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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

#151

Post by mauvehaus »

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…

Yeah, I'm going to second this. Even the 16" wheels on a Brompton are pretty miserable on bumpy roads (Boston); the Kwiggle has even smaller wheels.

The fold on a Brompton is just about perfect. It takes no time at all. I'm a little annoyed to find that they're using copyright to keep a monopoly on it, but certainly not so much that I'm going to give it up.

I tried out a Tern, a Dahon, and some random ancient thing. I've never regretted spending the extra coin on the Brompton. The fact that all the greasy bits are in the middle when it's folded means you throw it in your trunk without thinking about it. It means you put it between your legs on the subway without thinking about it. The fact that it folds in seconds means you don't miss your train fumbling with it at the fare gate.

The only downside I can see is like half the parts on the thing are bespoke. Replacing a derailleur, for instance is not something your average shop can do. Ditto the shifters.

It's the Apple of bikes: the tight integration of the components gets you an absolutely magnificent package (at a premium price), but you get some lock-in as a result.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#152

Post by exidy »

anonymousiam wrote: post #129

These small bicycles have one major disadvantage: The wheels are too small to provide much of a gyroscopic effect while riding, so they are far less stable than a traditional bicycle. https://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/bicycle-wheel-gyro

This is largely a myth. A rotating bicycle wheel does generate a small amount of gyroscopic effect, but it is too small in comparison to the weight of bike & rider to make much difference. People have built bicycles with counter-rotating front wheels[1] to prove it.

Smaller bikes may feel less stable, however I suspect this is simply because smaller wheels will be affected by smaller road imperfections that a larger wheel would simply roll over.

[1] https://theconversation.com/how-does-a-bike-stay-upright-sur...

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#153

Post by xarope »

Swizec wrote: post #150
sbierwagen wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I think amsterdam/AMS was where I saw airport staff on kickboards...

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#155

Post by theturtletalks »

mauvehaus wrote: post #151
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…

Yeah, I'm going to second this. Even the 16" wheels on a Brompton are pretty miserable on bumpy roads (Boston); the Kwiggle has even smaller wheels. The fold on a Brompton is just about perfect. It takes no time at all. I'm a little annoyed to find that they're using copyright to keep a monopoly on it, but certainly not so much that I'm going to give it up. I tried out a Tern, a Dahon, and some random ancient thing.…

Would you recommend the A-line or the C-line?

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#156

Post by mauvehaus »

anonymousiam wrote: post #129

These small bicycles have one major disadvantage: The wheels are too small to provide much of a gyroscopic effect while riding, so they are far less stable than a traditional bicycle. https://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/bicycle-wheel-gyro

Own and ride a Brompton, which has 16" wheels. It's perhaps marginally less stable than a full-size bike, but I'm willing to believe that it's mostly down to steering geometry (smaller wheels limit how far behind the intersection of the steering axis and the ground you can put the contact patch) not gyroscopic effects.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#157

Post by owenversteeg »

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…

The Brompton is bigger and heavier than this though. The Brompton A line is 25.3" x 23" x 10.6" and 25.6 lbs (64x59x27cm and 11.6 kg.) This is 21.6" x 15.8" x 9.8" and 20.9 lbs (554025 cm and 9.5kg.) Nearly five pounds lighter, 7.2" shorter and 3.7" shorter - that's a big difference for some of these use cases.

For example, lugging it around on public transport, or bringing it on a plane, or just dragging it around a city for the day - this thing easily wins, there’s just no comparison. I haven’t rode one of these so of course I can’t say, but the fact that they rode it all around the entire IJsselmeer (one of the largest lakes in the world) - which is a serious bike ride even on a normal bike - is a pretty good sign that this bike isn’t terrible to ride on, even if it may not quite be a Brompton. So the comparison becomes “decent portability and excellent biking” vs “excellent portability and decent biking”. I think that’s a fair tradeoff. If anything, I wish it would go further - give me half the size and a mediocre biking experience and I’d buy one in a heartbeat.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#158

Post by wkyle »

nikanj wrote: post #44
yupper32 wrote: post #16

I don't think I could ever get over the look of the small wheels. It seems like the fanny pack of bikes: pretty useful but you gotta look dorky if you want to use it. It's vain but I'd find it hard to believe I'm alone here.

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?!

Why would a larger bicycle be less eco-friendly than a small, intricate bicycle with many bespoke components?

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#159

Post by mauvehaus »

theturtletalks wrote: post #155
mauvehaus wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I'm going to second this. Even the 16" wheels on a Brompton are pretty miserable on bumpy roads (Boston); the Kwiggle has even smaller wheels. The fold on a Brompton is just about perfect. It takes no time at all. I'm a little annoyed to find that they're using copyright to keep a monopoly on it, but certainly not so much that I'm going to give it up. I tried out a Tern, a Dahon, and some random ancient thing.…

Would you recommend the A-line or the C-line?

Dunno. It looks like you get fenders and a bunch of little upgrades like the folding pedal and a nicer saddle. Oh and a light and the luggage block some standard. The folding pedal is a nice touch, not gonna lie. I've got it on mine. Essential? Probably not, but it's one less thing to clip your shins on as you're running for the train. The package, nice as it is, is still a little awkward.

They've reorganized their product lines since I got mine. I've got a two speed with flat bars and fenders, all steel (i.e. no titanium). I'd say that three speeds is probably a worthy upgrade unless you live somewhere dead flat (and the two speeds are spaced too far apart for my liking, I'd add). Even the flat bars are pretty upright if you're used to a road bike.

Of other note, if you have a long inseam, you'll be getting a bigger seat post. I'm a 34" inseam, and I had to get the extendable seat post to get the seat high enough.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#160

Post by cbm-vic-20 »

m463 wrote: post #98
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…

Folding bikes to me have always been "fits in trunk of car". This is an interesting idea, but I wonder if it collides into the electric scooter market. I think dahon bikes are fairly nice, but I have not tried a brompton. I have a dahon mu n360 with a variable transmission that I like quite a bit. https://dahon.com/bikes/mu-n360/ However recently I bought two bikes direct e-bikes - pretty versatile and go off-road/to…

I use mine in two ways: 1) Multi-modal commute. I ride my Brompton to and from the train station on both ends of my commute, about 2 miles per segment. 2) Weekend/vacation cruising, if I'm going somewhere on a car or ferry, it's easy to take the Brompton along.
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