Folding Bike Week: "You rode here on THAT?!" Places to buy bikes this weekend

I'm only going to say this once: If you are looking for a folding bike that is versatile, blazingly fast, easy to ride, incredibly sturdy and remarkably safe...look no further.

I wish I had a story something along the lines of: "I was browsing silly things on Amazon and my hand slipped and hit the 'Buy It Now' button." But I can't. I bought this on purpose: a genuine (or knockoff) A-bike.

At the time I didn't own a folding bike at all, and this bike was a very low price. I had bought my recumbent from eBay having never ridden any sort of recumbent at all, so this leap of faith seemed no different.

When you ride this bike, you can actually feel it sway and flex beneath your weight, and there is a warning label near the handlebars suggesting dire consequences if a rider weighing more than 187 pounds were to sit on it. If you are at a stop and you push down on the pedal too hard, the bike will literally escape from beneath you and try to take off for the horizon.

Now it does have it's good points. Well, one good point: when it folds, it becomes very small. I mean, just look at it here: next to the back of my office bike for scale.

The picture of it folded on the Internet was what made me buy it in the first place. It looked like an amazing piece of engineering...that I could stow in a carry-on bag.

If you don't mind the danger of shopping cart-sized wheels or riding without dignity, it works. I've used the bike before dawn to ride to the Stamford station (saving $9.00 in a cab fare every time) before a few flights. I've brought it through airport security in its little bag and nobody has ever said anything - possibly because it may look a bit like a stroller going through the X-ray machine.

In Houston, Texas I also used it to ride around one morning. It creaked like a haunted house over the uneven pavement and since the seat was likely designed by a person who never sat down, it wasn't comfortable. But it was still a bike. At one point an elderly gentleman asked "what in d-heck kind of contraption is dat?"

"It's a bike," I said proudly.

He didn't seem convinced.

In Portland, Oregon, I used it to shave time off my trip to my wife's hotel by getting off public transport and riding it across the city. I was stared at a lot, and you know your bike is strange when you are being stared at in Portland, Oregon.

You'd think I'd have brought it on Amtrak to Washington D.C. but I don't dare for fear the employees of the Consumer Product Safety Commission would give chase bearing pitchforks and torches.

Of course, I ultimately bought the Dahon Matrix and have rarely used the A-bike since. After all, the Matrix has 26" wheels and 24 speeds while the 13-pound A-bike has 6" wheels and one speed. The wheels are also notoriously difficult to inflate to their 90 PSI capacity. You need a screwdriver just to pry the valve away from the wheel...and then you have to screw on TWO valve extenders in order to use a pump.

Since the Matrix doesn't look like a folding bike I decided the A-bike would be a good way to promote Folding Bike Week...and allow me to ride around Stamford and find better folding bikes that YOU can buy.

As you're well aware, I like to build the DIYBIKING.COM brand while riding but the A-bike doesn't have a rear rack. I didn't let that stop me.

As you can see, I used my detachable seatpost rack on the A-Bike and attached my Cannondale bag with iron-on letters that I used for my Portugal trip. I decided not to use the orange Plano box I had converted to a bike box because I thought it would look strange.

It did interfere with the folding ability, though, but I didn't think I'd have trouble bringing it on Metro North anyway.

I put on my padded bike shorts (padded shorts are a must on this thing), jersey, helmet, socks and sneakers before putting on my REI pack to set off. I hardly put anything in the trunk bag as I feared the bike would flip over backwards.

It goes without saying I also put my temporary mount for my Garmin bike GPS so I could see just how far I could ride before I either fell into a pothole or abandoned the A-bike for one of the other folders I'd see on the trip.

Then, I set off.

I almost regretted taking a ride to New Canaan and back earlier that morning on one of my...what's the word...superior bikes, because the contrast with the A-bike was rather sharp. It flexed more than I remembered. The rear drum brake wasn't working well. Every pebble on the pavement threatened me and the bike...but in less than 3/4 of a mile, we were at our first destination.

Yes, West Marine at 401 Shippan Avenue (right next to Spazzio's restaurant). When I arrived I remembered another advantage of the A-bike: when you get to your destination you can just carry it inside. The friendly woman at the register greeted me as I wheeled it in.

"Do you have any folding bikes?" I asked.

"We sure do," she said, looking at the A-bike with a furrowed brow. "Are you looking for something with bigger wheels?"

I gave her a friendly smirk...and a DIYBIKING.COM business card along with an explanation of what I was doing with a pitch of Folding Bike Week. She led me to the two folding bikes they have in stock.

The red bike is a Port Runner II which is listed here at $399.99, while the Jetty Express behind it is on sale for $199...so if you want a budget folding bike this weekend that's a definitive option.

I left the store and pedaled off, nearly dislocating my entire skeleton on the threshold between Shippan Avenue and the parking lot. I thought about the Jetty Express and momentarily debated going back to buy it for the rest of the trip.

I didn't, and after a few twists, turns, and a (probable) sarcastic cheer from a fellow driving a battered pickup truck, I arrived at Danny's Cycles' Stamford location at 850 East Main Street.

I went inside and immediately saw what I was looking for: three Dahons in a line: from front to back we have a Curve D3 for $630, a Speed D7 Baltic for $540, and a Speed P8 Obsidian for $700.

