Folding bikes for cycle touring – advice please!

Not really folding, but the Ritchey break away frames as mentioned by jameso are very neat indeed.

I built up one of their break away road frames for a mate – he did the marmotte on it this year, so I guess it works.

Ooh! Just had a ride on a Moulton – TSR 27. Absolutely lovely looking bike and incredibly well made (couldn’t do that much stroking cos the bikeshop chap was watching!) Really comfortable to ride – just had a few minutes at the start when it felt quite skippy, but after that it just spun along and was really nippy. Fit was great – in fact at 5′ I think I’m a perfect size for folding bikes, don’t look half as silly as some massive chap perched on a long seatpost above tiny wheels 🙂

But – it was much heavier than I expected, about 13kg. And although it splits in 2, it doesn’t do anything else to make it easier to carry. The thought of trying to manhandle 13kg of rather unweildly bike along with 2 panniers when shifting between trains doesn’t fill me with joy.

So, does anyone know if the BikeFriday and the Airnimal area bit lighter and easier to move around with when they’re in their ‘folded’ state?

djaustin – many thanks! Will e-mail you. Are you likely to be apperaring at the Festive London Pootle thing, maybe with your lovely folding bike 😉

Moultons, Birdys, Bike Fridays and Airnimals all really great choices but if budget is a consideration I wouldn’t discound the Dahons… I’ve had a couple of them. A Speed D6 and a Jetstream P8 – both of which were used for commuting and occasional longer rides. They can cope with much more than you’d expect and like other posters have said they very much ride like “proper” bikes…apart from the funny looks from other folk! The D6 was actually my only bike for a while and I even slammed it offroad a few times! The Jetstream went like stink – used to drop roadies on expensive carbon bikes on a regular basis on my London commute (small wheels = great acceleration = great fun :D.

No rackmounts on the Jetstream though so for touring the Speed TR is the one to go for – steel frame, 24 speed and ready kitted out with 20″ specific rackage

http://www.dahon.com/bikes/2011/speed-tr

Some deals on for this at around £600 currently… oh and the other thing with all decent folding bikes is that there is a really good resale market if you don’t get on with them.

The one downside with folders for touring is however getting hold of the more niche parts – take spares of anything which is specific to the bike you bought.

Oh and be prepared for people to ask you about the bike everywhere you go… more people have shown an interest in the folders I’ve had than any of my MTBs.

I’ll pick up my anorak and flask of lukewarm orange drink on my way out thanks…

I had an Airnimal Joey and loved it – rode virtually as good as a normal bike. Its not a commuter fold, but is quite light so easy enough to carry once folded into a bag.

My airnimal joey is about 11kg. Hooks nicely on my shoulder when having to go up stairs and weight distribution us balanced. I’ve built it in a number of configurations from sealed hub to deraillieurs and straight bars to drops. on road and off. Are you getting how much I like it. check the airnimal group Facebook pages out.

My Bike Friday Pocket Sport is a lot lighter than the TSR I used to have(which is why I no longer have a TSR…)

With the TSR there is no getting away from the fact that it’s a steel full suspension frameset so you are going to pay a significant weight penalty.

I would guess my Pocket Sport to be about 20lbs. Its one of their cheaper framsets but it has got decent (ultegra/105) equipment on it.

Done some more researching – unfortunately the airnimal joey only fits folks who are over 5’3″. That leaves the chameleon (suitable for 5’+), weighs in at around 10 – 11kg depending on spec.

But currently getting very excited (sorry, yes, sad I know 😳 ) by Bike Friday who do a special “petite” model called the Petite Crusoe for us tiny folks under 5’4″. It’s the equivalent of the New World Tourer, but lighter guage tubing etc, so comes in at a minisucular 6kg! Wow! And it looks great too 🙂

Something that “niche” is going to hurt my bank balance though, isn’t it?

I think the Moulton will be off my list, but will go check out Dahon as well.

