Folding Bikes

[salem]

DW and I are thinking about getting folding bikes to put in our 5'er. Never been comfortable with bike rack on back of rig. Would appreciate some recommendations from those of you who have them. FWIW, we don't do a lot of biking. Maybe just to town where we lock them up and then walk along the shops. In other words, we don't need something that is designed to go thousands of miles. :)Thanks

[ajriding]

+ one on the Dahon or similar.
I did not read the whole thread.

You should get a folding bike with 20 inch wheels since it is more compact and everything, not just the frame, will fold. Dahon fits the bill. They are quite nice bikes and sacrafice very little in terms of riding experience.

In general, never get the cheap walmark type bikes, go for the bike shop quality bikes. walmark bike is fine for riding to the bathroom and back, but they are such poor quality bikes in general. you get what you pay for in the bike world.

Look for used bikes if price comes into play.

[freestyle_fredd]

A1ARealtorRick wrote:

freestyle_freddy wrote:
I've had folding bikes & electric bikes & they both have their pros & cons. Folding bikes take time to set up & electric bikes are heavy & expensive. However, 2 years ago I stumbled across a fabulous new concept in e-bikes that was originally targeted towards students in dorms. I found it as a Kickstarter campaign on the internet & bought 2 of them. It's very compact, super lightweight (23lbs.) & so simple, there is very little that can go wrong with it. It's called a JackRabbit. This bike is the perfect bike for rvers who just want to wander around a campground or nearby trails. But now they are coming out with a 2nd generation of this bike with many significant improvements. This new version is absolutely the best bike in the world for rvers. With the handlebar folded down, it is 7" wide & you can store 2 of them behind the front seats of your tow vehicle or toad. You can even store them in the basement storage area of most rvs. But this new Kickstarter campaign only runs until Sept. 2nd where you can get one of these for just $499. There are currently about 65 still available for December delivery. Since getting my first gen bike 2 years ago, I've been in frequent communication with the owner/creator of the bike, Tom, & I can vouch that he & his design team are great people, very friendly & very responsive. He has far exceeded my expectations in making sure I was happy with my 1st gen bike. I'm also buying one of these 2nd gen "2.0" bikes.
Check out the details & the Kickstarter campaign at:
New JackRabbit 2.0 e-bike

IMO, way too short of a wheelbase to be safe.

I'm 6'3" & 180 lbs. & 75 years old & I've been riding this bike for 2 years with no problems.

[RetiredRealtorR]

freestyle_freddy wrote:
I've had folding bikes & electric bikes & they both have their pros & cons. Folding bikes take time to set up & electric bikes are heavy & expensive. However, 2 years ago I stumbled across a fabulous new concept in e-bikes that was originally targeted towards students in dorms. I found it as a Kickstarter campaign on the internet & bought 2 of them. It's very compact, super lightweight (23lbs.) & so simple, there is very little that can go wrong with it. It's called a JackRabbit. This bike is the perfect bike for rvers who just want to wander around a campground or nearby trails. But now they are coming out with a 2nd generation of this bike with many significant improvements. This new version is absolutely the best bike in the world for rvers. With the handlebar folded down, it is 7" wide & you can store 2 of them behind the front seats of your tow vehicle or toad. You can even store them in the basement storage area of most rvs. But this new Kickstarter campaign only runs until Sept. 2nd where you can get one of these for just $499. There are currently about 65 still available for December delivery. Since getting my first gen bike 2 years ago, I've been in frequent communication with the owner/creator of the bike, Tom, & I can vouch that he & his design team are great people, very friendly & very responsive. He has far exceeded my expectations in making sure I was happy with my 1st gen bike. I'm also buying one of these 2nd gen "2.0" bikes.
Check out the details & the Kickstarter campaign at:
New JackRabbit 2.0 e-bike

IMO, way too short of a wheelbase to be safe.

[freestyle_fredd]

NOBLNG wrote:

freestyle_freddy wrote:
This bike is the perfect bike for rvers who just want to wander around a campground or nearby trails. But now they are coming out with a 2nd generation of this bike with many significant improvements.

