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I will update my June 23 post since I have a new longest ride on one of my folders. On my Bike Friday New World Tourist, I rode 92 miles up and down hills on The Goat Ride .
My NWT has the Sachs/SRAM 3x7 Dual Drive which is fairly common on this model. I moved the stock 46-tooth chainring to the outside position and replaced it with a 39-tooth chainring. I wanted to be able to pedal up steep hills fully loaded. My low gear is now 19 gear inches. |
I've ridden the hudson river from hoboken along river road all the way up to the George Washington Bridge, across into NY the followed the river back through harlem and ending up on 34th Street where I took the ferry across the river and did another 3 miles back home. I figure the ride was about 45 miles of horrible new jersey roads with LOTS of traffic on my ass. I managed to keep a pretty decent clip along the way although the climb was pretty rough for the onramp to get onto the GWB. That's one steep climb! It wasn't too bad but I will say that was one of the few times I actually had to use my first gear. I did all this, and continue to do 40-60 mile rides on my Dahon Vector P8 on Schwalbe Durano tires with Ergon GS2 grips. My only gripe is I think i'd prefer bull bars or drop bars but I need this bike to be a practical folder. The flat bar grips tend to wear my hands out even though I splurged for the nice grips with the bar ends. Maybe i'm doing something wrong. Maybe a new handlebar wouldn't help as I haven't used a drop bar since I was a kid.
Ok, back on topic, I hear about people doing long rides on bromptons but with the roads in my neck of the woods, I'd consider that near suicide with those smaller wheels. I wish they'd make a 20" folder. |
Originally Posted by andyprough
(Post 16842577)
I'm very interested in buying a Brompton, but afraid that the 16 inch wheels and sitting my 6-foot 190-pound frame on a long-necked seat post for long rides will turn into torture. However, I get the idea from lurking in this forum for awhile that most riders are far more comfortable on their folders than I'm imagining. What's your experience with long rides, especially on 16 inch wheels and especially on a Brompton? I'm also interested in non-Brompton experiences. Are any tall, big guys finding them to be comfortable for long rides?
I've been reading a lot about the performance of the various folders, but haven't seen much written about comfort on long rides. I'm riding about 20-30 miles per day, with longer rides on weekends, and it's mostly road riding, although I do have to go off-road occasionally. The reason I'm interested in the Brompton is the ability to fold it into an airlines-approved suitcase without taking it apart. I do a lot of air travel, and would like to just grab it and take it with me. My clothes and laptop are usually in my carry-on bags, so the Brompton could go for free in a checked bag (I get free checked luggage on Southwest - 62 inches, 50 pounds). Thanks! |
So far, our longest ride on our new Bike Fridays has been 28.3 km. But we only got them a week ago!! :)
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I was a volunteer marshal for the 2014 New York City Century.
Rode over 100 miles/160 km. on my 2013 Brompton S6L-X. I listed the minor modifications I did in the comments section: https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5552/...32e1ecf7b1.jpg100 Miles(160 Km.) on a Brompton by 1nterceptor, on Flickr |
Originally Posted by Machka
(Post 17160470)
So far, our longest ride on our new Bike Fridays has been 28.3 km. But we only got them a week ago!! :)
Update: 41.15 km. Ever-increasing distance. |
Originally Posted by jimboach
(Post 17120185)
Ok, back on topic, I hear about people doing long rides on bromptons but with the roads in my neck of the woods, I'd consider that near suicide with those smaller wheels. I wish they'd make a 20" folder.
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I have done 50 miles on my Downtube folder. No issues.
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I did this ride on my 2-sp Brommie. Not very far, not very high... Just very doable on 2 speeds. Bike Ride Profile | Afternoon Ride near | Times and Records | Strava
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Originally Posted by Machka
(Post 17167834)
Update: 41.15 km.
Ever-increasing distance. |
Done 103KM with S6L brompton under headwind. No issues but tired.
**********? by Ian.Wang at Garmin Connect - Details |
Originally Posted by MattCycle
(Post 17169670)
Besides sides the $1000 price difference, 20" wheels is why I bought a Dahon over a Brompton. Of course wouldn't have to remove the wheels on my Dahon to fit standard luggage if it also had 16" wheels.
