Group BeWelcomeTranslators

sitarane

posted 2009/05/21 19:42 Visibility: World by sitarane
last edited on 2009/06/03 09:41 by sitarane

Hi cyclists

I did a 10 000 km long bike trip from Italy to France through Finland. One of my biggest budget was... train tickets.

Now don't make fun of me! When you want to reach Helsinki on the 15th, and you're still in Berlin on the 5th, you kind of have to take a shortcut.

And because I had a mountain-bike with me, I couldn't hitchhike.

But with a foldable bike, I could have.

I was thinking that, with a foldable bike with not so small wheels, a luggage carrier, and a bag that can be carried on the back too, I would be much more free.

Opinions?

Julien

mahouni200000

posted 2009/05/30 19:26 Visibility: World

I also was thinking about this.

I haven`t found the perfect foldable bike yet. There are quite a lot of models.

Each one has advantages and disadvantages: Size of wheels, size of folded bike, weight, luggage carrier, price, comfort, design, time you need to fold it and so on.

fabzgy

posted 2009/06/19 15:49 Visibility: World

Some had this idea already. planetcruiser is traveling like that for a while already (http://hitchwiki.org/en/HitchBiking)

I think it s a awesome mode of travelling.

ignacioduran

posted 2011/09/09 22:55 Visibility: World by ignacioduran
last edited on 2011/09/10 10:15 by ignacioduran

Wow, this group is more than two years old!

I biked around in Puerto Rico at the end of 2009 on a foldable or folding bike. Here you can see some photos and texts:

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/puertorico

Carvas

posted 2011/09/13 17:09 Visibility: World by Carvas
last edited on 2011/09/15 17:55 by Carvas

HitchBiking sounds a great great idea. I'll have to try it one day.

I've bought a Dahon Expresso foldable bike and I'm still happy with it, and I think it's perfectly suitable for long rides since it's wheel 26''. I imagine that i can ride it for lot's of terrain, and hitchhike for the long uninteresting routes. Keep in mind that the bike can't feet in every car, specially if people already have stuff in their trunk. Also, I think the size of the bike can still "scare" drivers away.

Size 20'' wheel are probably better for HH everywhere and make short trips around your stops. I don't imagine this bikes good for long trips because they don't handle so much luggage. Is it true that they are slower?

monkeywrench

posted 2011/09/13 19:47 Visibility: World by monkeywrench
last edited on 2011/09/15 17:55 by monkeywrench

Lapierre use to make an awesome foldable mountain bike:

http://velonews.competitor.com/2008/12/bikes-and-tech/lapierre-passport-folding-mountain-bike_85813

http://www.primussports.com/spip.php?article133

it doesnt seem like they manufacture it anymore

n0id

posted 2011/10/25 16:28 Visibility: World

I hitched with a foldable bike from Warsaw to Poznan and back. It's just awesome to hhike somewhere and then be able to race around with a bike :) :)

iwokrk

posted 2011/10/25 17:19 Visibility: World by iwokrk
last edited on 2011/10/25 19:23 by iwokrk

I hitchhiked for 500 km in Turkey, coming back from lake Van to Istambul. It was Bayram, so it wasn't possible to buy bus tickets in smaller cities. I had 28" wheels bike, but for Turkish truck driver it wasn't a problem :).

Also, few people on my way proposed me a lift, sometimes I agreed.

So if you think about hitchhiking with bike, I say go to Turkey :).

mofin

posted 2011/10/30 10:18 Visibility: World

Recently I went to the big bicycle fair at Friedrichshafen called Eurobike and tried out all! the foldable bikes.

http://www.eurobike-show.com/eb-en/

As you I dislike small wheels and all the small wheeled ones are pretty 'nervous' when it comes to changing directions, making me feel unsafe and uneasy.

I bought a Montague Crosstown which is for street use

http://www.montaguebikes.com/folding-bikes-blog/2010/01/the-new-montague-crosstown-folding-bike-stylish-simple/

I tried their foldable mountain bike but found it a bit clumpsy compared to the stylish Crosstown.

