neilfein

I think we could all do with some positive energy. Ground rules:

Post a picture of the bike or bikes, and tell us the one thing you love most about it. Even if the bike well and truly sucks, find something good about it!


Dahon Curve D3. This three-speed bike is now a two-speed bike, and doesn't hold together as well as it used to, but it's a fun little bike and I commuted on it for a year and a half. I think the coolest thing about it is the saddle. When I wanted to replace the stock saddle, I posted a thread here asking for suggestions. Someone here told me about Rido saddles, and offered to mail me one at no charge. From England.


I replaced the Dahon with a Bike Friday Tikit. I have not yet found the words for how awesome this bike is. It's not really a folding bike, but a bike that folds. The two of us don't have much history together yet, but my favorite attribute so far is that I can climb hills on it that give me trouble on my Randonee touring bike.

wahoonc

Works for me!

I am a vintage guy and love the old British bikes. To me the Sturmey Archer AW 3 speed hub was probably the single greatest invention for bikes.

So I have a pair of Twentys. The customized one I ride, the other my bride rides on occasion.

I like the SA 3 speed hub, the fact the bike has a cool factor due to its age and size, and it could be easily modified to fit my 37" saddle to pedal measurement. I do travel on Amtrak with mine, I bag it in an over sized duffel bag as checked baggage. It also travels with me in the back of my pickup so I have a bike to ride no matter where my job takes me.



Aaron

cooker

I occasionally experience buyer's remorse over this bike, in that I have not used it as much as I thought I would, and it was very expensive, especially shipped to Canada. However, I'm not sure how else I could have gotten road bike geometry, a checkable suitcase fit, and rated for well over 200 lbs. Plus, (I think) it looks very good.

phillyskyline

This has been my daily commuter for a little over a year: Brompton S2L. I love how versatile it is--today I took it on the subway and it can slide between the seats--yet without compromising the ride too much. It's an all-around great bike, and I expect to have it for a very long time. I hope to turn it into a single speed one day soon.



We'll soon be adding a Twenty to the stable! It should be shipping here in the next week or so. It's going to need some work, no doubt, but hopefully will make a fine back-up commuter as well as something fun for shorter trips around the neighborhood. I don't have a photo to post just yet

SesameCrunch

Cool thread! I'll jump in:

For starters - This 1970 Moulton MK3



Salvaged frame from a garage sale. Hand restored by me. Stripped down to the ball bearings. Built up with parts from England, Germany, US, including generous donations from LittlePixel and other BF posters. The pièce de résistance is the vintage Duomatic 2 speed kickback hub that BruceMetras introduced to me. It's become very sentimental to me! Full restoration story here: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...on+restoration

2007 Moulton TSR30:



Looks gorgeous, rides like a dream. Long, colorful history behind it, stemming from (now infrequent) BF poster, EvilV. I liked it so much, I flew to London to pick it up. Story here: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...lent+adventure

And the folding classic: 2008 Brompton M6L:



Nothing beats the folding size. Yet when you unfurl it, the ride is splendid. The clever 2 speed rear derailleur combined with the 3 speed IGH is classic. The ultimate travel bike.

2006 Downtube Mini:



One of my earliest folder acquisitions, and the oldest one in my current collection. Inexpensive, indestructable. This Downtube Mini was actually ridden up the Alp d'Huez course of the 2008 Tour de France. I kid you not. A friend borrowed it and rode it up. Trip report here: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...Alp+d'Huez . That's not me on the bike, by the way, I'm not quite as cute.

Whew. Verklempt alert. :-) I'll stop here and continue later.

neilfein

SesameCrunch, that 2007 Moulton is a thing of beauty. It makes me want to come to SF just to see it.

feijai

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A pair of 2006 Dahon Helios P8s, presently stationed in Cesenatico, Italy. Shown above on Piazza Dei Miracoli in Pisa and near shops in the old town center of Lucca. These bikes are LIGHT, efficient, and inexpensive, perfect for putting on trains when tooling around Italy. We like them so much that when one of them was stolen, we bought a used duplicate from Bikes@Vienna -- the store owner's wife's personal bike. Plus, as a matched pair they garner even more looks than even a folding bike does in Italy (which is a lot).

vmaniqui

sesamecrunch - you're making us drool again with those bikes.....

lucille

sigh... my bike is not built yet....watch this space.

