How I Travelled With Three Bikes in The Plain

Travelling by bike normally means a person takes one bike with them on a trip. I had a unique situation occur a little while ago I was going to the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show to introduce our folding bike lineup to the boating community. The Ft. Lauderdale show is the biggest powerboat show in the USA. So I booked my flight and hotel, sent bikes to the convention center location ( so I could unpack them upon arrival ). Everything seemed great however it was not going to be so simple. The day before the show I was told that I sent my bikes went to the wrong address and they were on their way back to me Philadelphia.

So I have a booth, I have promotional materials, I hired models in Ft Lauderdale but I don't have product ( no bikes ). I thought about cancelling the trip, instead I decided to try something unique. I decided to bring three bikes onto my flight. Normally airlines have surcharges to transport bikes, the normal rate is $80. I packed two bikes in a Downtube soft suitcase, and checked them in with no problem. I decided to try to bring a mini as carry-on luggage, went through security with no problem, got on the plane no problem. I was not sure if the bike would fit in the overhead bin, but I was in a gambling mood so I took my chances. It fit in the bin with no problem. However the overhead bin would not close....uh oh. I didn't plan for this, I don't exactly own an airplane so I had no idea for plan B.

That's when the stewardess mentioned it might fit in the wheelchair compartment....wheelchair compartment? She said that every airplane has a compartment to hold wheelchairs for disabled passengers. She said it should fit with no issues, and it did. I got to Ft. Lauderdale with 3 bikes and it costed me nothing extra.
The show worked out well, and I decided to press my luck on the way back and I got all three bikes back on the flight with no surcharges.

I have travelled by bike before, but I've never travelled by bikes....three bikes before.

Flying with my Bike to Asheville, NC

Asheville, NC is one of my favorite towns in the states. Everyone is buying houses in Asheville including President Obama. Asheville is special for many reasons; it is close to the best east coast wastewater kayaking on the Chattooga. It is also close to some of the best hiking in the states, it does not get hot in the steamy summer months, and is home to two of the coolest College campuses UNC Asheville, and Warren Wilson College. The Downtown has an eclectic mix of an old artsy town; there are not too many cities like this in the South. There is a good reason so many celebrities are moving there.

Recently I was in the market for a house in the Asheville area however I lived 10 hours away. I searched online and found a great deal on a log cabin home just north of Asheville, not far from UNC Asheville.  I got a flight and brought my Downtube full size folding bikes with me in a soft suitcase. I jumped on an early flight to Asheville. We landed at11 AM leaving me plenty of time to see the house and hang out at UNCA one of the coolest college campuses in the western hemisphere!

I was going to take a taxi but there was bus service at the airport. The best part it only costs $1. So I unpacked my bike from the soft suitcase and collapsed the soft case onto the rear rack. I attached it with one bungee. On the plane I had my bikepacked in the suitcase, but once I arrived I have the suitcase packed on the bike, this is a great concept for traveling. I never considered doing this before, it just worked out on this

I got on the bus and I was complimented on my bike by everyone. I guess you could say I made a lot of friends on the ride. I had to transfer busses to get to UNCA campus. I biked to the house from there. Unfortunately it was half log cabin. The house was in poor condition, so I did not buy it, but I still had plenty of free time to play. So I biked back to UNCA for the evening until my 8PM flight.

Got back to airport took the soft case off the rack, put the bike inside. Checked it in and was home in no time. No baggage fees no hassles.  I thought to myself this is the way to fly. I was completely self-sufficient, and it cost me about $20 on food and transportation to spend the day biking around UNCA, and downtown.

On my next trip to Asheville I will take an extra day to stop in Biltmore Estates which is private estate and tourist attraction in Asheville. I will also book a trip on the Chatooga with wildwater at http://wildwaterrafting.com/rafting/chattooga-river-rafting/. Make sure to book the Chatooga section IV, it will blow your mind.

Full Suspension Folding Bikes in the Market

I wanted to make a list of full suspension folding bikes in the market and list all the features. The biggest problem with folding bikes on the market is comfort, nowadays almost all bikes are made from aluminum which is a very stiff metal. Folding bikes have a smaller frame with smaller triangles, hence they are stiffer, and the wheels are smaller hence they absorb less shock. In short folding bikes have a comfort problem, once this problem is addressed the bikes can be utilized just as full size bikes with the additional super compact storage possibility.

Unfortunately there are not many quality full suspension folding bikes. There is a huge number of cheap poorly designed and manufactured Chinese made models, I will ignore those in the article. There are only four quality options for full suspension folding bikes and it may be going down to three, Go Bike is in financial trouble again. Regardless I will do a comparison of the below bikes with a #1 vs #2 and #3 and #4, them the winners meet up for the overall crown of.

