Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

kwigglebike.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 431 posts

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#51

Post by soared »

histriosum wrote: post #11
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…

I've been looking at folding bikes like this.. in my case, I'm a private pilot, and I'm looking for ways to solve the last mile issue of getting from my destination airport to somewhere fun to go - ie a nearby beach, or into town for dinner, etc. Size and weight are important in my use case, since general aviation aircraft don't have alot of cargo space. This bike looks like it would be a decent fit, but I'm not sure…

Similarly I like to get very cheap ($40-$70) round trip flights to random town and explore around. Unfortunately my uber from the airport to the town is usually more expensive than the flight. Most small towns don't have much in the way of airport buses.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#52

Post by samwillis »

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…

My understanding is that Brompton have a patent on their particular fold configuration and so no one can copy it. I’m very much of the opinion that that fold is the most compact while keeping your cycling position close to that of a normal bike. Every other compact folding bike is fighting for a design against that patent, and it can’t be done. This looks to me like one of those designs, if the designers had been able to independently develop a fold without infringing Brompton they would have come up with something very similar to them, not this strange contraption.

You can see the Brompton influence, one pivoting wheel and folding cross bar with a 45deg hinge. But they have had to compromise in order to not infringe the design resulting in a very odd seat design.

I have spent many many hours trying to design a fold as good as Bromptons and haven’t managed too, it’s just too perfect.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#53

Post by throwaway81523 »

samwillis wrote: post #52
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…

My understanding is that Brompton have a patent on their particular fold configuration and so no one can copy it. I’m very much of the opinion that that fold is the most compact while keeping your cycling position close to that of a normal bike. Every other compact folding bike is fighting for a design against that patent, and it can’t be done. This looks to me like one of those designs, if the designers had been abl…

That patent was from 1979 so it must be long expired.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#54

Post by chews »

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…

Buy a Tern (sp edit), better components on a Brompton frame

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#55

Post by teruakohatu »

bambax wrote: post #48

It looks absolutely amazing, but calling it "affordable" at €1600+ is a stretch. You can find non-electric folding bikes for under €200 that are quite sturdy and dependable (although not that small when folded). A few months ago I bought a used folding bike for €100, equipped it with a motor and battery that cost less than €400, for use on train trips. Nothing feels better than getting out of a long-distance train tr…

I got a kick out of the banner at the top of the shop answering everyone's first concern which is "Why is the Kwiggle so affordable?"

A clever way of answering the actual first question "why so expensive?"

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#56

Post by gibolt »

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?

A scooter has very bad stability. Your weight is centered, whereas a bike distributes force wider through each foot. Larger tires can handle most surfaces, while a tiny pebble, crack, or wandering ghost could flip a scooter rider into the nearest car or old lady.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#57

Post by usrusr »

Someone wrote: post #19

FTA: effortlessly 25 km/h with the folding bike, without much pedaling 25 km/hour is fairly fast for a regular ’upright’ bicycle, and certainly not obtained effortlessly. I don’t see that being better for this bicycle with its small wheels.

And this is even more upright, aerodynamics doesn't like to get cheated no layer the size of the wheels. 25 km/h is close to the speed (not quite there, but almost) where people on particularly upright bikes start folding down their upper body to strike a deal with aerodynamics if they need to go faster.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#58

Post by hutzlibu »

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.

Yeah, guilty of that feeling, too. I am used to MTBs, I think I just would feel ridiculus, like riding a childrens or a clown bike.

But if I would live in a big city, I might get over that feeling, since it does seem practical.

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#59

Post by gorbypark »

bambax wrote: post #48

It looks absolutely amazing, but calling it "affordable" at €1600+ is a stretch. You can find non-electric folding bikes for under €200 that are quite sturdy and dependable (although not that small when folded). A few months ago I bought a used folding bike for €100, equipped it with a motor and battery that cost less than €400, for use on train trips. Nothing feels better than getting out of a long-distance train tr…

Did you use a conversion kit? I have an older Dahon I'm thinking of converting. Any tips?

Re: Folding bicycle small enough to fit in hand luggage

#60

Post by UFOFlyer »

I think the niche of "personal vehicle that you can take on the metro" is better filled by PEVs. Shrinking down a bike's drivetrain size is harder than just putting together a single wheel, some circuit boards, batteries, and an electric motor to make an electric unicycle.

A big advantage EUCs have is you don't have to bother with folding like a bike, just hop off, grab the trolley handle and walk on.

Electric scooters have similar advantages but they have to compromise range, performance, and compactness for their ease of learning.

Post reply on HN