A Bike in a Box.
 

Sharing this from the Folding Forum a it is a bit of both... would love feedback.

This expedition worthy bicycle fits in the collapsible aluminium case next to it... the case dimensions are 20 by 20 by 12.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...portable11.JPG

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...ortable12b.JPG

honestly i hate it it reminds me when Raleigh brought out that ugly chopper. looks like a well i'm not really sure what it looks like but its just all wrong, put the thing out of its misery and blow torch it.

Seriously ?

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/imag...5/10319038.jpg

thats the beast sixty fiver god i always hated that design just all wrong.

Have a pic of it folded?

Those are on their way...

The Raleigh Chopper is an ugly little beast but man, did we ever love those muscle bikes as kids.

The Chopper has a rack. And I think it looks awesome!

This bicycle was built for a very tall individual (a BF member) although at five foot ten (with longer legs) I could see myself riding this bike a very long ways and it has already been out for some extensive road testing by my partner and builder. He is six foot 2 and 260 pounds and he is closer in size to the intended rider than I am.

He has never built a small wheeled bike before but feel like he really nailed the geometry... said he forgot he was riding on 20 inch wheels rather quickly and was also impressed although he has been watching me ride and build up my separable / foldable tourer for a few years.

White door shot... :D

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...nportable1.JPG

It has much less trail than the fork would suggest due to the compensating frame angles and is a very agile bicycle.

I would love to have a real expedition bike like this that can pack so small. I really don't care what it looks like, too a point, as long as the bars, saddle and pedals are where they are supposed to be, and I could get big rubber on the 20" wheels which you obviously can. I think it looks waaaaay better than a Bike Friday due to the triangulated frame. Is it connected with pinch bolts and if so, how do they hold up on the long haul? Is most of the bike non-proprietary-sure looks like it. Well done. Kind of reminds me of this but hoping it doesn't cost nearly as much.

We could have used SS couplers but to save costs, and because we have a good working design, used our own which are field serviceable.

:D

As to cost... the complete Arvon costs less than a six pack frame and fork.

Without actually measuring, I would have guessed that the fork has quite a bit of rake and that the bike does not have a large amount of trail, and that it would indeed handle responsively as a result.

Nice bike for its intended purpose, I'm sure. :)

If it was bare of racks, I think it would look neat. With the racks, it looks awful. Probably functional, but awful looking. Sorry.

Please do post the folded images. Is there a current web page for Arvon cycles? What is the estimated cost of that bicycle frame without racks?

I am intrigued by the concept of a mini velo like folding tour bike. That one doesn't suit my tastes for many reasons, but if it rides the way you like that is really what it is all about. I would personally want lower bars than that length head tube would allow. Also unless it is intended for mostly off road touring I'd rather have drop bars.

Are those racks exceptionally long or do they just look that way due to the small wheels?

might be a good one for pilots and small plane owners that want a vehicle once they get to their destination.

you could garner up a lot of orders from pilots in short order IMO.

Yeee Hawww :love: My arvon2 is ALIVE!!

Arvon earlier sent me the pics of the bike totally disassembled AND totally inside the 26" X 26" X 12" box, and another with the box folded up into a 26" X 13" x 1.5" layer sitting on the rear rack. It will be fun to ride, once I fly back to Canada and pick it up.

I am not sure of the actual box dimensions (as built 26" or 20", and 10" or 12"). No matter, as long as the bike fits into it and the box folds to fit on the rear rack shelf :p
Please ask Arvon if the front rack will hold 2 panniers on the side - hope so...

People tour on Bromptons and Bike Fridays all the time....but it's easy to get a regular bike and your gear into a softsided case like the Ground Effect Tardis. That's what I do when I tour. On my last tour in Iceland I wasn't charged and excess baggage by the airlines, or even the bike surcharge, and my bike and gear fit easily on buses and in taxis. The softsided case packs down small so it can be left at a hotel, in a luggage locker, or even posted to your final destination or a local post office. I bet it weighs less than an AL box too.