Azreal911

Here's mine, the reason it's great cause it gets me to work the same speed as my car, door to door since driving would have to find parking and then get to the elevator while my triangle flies right up to the front door. Plus it fits right under my cubicle so I never have to worry about locking it up. No one even knows that there is a bike under my desk.

miamimike

Awesome in the lack of weight Dept is the best way to describe my recently purchased Dahon Mu Uno. Hositing it up on the City Bus Racks or carrying it up the stairs or onto the escalators at our Metrorail Station has not been a disappointment in the 2 months or so I have owned it. This carrying drill happens 3-4 times a day sometimes so its featherweight poundage(22 pounds) is greatly appreciated. Also, some days I find a need to fold it several times going in and out of some stores so those <15 second folds are a welcome change. The Single speed so far has worked well here in Flatland Miami; my only complaint is at times with a good tailwind, I run out of peddle and wish for a higher gear. From past threads here I am aware I could add a IGH and that may be a project down the road. They say you get what you pay for and this bike is good proof of that. The Mu Uno is not cheap but a pleasure to use each and every time,,,

snafu21

I'm the culprit who mailed Neil his Rido saddle, it was on my Hammerhead for a while, but we didn't get on together. Here's a pic of the same Rido in Englandville, outside my secret fortified bunker in 2008 or so.

Cooliest thing about the Hammerhead? The sexiest non-folding 'folder' that Dahon ever produced. It was too cool to be left anywhere, so I replaced it with my current Dahon Vitesse D7.

The cooliest thing about the D7 is it's got me fit again after mystery knee problems. Wonderful bikes, both of them.

Dynocoaster 

My MuXl because of the Nexus 8 IGH and I can make it a singlespeed when the time comes.

bhkyte

I mentioned my bike before,but you asked for it!
reasons, love dual drive mated to brifers, fast and fast to fold, also I think it looks great in black.

ATXrds

In the pic of the downtube, is that a can of tennis balls in the bottlecage?

If so, where is the racquet?
What brand of bottle cage is it?

Thanks

nekohime

2008 Brompton M6L




Why it's awesome? It's better than a car exercise-wise, cheaper than a car, and faster than a car sometimes. It rides like a dream. Since I took that pic I've added some ride-improving and cute-inducing accessories, like an Electra cruiser saddle with green butterfly motif, ergon grips, brompton s-bag loaded up with pins and iron-ons, and purple skate wheels. I get lots of good attention because of the bike, and every now and then, some applause when I fold and unfold it.

thatsut

My folding is awesome.. because its faster than walking... or cycling... and easier, which means i spend more time enjoying the landscape than looking down at my swet hit he road

thatsut

just to clarify thats a 4 stoke petrol motor in the pannier, if you didnt know

vmaniqui

and here's mine ...... my apology - see below...

vmaniqui

here's mine....
DAHON CURVE D3 - small fold
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DAHON MU XL - 8 speed IGH - the real commuter bike
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BIKE FRIDAY TIKIT2 - 5 second-fold - awesome. Just got this bike a couple of days ago.
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Mr. Fly

My Brompton M3L is awesome because:

1. It rides well enough for 5-mile trips.
2. It climbs well enough up 15+% grades. (Yes, I have to do this riding into work)
3. It folds to a regular-shaped almost-nothing. (makes storing and transporting it easier)
4. It transforms in less 30 seconds. (especially useful in multi-modal commutes)

All these factors make it into an extremely viable car replacement for day-to-day activities. For example, I can ride to the train station, take the train to work, but get the wife to pick me up in her car if we're going somewhere after work. Or I can sneak into the train's luggage car and avoid the jam-packed bike car. Or I can ride to a grocery store and wheel the bike around in its half-folded state to do my shopping; no need for locks. I've even met up with friends and coworkers (different occasions) at fairly fancy restaurants and coat-checked the folded Brompton.

kamtsa

It is indeed. SesameCrunch was kind enough to let me test ride it before I got my TSR27.

BTW, I think that it has some romantic story behind it which makes it really unique ;-)

Kam

neilfein

Okay, that's just a tease. Share, please!

vmaniqui

[QUOTE=

BTW, I think that it has some romantic story behind it which makes it really unique ;-)

Kam[/QUOTE]

yes. we're waiting.....

vmaniqui

it is indeed such a small fold. just the size of the 16" wheel.