Gotte

I know there's the airnimal and a Dahon, but why no more 24" folders?
As I mention in a previous post, they seem an ideal tradeoff between practicality and ridability.

Unless, of course, anyone out there knows of some more.

ChiapasFixed

i have an airnimal joey, and it rides nice. however, after having it 6 months, and also using my girlfriend's bike friday, i have come to realize that the joey is not any more rideable than the BF, in fact, i would lean towards saying the bf rides better.
add to this the impracticalities of folding and packing a larger wheeled bike, and you will understand why i am selling the joey and buying a BF Tikit which should be arriving next month. after test riding a Tikit, i realized that with 16" wheels it seems to ride just as nimbly and fast as full sized bikes of similar quality.
the "ideal tradeoff" is only a perception, or rather a misconception that larger wheels "should" ride better.
they dont, actually. concentrate on the quality of a bike that suits your needs in terms of foldability. do not make the mistake of thinking wheel size matters much.

Iosepus

Giant's MR series are 24-inch foldables. The problem is their limited availability outside Japan and Taiwan.

They are not extremely fast to fold, but the ride is good and fast.

You can check some pics of it (by myself) in here: https://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.p...&postcount=568 .

pibach

But doesn't the Joey also fold quite small and neat? Also into suitcase. And it should ride better over bumpier roads with its larger tires, and it should be stiffer overall, isn't it?

BTW. Some 20" folders can take 451mm wheels (instead of 406 mm wheels). E.g. , Dahon Mu with 451 wheels:

ChiapasFixed

dont get me wrong, the joey is very stiff, fast ride. in terms of riding better over bumpy roads, the NWT or the Tikit actually feel more comfortable, maybe due to the fact that they are steel and th joey is aluminium... the wheel size does not seem to make much difference in this regard.
the fold on the joey is ok, but it takes 3-5 minutes for the quick fold, and after that you have a loose wheel and handlebars to deal with, and about 30-45 minutes to pack in a suitcase. the suitcase is oversized meaning you MAY be charged extra when checking into a flight, and it is impossible to find a replacement for. I know because my joey's suitcase broke and i spent months searching for an alternative with no luck.
in contrast, bike fridays fold quickly without removing the wheels and pack into any standard samsonite suitcase (10-20 minutes to pack or unpack the Tikit, about 20-30 for the NWT).

pibach

Interesting, as I was always a fan of the Airnimal bikes. Maybe it is also a question of tire choice (I like using Big Aples)? The fold of the Joey seems to be pretty neat. But I see, to fit into suitcase the rear wheel has to be taken off. I also do this on my Dahon. Anyway, I get it in a Samsonite in <5 minutes after a bit of practice (wheels off, fold, unscrew bar, lay all into case, bubble wrap contact points, that's it basically). But I prefer using a cardboard. The one from a Dell 24" TFT screen fits nicely. And I fold it and stap in on my backpack when I arrive.

Kaito

pilbach, that's the first Mu I've seen w/451's! And it looks great! : )
Could you please share what rims they are? And also, what size front hub you installed?

I see the front brake caliper mounted w/no prob's, but how does the back look? Does a rear brake caliper install look as easy?

Look forward to your reply & thanks for sharing the great pic & mod!
Rgds,
K.

pibach

Sorry for not being clear, this isn't my bike. The 2007 fixie conversion is actually from Kiddles Bike and Sport
Lake Forest, Illinois, see this thread. I just wanted to point out that 451mm wheels are an option on most 20" folders.

I have another Mu with regular wheels (but super fat Big Apple tires):

Kaito

Thanks for the thread link pibach.

pibach

Bike Friday is using this 451 size a lot on their Pocket Rocket roadies. You can get light rims and nice road tires, e.g., Primo Comet. Fitting a rear V-brake will be difficult, so this generally works only with a fixie conversion. Anyway, fixie makes a lot of sense for me on a folder. I would also like to switch my Nexus gear hub for a fixie hub, still looking for a nice fixie rear wheel.

LittlePixel

COuldn't find a link to the aformentioned 451ed Mu, so looked myself. Found this beaut. Is this the same one?


from https://www.loro.co.jp/custom/2009/04...451custom.html

pibach

Nice find!
It is a Dahon Mu frame, yes. I don't know if the Uno is exactly the same as the XL's frame (which I have). There are some speculations it has a 120mm rear (other Dahon's are 130mm). Also the handlepost is special, as the regular ones are all too high (big anoyance with all Dahons).

Anyway, this is the most attractive folder I know of. Unfortunately you cannot buy the frameset only. Need to buy a Mu Uno to get the frame. Don't know where to get this shorter handlepost.

Edit: It's the handlepost from the Jetstream P8. This folds to the outside, unfortunately.

Kaito

aiyai ya~
whata a beauty..!

One day when I have some time, I might try'n throw the 451's that are on my Swift on my Mu, just to see how they'll fit...(Sheesh - just remembered - the front hub on my Mu isn't standard width...!) >:/

Nice look'n 451ed Mu's for sure!