Anyone have or use folding bicycles? I like the folded size.
Now when we bring our bikes we put them inside the Expedition and the two take up quite a bit of room. We have a board that we mounted the truck mount fork holders to and we stow the front tires in the trailer and bungie cord the bikes together and to the side using the seatbelt hanger. But if we find we do not go riding we feel the inconvenience of securing them and loss of space too great to casually include them in our regular gear. I think it would be fantastic to hop on the bike after a day in the car and burn off a little energy going up and down the campground lanes.
Are these sturdy enough to go on bicycle paths and uneven and bumpy roadways? Are the parts replaceable or is everything pretty much soldered on? Are they easy to setup? How about brands?
Anyone have some favorite bike routes or paths? One of our favorites is at Peninsula State Park in Door County Wisconsin.
There are several decent and a few excellent folders out there these are among the best www.bikefriday.com I know a couple of Cat IV semi pro's that ride and race on them. Dahon seems to make a decent one for the price but I don't knoow about the dependability or stability of them.
I see Lon Halderman is pictured at that link site. I believe he hails from where we just moved from (Northern Illinois.) He does all those rides across America with his wife. Brings back memories. Once, and I emphasize just "ONCE" we did an event called the Apple Cider Century in Three Oaks Michigan. I rode my one and only century (100 miles) in 7 hours. My husband rode 40 miles. (I know-- I'm gloating ) But never again. Life's too short and I'm too lazy!
Yep Lon is involved with that company, also the Grewal brothers, Alexi, Rishiki (sp) used to work there too. Glad to see there are at least a few other riders out there I too have become slow and lazy Haven't ridden on a regular basis in over 6 years Many, many, many, moons ago I was a competive rider, but those days have gone I have always liked the Bike Friday's and there aproach to folding bicycles, they realize that one sized doesn't fit all. They are one of my dream machines, just like the AS, so I guess now that I have an AS I will have to work on getting a BF
Whatever bicycle you choose to ride if you haven't been on a good rail trail, it's an experience not to be missed!
We make sure our camping trip plans include a rail trail whenever possible.
These are abandoned railroad beds that have been paved or have crushed limestone and they are ideal for recreational or family bicycling since the grades are usually slight or nonexistant. Of course, there's no motorized traffic which makes many people more comfortable too. Next month, we hope to visit the Blackstone Heritage trail in Florida (near Mystic Springs AS campground).
If the Bike Friday is not expensive enough, get a Moulton Speed. Montague is fairly popular here. Birdy and England's favorite, Brompton, can be had with some searching.
There is also S&S couplers. These are fitted into the bike frame of your choice, and allow the bike to be quickly disassembled and reassembled.
All folding bikes use a few to a lot of specialty parts. Bike Friday, for example, uses standard parts throughout, with just a few custom items; Bromptons are going to be hard to get repaired at a US bike shop.
Keep in mind that small wheeled bikes are going to suffer a very rough ride on anything but smooth pavement. That is why many makers have some sort of suspension.
We frequently take our bikes, or even our tandem. Not a problem with the pickup!
I love biking too. We have a bike railtrail that starts a mile from our house.
There is a fantastic bike trail at Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA.
A very scenic railtrail starts in Titusville, PA at the Drake Well Park and Museum and goes for almost 50 miles. There are many bridges to cross and two tunnels. One is about 6/10ths of a mile long, and completely dark in the middle!!!
I have a long wheelbase recumbent bike that is 6 feet front-to-back. Carpal tunnel and other issues prohibit much use of standard bikes. So I have had to go the pickup and topper route. Yakima and Thule rack systems are good but hard to reach with the full-size tow vehicles. They also expose everything to the elements, bugs, etc. -- an issue that grows if you take longer trips. It sounds like a folding bike would prevent a tow vehicle change for you.
Scott, wake up and smell the snowflakes. No motorized vehicles on bike trails? The attached photo of a bike trail does not change your basic recommendation -- I don't think many of us northerners have chains for our bikes anyway....
