When you commute with your folder, do you take the train and/or the bus or do you take the bike all the way to your destination? Care to share your experience in multi-modal commuting with your folding bike? I have no experience yet doing this and would like to hear from the group. Thanks.

Andy

I multi-mode. I ride my folder to BART, then take it on the train. BART has restrictions on bicycles which were my motivation to get a folder in the first place ("regular bikes" are not allowed in some stations and on some trains during commute hours; folding bikes are always allowed). Cyclists take a lot of liberties with the restrictions, and BART officials are inconsistent in enforcing the restrictions. On my inbound commute, I almost never fold up my bike. I make it a point to ride in the last, least crowded car and there are normally non-folding bikes present regardless of any "No Bikes" denotation on the arrival sign.

On my homeward commute, I always fold and carry my bike because I board at a station that prohibits regular bikes at the time. Even so, a lot of cyclists waltz right through with their non-folding bikes. Over the past few years, I've definitely noticed a pattern by the station agents: they will usually call out and try to turn away college hipster and professional-looking cyclists while they usually ignore and let pass the more thuggish looking cyclists. This is in or around downtown Oakland.

I've done quite a bit of multi-mode commuting / travel with Amtrak, Greyhound, Metra and South Shore (the last two in that list are regional commuter trains in the greater Chicago area).

My folder is a Dahon Boardwalk S1 (20 inch wheels), and I use Dahon's El Bolso carrying bag. I've never had trouble getting my bike onto any of these options. The only headache I've had is that at 30 pounds it can be a bummer getting my bike onto an overhead luggage rack... especially when I board a train late at night and folks are sleeping. But, it's easy to get the bike in underneath luggage space on Greyhound, and I can usually find floor-level luggage storage on Amtrak.

I've written more detailed accounts of my experiences on a bike-advocacy blog, if you're interested:

https://bikemichiana.org/tag/monkey-bike-chronicles/

My normal commute is completely by bike. However, when I visit my girlfriend in Providence (I'm in Boston) I will take the commuter rail in and ride the rest of the way.

Folders are allowed any time on the Subway or the Commuter Rail train and I've never really been hassled about it. (I've been questioned a few times while rolling my bike down the platform unfolded, but had no problems once I mentioned that it was a folding bike. In fact I didn't even have to demonstrate the fact). Now folders being allowed vs how convenient it is in actuality is a totally different matter. The commuter rail and subway get very crowded during rush hour. I can get by with my tikit without too much trouble, but if you brought a full size folding bike you would not have a very pleasant trip.

After I had gotten the Dahon Speed UNO, I have started commuting with it on trains and boats. Haven't tried a bus yet, but perhaps next year if I visit Victoria BC using Pacific Coach on my usual museum run or into Tofino BC.
Initially, I NEVER considered multi-modal commuting as I always consider people who do this are weak cyclists. I used to cycle pretty much every where, except needing a boat to cross the channel from time to time. But when I saw at least 2 friends who I know are strong cyclists and had done PBP (Paris Brest Paris) very well and use their folders on commuter trains just to save some time, then I realize it is a viable efficient solutions to longer commute or out of city travels.

I chose the Speed UNO simply because of simplicity and folding size. No cables to worry about. Can be rolled folded and I have the Dahon carrying bag. The size of the bike crucial as well since our old Gen 1 Skytrain here has smaller cars with narrow corridors.

There is no shame commuting by bike with trains, buses and boats as you are helping to green the environment!

I ride my DaHon Curve 8 from my home to the Norwalk Metro (Green Line) station on my way to work (some MUP but mostly roads). When I get there I use my TAP card (Transit Access Pass - like an Oyster in London or an EASY in Taipei) to get in, walk down to the platform and fold my bike.

I ride the Metro from Norwalk to the Harbor Freeway (110/105) station (about 18 minutes usually), unfold bike, walk down more stairs to street level and ride about a mile to work. Repeat in reverse (well, of course I don't ride in reverse!) on the way home.

I've never had a problem with getting my folder on or off the train, and (as noted above) lots of riders with normal size/non-folding bikes board the train when they're really not supposed to. Unlike noted above, I've never seen any Metro officials so there's really no one to stop these riders from boarding. What I have noticed is that non-cycling passengers appreciate the fact that my folded bike is so much smaller (and hence easier to get by/around) than normal bikes.

Sometimes those on the train will ask me about my bike (riders and non-riders alike), just out of curiosity, but no one has ever voiced an objection to it.

Rick / OCRR

Edit: Okay, I said I'd never seen Metro offcials at the stations and then on the way home yesterday I saw Sheriff's Office deputies checking to make sure everyone exiting the train had either a valid ticket or a TAP card. I guess this was one of those "Never say never" moments.

