Backpack or Rucksack for Folding Bike

[Dr Kickstand]

Recently, I was looking for a backpack for my folding Bike. I did some
investigations and came up with the following list or possible
solutions

http://bikesthatfold.com/content/view/49/

Please let us know if there are any better solutions missing?
__________________
www.bikesTHATfold.com - All about folding bikes!

[[email protected]]

This folding bike charges iPods too.

http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/658/

AsianDoll

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[[email protected][_2_]]

On Dec 19, 3:09*am, Dr Kickstand > wrote:
> Recently, I was looking for a backpack for my folding Bike. I did some
> investigations and came up with the following list or possible
> solutions
>
> http://bikesthatfold.com/content/view/49/
>
> Please let us know if there are any better solutions missing?
> __________________www.bikesTHATfold.com- All about folding bikes!




Thanks for posting about folding bikes. After checking them out
online, I sent out the following email to my friends and family
recommending them:


"Dear XXX,

Have you ever seen a bike like this before?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folding_bicycle

It's called a folding bike. And it's the perfect bike for the 21st
century because a cyclist can easily mix mass transport and cycling.

For example, our imaginary cyclist works at Bobo's Biscuit Company in
a town 15 miles away. Unfortunately, the local bus stop is 2 miles
away, and the closest bus stop from the Biscuit Company is also two
miles.

Of course our cyclist could walk, or run, the bus stop distance. But,
with the folding bike, he can actually use a BIKE!!!

Pretty cool, eh?

I wonder how reliable they are? "

Can anybody answer that last question for me? I'd think, because they
have more moving parts, that they have more mechanical problems. Is
this assumption true?

Regards,
Cullen

[Leo Lichtman[_2_]]

> wrote: (clip) I wonder how reliable they are? "
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I have owned several folding bikes, including a Dahon with 16" wheels, a
couple of Dahons with 20" wheels, and folder with 26" wheels. I have never
had any problems associated with the folding, with any of them. A friend of
mine rode his Dahon much more then I do, and he eventually bowed the
seatpost.

I seldom took mine on a bus, but I did find the following use very valuable.
Wife and I go to the county fair. Close in parking is expensive, and
cheaper parking involves some walking. I would drop her off, and then drive
a couple of miles where I could find free on-street parking. In the
meantime, she would get in line and buy the tickets. I would ride back,
lock the bike, and we would go in together.

[cmcanulty]

Get a downtube, they are 1/3 the price of Bike Friday and use all
standard parts. Here is a few links for you
http://www.downtube.com/ss-index.html
http://www.downtube.com/ss-index.html
http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=221
http://www.downtube.com/Folding_Bike_Forum/
http://www.bikefriday.com/
I use mine for touring

[Jay[_2_]]

> wrote in message
...

I wonder how reliable they are? "

Can anybody answer that last question for me? I'd think, because they
have more moving parts, that they have more mechanical problems. Is
this assumption true?

Regards,
Cullen
>
>
Another vote against BikeFriday. Problems with my Pocket Tourist are well
documented in RBM and RBT. I did not have trouble with the hinge, but most
everything else failed. BB shell cracked, head tube ovalized, rear rim
split, etc., all in less than one year of daily commuting (5000 miles).
Collecting dust in my garage right now.

A BF rep told me their target customer is 55+ years old (retired). So I
guess their bikes last because they are ridden less than 500 miles per year,
and only in nice weather.

I don't have experience with any other folding bikes.

J.

[[email protected]]

"Jay" > wrote:

>Another vote against BikeFriday. Problems with my Pocket Tourist are well
>documented in RBM and RBT. I did not have trouble with the hinge, but most
>everything else failed. BB shell cracked, head tube ovalized, rear rim
>split, etc., all in less than one year of daily commuting (5000 miles).
>Collecting dust in my garage right now.

Wow!

have you really had those kinds of failures with your
Pocket Tourist?

[PatTX[_2_]]

::
:: I wonder how reliable they are? "
::
:: Can anybody answer that last question for me? I'd think, because they
:: have more moving parts, that they have more mechanical problems. Is
:: this assumption true?
::
:: Regards,
:: Cullen
:::
:::
:: Another vote against BikeFriday. Problems with my Pocket Tourist are
:: well documented in RBM and RBT. I did not have trouble with the
:: hinge, but most everything else failed. BB shell cracked, head tube
:: ovalized, rear rim split, etc., all in less than one year of daily
:: commuting (5000 miles). Collecting dust in my garage right now.
::
:: A BF rep told me their target customer is 55+ years old (retired).
:: So I guess their bikes last because they are ridden less than 500
:: miles per year, and only in nice weather.
::
:: I don't have experience with any other folding bikes.
::
:: J.

