Commuting folder recommendations?

[Tom Sherman]

The bike will be used for short commutes (less than 5 miles) with moderate gradients. Due to the
lack of secure storage and a ban on bringing bicycles into the buildings, a folder that will fit
into a duffel bag is required.

The other requirements are low maintenance (internal hub gears preferred), durability (the folding
mechanism should hold up to a good 15 years of daily use), and decent handling on poor surfaces.

Some possible candidates are the Brompton L3A or T3A, Breezer i3, and the Dahon Piccolo. The
Bromptons are considerably more expensive than the others, but would be worth it if they are
significantly more durable.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

 

[Bentrider]

That Breezer i3 looks pretty cool, but its hard to not choose the proven Brompton.

On Sun, 06 Jul 2003 10:27:45 -0500, Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:

>The bike will be used for short commutes (less than 5 miles) with moderate gradients. Due to the
>lack of secure storage and a ban on bringing bicycles into the buildings, a folder that will fit
>into a duffel bag is required.
>
>The other requirements are low maintenance (internal hub gears preferred), durability (the folding
>mechanism should hold up to a good 15 years of daily use), and decent handling on poor surfaces.
>
>Some possible candidates are the Brompton L3A or T3A, Breezer i3, and the Dahon Piccolo. The
>Bromptons are considerably more expensive than the others, but would be worth it if they are
>significantly more durable.
>
>Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

Bryan J. Ball Editor/Publisher www.bentrideronline.com

 

[Tom Sherman]

'BentRider wrote:
>
> That Breezer i3 looks pretty cool, but its hard to not choose the proven Brompton.

Bryan,

The intended recipient of the bike will want to keep it for a long time, so everything that is not a
normal wear item that can be easily replaced at the LBS needs to be durable. The Brompton is twice
the price (in the US) of the Breezer, some of which is undoubtedly due to its being made in England.
However, IF there is a durability advantage, I would feel the extra cost was worthwhile.

How about reviews of each bike where the tester folds and unfolds each bike ten thousand times?

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

 

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <[email protected]>,
Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:

> The bike will be used for short commutes (less than 5 miles) with moderate gradients. Due to the
> lack of secure storage and a ban on bringing bicycles into the buildings, a folder that will fit
> into a duffel bag is required.
>
> The other requirements are low maintenance (internal hub gears preferred), durability (the folding
> mechanism should hold up to a good 15 years of daily use), and decent handling on poor surfaces.

Folders are great, but for a 5 mile commute, would the cyclist consider a junk bike and the
insecure storage?

My pick for an unstealable bike would be an MTB frame rigged with a 3-speed hub and slick tires on
the cheapest alloy rims you can find (old Arayas is my guess). Put a really awful-looking seat on it
and secure the seat with a lengths of chain fitted to go around the seat stays.

The resulting bike would be as efficient as most folders, cheaper, and requires no folding.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

 

[Just Zis Guy]

On Sun, 06 Jul 2003 15:45:29 GMT, [email protected] ('BentRider) wrote:

>its hard to not choose the proven Brompton.

So true.

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com Advance
notice: ADSL service in process of transfer to a new ISP. Obviously there will be a week of downtime
between the engineer removing the BT service and the same engineer connecting the same equipment on
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[Tom Sherman]

Ryan Cousineau wrote:
> ... Folders are great, but for a 5 mile commute, would the cyclist consider a junk bike and the
> insecure storage?
>
> My pick for an unstealable bike would be an MTB frame rigged with a 3-speed hub and slick tires on
> the cheapest alloy rims you can find (old Arayas is my guess). Put a really awful-looking seat on
> it and secure the seat with a lengths of chain fitted to go around the seat stays.
>
> The resulting bike would be as efficient as most folders, cheaper, and requires no folding.

