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Folding Bicycle Questions


ELT

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Anyone on the forum carry folding bicycles for short trips?  I would like to fit 2 in the rear baggage of an E thru the baggage door if that is possible.  If you have accomplished this with an E let me know the bicycle brand and model and any problems.  I used to carry 4 Dahans in the rear baggage of a Piper Gastec.

 

Thanks,

Eddie

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I have carried a Trek F600 and a Birdy (or two Birdy bikes) in my J and they must go in through the pax door.  I think to fit a folding bike into a Mooney baggage door it would have to be one of the very small wheel versions.  Going in through the main door isn't that difficult unless you buy a very cheap (ie HEAVY) bike.  I'd rather have a quality bike and wrestle it through the main door than something silly that fits in the baggage door.  ;)

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I have carried my full-sized road bicycle in the “C” but it has S&S couplers so the frame comes apart into two pieces.   It takes about 5 minutes to set up the bicycle or to take it apart for travel.   It all fits into large cloth bags (to keep grease off the Mooney interior) and the whole bicycle plus wheels will go into the baggage area easily.   You have to put it in via the door as a 700C bicycle wheel won’t go through the baggage hatch.    The S&S coupled road bicycle rides as well as any road frame, far better than any folder I’ve found. 

 

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Jerry, another option along those lines are the Ritchey Breakaway frames.  I have a cyclocross version that is wonderful.  It can pack into it's "suitcase" for airline travel as well, although I haven't used it in that capacity.  I now prefer the Birdy Bike as it rides extremely well for casual use and packs very, very easily.  I wouldn't use it for a "real" bike ride like an organized event.  We've used the Birdy Bikes for touristy excursions.

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I'm a bike nut.  I have lots of bikes of all size and shapes.  In fact my wife doesn't let me keep them all in the garage anymore.  I keep some of them in the hangar.

 

I have a pair of these "downtube" brand small folders:

http://www.downtube.com/ss-index.html

And they ride fine for 10 mi or so.  They do fit in through the baggage door and they fold pretty quickly (and they fit through with both wheels still on), and they are pretty decent for inexpensive folders.  But no folder will ride like a regular bike.

 

I also have a full size (26'' wheel) mtn bike folder, by montague, that rides as any other hard tail mtn bike with front suspension fork and you can ride it off road as hard as you care to:

http://www.montaguebikes.com/assets/images/fX90lg.jpg

It folds almost instantly and it will fit through the baggage door with both wheels off but you need to put the wheels through the front door.

 

(As said above - to keep your airplane clean, grease and dirt free - put all bike stuff in bags - incl wheels in wheels bags).

 

I too have an S&S coupling road bike.  It is a normal bike but it breaks in half.  And I have an S&S coupling 29er mtn bike. 

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I have two brompton bikes that load into the baggage area of my J model no problem, through the baggage door. Made some kids seats for them, and the four of us just got back from cape cod and did not get in a car once all weekend.

They ride quite well, even with the small wheels. I would be happy doing 20-30 kilometres on them if neccessary. The tires pressures are 100 psi so they have very little rolling resistance. They also have optional bags that clip on the front that come in very handy. Most restaurants/hotels will let you bring them in because they fold up so small.

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post-9718-0-37144100-1401825561_thumb.jp

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I have two brompton bikes that load into the baggage area of my J model no problem, through the baggage door. Made some kids seats for them, and the four of us just got back from cape cod and did not get in a car once all weekend.

They ride quite well, even with the small wheels. I would be happy doing 20-30 kilometres on them if neccessary. The tires pressures are 100 psi so they have very little rolling resistance. They also have optional bags that clip on the front that come in very handy. Most restaurants/hotels will let you bring them in because they fold up so small.

 

That's really cute with the kid's seats.

 

My kid's outgrew the hope for that -they are all 3 teenagers.

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Tell me more about these S&S coupling bikes. My wife and I are big cyclists. We want to begin flying to different destinations for new cycling adventures. We have a couple of Cannondale road bikes (Eric -- you would love my Cannondale Black Edition with electronic shifters) but are not sure they will fit in the plane. Tell me more.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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S&S Couplers are a hardware kit that can be adapted to many different frames from what I understand.  Basically the top tube and down tubes are cut, and the couplers installed to make a joint that can be taken apart and re-assembled.  Voila...turn your conventional full-size bike into a travel bike.

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Thanks Scott. I'm not sure I could bring a saw to my $4k bike

 

You don't cut your bike - a frame builder who specializes in this method cuts your bike.  I do believe it can only be done to a steel or Ti frame bike (not AL not Carbon, not Mg).

 

Its not a problem if you have a good frame builder - the S&S coupler is stronger than the uncut length of tube it connects formerly whole - the only penalty is cost and a tad bit of weight. (not a lot).

 

With them a full size road bike or mtn bike can fit inside an airline regulation size suitcase.

 

http://www.sandsmachine.com

 

It is better though if you have a bike built from scratch with the couplers in place but they can be retrofitted.  I have two Ti bikes with them  one road and one mtn- these aren't my "travel bikes".  These are my top-shelf road bike and mtn bike that I use daily and they happen to have S&S couplers.

 

Tell me more about these S&S coupling bikes. My wife and I are big cyclists. We want to begin flying to different destinations for new cycling adventures. We have a couple of Cannondale road bikes (Eric -- you would love my Cannondale Black Edition with electronic shifters) but are not sure they will fit in the plane. Tell me more.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I bet!

 

(:-)  Erik with a k please.

