40 mile ride

[BJH]

Hi,

We have manged to get a place on the 5 Boros ride around New York in May.

Decided to not worry about the bike part until we secured the places, so now it's down to logistics.

Hesitating to take our regular bikes and not convinced on hiring here so been thinking about getting folders and taking them with us.

How realistic does it sound to go for a 20 inch wheel folder and take it across the Atlantic.

How capable are would a Dahon or Tern with. 7 speeds be of doing this ride.

Having never even ridden one I am not sure if it's a realistic thought. Plan would be to use these again on holiday in Europe for day rides having gone over in the car.

Thanks in advance

 

[AKA Bob]

Considering the strange places people have taken folding bikes you should be able to complete 40miles on a folder. Personally I have cycled quite happily from London to Paris on a Brompton

 

[seadragonpisces]

Realistic for sure. many of these bikes are used for long trips or sporting events.

Or get a bike when you get to NYC and bring it back with you. I went on the NYCEwheels site loads when researching my ex Dahon Jetstream P8 and then my Pacific Reach Minivelo and other bikes. Their site is pretty good and they have some good reviews (some vids as well) of bikes they have tested.

Have fun, am sure you will have a blast

http://www.nycewheels.com/

 

[Little My]

I don't think you have much of a problem at all, providing the bike is properly set up (gears, brakes, comfy saddle). I suggest you get the bike and ride it around for a bit to get used to handling it, as it has a higher centre of gravity then a normal bike (but it rides like a dream, well mine one does )

I have a second hand Dahon D7 and had been riding on it without any issues for more then 2 years now. I use it for communting, the longest I rode in a day was about 28 miles, so I suppose 12 miles more shouldn't be a problem either. Seven gears is more then enough to tackle most hills if you're reasonably fit. (I live surrounded by the damn things, so whenever I go somewhere I need to climb one). One issue with entry level Dahons/Terns is that they could be a bit on the heavy side (12.5 kg or more), so check the specs before you by one.

One site I can recommend is UK Dahon dealers, they build custom models at good prices (upgrading the components to higher end ones), so it's worth checking them out (I bought some spares from them for my bike and they seem to provide good service).
http://www.foldingbikes.biz/html/dahon_custom_mu_p8sl.html
http://www.foldingbikes.biz/

 

[jefmcg]

Um, 40 miles? You'll be fine. In 2011, my daily commute was 32 miles, all on a little mezzo (though some days I cut 10 or 20 miles off with a train trip).

Longest trip: http://app.strava.com/activities/24571074 - shortly before I bought a road bike.

 

[Little My]

Longest trip: http://app.strava.com/activities/24571074 - shortly before I bought a road bike.

That is very impressive

 

[BJH]

Thanks for the responses in terms of bikes at he budgets end I am thinking of going either he Tern c7, or Hoptown 5 route.

Would you deem these suitable?

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

I've done a few 200km's on a Brompton....well just short.

 

[Little My]

Thanks for the responses in terms of bikes at he budgets end I am thinking of going either he Tern c7, or Hoptown 5 route.

Would you deem these suitable?

They seem to be ok, but I suggest that if you can afford it go for a Dahon Vitesse (2011 model is on sale at Evans http://www.evanscycles.com/products/dahon/vitesse-d7-2011-folding-bike-ec022568#features). It's slightly lighter and has a better gear radios , plus it's really well made. If you intend to use the bike after your trip it's well worth it.

When I got my bike (Dahon D7), I didn't know anything about folding bikes and was just happy to be cycling again.However, after a while, as I got fitter I noticed that I was climbing hills in the low gears and would have liked to go faster, but I 'ran out of gears' (the bike was just spinning but not going any quicker and I couldn't 'feel' it properly ). To increase the ratio (to 11-30 T, like the one on Vitesse), I had to buy a new back wheel (as the rear hub was freewheel and not a casette). However it was well worth it - the gears seem to be better spaced and I can hammer it on the flat if I choose to and can climb almost every hill . If I knew any of that before, I would have looked for a bike with 11-30T cassette and saved myself the palaver of upgrading.

 

[jefmcg]

I don't know the Tern, but I don't think the hoptown will fly well: the folded dimensions of the one in our kitchen are (very roughly) 78x64x37cm, but the derailleur is on the outside, so you'll have to put it in a case, which will likely make it outsized luggage and add to the expense.

Can I suggest a different approach, if this 40 miles is the only reason you want a folder? Order a cheap bike from Walmart http://www.walmart.com/browse/bikes...|bike_type:Hybrid+Bikes&ic=32_0&search_sort=4 - you can pay for it and pick it up from a store when you get there. Then just pack a bottle cage, favourite saddle, pump etc and a few tools to unbox it. After the 40 miles and the rest of your stay, lean it agains a lamp post with a sign "free to a good home" and head back to the UK as lightly as you arrived.

(that said, my mezzo has been to Australia - twice, France - three times and Germany, only once. If you plan to travel with a bicycle more often, then maybe it's a good investment.)

 

[BJH]

Thanks we had thought of hiring over there but had concluded that we will get further use from them.

Looking at the size of the Tern and the Decathlon folder they are fairly big, but look to me like they would go in a case so would only cost the price of another piece of baggage each, which I don't mind paying

Anyone managed to pack one of these into a case ?

 

[StuAff]

Thanks we had thought of hiring over there but had concluded that we will get further use from them.

Looking at the size of the Tern and the Decathlon folder they are fairly big, but look to me like they would go in a case so would only cost the price of another piece of baggage each, which I don't mind paying

Anyone managed to pack one of these into a case ?

Not done it myself but straighforward enough, with a dedicated case like the Dahon AirPorter (Tern naturally do their own version) which are pricey, naturally, or see http://www.gaerlan.com/dahon/pack.htm for tips on getting it in a regular case.
As an alternative, how about buying a bike over there (generally better prices) then bringing it back? That said, Evans also have some good deals on most Tern models at the moment. I can also second Little My's recommendation of foldingbikes.biz (CH White in Malmesbury), excellent service when I've dealt with them. I'd suggest stretching your budget a bit if you can. Certainly nothing wrong with the basic Dahons and Terns (though of the two, I'd favour the latter- with the Tern frames and components, Josh Hon and team have addressed a few issues with their designs for the old family firm). But, something like CH White's lightweight Dahon Mu or a Tern Verge would be even better, and lighter (less excess baggage .