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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

#21

Post by TulliusCicero »

sparrc wrote: post #2

Seems like it's bordering on push-scooter levels of top speed and stability...what's the benefit of such a small bike compared to a scooter?

I used a push scooter in Munich in combination with buses and trains. It was fine for short distances of like ~1.5km or less, going to/from transit stations, but past that distance it just gets fucking annoying. Standing up on a push scooter and constant pushing with your feet just isn't as comfortable as sitting down and pedaling.

Also, the non-inflated rubber wheels I had on the thing were very uncomfortable (and loud) on cobblestone-type roads. Almost infeasible to use, really. But otherwise it was a pretty convenient thing to have.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#22

Post by TulliusCicero »

avasylev wrote: post #12
ThinBold wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Scooter has an even smaller wheel and is more unstable during high speed. Also bike is more muscle-efficient.

Overall it's questionable on muscle efficiency. The main problem with scooters/skateboards is that beginners don't learn using second leg (it feels unnatural and takes practice). Thus getting tired with pushing with one leg. Another thing at this form factor you can get electric skateboard, muscles are concern.

I would switch between legs while using my push scooter, still not nearly as good as a bike.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#23

Post by seltzered_ »

The question to ask is: how do you carry your hand luggage with the bike that fits in the hand luggage?

Brompton can sorta solve this by having front and rear cargo carry (bias: I own an older Brompton and have travelled from seattle to california by train with it. see also knockoff versions of it like https://jcat.bike/ )

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#24

Post by laurieg »

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 A-bike[2]. It's a fun and cute little design but the wheels are absolutely tiny and has no gears. You feel like you're riding a folding contraption rather than a bicycle. The build quality was rather plasticky too. I like the idea of an A-shape with telescoping tubes. It's quite an ingenious fold.

I've also ridden (but not owned) a Pacific CarryMe[3]. The ride experience again suffers for the short wheels and no gears, but it could be useful for some. The fold still leaves you with quite a long package.

I'd love to try the Kwiggle bike. I don't think the strange seat will cause as many problems as people think, but I suspect the overall ride experience to be a bit bouncy and flexy. Maybe it's worth it for the small fold.

For a more out-there design I think the Halbrad/Half-Bike[4] could be quite nice but it never really got past the prototype stage. Under-seat steering is a bit of an adjustment too.

[1] https://www.brompton.com/

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-bike

[3] https://pacificcarryme.com/

[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQIC138vmlE

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#25

Post by joe_the_user »

sparrc wrote: post #2

Seems like it's bordering on push-scooter levels of top speed and stability...what's the benefit of such a small bike compared to a scooter?

I have no idea whether this bike is any good.

However, the limit on how good a bike is are defined by materials and geometry together. With strong, tight and shock-absorbing enough materials, you could theoretically create a race-quality bike in a form-factor like this.

When or if such things will appear is hard to say. The Bike Friday seems to be at the quality of a decent road bike but foldable into a suitcase (they've had the same basic design for twenty years so twenty years of materials improvement might create a pretty extraordinary thing).

See: https://bikefriday.com/ (relative to other comments, slightly larger than Brompton but I think more of a bike that really can be your only bike).

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#26

Post by TulliusCicero »

avasylev wrote: post #8
sparrc wrote: post #2

Seems like it's bordering on push-scooter levels of top speed and stability...what's the benefit of such a small bike compared to a scooter?

I think more people are familiar with riding bycicle and thus it maybe easier for them to go longer distance. But yeah scooter would be smaller and lighter,even electric powered ones. Longboard would be even lighter. It takes some practice to start, but for city commute it's quite good and can't beat the portability.

An electric scooter I'd expect to probably be heavier than a tiny portable bike like this, unless the range is really short.

Longboards I think still have serious usability/safety issues compared to scooters and especially bikes.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#27

Post by Swizec »

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.

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

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#28

Post by bluescrn »

daleharvey wrote: post #13
mi100hael wrote: post #4

Intriguing design and it looks like they've sold enough to see some real-world success, but I can't help but think the headset must be under extreme torque with a 150+ lb person sitting on essentially a large lever. That and the small wheels don't inspire confidence dealing with the typical curbs & potholes that one is likely to encounter in an urban environment. What's the use-case for folding bikes like this? Is th…

From a British perspective it's quite often public transport, bikes are banned on the tube afaik and taking them on trains can be hit or miss, some routes require a specific (and hard to get) cycle booking, most local buses are a non starter and even intercity buses are a big problem (they will often require your bike be dissembled / be in a hard case bike bag thing). There are none of those nice bike racks on the fr…

> The whole system is fairly hostile towards active travel.

And even more hostile to PLEVs. Electric scooters still illegal (beyond a few set-up-up-to-fail rental trials), a 250W limit on eBikes, and no hope whatsoever of electric skateboards, OneWheels, and so on ever being legal on roads or pavements.

Yet still people wage war on the car, without any attempt to make alternatives more viable.

And despite the roads being at breaking point, the trains being overcrowded and ludicrously priced, and road safety/bike theft/weather deterring all but the most dedicated cyclists, somehow transport isn't even a significant political issue in the UK.

(London-centric politics doesn't help. Many Londoners, particularly politicians, don't seem to have a clue about life beyond the M25)

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#29

Post by sendfoods »

caturopath wrote: post #20

I'm pretty skeptical about "effortlessly 25 km/h with the folding bike, without much pedaling". Other small-wheel folding bikes I've tried (of, I'm sure, much inferior quality) were not so efficient. Awesome if true.

they do have gears that help with that, I think. Can be seen in the promo videos from the side. Also, the riders are peddling very slow for the speed they are going.
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