Folding Bicycles in a Mooney M20K

[Dale]

Does anyone know if there are any folding bicycles that will fit in the baggage compartment of an M20K?  I have heard that the folding Dahon bicycles will fit.  Also, if anyone has a model of a folding bike that will fit in the luggage compartment, can you fit more than one or do you need to put the rear seats down to get 2 folding bikes into your Mooney.  Any information on this would be appreciated.  My wife and I have been flying down to the Florida Keys more and more and having a couple of bikes we can take with us would be really great.  Thanks.

[mulro767]

I just bought a Dahon for my 201.  There's a pic in my gallery.  Mine is only a single speed because I fly to the beach.  And I can only fit one in the baggage area then the other in back seat.  Makes for a fun day trip.

[Cabanaboy]

My Citizen bike 16 inch Tokyo model only $169,works great and fits in baggage, only 1 in the m20J. See photos in my gallery. I also have a 20 inch Miami model, little heavy, would have to go thru the front door. I would prob get 2 Tokyo, remove 1 seat and go thru the baggage hatch. 

http://www.citizenbike.com/default.asp

 

 

[aviatoreb]

Quote: Dale

Does anyone know if there are any folding bicycles that will fit in the baggage compartment of an M20K?  I have heard that the folding Dahon bicycles will fit.  Also, if anyone has a model of a folding bike that will fit in the luggage compartment, can you fit more than one or do you need to put the rear seats down to get 2 folding bikes into your Mooney.  Any information on this would be appreciated.  My wife and I have been flying down to the Florida Keys more and more and having a couple of bikes we can take with us would be really great.  Thanks.

[M016576]

Quote: Mulro767

I just bought a Dahon for my 201.  There's a pic in my gallery.  Mine is only a single speed because I fly to the beach.  And I can only fit one in the baggage area then the other in back seat.  Makes for a fun day trip.

[mulro767]

Here's mine with 20" wheels.  http://www.dahon.com/bikes/2011/mu-uno

[HopePilot]

Dahon Giant Half-Way, 20" Wheel will take a standard tube, Shimano components, and comes with a carrying bag.  It's 29 pounds.

[Dale]

Did the Dahon Giant fit through the baggage compartment hatch or did you have to put it in through the front door?

[eldeano]

We have a 16" urban mover, which is an electric 16" that fits through the baggage door of our C. We also have an e-mazing innovations 12" electric bike.  We can get them in the baggage compartment together.  

[HopePilot]

20" Dahon Giant goes through the front door.

[Dale]

I bought a  folding Citizen bike, the Tokyo model, with the 16 inch wheels today.  The bike manufacturer is right here in Dania, Florida, not to far from where I work. I went and looked at the bikes at their little showroom and road the Tokyo model as it appears to be the one that will fit in the baggage compartment.  I was shocked at how well this little folding bike was made and how fast this little bike would go.  I was not expecting to get any speed at all out of it with the small 16 inch tires, but I was really very shocked at how fast this little bike would go.  It has 6 gears and this certainly helps with the speed of the bike.  The bike is really easy to fold and unfold and I got it with a carry bag and a small rear carrier rack.  I was able to purchase it right at their little showroom and they had the bike ready for me within an hour.  At the price they are selling this little foldup bike, $169.00, I doubt they will keep this price for to long.  There were a half a dozen people buying folding bikes while I was there.  Some for their planes, some for their boats and some people that just wanted a small bike to put in the trunk of their cars.  Everyone walked out with a fold up bike.  I priced comparable bikes with 16 inch wheels around the internet and found that most were running between $350 and $650.  Therefore, I do not expect this price to last for to long. 

My wife rode this bike and she also couldn't believe how well built it is and how easy it is to fold and unfold and how fast this little bike with 16 inch wheels will go.  The bike weighs about 29 to 30 pounds, but if you remove the seat and shaft, which is just as easy as folding the seat down, you can reduce the overall weight a couple of pounds for easier lifting into the baggage compartment of the plane.  I am taking the bike out to the airport and trying it out in the baggage compartment of the plane.  I understand from the other posters that it will fit, I am just trying to determine if I can position it so I can put two of these little bikes in the baggage compartment of my Mooney.  I hope so because it will sure be nice to have a couple of bikes down in the Keys or for trips where having a nice bike would be great to get around town and see the sites.  Because it folds up and goes into a small bag, you can take it with you to the hotel room when you spend the night out of town and use the bike to get around. 

I also understand some people have made these little folding bikes into electric bikes, with a conversion kit, and get about 14 mph out of it and about 15 to 20 miles of drive time on the charge.  I am looking into this to see how much weight it may add and if it is practical.  I will update this thread after I have had the chance to use the bike and put it in the plane.  Thanks to everyone for the good advice on this thread.  It was really appreciated. 

[KSMooniac]

Dale, I'm interested in another PIREP as soon as you try it in the Mooney, and especially if you can put two of them in there easily.  I presume at this price point that it is an overseas product, but could you confirm where it is made?  Do you ride "real" bikes at all?  I'm a cyclist and would like to know how the quality seems vs. a serious full-size bike.