Let me explain how arvon2 came into being, and why I decided to have Arvon Stacey design and build it for MY own requirements...

I have sat on (and rode on) a LOT of bikes and MOST don't fit me worth s**t - even though they obviously fit a LOT of people. Fewer fit me now that I have a SS leg brace. Touring on a Brommie and others like my R-20 is a no-starter because they don't fit me well enough for travel. The distance from the seat to the handlebars is just too short. Remember I am 6'5" and that also gives you an indication of my leg/arm/torso length.

My arvon1 fits great - because it was built to fit ME. This past summer (July-Aug) I toured in AU with it. Trouble was the weight of it and my Bob Ibex trailer precluded it's going as checked baggage. THAT got me thinking more than ever about other designs...

Arvon2 was built for function (aka sustained touring, not some short jaunt to the local shop) AND fit (as in it MUST fit ME), NOT for appearance ( I paid for, and wanted racks because after all this bike IS for touring). I also chose the BRG colour, but the other "possible" colour option was "Beer Bottle Brown". I frankly rest my case there as I paid for it, AND Arvon and I discussed my requirements - like the Al box. He has seemed to have solved the requirements, and now I will really field test it next July-August between Perth and Adelaide. Besides, arvon1 needs 2 suitcases if I want to take it apart at the S&S connectors.... Arvon2 was specifically designed and built to deal with that particular issue when touring away from "home". :p

At my 63 years I am going for function AND comfort. That is why I bought a (Hilleberg) Nallo 2 GT tent instead of a Eureka (of which I have 2 from my previous life camping as a family of 2 - boys now grown up and gone). The Nallo inner and fly set up together in a rain while the Eureka (and North Face, and ...) set up the inner first, and then the outer. Not exactly good in rain. Function in the dry is fine, but....

I am sure my purchases (bike, tent, etc) will do me well. My call, and my bills to pay :p

Best Chopper video ever, and it shows on of my favorite cake shops too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfD6jAoJrJg

I would have made the rear rack lower, especially since it could hang low with an internally geared hub where you don't have to worry about keeping the pannier above a derailleur. That rack looks to me like you could get a resonance problem at speed. Perhaps some diagonal bracing would help if it feels like it has some flex.

The bike looks interesting, although I think the racks are a bit excessive. I don't really see the need for the Al carrying box as a soft sided bag would work well and be lighter and easier to carry. FYI here's me and all my gear, the bike and everything for touring fit inside the Groundeffect Taris and go on the plane as a single bag and I use my handlebar bag as carry on. The Tardis can be carried on the bike in a pinch, but it's really great for leaving in lockers or posting to yourself at the nearest post office to your destination.

http://wheelsofchance.files.wordpres...ing4.jpg?w=468

http://wheelsofchance.files.wordpres...eg?w=468&h=351

The real test will be next July-August on the road between Perth and Adelaide. Then I will actually see what goes on.

I have just sent Arvon an email about installing bull bars on the MTB handlebars shown in 65ers photos, as when I was touring with arvon1 I was getting tingling in the first 3 fingers of both hands - a sign according to the surgeon here of "pressure on nerves" as in carpel tunnel syndrome. The tingling is now gone - but I have been off arvon1 for a couple of months now... :p

Nun, I never would have considered a soft shell bag especially after seeing how my bike box looks once I get to where I am going. I know you have done quite a bit of traveling so I should probably consider one since a bag would solve a lot of problems or at least make things easier. I guess it's time I starting thinking outside the "box" (sorry about that one).

I will be looking forward to some road reports for the Avron and a website as well.

I am intrigued. I didn't think it was that feasible for me, but since I have gone lighter and lighter I start to think a setup like that might work for me too.

Do you manage to keep the loaded bag under 50 pounds? Do you have pictures of how the bag is packed?