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My wife and I have several bikes and ride events all over the country. I personally prefer a full -sized bike with at least 26" wheels, preferably 700c (road or cyclocross) or 29" ( mountain bike).

The larger wheels simply give you a better ride over uneven surfaces. They are not slowed down as much by bumps, so you don't lose as much momentum, and they are more comfortable. Given that we are talking traveling bikes here, the surfaces we encounter can be as unpredictable as the wx.

I'm a fan of the S&S couplers, but not as a retrofit option. Frames and frame tube wall thicknesses really should be engineered for an s&s setup.

We have a Co-Motion tandem, and Co-Motion is one of several bike makers who offers an S&S option on a single in addition to their excellent tandems. The frames are engineered for the couplers. Not cheap, but if you want a great bike that will pack into a relatively small space...

http://www.co-motion.com/index.php/catalog/Singles

Co-motion actually has some smokin' deals on demo/ showbikes right now - their coupler option is called the "Co-pilot" so look for one of those if interested.

Oh, and do get properly sized when buying a bike. Too many folks skip that and end up with a bike they hate,

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You don't cut your bike - a frame builder who specializes in this method cuts your bike.  I do believe it can only be done to a steel or Ti frame bike (not AL not Carbon, not Mg).

 

Well, that cuts me out of this. My Cannondale is aluminum and Mrs. Marauder's is carbon.

 

(:-)  Erik with a k please.

 

Should have know. You are so far north that you had to be Scandinavian, not English... ;)

 

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+1 for the Citizen Tokyo.  Bought two for less than $400 including a few accessories delivered.  Both fit in the luggage area of my C with a little persuasion which leaves the back seat for the dog.  I wouldn't want to ride them more than 10 miles RT but they get the job done.  I only use them on Mooney trips.....otherwise they stay in the hanger. I didn't want to spend a bunch of money for something I would rarely use.  They are a bit heavy but reasonably built especially for the price.  They are small...If you are over 6 feet tall you might find them a bit cramped (I'm 6'1" but I deal with it).  Don't forget to bring a wrench, pump and tire patch kit.

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I'm new to site, so please excuse  any internet protocol mistakes.

I bought a 201 last year, and got 2 folding bikes for it.  My wife made 2 light canvas bags with handles and shoulder straps by basically laying the bikes down on the floor folded, and drawing a pattern around them.  The bikes are from " dynamic bicycles".  they are in Rhode Island, and only sell on their website.  Best thing -- NO chain or grease.  It has a driveshaft.  you grease it every 5000 miles (no error there).  About $800 and 32 pounds.  Very upright seating position, like all short bikes, and fairly comfortable on 12 mile rides into town.   Don't try mountain rock riding with the small wheels.  They have to go in the front door.      robert

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I'm new to site, so please excuse any internet protocol mistakes.

I bought a 201 last year, and got 2 folding bikes for it. My wife made 2 light canvas bags with handles and shoulder straps by basically laying the bikes down on the floor folded, and drawing a pattern around them. The bikes are from " dynamic bicycles". they are in Rhode Island, and only sell on their website. Best thing -- NO chain or grease. It has a driveshaft. you grease it every 5000 miles (no error there). About $800 and 32 pounds. Very upright seating position, like all short bikes, and fairly comfortable on 12 mile rides into town. Don't try mountain rock riding with the small wheels. They have to go in the front door. robert

Thanks for posting this. If I can't get my full size bikes in, I will be looking for other options like these.

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I've been wanting to put a bike in my plane for a while, but haven't done so yet.  My hang up has been a decent bag to put the bike in, so it doesn't tear up the inside of my Mooney.   I finally bit the bullet and ordered some wheel bags, so I will be good to go soon. 

 

As for the talk on cheap folding bikes.  I can't help it, I am a bike snob.  I've been on some Dahon folding bikes and they don't do it for me.  They are sloppy and heavy.  I'd rather take a real bike that weighs 20 lbs or less, shifts well, and fits me well.  And with the wheels off, (and in a bag), something that will be light enough to easily put in the plane.

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I've been wanting to put a bike in my plane for a while, but haven't done so yet.  My hang up has been a decent bag to put the bike in, so it doesn't tear up the inside of my Mooney.   I finally bit the bullet and ordered some wheel bags, so I will be good to go soon. 

 

As for the talk on cheap folding bikes.  I can't help it, I am a bike snob.  I've been on some Dahon folding bikes and they don't do it for me.  They are sloppy and heavy.  I'd rather take a real bike that weighs 20 lbs or less, shifts well, and fits me well.  And with the wheels off, (and in a bag), something that will be light enough to easily put in the plane.

 

Nothing wrong with a good bike snob - bikes are beautiful machines.  When I was in college and serious into bike racing - the thing was 4 young bike racers would show up at a bike race in a $600 car with $25,000 in bikes and wheels on the roof.

 

Here is a really nice folder company that I really like called airnimal.  They make a really nice 24'' folder road bike

http://airnimal.eu/products/chameleon/performance-sport/#.U5Csp14k_fM

 

and a really nice quick folder mtn bike w' 20'' wheels

 

http://airnimal.eu/products/rhino/white/#.U5Cs1F4k_fM

 

..I helped a lady in town buy the road bike about 3 or 4 years ago and I can vouch that it is top notch, a great ride, and quick to fold.

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Don't laugh - but has anyone thought of a scooter?

 

http://www.xootr.com/kick-scooter-mg.html

 

These Xootr-scooters are adult sized scooters.  They are actually pretty good for a 1-3 mile scoot from the airport to town if the terrain is reasonably flat - and I'll say they fold quickly and use almost no space at all.

Love it.

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