The Story of Two Lightweight Folding Bikes

Jessie is a young professional who came from suburb America and now works in the big city. Since 1995, Jessie has lived in the New York City and works in the metropolitan area of the city. He has recently revisited his passion and enthusiasm for cycling, which he had as a little boy. In addition to his commute in the city, Jessie enjoys cycling along the Hudson River to relax after a long day at work. Jessie confesses that he has known about lightweight folding bikes for a while now, but refused to give up his full size bicycle until he decided to bike to work.

Jessie tried a couple different folding bicycles before settling for the lightweight. The first one he tried was the Downtube Shimano-8 speed and the second one was the Mini Shimano – 8 speed. Now Jessie wants you to hear the tale of these two folding bikes.

Downtube 8H Shimano Nexus – 8 speed (Gates Carbon Belt Drive)

The cycling distance from where Jessie lived to where he worked in the big city of New York was roughly 30 miles. He had access to multiple routes when driving by car. He also had the option to take the bus on 41st Street or take the bus and then the train or ferryboat. It would usually take about two hours for Jessie to get to work using these modes of transportation. With this Downtube folding bike, Jessie could cut the time by riding from Midtown to the Battery. In so doing Jessie had to take ride the bike and then fold it and take it onto the bus. After reaching the train, Jessie took one of these lightweight folding bikes onto the train to midtown Manhattan. He then rode to the office. This is the only bike allowed on Jessie’s train during rush hour – a folding bike. You can fold this bike in seconds once you get the hang of it. It only weighs 26.5 roughly and just a little more, if he carried lunch and the rack bag.

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Downtube Mini Simano Nexus – 8 Speed

Jessie purchased one of the Downtube Mini Simano Nexus – 8 Speed lightweight folding bikes recently. This one was fast and efficient and folds in only 15 seconds. There was no issue with improper shifting. It is extremely light and maintenance-free. The brakes are of the highest quality, coordinated with machined sidewalls rims. Lightweight aluminum frames and gates carbon belt and cogs contribute to its ease in carrying around.

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Conclusion

Both of these folding bikes are fun to ride for Jessie. Each of them has its own advantages. It all depends on your personal taste, biking needs and budget. Jessie reports that he feels safe driving both folding bikes, but prefers the lightweight one. He is so happy to be able to commute without the hassle of heavy traffic and obnoxious motorists. Like Jessie, other motorists have switched to lightweight folding bikes gladly because of its ultimate convenience.

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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.

Multi mode transportation with a bicycle

Cycling to work is a great way to get fit and save money on gas. Many people cycle while using their boat or RV to help with transportation and assist with personal fitness. Below we will discuss different to use your bike with other forms of transportation.

1. Car and bike: This is a great option for people travelling on unsafe routes, or individuals living very far away from their destination. Ideally one would drive close to their destination, and then use the bike to finish the trip. Driving can help make the ride manageable, while cycling is faster within major metropolises and minimizes parking delays. Cars can complement bikes, and vice versa. For this type of transport you can use any type of bicycle.

2. Bus and bike: Buses can be used with bikes just like cars. This is a great option for riders in big cities with dependable bus service. Some cities have a limited number of bike racks on the front of buses.

Standard bikes are a great option here, as long as there is space on the racks. Folding bikes are better because they are always allowed inside the bus, which is especially important when the bike racks are full.

3. Train and bike: This is an ideal option for cities with subways or regional railway. Logically they are like buses; however they are more comfortable and much faster. Standard size bikes are normally not allowed on trains, but most trains allow folding bikes. Bicycle bags are always a good idea to hide your bike on trains, to minimize the risk of problems.

4. Boat and bike: This is a method of transport if you travel by boat and anchor at a dock. Folding bikes are the standard choice for boaters since space is a major issue. Normally men get bigger 20” wheel folding bikes and women prefer the smaller 16” wheel folders. Normally boaters travel to restaurants and shopping via bicycle. For security they can fold their bike and place it in a shopping cart while in stores.

Boaters always prefer internal hub bikes with belt drives to minimize corrosion issues, and to keep the bike safe in rough seas. They also prefer having bicycle carry bags to protect the bikes from the elements.

5. RV’s and bike: Space is a limited resource in RV’s, hence most buy folding bikes. RV’ers prefer internal hub bikes, because they are simpler to operate and they are maintenance free. Everything moves around inside an RV’s when they are moving, hence bicycle carrybags are important for RV’ers to keep the bikes safe and secure.

6. Airplanes and bike: Space is extremely limited in small aircrafts, hence they always prefer folding bikes. Both 20” and 16” wheel folding bikes fit in the baggage compartment in small airplanes (such as Cessna).

Folding bikes can fly on commercial airlines with no issues. 16” wheel bikes can fit in regulation sized suitcases and 20” wheel models can fit with minor accommodations. There are some soft suitcases which collapse and can be carried on the bicycles once you reach your destination.

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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.

History of Folding Bikes

There has been much written about Downtube folding bikes. So what is going on with them? Are they better than their competitors? Let’s list some of their main competitors:

 1. Dahon- They created the folding bike market in the early 80's. They have some very nice models, such as a full suspension Jetstream (MSRP $1300). The Downtube9FS full suspension bike has more speeds and retails for $549. Dahon's base unsuspended bikes are excellent quality options. The Dahon Speed 7 is their base 7sp model and retails for $550. The Downtube Nova has similar components and geometry and retails for under $300. In short Dahon's bikes sell for almost doubleDowntube models with similar components.

 2. Bike Friday- Bike Friday is one of the biggest folding bike companies in the USA. They build their bikes in the USA and have a great reputation. Their bestselling bike is the Tikit 8sp which has a super fast fold retail for a Tikit start at $1698 ( 8sp model ). The Downtube mini's are smaller, lighter have better Shimano Nexus 8sp internal hub drive train for under $600. The Downtube 8H has a suspension fork to increase comfort, and adds a carbon belt drive for $699. They offer all this for less than half the cost of a Tikit. A Tikit with the Shimano Nexus hub and carbon belt drive retails for over $2200. Tikits are great but the price leaves something to be desired.