Markus with his picture of his cool plane and his folding bikes got me to start looking. No bike stores around here stock folding bikes but I found these at West Marine of all places. [www.westmarine.com]|1&keyword=bicycles&isLTokenURL=true&storeNum=5004&subdeptNum=7&classNum=10887
The local West Marine store had two so we checked it out. Pretty neat bikes. Made in China but has a Shimano derailer. Turns out Boaters World has the same bike but in blue. [www.boatersworld.com]
Wound up getting two West Marine bikes off of ebay for $189.99 plus $39.95 shiping per bike. Paint was scratched in a couple of spots on one of the bikes but what the heck for a $110 bucks off per bike I really don't care. But the best part is they fit great in the plane. Now if I can just get in shape to ride it.
Ron
I've carried a couple of mountain bikes in my Cherokee from time to time, and you need to take off both wheels to get them to fit. I can see how the folding bike is easier.
The problem with carrying any kind of bike in a small aircraft is keeping the chain oil from getting all over the inside of your airplane and any baggage. At one point I looked into getting a bike-bag made. The people who make these often are boating canvas fabricators and sailmakers....yachties carry bikes too and they have the same problem. If you get a folding bike, also look for a bike-bag....check out the marine suppliers and let us know if anyone carries these in stock!
Thought about buying or making bags, still might. Right now, as long as I keep the bikes somewhat clean, it doesn't look like it will be a problem. I load the first bike in with the chain facing foward. The second bike goes in with the chain facing aft. Keeps the chains away from the fabric. Time will tell how well this works.
Ron
Got my Dahon from LL bean actually. Since I often work on projects for long periods and come and go to the site, I finally decided to get a folding bike to take at the beginning and leave there. hence it is in Lingen, Germany right now. Couldn't figure out how to easily take off the back wheel for packing smaller so if your baggage compartment is really small you might want one of the smaller-wheeled ones (mine has 20" wheels). When I showed up at the airport to take it to Germany in the original box, they charged me oversized baggage fee for it.
You can get a light shoulder bag for it to protect the plane interior. Saw one guy at the bus depot in Calgary ride up, fold up the bike and put it in his bag in a couple of minutes.
I've also considerred the problem of what to do when the airfield is a ways away from the destination and I found a folding bike that's powered by a 30 cc motor. Weighs 50 # which isnt' too much more than the human powered ones. Something I've been considering. Do a Yahoo search for folding motirbikes.
I purchased a Montague folding bike. It's a standard 26 inch, 18 speed "cross-over" bike. I use it on trails at home and it fits in the baggage area of my Arrow although with a bench rear seat in the Arrow it's not super easy getting the bike in or out but no real big pain. I leave the rear wheel on although taking it off would probably make it easier to get in and out.
My wife and I bought two of the Bromptons and could not be happier with them. We have a 2003 Archer III and they fit great in baggage area. We got some canvas covers for them and it keeps everything tidy. They are a cinch to fold up and they are built like tanks. We have the three speed models, if I did it again I would get more speeds. We just park at the airport, unfold the bikes and ride away to town. Gets lots of looks!
I like the looks of the folding 26" Montague DX with the add-on Bionx electric motor. It will do about 55 miles per charge with max speed on the order of 22-25 mph. Takes about 3 hours to recharge. My rear seats can be removed in about a minute each, so carrying two of these appears to be feasible.
For the more serious bicyclist I recommend Bike Friday. These are custom built bikes on 20" wheels with folding frames. The components are top end road or touring (yours to customize). They can be folded and put in to a carry bag, folded with the front wheel removed for a smaller package or disassembled and put into a 26" pullman suitcase. Pricing ranges from $800 to $4000.
I've used mine purpose built touring bike for long distance touring in Europe (on the airlines in a suitecase. I've also put into the back of my T-Arrow. A great bike and convenient. Bike Friday has a new and smaller bike for city commuters called the Tiket.
I have 2- Mobiky's that I bought at AOPA a few years ago. They really work well, so easy to set-up and ride. Here's a video of how easy it is to set-up: [www.youtube.com]
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/2008 07:21PM by CT Arrow.
I think the first one will fit into an Arrow or a Cherokee 235 with the back seats out. A pair of either one would get lost in the back of a Six/Lance/Saratoga.