1. Dahon Jetstream is a mature bike that has been in the market for nearly 10 years. It is lightweight, folds compactly, and has a quality 8sp derailleur drivetrain. It also has an interface on the head tube for a bag system. Disc brakes are standard and adjustable rear shock is included. Overall a nice bike and it retails for $1349

2. Birdy is manufactured by Pacific Cycle and was released into the market in 1995, hence it is a mature product. The suspension design is solid and comfortable. Drivetrains can be configured during purchase but the base model comes with Shimano 8sp derailleur based system and retails for about $1500. The Birdy is the smallest and lightest folding full suspension bike on the market

3. Go Bike was introduced into the market in the early 2000’s, hence it is a mature design that evolved for many years. It was very popular in Japan due to its style and comfort. They retailed for a little over $1000, however they are no longer available in the USA market, and it is unclear if they are still selling in Japan either.

4.Downtube 9FS was introduced ten years ago. It is the only 9sp full suspension bike that retails for under $1000, retail price is $549. It has matures over the last decade and now includes disc ready wheelset, bag & rear rack interfaces, and preload adjustable suspension in front and rear.

#1 Jetstream vs #2 Birdy

A. Price: Both bikes are in the same price range $1349 Jetstream vs $1500 Birdy.
B. Weight: The Birdy is much lighter at 25lbs vs 26.5lbs for the Jetstream.
C. Component quality: The stock drivetrains are very similar, however the Birdy is customizable, while the JetStream is not.  However the Jetstream comes stock with disc brakes.
D. Folded size: The Birdy is smaller than the Jetstream due to smaller 18” wheels and a super cool fold.
Winner of this round is the Birdy.

#3 GoBike vs #4 Downtube

A. Price: The Downtube retails for $549 while the GoBike is over $1000, which gives the Downtube a big edge.
B. Weight: The GoBike weights 28.5lbs while the Downtube is at 27lbs.
C. Component Quality: The Downtube has a better 9sp drivetrain vs 8sp, and comes with disc wheels and adjustable suspension.
D. Folded size: The folded size is very close, almost the same.
Winner of this round is Downtube.

Now for the final comparison #2 Birdy vs #4 Downtube

A. Price: The Downtube retails for $549 vs $1500 Birdy.
B. Weight: The Birdy is much lighter at 25lbs vs 27lbs for the Downtube.
C. Component quality: The Downtube has a nicer 9sp drivetrain, disc wheelset, adjustable suspension, and frame interfaces for bag systems, pumps, and racks. 
D. Folded size: The Birdy is smaller than the Downtube due to smaller 18” wheels and a super cool fold.
This round is a tie 2-2, however we will use price as the tiebreaker, hence theDowntube wins.

Disc brakes on folding bikes, do they make sense?

Today folding bikes are much better than those in the market ten years ago. In today’s retail market it is hard to buy a “bad” folding bike. We will assume everyone has a nice folding bike for the purposes of this article.  We will discuss disc brake upgrades and when they make sense on folding bikes. We will also compare the cheapest folding bike in the USA that is 100% disc ready, the Downtube 9FS (MSRP $549).

Disc brakes are a very popular upgrade however they are not for everyone.  To use disc brakes you need to have disc hubs (6 bolt are standard) and disc tabs on the fork and rear frame to install the caliper. Very few bikes under $1000 have disc tabs on the frame and fork, even less have disc hubs. There is one, the Downtube 9FS folding bike, which is 100% disc ready with disc hubs, tabs on the fork & frame, and it even includes cable routing for the housing. Bikes that do not include disc hubs will require a wheel upgrade that will cost around $250, a fork upgrade will run over $100, and the disc brakes will run about $100 per wheel. Therefore the financial cost of disc brake install is normally over $550, the Downtube 9FS does not require any component upgrades, it is 100% disc ready at $549!

Most riders do not need disc brakes. Rim brakes on machined sidewall rims stop bikes very quickly (not so quickly on non-machined rims since the brakes slip). The machined sidewall gives the brake pads a rough surface to bite down on, making the brakes super-efficient. Additionally disc brakes have some risk; once the rotors are bent the brakes will squeak with every revolution, which is extremely annoying. Rotors are more likely to bend on portable folding bikes, since the risk increases every time you fold your bike. Therefore most customers should stick with the cheaper V brakes with machined sidewall rims. Do not settle for non-machined sidewall rims, they do not allow the brakes to engage properly because the brake shoes will slip on the rims surface.

Riders that live in mountainous environments require disc brakes. On long windy mountainous descents rim brakes will melt from the heat generated by using them for a long period of time (they never get a chance to cool). Once they melt you will not have any brakes, hence you can either engage your brakes on the descent and they will melt by the bottom or risk not using them on the descent so they will operate at the bottom of the mountain.

I lived in the Virgin Islands in 2003 and lived on just such a mountain.  Usually, I chose to not engage my brakes until I really needed them at the bottom. This was a dangerous daily commute, and I would highly recommend disc brakes be used in any mountainous terrain. Volcanic islands and big hills in the Rocky's and Appalachian mountains require disc brakes. Otherwise stick with the rim brakes, they will save you money and you will be much happier with the quiet results long term. If you decide to go with disc brakes take a look at the Downtube 9FS folding bike it is the best disc ready folding bike in the USA, and retails for under $550.