Most easy to take indoors folder?
 

What I mean by this is, what do you think is the most friendly bike for folding and ROLLING indoors into a store or something?

Basically, a folder that is in some way capable of folding and not requiring you to carry it around with you. I know the Bromptons do it but looking for others.

Here is an interesting demonstration of the Tikit ride/fold/roll/ride cycle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQscBxx7wLE

Kam

Brompton, no need to look any further :D

Tikits can be rolled on one wheel when folded - for that matter so can many Dahon models - but I wouldn't want to do so over distances more than a few feet because balancing it on one wheel can stress your wrist. The Strida was designed with the idea of rolling it around on both of its 16 inch wheels instead of relying on one wheel or on supplementary skateboard-size wheels. The Strida is easy to fold but makes for a long package so it may not be the most friendly to take into a store. Then again I've read where some have pushed it along like a shopping cart instead of having to carry it in a shopping cart.

Carryme.

No other folder comes close nor do I think a better one for this purpose could possibly be designed.

Strida is such a tiny bike you don't need to fold it to take it indoors. It is also extraordinarily light. It folds in five seconds. If folding and neatness are your priority it takes some beating. If faster riding and biking versatility are what your requirement is about, then maybe not.

Here's a great video of someone shopping with the Tikit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSSgk...eature=related

--sam

the mezzo range, i4, d9 or d10. They have smaller wheels than the brompton carry wheels but are great for wheeling around. You can also fit larger ones too.

I don't think a Brompton would fit down the aisles of most of the small shops where I like to buy my groceries. Plus after all the time spent folding/unfolding at each shop it'd probably be quicker to just walk.

All true, but the Carry-me is even lighter and smaller when unfolded. Also, if you don't telescope the seat or handlebar posts then it folds down just as quickly as the Strida into a package just as small that doesn't have to be balanced (all of which is very convenient for popping in and out of shops...not to mention that it can get much smaller still given 30 more seconds).

Please excuse my enthusiasm, but not only do I think the Carry-me improves on the Strida in every way for this purpose but, as I already mentioned, I also think further improvement is impossible.

The disadvantage of course is that the riding position is too cramped for larger riders, but I think this limitation is inevitable: ie that the "most easy to take indoors" possible folder for a given rider will always be too cramped for riders larger than him/her.

Well, the main issue for me with the CarryMe is... allowed weight. I'm way, way above the limit. So, it's not just that it would be cramped for me, it would also be completely unsafe for me.

That said, if I was shorter and a lot thinner, I would definitely consider it (and a bunch of other folders too).

--sam

I feel ya Lalato, I finally went folder after being concerned about the weight limits but I'm very close to acceptable on the stronger folders.

Being a featherweight cyclist is a dual edged sword. While on the one hand we can use or abuse almost anything on the market, on the other hand we are typically forced to ride bikes which are overbuilt and heavy relative to our body mass unless we pay big bucks for exotic materials.

I think the Dahon Curve SL (or Mu SL/Uno) is a candidate too:
* super light (and easy to handle indoor)
* faste "quick fold" (1 sec to fold in half)
* easy to roll (use seatpost as a handle)

Agreed.

The Brompton with the rear rack and skate board wheels will stand by itself. It's not even rolling but more like pushing and when you stop, there's no need to balance it against a wall like the CarryMe or Strida. The Brompton is the only bike you can bring inside a mall and push it like a shopping cart for 10 miles!

I tried rolling the Strida and it gets heavy after 50 feet! You still have to lean it against a wall or just leave the bike sprawled on the floor if you're going to do any kind of shopping. The CarryMe does not lock and falls apart if you try rolling it. The Tikit is such a large package that says bike the minute you open the door of any establishment. I have Dahons and there is no way I would want to carry that bike indoor for any length of time. Yeah, you can roll it but it's so cumbersome trying to roll it balancing it on one wheel with both hands. How can you do shopping like that?

Well, I've been in several shops with my Tikit (and prior to that my Giant Halfway)... and never got a negative comment about it. And I'm not just talking supermarkets, I'm talking small shops too.

Heck, I never had an issue even with my Giant Halfway. I would fold it in half, push the seat down and leave the handle bars up. This allowed me to roll the bike by pushing it with the handlebars. I walked into many a shop and restaurant with it, and never had a problem.

That said, I do agree that the Brompton, if fitted with the proper wheels is at least as good as the Tikit (if not better) for this sort of use. But I would caution you that dismissing the Tikit for its folded size doesn't match up at all with my experiences in the "real world".

--sam

Thrush , welcome to the fold. If you do a search there is a Downtube Nova thread. Have you checked Craigslist?