Hello

[mraamohamed]

Hello my name is Abdi and I am new to the world of folding bikes, I have had many bikes in my 52 years on this planet but has been a while at least 10 years since I rode and bike and now I have moved to Indonesia and have recently bought a bike and guess what it is a folder, I bought the WimCycle Pocket Rocket 20" wheels.

Now here is my dilemma, or maybe not. I am 194cm (6'4") tall and weigh 120 kilos (260) and I feel fine on the cycle, a little small but that is expected, my friends tell me it is too small, but the store I bought it at said it is fine, of course, they would they are salespeople. Now I do not want a full-size bike as I want to travel with this and I do not want anything smaller than a 20". I did look at the Brompton, LOVE IT.....but only 16" and too small for my tastes.

I want to hear from people on their opinions am I too big for this bike, (make note I did buy the bike to lose weight, and I am losing weight down from 130 kilos).

Thanks

 

[berlinonaut]

If you are tall a small bike looks even smaller, but that's about it - it is the classical "clown-bike" factor, that we folding-bike-riders suffer from from many onlookers. You get used to it pretty quickly until you just don't care any more. Regarding the weight a lot of folders are limited in what weight they can carry within manufacturers' specifications and sometimes in terms of stability as well, especially with telescopic stems or wheel build. With your current weight you are above that limit with many folders. With your height you may run into trouble with many folders regarding seat-post length, stem height and other ergonomic topics. So both, weight and height may limit your choice of bikes from a practical point of view and rule out many bikes and brands. Wheel size is not an issue here - in opposite: Smaller wheels are stronger than bigger ones due to physics. Still you probably should not choose a bike with light-weight wheels, i.e. a carbon wheel with 16 spokes or so.

Regarding the Brompton: I do know a couple of Brompton riders at your size and weight, so in practice it is not a problem. In 20" size I'd recommend looking at bike friday - excellent travel bikes and they offer a "heavy rider" upgrade option, too. Their 20" models are however not the best for daily commute in terms of quickness of folding in comparison to the competition but for travelling they are hard to beat.

 

[shingwell]

I feel fine on the cycle

I think you have answered your own question! It doesn't matter what other people say, they are not the ones riding it. As @berlinonaut says small-wheeled bikes look small anyway to people used to "normal" bikes, specially if you are tall. But that is their problem to get over. Just go and enjoy!

 

[Notafettler]

Is it comfortable? If yes that's all that matters.

 

[mraamohamed]

I think you have answered your own question! It doesn't matter what other people say, they are not the ones riding it. As @berlinonaut says small-wheeled bikes look small anyway to people used to "normal" bikes, specially if you are tall. But that is their problem to get over. Just go and enjoy!

Thanks, I do not care really what people say I do this for me not for them, but seems they get the laughs from seeing me....Especially since my bike is yellow and my jerseys are all yellow so I look like big ol clown...but who cares.

 

[mraamohamed]

If you are tall a small bike looks even smaller, but that's about it - it is the classical "clown-bike" factor, that we folding-bike-riders suffer from from many onlookers. You get used to it pretty quickly until you just don't care any more. Regarding the weight a lot of folders are limited in what weight they can carry within manufacturers' specifications and sometimes in terms of stability as well, especially with telescopic stems or wheel build. With your current weight you are above that limit with many folders. With your height you may run into trouble with many folders regarding seat-post length, stem height and other ergonomic topics. So both, weight and height may limit your choice of bikes from a practical point of view and rule out many bikes and brands. Wheel size is not an issue here - in opposite: Smaller wheels are stronger than bigger ones due to physics. Still you probably should not choose a bike with light-weight wheels, i.e. a carbon wheel with 16 spokes or so.

Regarding the Brompton: I do know a couple of Brompton riders at your size and weight, so in practice it is not a problem. In 20" size I'd recommend looking at bike friday - excellent travel bikes and they offer a "heavy rider" upgrade option, too. Their 20" models are however not the best for daily commute in terms of quickness of folding in comparison to the competition but for travelling they are hard to beat.

