Folding Bicycles in a Mooney M20K

[Dale]

I purchased two of the Citizen 16 inch bikes (Tokyo modes).  There were $169 and I picked them up in Dania where they have a small office and shop.  The 16 inch model will fit through the baggage door of the Mooney.  However, even though they will fit through the baggage door (while folded) I cannot position the bikes to get two of them in the baggage compartment.  The reason is that after you get the first one in the baggage compartment the second one hits the first one as you put it in.  The solution as I see it is to do one of two things: 1. fold down one seat and position the first one on the folded seat and then put the second one in and then move the first one back into the baggage compartment and put the seat back up,  so you have both back seats available; or 2. take one side of the reclining seats out and put the first folding bike there and the other in the baggage compartment.  I will work with it to see what works and put up another post here.  I have posted a couple of photos of the bikes below.

My wife and I have ridden both of these bikes around quite a bit the last couple of weeks and they ride very very nice and are very well built.  They fold up easily and slip into a carrying bag and they weigh less than 30 lbs and for me they are not a problem lifting into the Mooney's baggage compartment.  They unfold in seconds and you are riding.  Don't get me wrong, they are not as fast as a larger bikes, but they do get you around nicely with the 6 speed gears.  The lower 2 gears are not that useful unless you were going straight uphill but the other gears help move the bike along nicely.  For the price and convenience, you can't beat it.  I guarantee it is better than walking.

[Dale]

I was able to get both of these Citizen folding bikes into the baggage compartment of my Mooney.  I did not have to remove either of the two rear seats to do it.  What I did have to do was to recline both rear seats forward a little bit.  By doing this I had more space in the baggage area and I was able to move the first bike I put into the baggage compartment up against the two rear seats and this made enough room to put in the second folding bike.  I found that by putting the bikes in the folded position through the baggage door by the tire end first, is the easiest way to put these type of bikes in and out of the plane.  They both fit firmly into the back with a little room to spare.  I also kept both of the bikes in their vinyl bags when I put them in the plane to keep them from getting any grease on anything and I put a couple of towels over the back seats to keep from any of the bike parts from puncturing the back of the seat.  All in all I would say it works pretty good.  I hope this helps. 

[DaV8or]

Pictures with the bikes in the baggage area if you get a chance. Thanks!

[Dale]

I posted some pictures of my trip to Venice Municipal Airport today which is located on the west coast of Florida.  I folded up and brought both of the Citizen bikes along.  Both fit through the baggage door but I have to recline my back seats forward to allow for the second one to go into the baggage compartment.  However, both fit and they are not hard to get in and out through the baggage door.   I am posting photos of both of them in the baggage compartment.  If you get one, I suggest putting them in wheel first, I found it is much easier to get in and out of the baggage door that way.  I took the photos with my iPhone and the resolution is not the best, but you can see them both in the baggage compartment.

We road the bikes from Suncoast Air Center over to Sharkey's restaurant on the beach.  I have a couple of those photos also.  The bikes ride real nice.  After lunch we biked about 4 or 5 miles up the beach to look at some resorts along the water for when we come back to this area.  I used my iPhone and WingX to track the speed of these bikes.  Into the wind the gps indicated the little bikes were doing about 5 knots at a leisurely pace.  With the wind at our backs the gps indicated the little bikes were doing about 7 knots, again, at a leisurely pace.  Clearly not as fast as larger wheeled bikes but they were comfortable and allowed us to bike about 4 or 5 miles around the Venice Beach area without having to worry about getting a courtesy car or depend on a ride.  They do take up a lot of the baggage compartment, but there is still room to place some bags on top of them.  Overall, for the $169 price tag, I would say they were a great buy for me and my wife.

To kind of give a comparison of walking from Suncoast versus riding the bikes, we arrived at Suncoast just about the same time as another couple, who were also going to Sharkey's for lunch.  They decided to walk over to the west side of the airport along the beach where Sharkey's restaurant is located.  They started walking over to Sharkeys as we were pulling the bikes out of our plane and unfolding them.  We passed them on the ride over to Sharkeys.  After we got to Sharkey's, walked out to the pier, got our table, ordered, were eating our food, that was about the time the other couple showed up at Sharkeys.  I just don't care how you cut it, even riding these small bikes is 10 times faster than walking.  We were able to eat at Sharkeys, look around, ride up the beach about 4 or 5 miles then ride back to Suncoast before they were able to walk back to Suncoast from Sharkey's.

By the way, the food at Sharkey's was really good and the weather today along the beach was absolutely perfect.  If you haven't been to Venice Municipal Airport, I would highly recommend it.  Nice area, friendly FBO, nice airport.

[DaV8or]

Thanks for the trip to the beach and photos!

[KSMooniac]

Thanks for the continued PIREP and pics!

[fantom]

Venice Airport - nice; Sharkey's Restaurant - better; a baggage area more disorganized than mine - priceless.

Good report, Dale.

