The Chainlink

Rent or Borrow Touring Folding Bike

Hey all - I'd like to rent or borrow a heavy duty folding touring bike with rear and front rack if possible for the tour to Green Bay next May.

I'd prefer a Bike Friday New World Tourist or Brompton P type, but I'll take what I can get.

I'm 200 pounds and 6' tall.

Please contact me on CL email or marchman321@yahoo.com

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Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on September 13, 2010 at 11:43am
Matt, did you ever find a bike?
Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on September 13, 2010 at 10:45pm
Yeah - but, like the OCD maniac that I am, I wound up buying a cheap-o heavy steel model from some unknown manufacturer. It worked. Please see my photos of the Green Bay tour, as I went with a trailer instead of panniers because of the weight restrictions on all folders. I weigh about 205 to 210 pounds on average and then dumping 50-60 pounds of gear on the bike didn't seem like a good option.

In process I did design and build my own trailer using a kit - but I had to vastly modify the design to ensure its success on tour. Again, look at the photos.

Julie Hochstadter said:
Matt, did you ever find a bike?
Permalink Reply by millenial removing Bernie tattoo on September 14, 2010 at 8:12am
Matt's rig was pretty clever, especially the collapsable trailer, but I test rode it and, man, I wouldn't have enjoyed riding it all the way to Green Bay.
Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on September 14, 2010 at 2:40pm
I had it adjusted for me and I had been riding it here and there. M.A.R.K. - the deal was that I was afraid the Greyhound wouldn't take a regular bike without the hassle of a box, plus I'm a tinkerer.... Wike was nice enough to send me a better and lighter redesigned trailer tow bar to make amends for the failure of their rivets on the tour.

The beauty of the trailer/ folder combo is that you can break it down and take it on any bus,train, shuttle, or cab, which is a flexible option I wanted for all my commuting needs. Unfortunately the trailer with my stuff in the gear bag was a bit too heavy to carry, but I managed.
Permalink Reply by Barry Niel Stuart on September 14, 2010 at 3:17pm
I believe Dahon makes a model called the Tournado that folds up into a box. Its only sore point is that the last time I checked, it cost about $2500. Hopefully there's a Dahon dealer in Chicago. BTW, this bike is a 700c tourer that uses S & S couplings.
Permalink Reply by J on September 14, 2010 at 6:24pm
FWIW there are much better S&S coupled bikes for less than $2500. The Surly Travelers check starts at around $2K for a complete build. My shop offers complete S&S coupled bikes starting at $1500.

Barry Niel Stuart said:
I believe Dahon makes a model called the Tournado that folds up into a box. Its only sore point is that the last time I checked, it cost about $2500. Hopefully there's a Dahon dealer in Chicago. BTW, this bike is a 700c tourer that uses S & S couplings.
Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on September 15, 2010 at 10:08am
haha - J sellin' sellin' - - For the record I had to test ride the crap-o folder for a bit to iron out the kinks, such as the shoddy handlepost assembly which I braced with some wire and a new bolt, the horrible tires they sent, s**t rim strips (which actually I didn't deal with until they failed on the tour), shimming down the schraeder valve sized holes for deep-v to presta, installing the Avid brake caliper/straightening the front disc, and then there was the seatpost I put together (but everybody was on my case about that project and will still disagree no matter how well it worked).
Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on September 15, 2010 at 10:34am
J, What's your shop?

J said:
FWIW there are much better S&S coupled bikes for less than $2500. The Surly Travelers check starts at around $2K for a complete build. My shop offers complete S&S coupled bikes starting at $1500.

Barry Niel Stuart said:
I believe Dahon makes a model called the Tournado that folds up into a box. Its only sore point is that the last time I checked, it cost about $2500. Hopefully there's a Dahon dealer in Chicago. BTW, this bike is a 700c tourer that uses S & S couplings.
Permalink Reply by J on September 15, 2010 at 10:57am
Matt -- I'm just saying that not everyone who wants a travel bike shares your level of Tinker. The category is booming because of the new airline restrictions on bikes and there are so many options available that weren't even five years ago. Until recently, the S&S option really started at $3K and now it's half that. Some folks just want a simple solution and a bike that works without having to hack parts.

Julie - TATI
Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on September 15, 2010 at 12:28pm
I know, man - most folk just aren't that nuts about gear and hardware....hahaha...I'm psycho.

TATI

J said:
Matt -- I'm just saying that not everyone who wants a travel bike shares your level of Tinker. The category is booming because of the new airline restrictions on bikes and there are so many options available that weren't even five years ago. Until recently, the S&S option really started at $3K and now it's half that. Some folks just want a simple solution and a bike that works without having to hack parts.

Julie - TATI

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