one can better fold it almost completely with only the seat-stem up to the most convenient hight (which goes straight up and hence not makes the "footprint" bigger). The footprint of the brompton then is about (wiki): 54,5 cm x 25 cm (21.5" x 9.8"). Pacific-cycles says for the Carryme: 30cm x 27cm. So the brompton is bigger but 5 times?
;)

The Birdy also has the ability to roll while partially folded and also stands on it's own at rest with the Expedition Rack when wheels are added. Unfortunately these racks are only available in Asia, but I'm working on that.

Not the smallest, but seems worth considering as it's also a well handling, light weight, compact folder that's suitable for touring as well as commuting.

Here's a link to a reseller in Japan. http://www.cycleshibuya.com/opt/opt_bd1img/bdrcc3.html

Birdy also has their own rack with wheels that you pull with the bike horizontally, but it's vitually impossible to find much info on it. There is mention on the Folding Society site and a couple of dealers have them in Britain. Unfortunately, while the bikes are brilliant, the marketing and dealer networks are abysmal outside of Japan.

All I can say is that wasn't my impression when I wheeled it around the store.

If you put the handlebars down and the seat post up to push it along then when you pick it up it falls apart because the seat post is not there to lock the fold.

All I'm saying is that if I were going to the mall (in and out of stores and up and down stairs) then I would take a Carryme, or a Strida, or a Tikit over a Brompton. Neither the handlebar solution nor the seat post solution for pushing along a folded Brompton is ideal in the typical sort of hall/stairs/hall/stairs scenarios encountered in malls, school campuses, etc.

But you make a good point and I will concede that the Brompton is probably better than the Dahons/Downtubes in terms of rolling.

Would you "wheel it around in school, malls etc" as the OP noted?

Assuming that the OP is at Durham NC when at school, then rolling on skate wheels would do well for a good proportion of the Duke campus. However, there were many sections with short unpaved paths, alternative stone/rock sidewalks, and stairs when I was last there which would be a pain. My guess is that overall, it would be a poor fit.

the strida is long when folded, but since it can stand and lean against something (with brake levers held with the loop handles) or even act as a standing cane when on the subway with it infront of you, it's very non-clumbersome.

There is no sacrifice of the fold with a pannier attached and while rolling, the pannier its at the lowest center of gravity, producing minimal difference in rolling dynamics.

my previous folder couldn't roll while folded and i didn't feel too swift lugging this mess of metal and rubber attached to my arm..

As a new Mobiky owner, here's my 2 cents worth. The bike's extremely quick to fold, and quite narrow, plus it does seem to steer quite easily, and will turn on a dime (almost). Oh, another plus, it looks like something a handicapped person might need, which will be my excuse if challenged in a store or restaurant.

I find that fold-in-half folders roll just fine as long as you don't fold down the handle bars. Just drop the seat, fold in half... and roll using the handle bars to steer.

Hi,

I have had experience with the Birdy, Strida and Brompton and found the Brompton the best for my needs.
I use mine on a university campus and either wheel the bike unfolded or ' partially roll' it for short periods ie on the third wheel, fully folded this lightens the load an still allow a compact size for storage in tutorial rooms and lecture theatres. At any time it can be put on the ground with out leaning on some thing or holding it up. As for shopping I put the Brompton on/in the trolly as I don't want to wheel and carry a basket at the same time. The front bag is great, it can be disconnected quickly and you can carry all your requirements and you still have an option of a back pack for your lap top. When you arrive at your destination you don't have a wet back from carrying everything on one large backpack.

Edd

hi all, I tried out the brompton, carryme and the strida. Tried out a few dahons a while back.

first test was, fully folded, which one was the best to wheel around? because riding wise, the brompton would win hands down.

2nd test, trunk fit test.

the strida folded the tallest which made it easy to wheel it around but its still quite a tall/long package. But it couldn't fit into the trunk.

the brompton most awkward to wheel around fully folded. but fit perfectly in the car.

the carryme, folded slim, not too tall and for my 5'7" height was ok to wheel around. Pretty light at 16lbs -ish. Fit into my car, figured I could fit two.

so I guess, its carryme for me. ride not as good as the brompton but its a worthy trade off for its portability and size.

oh sorry, forgot to add that (conveniently) the brompton's asking price was way over my budget.

And I forgot to add that the Mobiky has an extremely useful multi-directional short kick stand (shown on the rear wheel in the animation above) that will keep the bike upright in its folded or unfolded state.

Hmm, you're the first I've heard complain that the Strida wouldn't fit in your trunk.

Please let us know how you like the Carryme after riding it around campus for a while. When I bought mine from the distributor he kept saying how he thought it was an ideal bike for getting around campuses. I disagreed because I figure most campuses have plenty of space. I think the Carryme is the perfect multimodal city bike for 1-5 mile rides between crowded buildings and crowded vehicles.

Last week I rode my Carryme to meet some friends at a bar a few miles away. The place was packed, but after folding it up and balancing my drink on top I wasn't taking up any more space with the bike than without (and I could easily push the bike along to mingle). After a few I could understand why it's popular among the elderly in southeast asia (makes a great cane!). When my group decided to share a cab to another bar my one buddy had to leave his nonfolding bike behind, but I didn't even bother to put mine in the trunk (although we were sitting three across I just squeezed the Carryme between my legs and pulled the door shut). It's probably the lightest bike you'll find for the price, which is a big help for typical stop and go urban riding so the ride is really not as much of a compromise as you might think. Just watch out for those sinkholes!

There is an easy modification to change the trolly wheels of the Carryme to skateboard wheels for $5, see http://www.foldingforum.com/forum/vi....php?f=13&t=77 for parts needed. This makes it easier to roll on rough surfaces and gives it a little more stability when standing folded. BTW, I got the Carryme because it is the only folder (other than the A-bike) that will fit into my '88 Toyota MR2 boot (inside dimensions: 12" x 13" x 46"), and I don't regret buying it, it's so cool to ride!

Yay - you came back!

Where have you been hiding. We missed your zany posts.

Now I just have to go away and work out what the above is saying about the D7.

Hi, great link thanks!
I did a similar modification myself with grind-wheels. One has to be careful not to take to large skate wheels as the CarryMe then lends away from the wheels and looses balance again.