I am very happy with my foldable and it really feels like a normal bike. Since the frame doesn't fold it is pretty stable. You take out the front wheel and just turn the back of the bike towards the frame. It turns just around the back part undet the seat post. max 30 seconds and it is in the back of a car and it is so small that you can even take it as a piece of luggage into the ICE trains.

If you like to see my tours I did so far you could look for mofin at

http://www.bikemap.net/

Hope it helped

mofin

mahouni200000

posted 2011/10/30 20:56 Visibility: World

Travelling in Netherlands with a foldable bicycle worked well for me 2 years ago.

no mountains, good bicycle paths, easy distances and, most important, great hosts!

giabag

posted 2012/01/19 06:08 Visibility: World

It's a great idea I was thinking to travel with a bike and the foldable give u much of the flexibility U can hitchike or jump in the train . Definitely will make a research About the prices , I guess they are quite expensive :( If anybody knows how much is costs more or less? Or if one can get the used one ? Would be great info Another Question Also in long run a small foldable bike is not bad for helth or creates more discomfort than a normal bike?

sitarane

posted 2012/01/19 17:13 Visibility: World

I've had my eyes on that for a while: http://www.montaguebikes.com

However, it seems like attaching a carrying platform that could support some weight will be impossible.

wiebittewas

posted 2012/01/19 19:17 Visibility: World by wiebittewas
last edited on 2012/01/19 20:21 by wiebittewas

mmmh; I've got the X70 (I think - the labels are removed) from montague and have used it for some trips, even about some hundrets of km. there's no real difficulty to put carrying-platforms at it. at front, you can either use "swing" by tubus http://www.tubus.com/product.php?xn=65 (which I have) or if you prefer a real lowrider this one: http://www.faiv.de/

at rear you can use either model, but if you want to keep your bike foldable, you caould use the quick-rack from pletscher: http://www.pletscher.ch/wDeutsch/pages/Produkte/index.php?IdTreeGroup=13&IdProduct=12&navid=10 the folding-mechanism makes this bike somehow heavy (I think about 3kg more than a bike without it)

really bad is the possibility to lock the bike due to the one-maintube, so it's cumbersome to lock the frame together with the front-wheel to a fence or similar. with the knowledge of this I'd take today a model with a double-maintube such as this: http://www.montaguebikes.com/pavement-folding-bikes/ these doesn't seem to have suspension forks, which makes it possible to mount any front-carrier and the bike won't be as heavy

note: any additional part at the bike makes it more diffcult to fold it down.

a bag for a bike with 2 rear, 2 front and one handlebar-bag is for example the vaude big-bike-bag: http://www.vaude.com/epages/Vaude-de.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Vaude/Products/15257/SubProducts/152570400

warning: my bike with full luggage for a tour is about 50-55kg, so this large bag is a bit bulky, but it's possible to take it within german ICEs (long-distance-trains), where bikes are forbidden. well the train must not be overcrowded and there are not many places for this bag...

mofin

posted 2012/01/20 07:12 Visibility: World

@sitarane:

I ride my Montague Crosstown quite frequently but unfortunately it doesn't fit into the trunk of my car (Opel Astra) so that I have to fold down one part of the back seat. So hitchhiking might be not that easy. They have special holders to use fenders or unclips them if you don't need them. I have been told that any rack can be used for it.

@wiebittewas:

That is why I would have liked a birdy: You can fold it to a trolley which makes it easier to transport the enormous weight of luggage and bicycle. But when I tried it out the birdy was too nervous for me. The front wheel did what it wanted and I felt like having to relearn how to ride a bicycle. I really felt uneasy.

Don't know how many foldables I tried but Montague was the winner by far.

pedalr

posted 2012/02/22 04:46 Visibility: World

Great thread!, been eye-ballin' folders for a while now...

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Travelling on a foldable bike