I don't know about that - I'm in the Boston area, and I have a full size folding bike - I've never been told I can't take it on, even if it is crowded rush hour. Basically, I just show whoever that it's a folding bike and they let me go ahead.

For regular bikes , to cross at rush hour there was a Cal Trans sponsored
trailer and van shuttle using the bay bridge, to carry riders and bikes . a buck a head, I think.

a friend of the SF shop I worked in, lived in Oakland, and worked on the baggage crews at SFO
and used the shuttle scheme daily.

Sometimes I do a multimodal commute. I get reimbursed for parking downtown, however to pocket that money, I'll take my car and park as close as possible to a subway stop in a free parking spot. I unfold my cheap dahon and ride and lock it up outside my subway stop. I take the subway downtown and report for duty.

I would not take my brompton and lock it up outside a subway stop. I'm afraid that'll be a tempting target for theives.

I bought my Swift specifically for multi-modal commuting in Portland, OR. In the mornings I ride 3 miles downtown, then take the train to suburban Beaverton, where my work is right next to a station. Most of the trains officially have spaces for just 8 bikes, and the last couple years it's become increasingly difficult to snag a legal spot. And about the same time space started getting tight, our transit agency decided to start enforcing the rules, reducing the effective capacity by a third or more. So I've had to let a lot of trains pass me by, making me late to work or home way too many times.

In a few years we'll supposedly be offered bike storage near where I catch the train on the west end of downtown, which would allow me to avoid even having to deal with my bike on the train, but of course I needed a solution NOW.

The Swift isn't the most compact fold, but it is good enough. I do the quick fold, then quick-release the handlebar/riser and use a nylon strap to cinch everything together. If I stand the bike on its back end, I can easily stuff it into the narrow space in between a hanging bike and the wall. It only takes me about a minute to fold the bike and maybe half a minute to unfold, so I've started doing this even when the train isn't full, to make room for one extra non-folding bike rider who might get on after me. Now I only miss a train when it's SO crowded it's difficult to stand, which is uncommon.

My employer allows bikes in cubicles, and many of my coworkers take advantage of that. One advantage of the Swift is I can quick-fold it in seconds and squeeze it into a cranny where it takes up much less space than a regular bike.

Ah, I'm not really commenting on whether the mbta attendants will allow it. More that it can a bit difficult when it's super crowded. I've tried using my BF Pocket Llama a few times (granted, it probably has one of the worst folds, Mine doesn't have the folding stem and you can't wheel it around) and getting around in a crowded car was quite difficult.

On a side note, I'm curious why I see so few montagues considering they're a local product. Otherwise, folding bikes definitely seem to be on the rise locally.

Thanks for the replies. I am still mulling over which folding bike to get. Choosing between a Dahon Eco 3 or a Boardwalk D7. Both are used and priced the same. Since I moved to another office I've had to take the bus and a 15-minute walk after. If you asked me last year what I thought of folders, I would've said, "I don't get them." However I've realized that these bikes are versatile. At least that's my opinion after test riding a Dahon Eco 7. I guess my next concern is the bkie's weight and getting on and off the platforms. Another is the change of clothes I need. I did some multi-modal commuting last year but I'd ride my bike to my sister's place and leave it there then I'd take the bus. This year it's a different route. I have to take the bus to work but would have to walk to the bus stop. I'd rather bike than walk.

How long have you had thie Dahon Boardwalk? And are you happy with the bike's handling? I read your blog and found the stories interesting. Easy read.

I got it early summer 2008, so over three years now. The handling is okay -- it's actually kind of a fun contrast to my other bikes, and it's great in urban areas like downtown Chicago. Several times per summer I use it coupled with Amtrak to visit my family in PA, and that involves a 16-mile ride from the train station in Erie to their house. Despite being close to the lake, it is fairly hilly road, and the single-speed Boardwalk definitely makes me work to get up the bigger inclines. But, I kinda get a kick out of it.

It occurs to me that I wrote most of those blog entries when I was still getting the hang of traveling with a folder. I got flats on my first few "significant" trips and, frankly, those were all major bummers because packing as lightly as possible, I don't carry tools, a patch kit or a pump. However, I switched tires: Schwalbe Marathon Plus in the rear and a Marathon in the front, and I've had many flat-free trips since.

I too take Los Angeles' Green Line train (it's internal volume and layout is rather like a subway or BART car), and I also take the MetroLink train (sized like an Amtrak car) every day to work and back. I ride a Dahon Mariner D7 (think rustproof Speed D7).

On the MetroLink, I never bother folding up the bike, because the trains are large, there are almost always dedicated bike racks in the cars available at my stops (and the racks are right next to the doors), and the trains aren't too crowded. Heck, some trains have dedicated "Bike Cars" with nothing but racks for 20 bikes on the lower levels! I have folded it up a few times on the ML due to overcrowding due to some trains having mechanical difficulties and being shut down. I really don't think a folder is necessary for this type of train.