Thanks!

[Dale]

I have two other bikes, a Cannondale Hybrid and a Cannondale Road Bike.  If you are expecting anything near the kind of speeds you can get out of those type of bikes, this small folding bike is not going to do it.  This 16 inch folding model rides like a fairly slow, very leisurely ride in a larger bike.  Surprisingly, it was still much faster than I expected a 16 inch wheeled bike to go.  It is helped along by the fact the small folding bike has a 6 speed Shimano gear system and I am riding the bike in the faster smaller gears.  The showroom for Citizen bikes is right in front of their little warehouse and workshop where it appears that they do much of the assembly of these bikes, although I do not know what items may be manufactured elsewhere.  This small 16 inch wheeled bike should work fine for riders between 5 to 6 feet tall and less than 220 pounds.  If you are taller than 6 feet you may not be able to adjust the seat to the proper height to get the proper leg extension. 

Dahon makes a 16 inch foldable bike which I had the opportunity to ride at my local bike shop before I bought the Citizen.  I feel the Dahon is one of the best made folding bikes on the market.  After riding the 16 inch Dahon and then riding the 16 inch Citizen bike, I really could not tell that much difference and certainly couldn't justify the price differential, the Dahon was around $600.  The Citizen bike is a very well made product for the money and trust me I wasn't expecting this at this price point.  Please keep in mind that my comments are limited to how the bike is put together, how it folds and unfolds and its ride.  I cannot comment on long term use or durability because I haven't had the opportunity to use it long term, but again, it appears well made and rides very nice.  It is also comparable in weight to the 16 inch Dahon.

I tried putting this folding bike into the baggage compartment and although there is not a lot of room left on each side as you put it in, it does go through the baggage door with little problem.  I removed the bike seat first, to save as much weight as possible.  Once inside the baggage compartment, there is a lot of room left for the bike, since the inside diameter of the baggage compartment is larger than the diameter of the baggage door itself.  I played around with it in the baggage compartment and believe I can lay the bike flat on its side and place another 16 inch folding bike on top of it or put the bike in vertically and place two of them side by side.  In any event if worse comes to worse, I can either fold a seat down and place the second bike there or put the second one in the back seat.  I am going to purchase another 16 inch folding bike from Citizen and I will follow up with whether I can get both of them in the baggage compartment.

[KSMooniac]

Thanks for the details!  These are tempting... I'm am 6'0.5" but have a nearly 35" inseam in bike shorts so I wonder if I will fit one comfortably.  I don't expect them to ride just like a conventional bike, but hope to have something that is comfortable and reasonably useful for travel.  Does the build quality "feel" nice in that it doesn't rattle and squeek, shifts smoothly and reliably, etc?  (ie similar to a Cannondale)

A few weeks ago I flew down to New Orleans for a few days and we rented cruiser bikes one day for a self-tour and something like these would have been very handy to have since we could have used them every day.

I've only casually web-searched for these a few times and have never ridden anything in the class.  I stumbled on to the Bike Friday brand a few years ago and lust after those, but they are very expensive custom-made jewels.  If I lived in an urban commuter environment I would spring for one in a heartbeat, but not just for limited use on Mooney trips.

[Hank]

Thanks for the informative post, Dale! I've often thought it would be nice to carry a bike along, but (in)frequency of use has kept me from pouring mucho dinero into one, although I've drooled over many on-line. Could you post a photo when you get a chance? I'm also going to look into eldeano's bikes while I'm at it, since my wife is ready to go home before I get warmed up when we ride together.

[DanM20C]

I bought two cheep 20” folding bikes off of Amazon earlier this year.  They were a no name brand that was built and assembled in China.  All and all they are junk.  But they fit in my C and were only $130 each.  It took some modifying to stiffen up the handlebars to a point where they were safe.  My wife and I have used them on several trips with the Mooney and they have served us well.  But from day one we have been expecting them to break.  So far we have around 50 to 60 miles on them.  It beats walking.  

I jazzed them up a little by adding my N-number and the Mooney logo to the frames.  Makes a nice accessory to the airplane.  You can see them in the photo in this link.   

https://picasaweb.google.com/ercoupedan/Bahamas2011#5599648560448604210

I wish I had got two Citizens, but I didn’t run across any of them when I was looking. 

Dan

[Dale]

I was very surprised at how sturdy the Citizen bike was.  I shifted through all the gears with the grip shifter and all the gears worked very smoothly.  I did not notice any rattles or squeeks, but again, these are fold up bikes that break down in three places.  The locking mechanisms that Citizen uses look exactly like the locking mechanisms used on the Dahon bikes.  They appear to be well made and sturdy.  I imagine they can sell these "value" bikes and can make them less expensive because they are made out of steel and not aluminum or some other lighter alloy.  However, that being said the 16 inch wheel Citizen Tokyo bike still weighed slightly less than 30 pounds and folded up to approximately 26 x 11 x 20 inches. 