Such a bike would be unlikely to be stolen if locked up. However, bike vandalism is a problem in
this area as drunken students "taco" wheels on locked up bikes at an alarming frequency (the bike
would be locked up at night). In addition, lights and bells (or even light mounts without the
lights) are stolen off parked bikes at a distressing rate.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

 

[Bentrider]

>How about reviews of each bike where the tester folds and unfolds each bike ten thousand times?

LOL - Not on my web site... They're sort of goofy-looking bikes for 'BENTRider. ;-)

I actually ride a Bike Friday Sat R Day for the purposes you describe right now. Bryan J. Ball
Editor/Publisher www.bentrideronline.com

 

[Tom Sherman]

"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote:
>
> On Sun, 06 Jul 2003 15:45:29 GMT, [email protected] ('BentRider) wrote:
>
> >its hard to not choose the proven Brompton.
>
> So true.

Would "Just zis Guy" kindly expand on this - personal experience or the experience of cycling
acquaintances.

The Brompton is looking considerably more attractive with the introduction of the 37-349 Schwalbe
Marathon. [1]

[1] < http://www.schwalbe.com/index.pl?bereich=produkte&einsatzbereich=4&produktgruppe=5&produkt=15
> I find the existence of both the ISO 349-mm and ISO 355-mm sizes to be rather annoying, as there
> is no practical difference between the two.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

 

[Tom Sherman]

'BentRider wrote:
>
> >How about reviews of each bike where the tester folds and unfolds each bike ten thousand
> >times?
>
> LOL - Not on my web site... They're sort of goofy-looking bikes for 'BENTRider. ;-)
>
> I actually ride a Bike Friday Sat R Day for the purposes you describe right now.

My understanding of the Bike Friday models [1] is that they are more "travel folders" and not
"commuting folders" - I am looking for something that goes from riding to duffel bag in 20 to 30
seconds. Most (all?) of the really compact folders use ISO 355 mm or smaller wheels, while except
for the Sat R Day, all Bike Friday models use ISO 406 mm and ISO 451 mm wheels.

[1] My personal experience is limited to the TwosDay upright and DoubleDay recumbent tandems.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

 

[Just Zis Guy]

On Sun, 06 Jul 2003 16:15:21 -0500, Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:

>Would "Just zis Guy" kindly expand on this - personal experience or the experience of cycling
>acquaintances.

Several acquaintances, including one who rides a Brompton as his only bike - he joins in with club
rides on it, regularly rides utility journeys of ten miles each way - he rides nothing else. At the
CTC York Rally, I saw at least forty of them, and they were joining in with all the rides (except
the headbanger roadraces, where anything without carbon fibre lettering is frowned on). The
Brompton is long-lived, folds faster and smaller than any other bike on the planet (excluding bikes
I don't know about ;-) ) and rides pretty well. Not as well as a Bike Friday, but it folds a hell
of a lot neater.

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com Advance
notice: ADSL service in process of transfer to a new ISP. Obviously there will be a week of downtime
between the engineer removing the BT service and the same engineer connecting the same equipment on
the same line in the same exchange and billing it to the new ISP.

 

[Karen M.]

Ryan:
> > Folders are great, but for a 5 mile commute, would the cyclist consider a junk bike and the
> > insecure storage? My pick for an unstealable bike would be an MTB frame rigged with a 3-speed
> > hub and slick tires on the cheapest alloy rims you can find (old Arayas is my guess). Put a
> > really awful-looking seat on it and secure the seat with a lengths of chain fitted to go around
> > the seat stays. The resulting bike would be as efficient as most folders, cheaper, and requires
> > no folding.

Tom:
> Such a bike would be unlikely to be stolen if locked up. However, bike vandalism is a problem in
> this area as drunken students "taco" wheels on locked up bikes at an alarming frequency (the bike
> would be locked up at night). In addition, lights and bells (or even light mounts without the
> lights) are stolen off parked bikes at a distressing rate.

