Need help for touring folding bike

All the different ways of solving the shelter problem. To be static or mobile? Roots, legs, or wheels?
jacob
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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by jacob »

I had a Dahon Boardwalk (steel frame) for a while. While it does fold and would come along on a bus/train, I wouldn't exactly describe it as convenient. The "folded package" is still quite large and weighs as much as a regular bike. Think of it as a pokey bag that weighs 25lbs+ and is 1.5x the maximum size of carry-on luggage (w/o wheels obviously).

Freedom_2018
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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by Freedom_2018 »

Interesting thread. In my 9th year of ERE (haven't earned a penny from any work in this time) looking forward to doing the Eurovelo6 once we can travel overseas again.

We won't be hitchhiking any but it would be convenient to have a folding bike, one that I could take up the steps to the hotel room or in a bus/train/boat if we do side-trips or skip some portions etc. Looking for that balance between compactness and comfort (at 47 and 65 not looking to incur any soft tissue or stress injuries that take a long time to heal), given that neither of us has ever been a hard core bicyclist or anything...the hardest biking we did was a 75 mile Tour de Cure ride...and probably came in at the very end 😁

spiritess
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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by spiritess »

Gilberto de Piento wrote:
Fri Nov 20, 2020 11:11 am
Yea they are food delivery apps.

right now I am looking at this bag to put my folded bike in: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GWLRRWS/?c ... _lig_dp_it

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Ego
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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by Ego »

@Freedom, as much as I dislike buying new, this may be a situation where it is logical . The prices at Decathlon are hard to beat and the savings on airline fees could pay for the bikes.

https://www.decathlon.es/es/browse/c0-d ... /N-1vnt3by

Order bikes and bags for pickup at the store closest to where you intend to begin. You could probably resell them in a village along the Camino as a package deal for more than you paid at the start.

Freedom_2018
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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by Freedom_2018 »

@Ego:

Thank you for the link, I have bookmarked it. At those prices, buying new would not be an issue...might also spring for an e-bike for one of us to bring some parity to our riding. I had forgotten to look at Decathlon even though earlier this year we found a great pair of hiking sticks (the ones that have a flat to the ground handle at the top...really saves one's wrists on a long walk) at the store in Porto for €13 each.

I learnt about the Eurovelo6 from an Austrian bicyclist who I had a long chat with at the Grand Canyon this year. He was in the third year of his around the world tour. It goes from Nantes in France to Constanta in Romania, most of the path being along some of Europe's major waterways ( and hence fairly flat and close to services) for a distance of about 2300 miles. I think we will use up our 3 month Schengen getting from France to Croatia and then we will have 3 months per country (Croatia, Serbia, Romania) to meander and finish at leisure...during which the Schengen counter would reset.

We are trying to convince some of our couple friends to join us on such a venture (cycle part of the way together, go our own way for a bit, regroup, cycle again etc) but so far it seems folks think it is too much of a hassle and time and effort commitment...also no one really seems to want to think about a world post Covid.

spiritess
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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by spiritess »

jacob wrote:
Fri Nov 20, 2020 11:21 am
the carry on luggage aspect is something i haven't considered fully. I probably would just check the bike as checked baggage

spiritess
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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by spiritess »

Freedom_2018 wrote:
Fri Nov 20, 2020 3:02 pm
Looking for that balance between compactness and comfort (at 47 and 65 not looking to incur any soft tissue or stress injuries that take a long time to heal), given that neither of us has ever been a hard core bicyclist or anything...the hardest biking we did was a 75 mile Tour de Cure ride...and probably came in at the very end 😁
The comfort factor is why i am considering the dahon jetstream. it has full suspension and fatter tires compared to other folding bikes. i would combine that with a springed brooks saddle.

spiritess
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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by spiritess »

Freedom_2018 wrote:
Fri Nov 20, 2020 11:32 pm
might also spring for an e-bike for one of us to bring some parity to our riding.
It has occured to me to get an ebike aswell, the big battery can give me added optionality of charging electronics when im touring and getting up big hills when im delivering food all day

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Alphaville
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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by Alphaville »

spiritess wrote:
Sat Nov 21, 2020 4:32 pm
It has occured to me to get an ebike aswell, the big battery can give me added optionality of charging electronics when im touring and getting up big hills when im delivering food all day

i’ve considered ebikes previously but i ended up with the following objections

1. pricey
2. heavy af!
3. bigger target for thieves
4. legally, it’s a moped
5. pedal and grunt! (scroll down to “bike makers have motor-envy”)
6. i’ll cave when i’m old
7. might as well stop playing and get a motorcycle
8. there’s an electric vespa now (a beauty)

so i’m sticking to muscle power for the foreseeable. fingers crossed...

