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Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

kwigglebike.com

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Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#141

Post by tormock »

laurieg wrote: post #24

I've spent a long time with folding bikes over the years. My advice: bite the bullet and buy a Brompton[1]. Yes, Bromptons are expensive. But they ride like a bicycle, have gears, a stiff enough frame, luggage racks etc. There's very little compromise. The fastest I've done on mine is 45 kph and I've ridden 70km in a day. I carry it on and off buses and trains multiple times a day without issue. In the past I had an…

It all comes down to what is your reason for using a folding bicycle...

I really love my light aluminum non-folding bike that is pedal-powered... but if I would buy a folding bike, it would be electric-motor powered.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#142

Post by LightHugger »

mattl wrote: post #113
Asooka wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ugh, disgusting. Guess I'm never giving money to Brompton.

You find them copyrighting their work disgusting? Do you use CC0 for all your own work?

Copyright and patent abuse is indeed disgusting.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#143

Post by markdown »

mattl wrote: post #128
caslon wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The concern is obviously not that copyright is inherently immoral, or whatever you're insinuating, even though there are valid objections against the current status quo of multi-century copyrights. The concern is that they're double-dipping. They had a patent. Patents expire after 20 years, but give you exclusive right to use an invention in the meantime. After a patent expires, what's supposed to happen is that anyo…

UK has design copyrights to basically permit the double dipping.

Must be why there's so little innovation going on there.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#145

Post by djrogers »

GordonS wrote: post #108

> the Kwiggle weighs only 9 - 10 kg and can be carried comfortably... with one hand I don't know why you'd want to actually carry it around, but surely nobody is 'comfortable' wandering around with 10kg in one hand?!

~22 lbs probably shouldn’t be causing you ‘discomfort’ as long as there’s a decent handle or way to hold on to the thing…

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#146

Post by mattl »

serf wrote: post #119
mattl wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You find them copyrighting their work disgusting? Do you use CC0 for all your own work?

I'm not parent but since this is framed as if it's a 'gotcha' question .. a) yes, when it's used anti-competitively; which it almost exclusively is. I haven't been sold on the idea that idea exclusivity funds creative and public works and value-stores. I tend to believe that capitol does that -- and I think capitol can be generated regardless of copyright state. b) Yes, I have a cc0 1.0 license on anything I release…

Yeah this is all reasonable. Parent felt a bit reactionary

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#147

Post by Antipode »

Melatonic wrote: post #112
nikanj wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We are swiftly destroying the planet because people don’t want to look goofy in a small car, and insist on an aircraft carrier-sized truck. And now the same attitudes go for bikes too?!

Real bicycles also have larger wheels for a reason - its much more efficient and rolls over bumps and ruts much easier.

What do you mean by efficient?

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#149

Post by caranti »

Melatonic wrote: post #109

Does anyone make a less compact folding bike that uses larger tires? The Brompton at 16" is starting to get interesting and while the Kwiggle does look very nice for certain situations. But I think what I would want the most is something with more standard size bicycle wheels that can still fold to be a bit more compact for use on public transit.

I ride a Tern Link D8. It has 20" rims, usable gears, and a pannier rack. It rides really well for a folding bike and is half decent for transporting a couple of bags of stuff around. Most of the running gear is off-the-shelf Shimano which helps when sourcing spares.

The trade-off is that it's quite big when it's folded and fairly awkward to carry. Unlike some folding bikes, it doesn't wheel when it's folded up so you have to lug around a fairly awkward metal lump when you're not riding it. And it rarely fits under seats on public transport - it can be quite awkward in places.

I've also found it fairly tricky to lock. The narrow gaps between the spokes and the very small triangle in the frame make it hard to pass a serious lock through; I constantly worry about wrecking spokes when I try to lock it up. It lives indoors most of the time so it's not a serious drawback for me but might be something to think about based on your needs.

Overall I've been happy with the good riding, luggage options, and replacement parts story. A good option if the drawbacks don't really hold you back in your day-to-day usage.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#150

Post by Swizec »

sbierwagen wrote: post #121
Swizec wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My penny board fits in carry-on luggage, is allowed on airplanes, can be ridden inside airports, and looks cool as heck when you ride in the city. Plus it weighs like 3lbs and costs $100. But it’s a little more work to ride than a bicycle

What airports are you skateboarding in?

I've done SFO, CDG, NYC, OAK, and I think Frankfurt. Super convenient and the floor is smooth as butter.

The only trouble I ever had was at LJU, which is a tiny airport, where security wouldn't let me bring the skateboard as carry-on. Guessing they aren't as used to seeing weird stuff happening.

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