Folding Bike?

rachels · Post by **rachels** » Fri Sep 03, 2010 6:53 pm

In November my boyfriend and I will be starting the goof off and travel portion of our year by moving back onto our boat and sailing to the Bahamas. I will be selling my big bicycle as it has absolutely no chance of being stowed on a 26' sailboat. I have been considering buying a used folding bike to replace it. On our past trip we walked, hitch hiked, or paid for the bus when we needed to provision. While I enjoy walking, in the past I've gotten very sick of walking back and forth to town with a bags of groceries or jugs of water. Has anyone ever had a folding bike? Are there any that aren't junk for less than say, $200-300 on craigslist/ebay? Is this a totally frivolous want?

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Fri Sep 03, 2010 7:08 pm

Yes, I have a folding bike. A few years ago I bought a Downtube 9-speed with 20" wheels. The reason for my purchase is that it was the cheapest aluminum folding bike available ($300), plus their business is local (enough) to bring the bike in if I had trouble with it.
Until this bike, I hadn't ridden for almost 10 years....and then it was a $100 Huffy (-: . So I won't say my opinion is as valid as a real cyclist, but my bike doesn't seem like junk to me. It's sturdy when I ride, and none of the components have busted in my 3 years of owning it (except a flat tire). It spends half the year folded up, bumping around in the trunk of my car, so I guess that's some kind of endorsement for its build quality.
I consider it a good purchase, but you should be able to find a better deal on a used one on Craigslist. While it is the most expensive item I've purchased in the past 3 years, I don't consider it frivolous. Because I keep it in my car, I have the option to ride wherever I am. The extra utility counts for something.

Post by **jacob** » Fri Sep 03, 2010 7:19 pm

I had a Dahon Boardwalk single speed/coaster brake---very solid bike. Used prices <$100. However, even if when it folds, it still takes up quite a bit of space compared to a 26' boat.

Steve Austin · Post by **Steve Austin** » Fri Sep 03, 2010 7:44 pm

Chris, what is the approximate weight of your folding aluminum bike?

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Fri Sep 03, 2010 8:17 pm

It's 26.5lbs, including barends, fenders, rack, and kickstand.

photoguy · Post by **photoguy** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 2:46 am

I have a dahon folding bike which i think sold for 200-300 new when I got it. Not sure how much prices are now, but the bike was great for commuting.

rachels · Post by **rachels** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 10:45 am

What about working on them? Are the parts hard to find or much more expensive that regular bikes?

RobBennett · Post by **RobBennett** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 2:10 pm

If you want an idea from left field, you might consider a unicycle. My boy just learned how to ride one. He got his free from someone who had it taking up space in the garage. It took him a few days to learn how to ride it, but, once you do, it is very light and takes up little room. An added plus is that, if you know how to juggle, you can always join the circus if times get hard.
Rob

photoguy · Post by **photoguy** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 4:20 pm

Working on a folding bike is not really any different than a normal bike. On mine, all you would need to do is adjust cables, break pads, maybe lubricate it. However, if you damage a major component like the crankshaft, I could see how it might be more expensive to fix.
My friends in college road unicycle's to class (and juggled too). While kinda neat, they don't go very fast (no gears). The unicycle might also take up more space than a folding bicycle (much bigger wheel).

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 4:47 pm

My Downtube uses all standard components... in fact, it's a popular brand with more serious cyclists since it's easy to upgrade piece-by-piece. 20" tires are a standard size for kids' bikes, so I've not had difficulty fining tubes at any general sports store. The proprietary parts of folding bikes tend to also be the components that don't break down very often, such as the frame, stem, and pedals. And like photoguy said, the extra joints will require occasional lubrication.

rachels · Post by **rachels** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 6:40 pm

I'm not sure I will ever be coordinated enough to ride a unicycle with a couple bags of groceries.

Post by **jacob** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 5:39 pm

Unless you want folding pedals, you can just use standard pedals. If you need to save one pedal-width of space, a thin 15mm cone wrench or pedal wrench will take them off. If you don't mind scuffing the crank arms, an (adjustable) open end wrench should also take them off.

George the original one · Sun Sep 05, 2010 6:25 pm

OK, I'm going to ask the obvious question: why is a folding bike desireable?
Even in rachel's case, it seems a bike rack attached to the stern of the boat would be okay for storage. Probably would have to be bagged to avoid moisture damage?

Post by **jacob** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:23 pm

@George - Salt water spray would destroy a bike above deck in short order. Also, it's best not to have too much junk stowed above deck on a sailboat.

rachels · Post by **rachels** » Tue Sep 07, 2010 2:28 am

@ George: Our boat is designed such that it's pointy at both ends, so there's no transom to mount a bike rack on. Also, on boats with a tiller, your whole steering system is going to come up over the rear of the boat. You would have to come up with some way to hang a bike up in the backstays, although I would worry that you would catch the boom on it if it were ever to jump as it came about. On our last boat (which was 10 feet larger), we tried lashing a bike to the shrouds and disassembling one and storing it under the dinghy. It rusted all of the metal components on both bikes pretty badly. I replaced the chain and lightly sanded the forks, but all the fasteners are still rust-orange.
Also, if you're anchoring out, you're going to have to get your bike to shore in a dinghy without getting it wet. I like the folding bike idea because I can make a waterproof bag to stash it in during its many dinghy rides.

Post by **jacob** » Tue Sep 07, 2010 2:46 am

@rachels - Take some aluminum foil and make a pad. Use some light oil on the pad and scour all the rusty parts. The rust comes right off. Then (spray) paint them over with clear coat.

rachels · Post by **rachels** » Tue Sep 07, 2010 9:00 am

A crumpled up, abrasive pad or just smooth folded aluminum foil?

Post by **jacob** » Tue Sep 07, 2010 9:09 am

Just the aluminum foil from the household supplies section, typically used to cover food. Fold it to make a pad or whatever shape you find convenient. I find that 4-6 lightly folded layers work best. Then give it a few drops of light oil---without oil, it works a lot slower.
Aluminum is harder than rust but softer than metal and good paint. Thus the rust will come right off.
The abrasive/3M/scotchbrite/... won't work. They're too soft (compared to rust).