I've read that 2nd gear is fairly high on this bike. Is there anyone out there that owns one and could tell me if second gear is usable. I know it depends on the strength of the rider and his/her age. I'm 63 and in fair health but I've always been a weak rider, even when I was young.

I have a chance to purchase one but I'm concerned about not being able to use 2nd gear. It sure would be a waste not to be able to use the Schlumph drive. The present gearing is low 48", high 80" with 8" wheels

I'm 6' and 200#. I'll be using it mainly to get to the bus stop, .3 miles away and then for short jaunts after arriving at my destination. The dealer for Carryme told me I may be too big for it but he said that if I can ride an A-Bike then I should have no problem.

I cant test ride it as it is in another city.

With its tiny 12 inch wheels, are you sure you want to ride a CarryMe?

For the same money, you can get much better, 20" folders.

I think for the weight and ride quality, it's a worthwhile compromise.

Yes he will have a nice selection of 20inchers for the price, but would he want to carry those around and up the bus? The weight difference is not insignificant - about 50% or more for a standard 20".

The Carryme is fine for his needs if the terrain isn't challenging.

I have a CarryMe (single speed), and to ride three miles, I wouldn't advise it.

It doesn't take a herculean force to raise a 12kg folded bike up 50cm into a bus once a day.

My .15€

I had a DS when they were first available in 2008.. I did not like the gearing .. 80 g/i is way too high on 8" wheels .. the 165% overdrive is a lot.. the Sachs/SRAM/Sturmey 2 speed hubs are at about 136% .. .. a single speed would probably be fine for the OPs intended purpose (other than the 34" seat height at minimum insertion - this bike is not designed for tall riders) .. but if you are trying to dual purpose a folding bike to be something besides a .3mi shuttle vehicle, I'd still look hard at a Dahon Curve D3 ..

say you are riding a 10 speed road bike and speed 5 is the comfortable one. with that gearing the next up is straight to gear 8 on that bike so it's a very big jump and at 80 gear inches I know i won't even be using that on FLAT ground and would only use it on a slight slope or more! it's a useless gear. The single speed Carryme might be a better option with the GI in the mid 50's.

Also i just went to the pacific cycles main website and the new carry me Dual speeds are $1015 USD!?!?! wow that's very hard to justify plunking down that much cash for that bike that doesn't look like it's main purpose is for long rides! But the bike is extremely well built and easy to drag around with those tiny trolley wheels. Plus no one will probably question you anywhere because they won't even know that this contraption is a bike.

But i gotta say their own upgradable 2 speed drive kits price is very reasonable instead of the crazy price a schlumpf costs!

CarryMe Speed Drive

The single speed gearing will be 48" .. the CarryMe uses a micro chain/chainwheel/cog (84/14) so you won't be modifying drive ratios easily .. it's a fairly proprietary bike..

Im buying it just to get to the bust stop .3 miles away, i have bad ankles and its hard for me to walk any distance. I would only use it for short jaunts. Another reason i want it is the gadgetry part of it, not too many fold ups with a schlumph two speed drive. Plus the craftsmanship iis excellent. I'd really like Brompton but the price is so high, but maybe someday.

wow! $1,015 usd! the one im looking at is used for $350. in xnt.shape, hmmmm, reading all the comments is very informative! now i have to make a decision. thanks

ill be riding only
3/10 mile to the bus stop but i understand what you mean about distances on such a small bike with 8" wheels. i ride the 3/10 of a mile on my A-bike with 8 inch wheels and my legs are screaming by the time i get there but its made of aluminum and plastic and is very ineffecient but its fun to ride.

You are correct about changing the gear ratios being difficult. ive contacted bfold bikes in new york and he is seeing if the front chainwheel can be changed out from 84 teeth to 64 tooth to reduce the overall gear ratios from 48"x 80" to 37.5"x61".
he's not sure it could be done. he said that the chain cant be broken to adjust the length which is a problem.