A Mooney owner at my airport has a Friday bike.  It has a 20 inch wheel and it is really really nice and it is lightweight due to the alloy they are using, but with a price over $1500, I just could not justify the expense.  He says he can get it into his Mooney, but at the time I did not ask him if he could get it through the baggage door or the cabin door or if he folded it or took it apart to get it in his plane.

I couldn't agree with you more about the fact of getting someplace and then renting a bike to get around and see the sights.  In about 70% of the places I visit having a bike with me would have been great.  I got this Citizen bike with a carrying case and although it makes the overall folded bike look bigger, it is easier to transport the bike by carrying it in the bag or putting the bag straps over your shoulder.  I also put the bike in the carrying case before I put it through the baggage door in my Mooney.  Nice thing about putting the bike in a bag is that it looks like luggage and I would imagine would be no problem putting the folded bike in the bag and keeping it in your hotel room when you are staying somewhere overnight.  The small size of the folded bike would appear to also fit nicely in a small car.  When I go to North Carolina we often drive into Asheville to walk around the City.  It would be nice to put a folding bike in the car and take it out to cycle around the City instead of walking.  This would be much faster and more pleasant than walking.

[Dale]

I will post a photo of the bike when I get out to my hangar and will show it in the folded and unfolded positions.  If anyone out there has a folding bike with 20 inch wheels, is anyone able to get that size bike into the plane through the baggage door?  Just curious, as I see a lot of people have the 20 inch wheel folding bikes.

[DanM20C]

Quote: Dale

I will post a photo of the bike when I get out to my hangar and will show it in the folded and unfolded positions.  If anyone out there has a folding bike with 20 inch wheels, is anyone able to get that size bike into the plane through the baggage door?  Just curious, as I see a lot of people have the 20 inch wheel folding bikes.

[aviatoreb]

Quote: Dale

Does anyone know if there are any folding bicycles that will fit in the baggage compartment of an M20K?  I have heard that the folding Dahon bicycles will fit.  Also, if anyone has a model of a folding bike that will fit in the luggage compartment, can you fit more than one or do you need to put the rear seats down to get 2 folding bikes into your Mooney.  Any information on this would be appreciated.  My wife and I have been flying down to the Florida Keys more and more and having a couple of bikes we can take with us would be really great.  Thanks.

[Dale]

Does anyone know if the baggage doors are different between, M20C, M20E, M20J and M20K models?  I thought they were all about the same. 

I like the idea of larger bikes to put in my Mooney, but I just didn't want to put the bike through the door and use the entire back seat.  So I opted for a smaller bike (with 16 inch wheels) with the hope that I could get one or two through the baggage door and both into the baggage compartment without using the back seat.  When I measured my baggage door frame and then measured a folded up 20 inch bike, I could not make any 20 inch model fit through the baggage door.  Maybe if I took it apart, (i.e. separated the wheels, handle bars etc), but I could not make any 20 inch model that was folded up fit through those baggage doors.  That is why I was wondering how some people were able to fold up their 20 inch bikes and get it through the baggage door unless their baggage doors were slightly larger?  Mine is approximately 17 inches wide and just over 20 inches long. 

[Bennett]

When I had my M20K I would sometimes carry two Dahon folding bikes.  I bought them at West Marine, and I recall them being made of stainless steel tubing for the marine exposures. (I also used them on my trawler because they folded up to such a small package.) They had very small wheels, (guessing - about 12" in diameter), and they came with storage bags to avoid damage to whatever compartment they were in.  I believe they were multi-speed.  In spite of the small wheels they were easy to ride (for short distances).  You might find them on eBay.  I never had any problems with them, I just gave them to a couple who went off cruising in their sailboat.

[N601RX]

If it has reclining rear seats, there is a spring loaded pin at the bottom you can pull and the seat back just lifts out.

[Bennett]

Just out of curiosity I checked a couple of ads on eBay.  These eary "vintage" Dahon bikes are out there - some in stainless steel (expensive) and some with 5 speed shifters.  One add says the wheels are 16", so I guess my memory of even smaller wheels was wrong.  In any event, two of these will fit into a M20K (and probably most Mooneys).  One ad said the bikes weighs 33 lbs, but I think this was a bit more than I recall, but then again, my recollection of wheeel size was apparently faulty.

[aviatoreb]

Quote: Dale

Does anyone know if the baggage doors are different between, M20C, M20E, M20J and M20K models?  I thought they were all about the same. 

I like the idea of larger bikes to put in my Mooney, but I just didn't want to put the bike through the door and use the entire back seat.  So I opted for a smaller bike (with 16 inch wheels) with the hope that I could get one or two through the baggage door and both into the baggage compartment without using the back seat.  When I measured my baggage door frame and then measured a folded up 20 inch bike, I could not make any 20 inch model fit through the baggage door.  Maybe if I took it apart, (i.e. separated the wheels, handle bars etc), but I could not make any 20 inch model that was folded up fit through those baggage doors.  That is why I was wondering how some people were able to fold up their 20 inch bikes and get it through the baggage door unless their baggage doors were slightly larger?  Mine is approximately 17 inches wide and just over 20 inches long.