Tom, are you in Rock Island? How about taking the bike in at night? I have a Hon folder (from
1985, before the office product company came after the brothers Hon for using their own name and
"comfusing the marketplace") and it's a great bike. See if you can borrow someone's to try out
for a day or two. HTH --Karen M.

 

[Tom Sherman]

"Karen M." wrote:
>
> Ryan:
> > > Folders are great, but for a 5 mile commute, would the cyclist consider a junk bike and the
> > > insecure storage? My pick for an unstealable bike would be an MTB frame rigged with a 3-speed
> > > hub and slick tires on the cheapest alloy rims you can find (old Arayas is my guess). Put a
> > > really awful-looking seat on it and secure the seat with a lengths of chain fitted to go
> > > around the seat stays. The resulting bike would be as efficient as most folders, cheaper, and
> > > requires no folding.
>
> Tom:
> > Such a bike would be unlikely to be stolen if locked up. However, bike vandalism is a problem in
> > this area as drunken students "taco" wheels on locked up bikes at an alarming frequency (the
> > bike would be locked up at night). In addition, lights and bells (or even light mounts without
> > the lights) are stolen off parked bikes at a distressing rate.
>
> Tom, are you in Rock Island?

I am hundreds of feet from Rock Island. However, the bike would be for someone in another city.

> How about taking the bike in at night?

This is the point of having a folder, as one of the buildings in question prohibits taking bicycles
inside. A duffel bag is not likely to be viewed as a bicycle.

> I have a Hon folder (from 1985, before the office product company came after the brothers Hon
> for using their own name and "comfusing the marketplace") and it's a great bike. See if you can
> borrow someone's to try out for a day or two.

Did Hon become Dahon?

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

 

[Bentrider]

A BF Sat R Day recumbent will do that. The bag isn't tiny by any means, but it is portable and takes
about 30 secs either wat to get it in there. Into the SUITCASE takes a good 40 minutes or so.

On Sun, 06 Jul 2003 16:22:46 -0500, Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>'BentRider wrote:
>>
>> >How about reviews of each bike where the tester folds and unfolds each bike ten thousand
>> >times?
>>
>> LOL - Not on my web site... They're sort of goofy-looking bikes for 'BENTRider. ;-)
>>
>> I actually ride a Bike Friday Sat R Day for the purposes you describe right now.
>
>My understanding of the Bike Friday models [1] is that they are more "travel folders" and not
>"commuting folders" - I am looking for something that goes from riding to duffel bag in 20 to 30
>seconds. Most (all?) of the really compact folders use ISO 355 mm or smaller wheels, while except
>for the Sat R Day, all Bike Friday models use ISO 406 mm and ISO 451 mm wheels.
>
>[1] My personal experience is limited to the TwosDay upright and DoubleDay recumbent tandems.
>
>Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

Bryan J. Ball Editor/Publisher www.bentrideronline.com

 

[Tom Sherman]

'BentRider wrote:
>
> A BF Sat R Day recumbent will do that. The bag isn't tiny by any means, but it is portable
> and takes about 30 secs either wat to get it in there. Into the SUITCASE takes a good 40
> minutes or so.

Bryan,

I will keep that in mind if a get a folder for myself. However, some are not yet ready for
recumbents.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

 

[Bentrider]

>I will keep that in mind if a get a folder for myself. However, some are not yet ready for
>recumbents.

SHHHH!!!! Bryan J. Ball Editor/Publisher www.bentrideronline.com

 

[Steven M. Schar]

"Tom Sherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> The bike will be used for short commutes (less than 5 miles) with moderate gradients. Due to the
> lack of secure storage and a ban on bringing bicycles into the buildings, a folder that will fit
> into a duffel bag is required.
>
> The other requirements are low maintenance (internal hub gears preferred), durability (the folding
> mechanism should hold up to a good 15 years of daily use), and decent handling on poor surfaces.
>
> Some possible candidates are the Brompton L3A or T3A, Breezer i3, and the Dahon Piccolo. The
> Bromptons are considerably more expensive than the others, but would be worth it if they are
> significantly more durable.
>
> Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

 

[Steven M. Schar]

"Karen M." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> I have a Hon folder (from 1985, before the office product company came after the brothers Hon
> for using their own name and "comfusing the marketplace") and it's a great bike. See if you can
> borrow

I have never heard anyone claim that the original Hon was a great bike! Their newer models are much
improved, but the original 16" model was far from great.