alex123711
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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by alex123711 »

There's a pretty big following for Raleigh 20 folding bikes, even though they are 40+ years old there is a very active facebook group etc for them and sheldon brown has a page dedicated to them, they are used for everything from touring to shopping/ commuting and are usually pretty cheap.

ducknald_don
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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by ducknald_don »

spiritess wrote:
Sat Nov 21, 2020 4:32 pm
It has occured to me to get an ebike aswell, the big battery can give me added optionality of charging electronics when im touring and getting up big hills when im delivering food all day
I've got one, I think it has been one of my better purchases. My bike mileage has tripled, I often take routes that are more pleasant to ride even if they are twice as far. The only downside is it has required a fair bit of maintenance, it chews through chains and chainrings quickly. I'll note I don't ride for sport, it's transport for me.

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Alphaville
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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by Alphaville »

ducknald_don wrote:
Tue Feb 09, 2021 5:08 am
it chews through chains and chainrings quickly.
wow, interesting... the shop says this is normal?

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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by ducknald_don »

I just replace them, I get about 1250 miles out of each chain. I have tried chains specific to e-bikes but the ones I have tried don't last any longer.

I think it's just the effect of a torquey motor and heavy bike.

Gilberto de Piento
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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

I have used stainless steel chainrings on mountain bikes and commuter bikes. They last much longer than aluminum. Surly is one source. They are mainly appropriate for single speed and fixed gear bikes though. They lack the features required for smooth shifting. They also lack the narrow-wide teeth that are used to keep the chain on the chainring in modern derailleur applications. Also, those that say you need to replace your whole drivetrain when the chain is worn out won't get any benefit from a chainring with long life since they are junking it anyway. Drivetrain maintenance is a large and never-ending debate in the bike world.

There are some interesting articles out there about chain wear that point to a lot more variability in lifespan across brands, speeds, and models than I would have guessed. Maybe a different chain would help? Example: https://cyclingtips.com/2019/12/the-bes ... cy-tested/

Freedom_2018
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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by Freedom_2018 »

Finally went ahead and got 2 Brompton H6Rs from a bike shop on Coronado island. Looked at Dahon, Tern, Decathlon etc also but in the end the elegant fold size of the Brompton won us over. They are not light though thanks to the steel frame. Got them in the 6 gear version with reduced gearing. They had an ebike version too but it was significantly heavier and more $. Also not sure how I feel about torque being applied to the front wheel via the spokes versus a motor that engages the crank where one would normally apply the power.

Haven't cycled in over 10 years so it will be some work to build back the ability (not that I ever had much) as was apparent to me when trying to pedal it uphill on the roads of Carmel Valley. Next week we will get to try it on the hopefully flatter terrain of eastern Washington state.

So far have been enjoying the bike and can't say whether I like riding it more or looking at them folded 🙂
Last edited by Freedom_2018 on Wed Mar 10, 2021 11:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Alphaville
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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by Alphaville »

o man. i have a case of brompton envy :oops:

Freedom_2018
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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by Freedom_2018 »

The bike is definitely a compromise between ride quality/effort and portability. I can see it really well suited to a city like NYC, Chicago etc (i.e. reasonably flat and multi mode transport needed to get around).

If one is primarily a bicyclist who likes to travel, it might not be of much value.

But for a traveler who would like to increase his reach without dragging around a big contraption and accompany gear, it can be quite useful I think.

We can easily add it to our existing luggage in the back of the SUV (older Toyota Highlander) without running out of space or reducing any visibility (my packing rule = all windows front, side and back must have 100% visibility and the older SUVs have larger windows unlike the newer ones that are all body panel and small squishy gangster windows 🙂)

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Ego
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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by Ego »

I bought a Dahon MU D8 ($859 from Dahon) at the swap meet this morning for $40. It had a flat. The owner obviously tried to change the tube and got as far as removing the tire then gave up and threw it in the trash. I arrived early to the swap and my trashpicker friend handed it to me from the bed of his pickup.'

Image

Freedom_2018
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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by Freedom_2018 »

Wow that is a sweet find for $40!! Wish I found a deal like that while looking for our folders.

Wonder why the owner threw it away for just a flat tire, especially in these days of bicycle shortages and all that. Probably prudent to check against stolen bicycle registry, just in case.

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Ego
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Re: Need help for touring folding bike

Post by Ego »

Freedom_2018 wrote:
Sat Jun 26, 2021 10:44 pm
Probably prudent to check against stolen bicycle registry, just in case.
Yeah, the first thing I do with bikes is check www.bikeindex.com

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