Does the new version have pedals?

The new version has folding foot pegs where the pedals & chain are on traditional bikes. There is no pedaling like on traditional bikes, only electric power. That's the beauty of this bike, there's no greasy chain & no pedals, nor a big 7 gear switching assembly at the rear hub. There's only a 2 speed motor in the rear hub. The bike is super simple, compact & light weight(23 lbs.), with virtually no maintenance besides battery charging. You can carry it behind the front seats of your vehicle & when you want it, you just take it out, flip up the fold down handle bars & it's ready to go. You can also carry an extra battery & double your distance. Check out the link at the bottom of my original post. It will answer all your questions. This is the kind of bike a lot of rvers have been wanting for many years.

[NOBLNG]

freestyle_freddy wrote:
This bike is the perfect bike for rvers who just want to wander around a campground or nearby trails. But now they are coming out with a 2nd generation of this bike with many significant improvements.

Does the new version have pedals?

[freestyle_fredd]

I've had folding bikes & electric bikes & they both have their pros & cons. Folding bikes take time to set up & electric bikes are heavy & expensive. However, 2 years ago I stumbled across a fabulous new concept in e-bikes that was originally targeted towards students in dorms. I found it as a Kickstarter campaign on the internet & bought 2 of them. It's very compact, super lightweight (23lbs.) & so simple, there is very little that can go wrong with it. It's called a JackRabbit. This bike is the perfect bike for rvers who just want to wander around a campground or nearby trails. But now they are coming out with a 2nd generation of this bike with many significant improvements. This new version is absolutely the best bike in the world for rvers. With the handlebar folded down, it is 7" wide & you can store 2 of them behind the front seats of your tow vehicle or toad. You can even store them in the basement storage area of most rvs. But this new Kickstarter campaign only runs until Sept. 2nd where you can get one of these for just $499. There are currently about 65 still available for December delivery. Since getting my first gen bike 2 years ago, I've been in frequent communication with the owner/creator of the bike, Tom, & I can vouch that he & his design team are great people, very friendly & very responsive. He has far exceeded my expectations in making sure I was happy with my 1st gen bike. I'm also buying one of these 2nd gen "2.0" bikes.
Check out the details & the Kickstarter campaign at:
New JackRabbit 2.0 e-bike

[Dick_B]

X2 on the Dahons. However, since the pandemic started any reasonably priced bikes may be hard to get. When we had our sailboat we put hundreds/thousands of miles on our little Dahons: pull into port and ride off. We first had the three speed then moved up the derailleur models.
CW has a 12 speed model for $180.

[tinkerwithit]

If you want the best most compact folding bike take a look at Brompton.

[archbarb]

Do yourself a favor and checkout Zizzo folding bikes. We bought two of the Via style bikes about a year ago and love them. 27 lbs and seven speed. Great customer service. If you have issues, Tony the owner is on the other end of the phone when you call.

[Lwiddis]

"Take the front wheels off, take the pedals off,.."

SOP for me, Rob. Who's going to steal a bike with no pedals or front wheel? And less than two minutes to reinstall.

[salem]

Thanks, everyone. Appreciate your input.

[Lynnmor]

I have an old pair of Dahon with 3 speed in the hub which is nice because the chain is less of a mess. They fold much smaller than the CW and have the same 20” wheels. I will sell those since I have too many bikes.

I also have a pair of 6 speed CW bikes that do a better job if you have any hills. Quality is just OK. Be aware that CW is/was selling folding bikes with 22” tires that are next to impossible to find replacements.

Whatever you buy, be sure to get bags for them. I place the folded bike on a cheap HF furniture blanket then pick the blanket up and lower it into the bag, that gives extra protection to the bike, bag and vehicle.

[BarneyS]

We had a couple of Dahon foldables for several years and liked them very much. Well made and not too uncomfortable to ride.
Barney

[LJAZ]

I have a Dahon as well and love it. It's only takes a second to fold or unfold and its well built and rides quite nicely. Prices have gone up lately, most likely due to the tariffs, but you can sometimes find them on Craigslist.