I never considered buying a folding bike, but I mistakenly went to a bike shop instead of the
office furniture store next door, and I bought a bike while thinking I was buying a filing cabinet.
So I can understand why Hon office products went after Hon Bicycles (not brothers by the way,
father and son).

BTW, there is a rare T-5 Brompton for sale over at:
"http://www.craigslist.org/sby/bik/13306805.html"

 

[Steven M. Schar]

"Tom Sherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>The bike will be used for short commutes (less than 5 miles) with moderate gradients. Due to the
>lack of secure storage and a ban on bringing bicycles into the buildings, a folder that will fit
>into a duffel bag is required.

I actually would not recommend the Brompton for this application, a bit too fragile to
last 15 years.

Look at the KHS folders over at

"http://www.khsbicycles.com/bicycles.html"

specifically the cappuccino model.

"Bromptonesque" at $530, but not internally geared.

Available over at "http://momovelo.com/khs.html"

Also check out the Breezers, "http://store.yahoo.com/momovelo/breezer1.html"

A Brompton T5 is for sale over at: "http://www.craigslist.org/sby/bik/13306805.html"

I heard that Momovelo is planning a folding bicycle to round out its B.U.B. line
("http://www.momovelo.com/bub.html").

The Top Dog, an 17" wheeled 14 speed speed titanium folding bicycle built in the tradition of
Silicon Valley Berkeleyphiles. ($2900 complete)

Lugged frame with C4Ti triple butted, titanium swaged tubing

Kielbasa-coloured enamel paint, with mustard coloured lugs

Kevlar coated, snap-on, aluminum fenders

7 speed internal rear Nexus hub with Florian Schlumpf Mountain Drive internal 2 speed transmission
in the bottom bracket

Accepts Brompton luggage mounting block and all Brompton luggage

Folding Gekko style stainless steel handlebars with sauerkraut coloured foam grips

Full hydraulic disk brakes from the leftover stock of Sears Free Spirit, and JC Penney 1970's era
ten speeds

Integrated beryillium rear luggage rack

Profile Design bottle cage and Jung-Won JSB-500 stainless steel coffee bottle with $50
Peet's Gift Card

Stainless steel BART ticket clamp/roach clip

Schwinn-Approved, handlebar mounted, cup holder

Uses 17" high pressue Primo Moulton style tires, available at many bike stores in England
and at Fry's.

Taiwanese style imitation VP folding pedals from Shanghai's Phoenix Bicycle Factory

Nashbar ATB Toe Clips

Starlight 78 high power lighting system

Dahon carrying bag included; disguises the fact that you have an expensive folder

Optional S&S style torque couplings allow the bike to be broken down even smaller so it will fit
into a large day pack or an Ikea shopping bag.

Manufactured in a Taiwanese prison factory by the former Neobike executives that stole Dahon's
trade secrets

BART legal at all times

Also will available at all Costco stores under the Motiv brand name for $139.

 

[Pmcdc]

you might want to check out the wall street journal "week-end" section from yesterday/july 11---an
article all on foldies, prices, how it was to get one, etc.

 

[Jym Dyer]

=v= For less than 5 miles, you might as well just go for the cheapie, the Dahon. I would recommend a
20-inch wheel model over the smaller ones, though.

=v= But if you get a *good* 20-inch wheel bike, such as a Bike Friday or a Swift Folder, you might
find that ride so seductively awesome that you'd make it an everyday bike and touring bike for other
uses. That certainly happened to me! <_Jym_