On the Green Line, on the other hand, it's a different story. All bikes are now allowed at all times on the Green Link (until a few months ago, non-folders weren't allowed during rush-hour; everyone ignored the rule/law), contrary to what a few bike-hating conductors may say. I always fold it on the Green Line because it is so crowded at rush hour. Bike storage area are as far from the doors as possible, so if you need to get on or off when the trains are crowded, a full size bike just pisses people off, whereas the folding bike (when folded) makes people smile, say how cool the bike is, and folks actually make space for me to carry it through!

So I leave it unfolded heading onto the platform, then fold it in 15 seconds as the train arrives, and then on I go with it folded.

It really is a great system, and I really recommend it.

-Warr

this is against the raison d'etre of this particular forum, but have you thought of two clunkers, one at either end of the train/bus journey, doesn't matter if they get stolen, leave locked somewhere.

I've done this, can be easier/cheaper that a folder. Or it would be if I could stop myself from buying folders anyway.

Warr,
I totally agree with your comments about the Green Line, but I do things a bit differently. I always fold my bike as soon as I get on the platform . . . just so I have it done and don't have to deal with it as the train arrives.

When I get on the train, I just step to the "opposite" doorway, i.e. the one that never opens (at least in my experience). I just stand there the whole time, leaving the seats for people who need/want them. Agree too that passengers think the folder is interesting, some even watch me as I fold or unfold it. Not much other entertainment on the Green Line!

And yes, the full-sized bikes are awkward at the very least, difficult for entering or exiting passengers to step around. So I think they appreciate the smaller size of the folded bike. I'm really enjoying commuting by bike and Metro; don't miss the "stuck in traffic" times at all. And my bike/Metro commute takes approx. 15 min. longer than the car commute, so no worries there either!

Rick / OCRR

I multi-mode every day I go to work. I ride 7 miles to the Trenton train station, ride the train for an hour into NYC, ride 2.5 miles to my office; afternoon reverse the process but get off one stop before Trenton. The bike is a somewhat customized Downtube 8H, one of the best bikes I've ever had. It has about 4200 miles on it now.

Before that I rode a Downtube Mini for a few years (9000 miles), and before that a Strida. When I rode the Strida I kept it in a locker at the train station and rode a converted MTB to the station, leaving that in the locker while I was in the city.

What ever became of your Mini? Do you still have it? Any current pix of it?

For myself-it depends on many factors. I prefer to ride my folding bike(s) and avoid using public transit completely whenever possible. If I am constrained by time and/or distance, I fold up (with my older Raleigh Twenty, using it's special augmented straps), bag it, and carry on board. To be perfectly honest, I rather drive though.

If you are planning to commute and use the bike a great deal (as I think you are going to do), buy the best bike you can afford. I once had Dahons. They were nice bikes for riding around in the park or other light recreational usages. I simply needed bikes that fold (to protect them from theft and the weather) and have been used far more than the designers intended to be. So my present Brompton-almost 6 years now, and my refurbished Raleigh Twenty with it's uniqe package locking augmented straps fit my needs and wants far better.

I live in the Los Angeles basin like you two. The difference is....I don't automatically fold my bikes anymore. I have found that when I fold up, some jerk likes to jam their oversize non folding bike in from of mine, making it very hard to climb over and exit out. So, when I ride on most any train (vs. a bus-I always fold up there rather than use the front bike rack), be it MTA lightrail or the heavier Metrolink, I don't bother. I claim my spot just like anyone else as I pay my way too.

Commuting?

Try a Strida. Best invention. Ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRPLz3O431M

https://www.infotec.be/index.aspx?Pag...14856#cyclotec

Had a $10 yard sale Bart bike that I used this way. Got back to it once and someone had lifted the grips. Luckily it wasn't a cold day and that was all they took. The homeless practically live in the stations and are quick to capitalize on any opportunity, as well as the usual cast of characters(say buddy, wanna buy a watch?).

I hear you folder fanatic, but like the recording on the Metro starts out, "Please consider your fellow passengers . . . " So I fold my bike, which makes more room for the cyclists who have non-folders. Plus, by the way, makes it easier for non-cyclists to get around me and my folder.

I pay my way too (TAP!) but honestly, I haven't had any problems with "some jerk," on the contrary, everyone seems to be polite, sometimes excessively so (which I don't mind).

When I get to my stop and a non-folder is in my way, in every instance they've actually exited the train, let me out, then rolled back on (yeah, to the tune of "The doors are closing.").

Of course YMMV, as apparently it has.

Rick / OCRR