Then, make this a vote FOR BikeFriday. We have used them touring in Ireland
and across the state of Missouri with absolutely no problems. We have taken
them on planes and trains and ridden cross country through sand and a few
inches of water. Nothing failed. Oh, and I seem to remember you are well
over 200 pounds, right?

Pat

[peter]

On Dec 19, 9:15*am, "Leo Lichtman" > wrote:
> > wrote: *(clip) I wonder how reliable they are? "
> Can anybody answer that last question for me? I'd think, because they
> have more moving parts, that they have more mechanical problems. Is
> this assumption true?

Not really. Most folding bikes use pretty much the same mechanical
components as regular bikes and the only additional 'moving part' is a
hinge or two in the frame. Wheels are smaller which generally makes
them stronger.
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> I have owned several folding bikes, including a Dahon with 16" wheels, a
> couple of Dahons with 20" wheels, and folder with 26" wheels. *I have never
> had any problems associated with the folding, with any of them. *A friend of
> mine rode his Dahon much more then I do, and he eventually bowed the
> seatpost.
>
> I seldom took mine on a bus, but I did find the following use very valuable.
> Wife and I go to the county fair. *Close in parking is expensive, and
> cheaper parking involves some walking. *I would drop her off, and then drive
> a couple of miles where I could find free on-street parking. *In the
> meantime, she would get in line and buy the tickets. *I would ride back,
> lock the bike, and we would go in together.

So why not do that with a regular bike? I have a good quality folder
but find that if I just want to carry a bike in a car trunk it's
faster and easier to just pop the wheels off one of my regular bikes.
I have a pretty large frame (60 cm) and a small car (Corolla) and it
easily fits in the trunk. The folder does too, but folding it takes
almost 30 seconds so it's quicker to take the wheels off the normal
bike.

The advantage of my folder is that I can take it on airline trips with
no added oversize charges and it's accepted on the local mass transit
systems even during commute hours when regular bikes are prohibited.

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article
>,
cmcanulty > wrote:

> Get a downtube, they are 1/3 the price of Bike Friday and use all
> standard parts. Here is a few links for you
> http://www.downtube.com/ss-index.html
> http://www.downtube.com/ss-index.html
> http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=221
> http://www.downtube.com/Folding_Bike_Forum/
> http://www.bikefriday.com/
> I use mine for touring

The devil of any folder is the design and build quality, which is what
tends to separate the Bike Fridays and Bromptons (and Dahon?) from their
cheaper and cheesier competitors.

Those Downtube bikes look nice on the web pages; I take your praise of
them at face value, but I'd be pretty keen to see one in person before I
assumed it was a good buy.

--
Ryan Cousineau http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."

[Jay[_2_]]

> wrote in message
...
> "Jay" > wrote:
>
>>Another vote against BikeFriday. Problems with my Pocket Tourist are well
>>documented in RBM and RBT. I did not have trouble with the hinge, but most
>>everything else failed. BB shell cracked, head tube ovalized, rear rim
>>split, etc., all in less than one year of daily commuting (5000 miles).
>>Collecting dust in my garage right now.
>
> Wow!
>
> have you really had those kinds of failures with your
> Pocket Tourist?
>
>
I forgot to mention the broken crank:

http://www.neiu.edu/~jbollyn/bike/repairs/broken_crank_in.jpg

Split rear rim:

http://www.neiu.edu/~jbollyn/bike/repairs/rim-rear-left.jpg

I should have used better lighting for this bb shell pic:

http://www.neiu.edu/~jbollyn/bike/bb_shell/bbs-1.jpg

I don't have a pic of the ovalized head tube. That diagnosis was made by my
LBS.

These incidents were all discussed in RBT. Check Google groups 'advanced
search':

http://groups.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en&q=&hl=en&

J.