Pick, other dark tunnels on bike trails have been in a recent thread (city campgrounds). So many of these trails are great I suspect. We haven't hit a bad one yet. BTW my dad's family is from Clarion in NW Pennsylvania -- Pick's recommendation will take you to a very scenic area of forested large hills, big valleys and ridges. Good call! And did I get this link off these forums...?
I've had the same problem with my HUGE frame MTB. It doesn't fit in the Excursion very well at all. I'm sort of enamored of the Giant Halfway as a small folder. It even fits me reasonably well. So far, I've just been too d**n cheap to spring the $550 that everyone wants for one...
There are lots of folding bike websites out there that are a wealth of info. Just google on 'folding bike'. You'll be amazed at what you find!
Roger
__________________
AIR 2053 “A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.” Robert Heinlein 2006 Bigfoot 25B25RQ towed by a 2001 Born Free 23RK moho
Originally posted by wheel interested I want to ride my bike.
Anyone have or use folding bicycles? I like the folded size.
Now when we bring our bikes we put them inside the Expedition and the two take up quite a bit of room. We have a board that we mounted the truck mount fork holders to and we stow the front tires in the trailer and bungie cord the bikes together and to the side using the seatbelt hanger. But if we find we do not go riding we feel the inconvenience of securing them and loss of space too great to casually include them in our regular gear. I think it would be fantastic to hop on the bike after a day in the car and burn off a little energy going up and down the campground lanes.
Are these sturdy enough to go on bicycle paths and uneven and .
We have two adult-sized beach cruisers that we put right inside the trailer, side by side in the aisle between the side gaucho and the galley. We have had no problems yet with upholstery or chain lube getting on anything, although we usually put an old sheet over the couch where the bikes would rest.
Took them into Tennesee and back and had a blast with them.
Besides being ready to go instantly, most repair parts are easy to get, which is not always the case with collapsible bikes.
My $.02 worth.
Terry
__________________
Terry Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine
AIR#2611
Since I have a motorhome, we use the hitch type bike rack to take our bikes. It doesn't quite fit completey well due to the spare tire, so I have to cinch it up with rope.
Obviously, I'm ignorant about trailer chassis/frames. Would it be possible to adapt a small hitch receiver to the rear of the trailer and go from there? That way you don't need to place inside.
"Bike racks on the trailer bumper are not recommended.
It's the old story of "moment arm."
Measure the distance from the bumper to the rear wheel.
As an example, on a typical 31 foot trailer, the distance from the center of the rear wheel to the bumper is about 12 feet.
Therefore one pound of weight on the rear bumper is 12 pounds moment arm. Simply stated, if you mount a bike rack and have two bikes on it, you probably have a total weight of perhaps 100 pounds. When the moment arm is tossed in to play, that 100 pounds becomes 1200 pounds, on the frame.
Additionally, when hitting a good bump, that weight multiplies 4 to 5 times.
Having unbalanced running gear, adds to the problem as well.
Asking for rear end separation??
You bet.
Moment arm is a very common term with aircraft. Ask "any" pilot, of a commercial jet to a single engine aircraft. To ignore it, is asking for disaster with any airplane, and costly to repair in any brand travel trailer.
And finally, the load placed on the rear bumper also has a negative effect on the tongue weight. How much, depends on the bumper weight.
The best (or worst one) I ever saw, was a tongue jack mounted on the center of the rear bumper!!
WHY????
The guy put a household washer and drier on a bumper extension, on an Airstream trailer. He couldn't understand why the tongue weight was NEGATIVE.
TRUE STORY.
And, very expensive to repair the resultant damage.
Andy
inlandrv.com
__________________
Inland RV Center, Inc.
The largest "VINTAGE" Airstream parts headquarters, on the planet."
Quick Links
) But never again. Life's too short and I'm too lazy!
I too have become slow and lazy
Haven't ridden on a regular basis in over 6 years
Many, many, many, moons ago I was a competive rider, but those days have gone
I have always liked the Bike Friday's and there aproach to folding bicycles, they realize that one sized doesn't fit all. They are one of my dream machines, just like the AS, so I guess now that I have an AS I will have to work on getting a BF
Linear Mode