[Hank]

Great pictures, but now I'm concerned. While our baggage doors are the same size, your baggage area is considerably longer than mine. I.e., in your plane, the compartment appears longer than it is wide. Mine in considerably shorter along the fuselage than its width. Makes me wonder if even one will fit into mine. Now I'll have to go measure!

[Dale]

I think it only looks longer because of the way the photos were taken (resolution was not so good and lighting poor) and the fact that I have both of my rear seats reclining in the forward position.  It appears to look like a lot more room, but I don't think it is any larger.  When the seats are reclined back, the baggage area looks a whole lot smaller.

[KSMooniac]

The short-body Mooneys do indeed have a smaller baggage area than the F/G/J/K airframes.  The L/M/R/S/TN airframes are even longer back there.

[Hank]

There's nothing like data. My baggage area is 21" long from the seat to the rear wall.

Will a folded-up Citizen bike in a bag fit even standing up? It sure would be nice!

Merry Christmas, ya'll!

[Dale]

I measured the bike folded up and its dimensions are approximately 26 inches long x 12 inches wide x 20 inches high.  I removed the seat to the bike when putting it in the plane and just placed the seat on top of the bike bag. Again, these are approximate dimensions, I used a tape measure when figuring my dimensions but it may be off by an inch or two.  The bike bag makes the bike seem a little larger but keeps everything pretty clean in your plane.  if you have a 21 inch long baggage area, you should be able to manuever the bike as the width and height seem to work.  You may be able to stand the bike up, even in the bike bag.  I hope this helps.  Merry Christmas to everyone.

[Hank]

Thank you, Dale. I measured my cargo area with a sectional [unfolded height + ~½" long]. Looks like one will fit for sure, if it goes in first.

[rainman]

On the basis of this thread I purchased a Citizen Tokyo. It has arrived and is exactly as described.  It fits in the plane and also rides pretty well.  I've actually put it in the trunk of my car more than in the plane because it's just so handy and sets up to ride so fast. Thanks for all the info on this topic....it's fun too!

[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.

[kris_adams]

Just got my Citizen Tokyo too, but I don't get to open it until after Christmas.  Looking forward to getting it in the plane.

[Dale]

This past weekend my wife and I flew into Eveglades Airpark in Everglades City, Florida.  We took the folding bikes so that we could bike around the City and try some of the famous seafood restaurants Everglades City is famous for.  What a riot.  It is a beautiful little airport, runway is not long at 2400 feet, but it is incredibly scenic all around the airport.  A friend of ours in the hangar across from us left right before we did for Everglades City in his RV-6A and took a couple of pictures of my landing and our folding bikes for us when we got there.  The bikes, once again, worked out perfectly.  It was certainly the right buy for my wife and I.

As I stated, the little folding bikes really worked out nicely again.  They airport had bike rentals, but all their bikes were rented.  It was no concern of ours, since we brought our own bikes.  We spent about half a day biking around the City and going to some of the seafood resaurants along the waterfront.  The seafood was excellent and they were having specials for all you can eat stone crab claws.  We intend to come back and perhaps stay at the Rod and Gun club or one of the other quant little resorts located in Everglades City. I understand the Hemingway was a frequent guest of the Rod and Gun Club, and this little town has a lot of history to explore.

If you haven't been here, I would highly recommend it.  Your can rent bikes for about 6 dollars at the little FBO, or bring your own.  If you would prefer to ride, pick out a seafood restaurant and they will pick you up.  There are 10,000 pristine islands in Everglades City and you can rent a kayay, canoe, motor boat or charter an airboat or power boat for a guided tour.  The fishing is suppose to be spectacular here.  You can see why, it is really off the beaten track.  I understand that the Airport has a Pancake fly-in ever 2nd or 3rd week of the month.  All you can eat pancakes from 10:00 am to noon.  You can call the airport at 239-695-2778 for more details.  They have mostly grass tie downs and the self serv fuel is very reasonable.  The FBO is small but well equiped and comfortable, and the staff is very friendly.  When you land the staff make you feel like home.  No landing fees or tie down fees for staying the day.  If you tie down for a couple of days, I think it is a couple of bucks a day, not much.  If you haven't been here, it is well worth the trip and don't forget, bring your bikes, it is a liitle too long to walk to everything. 

 

 

[aviatoreb]

Check this thing out - it is essentially a segway-like principle auto-balance electric self propelled wheel.  Doesn't get much portable than this thing.

http://www.coolhunting.com/design/solowheel.php

[Piloto]

I tried a couple times the folding bikes but found that my coccxy was getting abused by the seat specially on rough terrain. I found that my old trusty all terrain folding legs were more comfortable and easier to store than the bikes.

José

[rainman]

Jose, I get the humor, but I also had the tailbone pain, and bought a special seat which puts no pressure on coccyx or prostate. It works well and the bike (I have the Citizen Tokyo) is fun. I can send a photo of the seat if needed. Now I just have to get my plane fixed! Ray