Back to the topic, longest rides have been no more than 25 miles on my Dahon Speed D7. wheels, seatpost and handlebar post to make it fit my standard Samsonite suitcase: https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2826/...fd56e235a6.jpg2013 Citizen Tokyo in a suitcase by 1nterceptor, on Flickr The disassembly is similar to what I did when I traveled with my Tobukaeru(20 in. wheels/Dahon fold): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUQN...6zPoymgKaIoDLA When I travel with my Brompton(16 in. wheels); I just fold it and drop it inside a cardboardbox: https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3823/...dc2a517972.jpgBrompton folding bike; ready for check-in by 1nterceptor, on Flickr |
75km
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Originally Posted by Machka
(Post 17207139)
57.81 km!
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Originally Posted by Machka
(Post 17870268)
100.72 km ... today! :)
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The saddle on my Brompton has always been a little low even with the seatpost fully extended. I happened to be passing through Philadelphia today and stopped by Trophy Bikes to see if they had a solution. And they had a super simple one! I had not realized that there are two ways to clamp a saddle with that pentaclip thing. Plus the pentaclip can be scootched a bit up the seatpost. Together that gives me like another inch. Ah, perfect!
I think my comfortable range just jumped up a big step! |
Originally Posted by Machka
(Post 17907505)
100 miles ... today. :D
My longest was a loop around Lake Tahoe, which I think was a little over 80 miles. |
12.7 miles out, 12.7 miles back,,
I have a Tour Easy, so,,, Tha, tha, that's all folks :P |
1 Attachment(s)
See if you can beat Alyson Peel on her trusty red Bike Friday: 2500 miles up the Great Divide Mountain Bike/Folding Bike Route!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bike-...843368?fref=nf http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=462260 |
Not too impressive but my longest so far was 38 miles along the B&A trail from Annapolis to BWI airport (RT).
This is my first year with a folder. I have been taking on trips and doing 20 mile rides when I would have been sitting around. That is a huge plus for me. |
Longest ride on what kind of folder? My paratrooper isn't much different from a regular full sized bike.
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Originally Posted by AvenirFolder
(Post 17948905)
See if you can beat Alyson Peel on her trusty red Bike Friday: 2500 miles up the Great Divide Mountain Bike/Folding Bike Route!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bike-...843368?fref=nf http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=462260 (isn't that the question being asked? ) |
Originally Posted by andyprough
(Post 16842577)
I'm very interested in buying a Brompton, but afraid that the 16 inch wheels and sitting my 6-foot 190-pound frame on a long-necked seat post for long rides will turn into torture. However, I get the idea from lurking in this forum for awhile that most riders are far more comfortable on their folders than I'm imagining. What's your experience with long rides, especially on 16 inch wheels and especially on a Brompton? I'm also interested in non-Brompton experiences. Are any tall, big guys finding them to be comfortable for long rides?
I've been reading a lot about the performance of the various folders, but haven't seen much written about comfort on long rides. I'm riding about 20-30 miles per day, with longer rides on weekends, and it's mostly road riding, although I do have to go off-road occasionally. The reason I'm interested in the Brompton is the ability to fold it into an airlines-approved suitcase without taking it apart. I do a lot of air travel, and would like to just grab it and take it with me. My clothes and laptop are usually in my carry-on bags, so the Brompton could go for free in a checked bag (I get free checked luggage on Southwest - 62 inches, 50 pounds). Thanks! Bike Friday has a trailer kit so the suitcase becomes your trailer and You put the stuff in your carry on bag into it .. BiFri site, and CGOAB are full of travel stories , there is a sorting of folding bike stories there.. |
Originally Posted by cplager
(Post 17962743)
Wow! 2500 miles in a single day!
(isn't that the question being asked? ) It's a rarity to see someone doing the length of the GDMBR on a folder of any kind. I rate that as a "long ride". |
I just rode my longest one-day ride on one of my folding bikes. The ride was an organized event: 2015 GOAT Ride . I rode 102 hilly miles on my Bike Friday New World Tourist. The electronic breadcrumbs on Strava .
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