The cycle that I have is rated for BIG'ns so that is not the problem the frame I got says up to 135 kilos from Manufacturer so the dealer was helpful. Thanks for the advice, as this is my first folder I wanted to spend less to see if this is something I do like and will look for better as I go along, as I find I do love cycling again and want to do some touring.

 

[sdawila]

Hello my name is Abdi and I am new to the world of folding bikes, I have had many bikes in my 52 years on this planet but has been a while at least 10 years since I rode and bike and now I have moved to Indonesia and have recently bought a bike and guess what it is a folder, I bought the WimCycle Pocket Rocket 20" wheels.

Now here is my dilemma, or maybe not. I am 194cm (6'4") tall and weigh 120 kilos (260) and I feel fine on the cycle, a little small but that is expected, my friends tell me it is too small, but the store I bought it at said it is fine, of course, they would they are salespeople. Now I do not want a full-size bike as I want to travel with this and I do not want anything smaller than a 20". I did look at the Brompton, LOVE IT.....but only 16" and too small for my tastes.

I want to hear from people on their opinions am I too big for this bike, (make note I did buy the bike to lose weight, and I am losing weight down from 130 kilos).

Thanks

hello Abdi,

my name is Salim and I am based in Jakarta Indonesia. My first folder was a Dahon Vitesse D7 and rode it for more than 5,000 km. The bike wheels are 20" and I didn't upgrade anything for the first year. Although it is said the maximum payload for the bike is 105 kg. When I first time bought the bike, my body weight was 123 Kg and I am 170cm high. The intention of buying this bike was to loose weight and I have lost few kilograms in the begining and I was so happy and upgraded the parts, the upgrade impacted the bike performance increased where it is also improved my fitness. I was so happy and I got another folder (brompton) and indeed they're small in size but boy they are fast !, loved my first brompton and I recently got another one (yes, another brompton).

Was I too big for my bike then ? the answer is I have never cared and I am glad to what I have gone to with my first folder.

Did I look like a circus bear riding a small bike with tiny wheels ? if I did, I am still glad that I have gone through a personal body transformation.

Wimcycle Pocket Rocket isn't bad but it is not a performance bike, you may need to pay attention on the fold, because they fold slightly different from common 20" folders in the market. I am not so sure the maximum payload for Wimcycle Pocket Rocket since it is discontinued.

 

[12boy]

I've understood that as more weight is put on a bike the most stressed part is the wheels. The other thing I've understood is, hubs, spoke count etc being equal, smaller wheels are stronger than larger ones. I weigh about 68 kg and my Brompton's wheels rarely if ever need truing, so it is probably true. Bromptons have heavy steel frames that can take a lot of abuse, BTW. BIKE Friday does make a diamond frame folder specifically for heavy riders and they will build one to suit your particular measurements. They are not cheap, but a bike made to fit never is.

 

[mraamohamed]

hello Abdi,

my name is Salim and I am based in Jakarta Indonesia. My first folder was a Dahon Vitesse D7 and rode it for more than 5,000 km. The bike wheels are 20" and I didn't upgrade anything for the first year. Although it is said the maximum payload for the bike is 105 kg. When I first time bought the bike, my body weight was 123 Kg and I am 170cm high. The intention of buying this bike was to loose weight and I have lost few kilograms in the begining and I was so happy and upgraded the parts, the upgrade impacted the bike performance increased where it is also improved my fitness. I was so happy and I got another folder (Brompton) and indeed they're small in size but boy they are fast !, loved my first brompton and I recently got another one (yes, another Brompton).

Was I too big for my bike then? the answer is I have never cared and I am glad to what I have gone to with my first folder.

Did I look like a circus bear riding a small bike with tiny wheels? if I did, I am still glad that I have gone through a personal body transformation.

Wimcycle Pocket Rocket isn't bad but it is not a performance bike, you may need to pay attention to the fold because they fold slightly different from common 20" folders in the market. I am not so sure the maximum payload for Wimcycle Pocket Rocket since it is discontinued.

Thank you for your reply Salim yes this is my first folder, and I will I am sure I will be upgraded, I do LOVE the Brompton abut hate the 16" wheels, if they had 20" I would have bought that first, I am leaning towards a Dahon, I like the tech and looks of them.