[Jay[_2_]]

"PatTX" > wrote in message
...
> ::
>
> Then, make this a vote FOR BikeFriday. We have used them touring in
> Ireland and across the state of Missouri with absolutely no problems. We
> have taken them on planes and trains and ridden cross country through sand
> and a few inches of water. Nothing failed. Oh, and I seem to remember you
> are well over 200 pounds, right?
>
> Pat
>
During the year in question, I probably weighed between 200 and 230lbs. I
don't have a home scale, so I rarely weigh myself. 6'4" tall. This was
discussed with the senior BF rep when I ordered the Pocket Tourist on the
phone, who thought the PT would be appropriate. I think they spec the PT for
up to 220 lbs. Plus whatever I might be carrying in the rear rack or small
backpack, like groceries. Usually less than 5lbs, commuting to work. The
grocery store is < 2 miles from home.

It was only after I began to have problems that I shipped the frame back to
BF, and they supposedly 'modified a new PT frame for my height and weight'.
It was this new modified frame which had the most problems, within one year.
The headset was never 100% correct in the modified frame. My LBS transferred
all the parts to the modified frame.

At this point, BF has offered to pay shipping one way. They will fix the
head tube and the bb shell. I would need to pay shipping one way, and the
LBS cost of transferring the parts to the (again) modified frame.

I don't want to spend any more money or time on this PT. I am getting along
fine with my heavily modified Electra Amsterdam Royal8
http://www.neiu.edu/~jbollyn/bike/dec08/left1.jpg , which is probably the
opposite extreme from a folder. Not only is the Electra stronger, it is also
much more appropriate for year round commuting. I have changed my work
schedule, so I no longer need a folder for the city bus and commuter train.

The main reason I am unhappy with BF, is they should have known initially,
the PT is not designed to handle my load, or miles. I think the BF rep was
mainly interested in making the sale, any sale, as quickly as possible. I
spoke with a senior sales person, not a rookie. He should have known better.

J.

[PatTX[_2_]]

::
:: The main reason I am unhappy with BF, is they should have known
:: initially, the PT is not designed to handle my load, or miles. I
:: think the BF rep was mainly interested in making the sale, any sale,
:: as quickly as possible. I spoke with a senior sales person, not a
:: rookie. He should have known better.
::
:: J.

My Bike Friday is a Pocket Llama. It was designed for heavier weights and
wider tires. In fact, it is a little mountain bike in its setup. It seems to
me that you simply got the wrong model. So, why rag on Bike Friday as a
company? According to you, it was one careless sales person. That doesn't
mean the bikes are badly made or anything. A smaller person than 6'4"
probably will be very happy with a Bike Friday.

BTW: I have a 245# friend who tacoed some stock wheels on his new Trek. That
doesn't mean he goes around bashing Trek and all of their products. He just
got some wheels made specifically for large guys. Your post wasn't "A vote
against a salesguy giving poor info", it was "A vote against Bike Friday."
there's a big difference.

Pat in TX

[Jay[_2_]]

"PatTX" > wrote in message
...
> ::
> :: The main reason I am unhappy with BF, is they should have known
> :: initially, the PT is not designed to handle my load, or miles. I
> :: think the BF rep was mainly interested in making the sale, any sale,
> :: as quickly as possible. I spoke with a senior sales person, not a
> :: rookie. He should have known better.
> ::
> :: J.
>
> My Bike Friday is a Pocket Llama. It was designed for heavier weights and
> wider tires. In fact, it is a little mountain bike in its setup. It seems
> to me that you simply got the wrong model. So, why rag on Bike Friday as a
> company? According to you, it was one careless sales person. That doesn't
> mean the bikes are badly made or anything. A smaller person than 6'4"
> probably will be very happy with a Bike Friday.
>
> BTW: I have a 245# friend who tacoed some stock wheels on his new Trek.
> That doesn't mean he goes around bashing Trek and all of their products.
> He just got some wheels made specifically for large guys. Your post
> wasn't "A vote against a salesguy giving poor info", it was "A vote
> against Bike Friday." there's a big difference.
>
> Pat in TX
>
It is more than that. In frame #2, they 'modified a PT for my height and
weight' (their words). This implies two things: My initial stock PT was not
the right bike for me; and the modified PT would be able to handle the load
and miles. How the bike would be used was abundantly clear to BF, from many
phone calls and emails. My problems eventually went up to a BF owner (Hanz
Scholz). I eventually dealt with many BF people, not only the initial sales
rep.

BF did indeed suggest a Pocket Llama, but not until I began to have
problems. My point is, the sales rep should have at least *mentioned* a
Pocket Llama.

