Folding Bike?
Every time I see an add for those folding bikes that Camping World sells I am intrigued. Any one use them? Thoughts? The good bad and the ugly Just looking at pictures the seat looks very low...
Forum Discussion
The seat adjusts to heights ranging 26 to 38 inches above ground (a measurement relative to low pedal position would be more useful). At the highest this is still somewhat below the lowest position for the handlebars (41 inches), how that works for you depends on how you like your bicycle adjusted. This folding bike is pretty heavy, in the 40 pound range.
If I wanted a folding bicycle, I would not buy the ones being sold at Camping World, nor anything from a discount store. At these price points, components are the cheapest possible, and difficult to keep in adjustment. Dimensions are "one size fits all." If the one size is not exactly your size, even occasional short rides may be so uncomfortable that you quickly give up on using the bicycle.
This comes from experience. I regularly used a bicycle as transportation from my teens well into my forties, but never got into bicycling as a sport, stayed 20 years with a single welded steel frame bike that I kept improving and replacing parts, because it fit, as a road bike (long wheelbase, stable at speed, bent over riding position). When I finally got a new bike at age 45, I had a dealer build me a "city bike" (shorter frame and quicker steering, more upright position for traffic awareness) and because the frame was ordered to fit, I can still ride it 25 years later.
But when traveling I've tried "one size fits all" rental bicycles, that would wear me out in a hour or two.
When I lived in Beijing I bought a $20 bike for local transportation (equivalent to $100-150 discount store bike today) but ended up not using it much because it did not fit me like my city bike, and shifters and brakes were constantly going out of adjustment.
So if you ride a lot, or intend to ride a lot, go to a specialist bicycle dealer and talk about what you want to do, and get fitted for a bicycle you can use. I suspect it will cost you upwards of $400 for a good lightweight folder.
Consider the Camping World offerings, or discount store folding bikes, only if you like the idea of owning one, might use it for short trips around the campground, but don't really plan to use it as transportation or for long recreational rides. The 40 pound weight is enough to keep me from choosing these folders.
If I wanted a folding bicycle, I would not buy the ones being sold at Camping World, nor anything from a discount store. At these price points, components are the cheapest possible, and difficult to keep in adjustment. Dimensions are "one size fits all." If the one size is not exactly your size, even occasional short rides may be so uncomfortable that you quickly give up on using the bicycle.
This comes from experience. I regularly used a bicycle as transportation from my teens well into my forties, but never got into bicycling as a sport, stayed 20 years with a single welded steel frame bike that I kept improving and replacing parts, because it fit, as a road bike (long wheelbase, stable at speed, bent over riding position). When I finally got a new bike at age 45, I had a dealer build me a "city bike" (shorter frame and quicker steering, more upright position for traffic awareness) and because the frame was ordered to fit, I can still ride it 25 years later.
But when traveling I've tried "one size fits all" rental bicycles, that would wear me out in a hour or two.
When I lived in Beijing I bought a $20 bike for local transportation (equivalent to $100-150 discount store bike today) but ended up not using it much because it did not fit me like my city bike, and shifters and brakes were constantly going out of adjustment.
So if you ride a lot, or intend to ride a lot, go to a specialist bicycle dealer and talk about what you want to do, and get fitted for a bicycle you can use. I suspect it will cost you upwards of $400 for a good lightweight folder.
Consider the Camping World offerings, or discount store folding bikes, only if you like the idea of owning one, might use it for short trips around the campground, but don't really plan to use it as transportation or for long recreational rides. The 40 pound weight is enough to keep me from choosing these folders.
