I'm looking for a source for decent/outstanding quality, foldup bikes... likely a mountain bike for me, and something for my wife which allows her to bike in a more upright posture (easier on the back).
Any ideas or sources for such beasts? As well a floor rack for easier travel inside our 19ft Bambi would be great.
I'm looking for a source for decent/outstanding quality, foldup bikes... likely a mountain bike for me, and something for my wife which allows her to bike in a more upright posture (easier on the back).
Any ideas or sources for such beasts? As well a floor rack for easier travel inside our 19ft Bambi would be great.
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Bill Kerfoot, WBCCI/VAC/CAC/El Camino Real Unit #5223
Just my personal opinion
1973 Dodge W200 PowerWagon, 1977 Lincoln Continental
1979 23' Safari, and 1954 29' Double Door Liner Orange, CA
I just returned a YEAH model fold-up to Camping World. It's a fine bike...it was me that was 'defective'. The bike folded up into a nice easily carried and store package. Very sturdy with 6 gears. The wheels are 20" in diameter, just fine for pedaling around a campground after your grand kids. My doctor advised me not to ride a bike until my 2 new hips fully healed in a year or two. However he suggested a bike that I could easily stand down (both feet on the ground) with to minimize falling. My problem was that my knees aren't so good either. Our 36 year old daughter rode the bike with her son on his in a campground recently and said it is a "nice bike". When it was folded I transported it on the back seat of our convertible. It took up one passenger space. I will try again next year.
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Neil and Lynn Holman FreshAir #12407
I have the Montague MX MX 24 - Speed Mountain Bike. I add a seat post with a shock, gel seat and better pedals. I do mostly trail and street riding, no real mountain riding. My son is a big time mtn biker and had some good comments on the bike. When the tires wear out I'll replace them with a less aggressive set. You can always up grade the hardware.
I had a folding Dahon for over 12 years ago. I did a lot of street riding in hilly areas in the NE. No MT riding. I even keep up with a guy with a standard size bike while stationed at Ft Devens, MA. I gave the bike to my son after I changed the tires to a more aggrassive tread so he can use in campgrounds. This was during my family's VW camper came. Never had any problems with the bike.
I commute occasionally on a Dahon. About half the miles I have on it are either in the dark, in the rain, or in snow. I don't quite have a thousand miles on it (bought it last July).
Longest ride on it has been 65 miles a couple days after I picked it up. It seems fairly happy at 13-15 MPH, but I've seen 25 on the way home (sort of trying to drop the guy I was riding with - business casual mayhem on the bike path if you like).
It is a useful tool. Have probably folded/unfolded it a couple hundred times and it seems to be sticking together OK.
We had around 4" of snow this day. The bike has a planetary gear hub - no derailleur so riding through the snow, while work, wasn't all that bad. That said, I did drive to work the next day, one of two days I didn't ride to work in the first six months of 2007.
We purchased a pair of Dahon 7-speed folding bikes earlier this year for camping and have really enjoyed them. The advantages to the folding bike is that the bikes can be stored in the back of my TV so they no longer need to take a beating during travel (i.e., which they would if they were stored on the roof or back of the vehicle). The bike can be folded or opened up in less than 20 seconds.
I have used the bike for longer rides (i.e., 15-20 miles) and the bike was fine except I needed to purchase a different seat for longterm comfort. The wheels are smaller than a normal road bike so I find myself pedaling more but that is ok as I just get more exercise that way!
I have nothing to add regarding the bikes, but as to the floor rack for the Bambi I would fabricate one with a 2X4 and something like this (front fork mount):
A few years back my wife bought a couple of Dahon Speed 7 folding bikes. They were about $500.00 per bike, and we replaced the seats with the gel type seats. Much more comfortable than the stock seat the bike comes with.
We love the fact that we can bring these along with us and they easily set up and tear down. My only complaint about the Dahon bikes is the quality and workmanship.
It seemed that for the first several trips out, I would always find parts of the bikes that had come off the bike. A screw here, some sort of plug there. I keep them next to a container of parts that I have for bits and pieces that have come from the Aisrstream. The magnets that keep the bike folded were crap, so we use bungee cords to keep them folded.
Dahon has many models of the folding bikes. I agree with what was said about Bike Friday. They are really nice but be prepared for sticker shock.
Do a search for folding bikes on the internet.
Before riding, it is always a good idea to go from front to back aand make sure that anything quick release is tightened.
Good luck.
Jonathan
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I'm out of my mind right now, but will be returning shortly......
If your knees and the rest of your body don't need the low gearing choices that a derailleur bike has, go with an internal hub shifting system. These are like the old timey Sturmey-Archer 3 speeds but today they even come in 7 speed and maybe higher. They are much less prone to problems, maintenance free and will be less likely to put grease stains on your Bambi interior and your clothing as you load and unload.
Of course, if you plan to use these in hilly areas and your not in top notch condition to muscle through the tougher gearing then a derailleur bike may be your only choice.
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