I wonder why they set the gearing so high. It's such a well built bike. I've read that increasing crank arm length helps but I wonder how much an extra 5mm in length would decrease pedaling effort. Im having a conversion to lower gears being checked out by Bfold Bikes and Pacific Cycles in Taiwan. I've seen the Dahon Curve, well engineered bike!

if the conversion to lower gears is possible how does 36.5"x61" sound? there may be more than one chainring tooth option available from ATS (schlumph copy) to find the optimum gears ratios for normal riding, Bfold and Pacific Cycles are going to let me know.

That's encouraging! I live in the florida keys and it is totally flat for 100 miles. I guess I still couldn't use second gear but it would be usable.

There was a member on here that had a carryme... He also found sources for the chain and maybe even gears.

My Brompton has 78gi and 55g-" I am a strong rider, and that suits fine but it might be a bit high for you. That said, the 55" would be good for comfortable riding, and if you hit a tailwind or get just a little stronger the 80" should be useful.

FWIW, I use a STRIDA for a ~1 mile commute with a subway/metro ride during peak hours. It actually takes up very little floor space and is easy-peasy to roll around while folded.

wow for $350!?! i would just say BUY IT NOW and just use that one gear and slowly work on making the 2nd gear useful. I always wanted a carryme but I was never willing to pay the $750 price tag for a single speed that i can't use as a daily commuter bike on my 6km rides one way. but the price you can get it for you can resell it later for pretty much the same price.

the strida invisiblehand mentioned is a very capable bike because i actually rode 60km with that on one sitting with a upgraded sprung seat. it does take up very little space if you are standing with it and lock the brakes with their neat little locking mechanism. The gearing in the low 50's is good for minor hills and a slow cruise. Seems like the same price as a carryme at this US store at $650:
https://ridethisbike.com/folding_bikes.htm

That's also encouraging about parts availability for the chain and gears. If you are a strong rider and I'm just the opposite then I would imagine 55gi may be too high for me, but I wouldnt be sure unless I tried it. When I'm out riding 90% of people pass me. I have a Sunray SX semi recumbent with 26" rear wheel and a 20" front wheel, and 1.95" tires at 50psi.I usuallystay in the middle ring up front and the 3rd from the biggest cog in the rear, so I'm in a medium low gear all the time, i usually cruise at 8 to 10 mph. I'm not at all concerned about speed as long as its faster than walking. Walking kills me but riding a bicycle doesnt bother me, as long as i don't overdo it. I have "internal derangement of the knees" and a pronated left ankle.

Great advice! Just use the first gear and work the gearing out later. The workmanship on the Carryme DS is exlellent. My Sunray SX is also made in Taiwan. I've had it 8 years and I like it more now than when I first got it. The Taiwanese build quality bikes.

You rode 60km on a Strida, thats a long haul. That's good promo for Strida. I was looking at Stridas, Mobiky, Dahon MU N360 etc, so many to choose from.

Sounds promising if he found sources for other gears. I would imagine I will be sort of guessing about gear ratios. I saw at the ATS site, who who makes the Schlumph copy, that much smaller chainrings are available but then I'd still would have to find a chain of the correct length as the existing chain can't be broken as it is smaller than a normal chain.

FWIW ... $576 at lickbike.

Lickbike.com | Strida LT Folding Bike 5.0 2015

by the way i heard from back then that the gearing and chain are just electric scooter parts so i did a quick search... when you get your bike start looking at these pieces:

micropitch replacement chain right here:
Electric Scooter, Bicycle, Pocket Bike and Go Kart Chain - ElectricScooterParts.com

and in there are micropitch sprockets here:
Electric Scooter and Bicycle Sprockets - ElectricScooterParts.com

pacific cycles isnt really using proprietary parts here it seems just common e-scooter parts i think.

Thanks for looking that up for me! I just got word back from Pacific Cycles that they couldn't help me out. I think ill get the bike anyway and then try to retrofit it. Trying to figure this out is like searching for the Holy Grail !! LOL! This forum is great! I'll let you know if I have any luck.