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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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.

What is better a Full size folding bike or Small Wheeled folding bike? Why is one better than the other?

Full size folding bikes are approximately half the size of a standard bicycle. They are allowed on most trains, and can fit on boats and RV’s easier. However they are just too big with an average size of 36”x36”x13”, most small wheel folding bikes are around 32”x23”x12”. You can almost fit two 20” wheel folding bicycles in the space taken by one full size folding bike, hence they do not allow one to make efficient use of space.

Smaller wheels are more efficient up until 16mph, hence bigger wheel bikes are harder to climb hills and slower on recreational rides. However the bigger wheeled bikes descend much faster than their smaller wheeled cousins. Nowadays most bikes are of very good quality; hence buying a good bike is easy.  So a shopper must make sure the bike fits their body properly. Most 20” wheel folding bikes are one size fits all. How is that possible you ask? The higher a rider lifts the seatpost implies their inseam is longer. Most people have arm length that is correlated to inseam length; since the seat tube is angled back the correlation of arm/leg length is built into the frame. Hence small wheel bikes really are one size fits all. Unfortunately big wheel folding bikes do not share this feature. You need to know the frame size ( seat tube length ) fits your body, otherwise you will find yourself crunched up or leaning to far forward.

Overall big wheel lightest folding bike are nice and compact, about half the size of a normal bike. However small wheel folding bikes are about half the size of the big wheeled folders, and that’s the sweet size. Two small wheeled folding bikes can fit into a standard car trunk, as opposed to one big wheeled folder. The small wheeled folders can fly on airlines with no oversize fees, this is not possible with large wheel bikes (unless you disassemble them). The small wheel bikes are designed to be a one size fits all option so the entire family can enjoy one bike.  It seems that big wheel folding bikes are nice, however they cannot match the advantages of their 20” wheel little brothers. Please shop around and decide for yourself.


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