Folding Bikes

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I've been getting lots of great information. After trying the Dahon's, I'm not impressed enough to get one. A woman in my bike club has a Pocket Rocket and she is going to let me try it. I really need 2 bikes, one for me (5'3") and one for my husband (6'2"). Would consider used.

I've also had some really good emails from Xootr Swift folks. I had not considered them at first because the bikes have only 8 speeds and reviews said that they don't fold as small. The rest of the reviews are really good. They come in 3 sizes for the very reasonable price of $679/free shipping. However, on closer looking at the website, they have a front derailleur kit that can double the speeds and give good low gears. They have skinnier Schwalbe tires that can be substituted for less weight and more speed. And if you disassemble them more, they get smaller. There is a shop in Berkeley that carries them, so some time next month I am going to go up and take a look/ride (after I try the Pocket Rocket).

I don't think I want the other types of bikes mentioned because I don't want to have to totally dismantle the bike to fit it in a case. One thing that I don't get is that when I read the folded dimensions of the bike and go look on the web for a hard shell suitcase (the one that seems to be recommended is the Samsonite Oyster), the measurements are less than the folded bike dimensions, so how do they fit? I also think the Bike Friday cases are really expensive.

I just want to be able to bring a bike on a plane so that when we visit kids back East or go on a trip, we would not have to rent overpriced, heavy hybrids or spend nutty amounts to ship our road bikes. I also think it would be really fun to take them on a cruise ship and get off and ride away. Probably most of you don't go on cruise ships. We started because my sister-in-law lives in Alaska, and it was cheaper to take a cruise there than to fly and stay in hotels. Now, we have figured out how to use them by only going on cruises that stop in ports every day (in the cheapest inside cabin), skipping the 'shore excursions' and using them as a moving hotel. We went on a river boat cruise last year, and I was just dying to have a bike as the boat docked out of town and we had to find buses and change currency.

Anyway, I'll let everyone know if and when I get something.

[moderncyclista]

I've been eyeballing Bromptons for awhile now too. Would love to get a folding bike at some point. *sigh* Someday.

[NbyNW]

If you're looking for a bike for your husband, too, there's a largish BF Pocket Rocket listed in the For Sale forum!

[ClockworkOrange]

For short rides with no hills AND something that will fit inside my Mini Convertible, I am thinking about getting a Strida folding bike, second-hand on ebay.

Real quirky, I guess you love 'em or hate 'em.

Wonder if anybody has ridden on one on this site?

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