I sometimes forget that my height and weight often preclude me from buying
stock, off-the-rack things. Combined with my 'extreme' year round commute in
Chicago, 5000 miles yearly, buying (and modifying) a successful bike is not
simple, quick or cheap. When I bought the PT, I had virtually no experience
repairing (or spec'ing) bikes.

Just to be clear: I think BF would be fine for 'ordinary bike riders', i.e.
total combined load < 180 lbs, good weather (April - Nov), and < 1000 miles
yearly. Being retired is a +.

J.

[PatTX[_2_]]

Well, you have something now you are pleased with, so that's good. I don't
envy you the bad weather. We haven't had snow yet this year.

Pat in TX

[Jay[_2_]]

"PatTX" > wrote in message
...
> Well, you have something now you are pleased with, so that's good. I don't
> envy you the bad weather. We haven't had snow yet this year.
>
> Pat in TX
>
-6 degrees F this morning, with a wind chill advisory in effect.

J.

[PatTX[_2_]]

:: -6 degrees F this morning, with a wind chill advisory in effect.
::
:: J.

Dang!

[Jym Dyer]

> Another vote against BikeFriday. Problems with my Pocket
> Tourist are well documented in RBM and RBT.

=v= Actually what you well-documented is that you chose the
a model that was too small for you and Bike Friday bent over
backwards -- far more than would be reasonably expected from
any other bike manufacturer -- to help you.

> A BF rep told me their target customer is 55+ years old
> (retired). So I guess their bikes last because they are
> ridden less than 500 miles per year, and only in nice weather.

=v= I suspect a miscommunication here. What I was told by a
BF rep is that the median age of their customers is 55, which
was higher than they expected. I would speculate that this
is because custom bikes become far more important when your
body gets older, that these folks have earnings commensurate
with the cost of a good custom bike, and, yes, a good number
have the time to travel.

=v= BF certainly works to accommodate their customers, but
that doesn't mean they limit themselves to one niche. Their
new commute-oriented tikit and lower-priced non-custom Pocket
line are testament to that. (They did try a lower-priced line
before, the Metro, but sales didn't work out. Kudos to them
for trying again.)

=v= As for your "less than 500 miles ... in nice weather" crack,
well, I'm sorry you've had your particular problems but most
Bike Friday riders have had the opposite experience. The more
typical response is that the ride is so good that it becomes an
everyday bike. I put 500 miles on mine every couple of months,
and I've had it for almost 10 years.
<_Jym_>

[Jay[_2_]]

"Jym Dyer" > wrote in message
...
>> Another vote against BikeFriday. Problems with my Pocket
>> Tourist are well documented in RBM and RBT.
>
> =v= Actually what you well-documented is that you chose the
> a model that was too small for you and Bike Friday bent over
> backwards -- far more than would be reasonably expected from
> any other bike manufacturer -- to help you.
>
>
The BF senior sales rep said (on the phone) the Pocket Tourist would be OK
for my needs. This proved to be incorrect. Any company in the 'custom'
business needs to put 'correct fit' before 'making a sale'.

BF did indeed bend over backwards, to make the wrong bike fit my needs. It
was never going to work, in the long term. I will eventually have them
replace the bb shell and head tube, so I have a folder as a rarely-used
spare bike.

>
> =v= As for your "less than 500 miles ... in nice weather" crack,
> well, I'm sorry you've had your particular problems but most
> Bike Friday riders have had the opposite experience. The more
> typical response is that the ride is so good that it becomes an
> everyday bike. I put 500 miles on mine every couple of months,
> and I've had it for almost 10 years.
> <_Jym_>
>
There are two reasons my Pocket Tourist did not work out for me: It is not
strong enough to handle the combined load of rider + cargo, and I tried to
use it as an all-weather commuter bike in Chicago.

None of this matters much to me, at this point. My Electra Amsterdam Royal8
is a much better bike for my load and riding conditions.

J.

[Jym Dyer]

> The BF senior sales rep said (on the phone) the Pocket Tourist
> would be OK for my needs. This proved to be incorrect.

=v= Yes, you've already told us about this. Certainly a mistake
was made. We understand why you choose to "vote against Bike
Friday." I'm just saying that this is very atypical. Most have
not experienced such a mistake. Most manufacturers would not
bother with a fraction of the customer support that Bike Friday
provides, even when they *don't* make a mistake.
<_Jym_>