Folding bikes

[dorsetdimension]

This is my first posting and I need advice. We are looking for 2 folding bikes to take in our Dimension. Any recommendations?
Give me a few years and I might be able to offer advice to some-one else !!!

[lizzie]

Hi and welcome

I bought a Brompton on ebay and find it perfect in my C15. It folds up easily into a small pack. I particularly like the parking mode with the back wheel turned under. It rides really well but is best suited to smoother surfaces.

Regards

Lizzie

[paul]

Mar 11, 2009 20:42:23 GMT dorsetdimension said:

We are looking for 2 folding bikes to take in our Dimension. Any recommendations?

You can read all about folding bikes at (guess what?) foldingbikes.co.uk

There are plenty of makes and models which aren't mentioned on this website and it's pretty much because they're not worth mentioning anywhere.

My Bike Friday is not as compact as the Brompton but it handles perfectly off-road. I've never pushed it as far as mountain biking but so far I've happily tackled many forest trails, and tracks in the Peak District, Yorkshire and elsewhere.



On ordinary surfaces it's front and back suspension gives an exceptionally smooth ride.

[johns1]

We have a Dimension and travel with 1 folding bike (20 inch wheel Dahon)inside. We did try having 2 but the second one was too much in the way when we stopped on-route for meals etc. We now carry our second non-folding bike in a rack on the back. To be honest the first folding bike is considered to be a nuisance when travelling but I don't much like carrying bikes on the back & I have become a folding bike enthusiast.
However everybody has different views on what is OK and you could be happy carrying 2 inside.

With regard to which bikes you should have will depend on how/where you will use them and how much to spend.
Bike Fridays are certainly excellent but can be a lot more expensive than most. There is a large selection of folding bikes available and I would suggest you look at the Website of The Folding Society where you will find reviews/test reports of all the commonly available types.
Selecting folding bikes for any serious use is probably as difficult as selecting a campervan ;D
Test riding before purchase is probably a good idea but this can be difficult to arrange although more bike shops are now selling folders.
Good luck with making your choices.
If you have any further questions please ask

[peterholden]

We have 2 really cheap folding bikes that we carry in bags in the luton of our Outlook. They have 16 inch wheels and folding pedals

[dorsetdimension]

Hi

Many thanks for your helpful replies. We shall need to take time to work out which option would be best for us.

One problem that we have is that we need the bikes to suit leg length 33".

We do have two standard bikes but my husband doesn't want to attach a bike rack to the van. We are looking at tow ball fitted bike racks but don't know if there will be enough clearance for the pedals.

We can see that taking two folding bikes in the Dimension would we taking up a lot of space.

It took us months to decide on which campervan would suit us and we are delighted that we chose Romahome so I guess we shall have to spend time lokking at bikes and racks !!!!

[yozz]

Is it possible to fit a bike rack on a romahome?

[barry5933]

Mar 16, 2009 17:27:02 GMT dorsetdimension said:

Hi

We do have two standard bikes but my husband doesn't want to attach a bike rack to the van. We are looking at tow ball fitted bike racks but don't know if there will be enough clearance for the pedals.

We can see that taking two folding bikes in the Dimension would we taking up a lot of space.

It took us months to decide on which campervan would suit us and we are delighted that we chose Romahome so I guess we shall have to spend time lokking at bikes and racks !!!!

Whether a bike rack fits depends on the rack! They all seem to be different shapes and sizes.

We have two and the problem we have (with full size touring bikes of different configurations of handlebars, saddle heights, racks etc) is fitting the 'bars to each other. Pedals are not a problem, but if yours are, it is easy to take them off for the journey. 15 mm spanner and don't forget that left hand pedals have a reverse thread! We always needed to remove the pedals for stowing the bikes inside the HyLo.

Now we have the Dimension, a rack on the towball seems so much easier. We have only done a trial in the garden so far, first bike equipped foray is due in a couple of weeks. We always put safety straps from the bikes direct to the vehicle in case the rack falls off. (We once saw a rack complete with 2 bikes lying in the centre lane of the M6 and I no longer trust just fixing the bikes to the rack). On the Dimension these straps have to be threaded through the back door hinges, whereas on my car they are taken to the roof rails.

Bagged up folding bikes are easier, but "proper" bikes are so much better for riding. 35 miles on a standard Brompton saddle made me determined to fit the big bikes into the HyLo. Bit of a struggle, but it was worth it!

[barry5933]

Apr 1, 2009 21:25:07 GMT yozz said:

Is it possible to fit a bike rack on a romahome?

I did once see a C15 Hytop with a removable bike rack fitted to two pieces of metal angle which had been bolted to the rear panel each side of the door. It meant that the rack had to be unbolted each time access to the back door was needed. I also hate to think what the extra weight on the back panel would have done to the roadholding.

When we bought our HyLo, we were strongly advised by all and sundry NOT to fit a towbar (we had hoped to use a towball mounted rack) since there is not enough ground clearance and the long rear overhang would emphasize the extra weight at the back.

We therefore always carried our full size bikes inside the van. As described above, pedals had to be removed, and it was a fiddle getting them in and out, but it was the only way. Worth it in the end though.

[glenw]

rather than removing the pedals every time, wouldn't you be better off fitting something like these?? We have them on our folding mountain bikes.

cgi.ebay.co.uk/black-folding--folding-bike-%2f-cycle-pedals-_W0QQitemZ270347554418QQcmdZViewItem

[wendy]

Apr 2, 2009 12:22:35 GMT glenw said:

rather than removing the pedals every time, wouldn't you be better off fitting something like these?? We have them on our folding mountain bikes.

cgi.ebay.co.uk/black-folding--folding-bike-%2f-cycle-pedals-_W0QQitemZ270347554418QQcmdZViewItem

That's OK unless you use SPD pedals!

[glenw]

oooh, I can't get on with those pedals, every time I stop I can't get my feet released quick enough and end up falling over!! Then the pedals release!! ;D

[peterholden]

Our cheapo bikes have folding pedals and I ride one, my inside leg measurement is 34"

[dorsetdimension]

Hi Peter

Can you please tell me the make of your bike please?

Many thanks to every-one for their help with this.

[robin]

I would also like a cheapish folding bike

[peterholden]

Our folding bikes came from

www.bicycles4u.com

they advertise and sell on the web but we went to the place.

As I said they are real cheapos but do for us.

Peter

[robin]

Thanks for that website Peter. They look Ok to me for the amount of time I would use them. They are out of stock at the Mo so have bookmarked it.