Am getting my anorak and flask at the ready 🙂

if your looking for a shop to try out a folder

Whites in Malmsbury are v helpful and have loads of Dahons, also have a look at AVC in Bath (just under the railway station)

Sue – I’ve done a lot of getting on trains with a touring bike – if you’re booking a train in advance, use East Coast Express – you can actually book a bike there. Or get your ticket, then go to a (preferably small) railway station and ask for a bike reservation – they’ve never failed me yet, although one trip he struggled to get a booking, but gave me a printed A4 page that said bike reservation – when I got on that train it turned out there were also 4 others with bike reservations, so I reckon he somehow fiddled it!
Virgin trains are the only ones I’ve ever had any problem without a reservation though – all the others have been fine.
Having said all that, I do of course recognise your need for a new bike 😉

Thanks all. AVC in Bath do seem to be one of the best stockists for Bike Friday and Airnimal (not exactly easy for me to get to though!)

Lady G – I hear what you’re saying, and a lot of the time I’ve had no problems on the train with my bike (especially locally). BUT (and its a pretty big but!), it has gone pretty badly wrong several times – not being able to travel when I need to cos there are no bike reservations left, trying to get on trains without a reservation and not being able to, and worst of all having a reservation, bike spaces all full, not being able to get on train, non-refundable ticket so had to pay an extra £50 for a new ticket!

I guess in the end, even though it only happens occassionally, the difficulty of trying to get my bike on a train has seriously disrupted my travelling. Add to that, the restrictions on getting into or out of London (often somewhere I have go to for work or to pass through to visit family) etc.

So for me getting a folding bike seems like a good solution, especially as it appears to be that you can get one’s that are as good as ‘normal’ bikes. Plus I’m trying to be a bit more envionmentally responsible, and get the train for travel in the UK and Europe (rather than drive / fly).

But justifications aside .. hell yes, it gives me the perfect excuse (ahem sorry ‘need’) to get a new bike 🙂

Built one of these up as a road going hybrid for a mate earlier this year, had to use rigid carbon forks, XT groupset & Ritchey WCS finishing kit to get it around 10 to 11kg though & it is a bitch to release the spring tensioner wire before you can fold it – ended up using a ratchet strap to release the pin each time. Worked out about £1300 all up I think & he says it rides really well.

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FRSLFTMTB/slingshot_fold_tech_mtb_frame

The s&s couplings are great (and expensive) but used more for bikes being packed up for plane flight rather than folding to get on a train etc

Wow, are Slingshot still going? I’ve got Jo Burt’s old one handing up in the workshop waiting for a spare day to build it up 😉

Theres a few Dahon 26″ folding frames on ebay, might be worth a look?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DAHON-JACK-FRAME-FORK-SET-/220898962634

I thought about getting one for commuting.

I’ve had the yellow Dahon Speed Pro and it was great, massive range of gears and super fast. I’m not sure how well it’d cope loaded up with touring gear though! Also, it was just outside the size range for commuting trains (pretty much everything is apart from a Brompton!).

Wow, are Slingshot still going? I’ve got Jo Burt’s old one handing up in the workshop waiting for a spare day to build it up

seems so.. it is like they keep thinking up new and diverse benefits to their system… horrible things

Sue the TSR moultons are heavy as they are the cheaper non custom moultons made by pashley..

also do this one – Bridgestone Moulton – but seems these are had to get – though a few years Evans sold them:
option for a operable version

also sahem there are limited no dealers for Pacific (understood they make Airnimal frames).. they have this model the Reach.. runs on 20″ wheels and thus easy to get a wide range of tyres

think really your best bet would be an Airnimal Joey – a number of shop sin London have these – good all round in terms of features, foldability, cost, ride (as this is coming from a die hard Bromptoneer!) ride is a bit more relaxed than the chameleon (well imho)

Joey used for touring

this guy has written about using his Joey
http://philwigglesworth.net/BlogEngine.NET/post/2007/02/08/The-Airnimal-Joey.aspx