Two employees came out to admire (who am I kidding...take a look at) the A-bike. I gave them a short demonstration of how it works by riding it past their tool and pedal selection. I would have stayed longer to talk bikes and look at their good mix of non-folding inventory, but I had one more place to go: Pacific Swim Bike Run.

I pedaled back on Route 1 the way I came, passing under the Metro North train tracks before taking a right on Myrtle Avenue. I rode over the uneven pavement at the A-bike's cruising speed - 9 miles an hour - and past Colony Grill and stopped at the traffic light at the Elm Street intersection.

As I pedaled through, the bike shook violently (or, rather, more violently that in does over normal operation) and I felt a recurring thud coming from the back tire. I headed to the sidewalk across from Donut Delight and looked down in dismay.

A flat tire.

I had no pump and no patch kit. Even if I had both of those things it wouldn't have mattered because I also needed a couple of different kinds of screwdrivers and wrenches to take the rear wheel apart. Only about a mile from home, I decided to walk...mostly along Magee Avenue.

I knew this would keep me from going on Metro North to visit Greenwich Bicycles before lunch, but I still wanted to visit Pacific Swim Bike Run, which is less than two miles from my house. So upon getting home, I changed my equipment.

I set off on the Matrix. Long pedal strokes, a smooth ride, several speeds and responsive brakes. This was more like it.

Within minutes, I had arrived at Pacific Swim Bike Run, which is at 575 Pacific Street.

I headed around the back of the building, stepped carefully around a dog sleeping just inside the door, and headed inside.

I should point out that when I'm in most triathlete stores/training centers I feel like a member of Average Joe's visiting Globo Gym. Not this store. They obviously take bikes and training very seriously, but Julie, the owner, is very nice and so is the staff. In addition, they have a few things in inventory that make me smile.

Julie told me they didn't carry folding bicyles. I wasn't too surprised as I had guessed there isn't much local demand for collapsible triathlon bikes. I did learn that they are having a big bike sale this weekend, so if non-folding bikes like this are your thing, you should check this beautiful store out.

I headed home and quickly made a plan to visit Greenwich Bicycles in the afternoon. I understand they have an electric assist bike there called the Dahon Boost. Sounds like something I need to see.

I didn't make it to Greenwich Bicycles until the following afternoon (the A-bike's tire letting go really messed up my schedule) but it was good to take my Dahon Matrix back to the store from which it had come. Well, actually, no, because between August 2009 and this afternoon Greenwich Bicycles had moved to its new location: 35 Amogerone Crossway.

I took the Matrix there via Metro North and rode past a Ferrari with temporary tags to make it to Rob's shop. Thoughtfully, I carried an empty pack so I could do a little shopping.

But I was mainly there to say hello and to check out the Dahon Boost. All I have to say is...whoa.

This bike really made me think about the mission of Folding Bike Week: to present the average person with the mystery and the wonder of folding bikes and truly showcase the incredible variety. The two extremes are represented in this post: between a $120 A-bike with 6" wheels...and a $2,749.99 Dahon Boost...the truth lies.

If it's closer to a Boost for you I don't blame you: It's heavier than the Matrix at 43.1 pounds but that is actually not a lot when you consider you can ride quite a number of miles with the electric assist and literally not break a sweat.

A beautiful bike, and it will clearly suit someone very well: gas is $4.15 a gallon in Stamford, and who knows how much it is these days to park a car at the train station.

I browsed in the shop, bought a few things, and headed back to the station not quite able to believe Folding Bike Week, like Shark Week, was coming to a close so soon.

As I was getting on the 4:28 train to Stamford, someone got off at the Greenwich station with (I am not kidding) a Dahon Boost.

Thank you for watching Folding Bike Week!

(Follow me on Twitter at @michaelknorris)

Folding Bike Week: What is The Dahon Matrix?

Two years ago this month I ordered a Dahon Matrix from Greenwich Bicycles. At the time, the recumbent was my primary mode of two-wheeled transportation and I wanted a bike that could get around Metro North's bike restrictions.

If you want to commute to New York City or New Haven from Stamford, Metro North is a good way to do it but they don't welcome bikes during useful periods of the workday. Bicycles can't go on the trains “scheduled to arrive in Grand Central Terminal between 5:00 AM and 10:00 AM” or on trains “scheduled to depart from Grand Central Terminal between 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM.”

In other words, you can't ride all the way to work, so you have to get a Saved from the Scrapheap bike to ride to the station and chain at one of the racks, which is what a lot of people do.

But folding bikes are allowed as long as they are not 32 inches in length when folded (that restriction wasn't in place when I bought the Matrix; it just said 'folding bikes are permitted') and even though the Matrix exceeds that by about an inch I think it must have been grandfathered in to the policy since conductors don't even glance at it half the time.

 Conductors and passengers alike have looked at it admiringly and asked questions. Understanding that no one wants a dirty bike next to their trousers or pantsuits, I keep it clean and I use a Velcro strap to lash it to the vestibule so it stays out of the way.

And here's the best part: it's a really good and solid bike. 26” wheels and the Dahon-patented hinges are so well hidden in the frame I've surprised a lot of people when I suddenly fold it in half...or tell fellow cyclists in the wild that it folds.

The Matrix isn't everywhere, but it's gone everywhere. I've taken it in the back of my dad's Honda Pilot when four of us went to Washington DC a few months back. I've brought it in the back of my Honda Element when I've had the rear seats in. I use it for my tandem attachment when my wife and I ride together. And of course I take it on the train. It's also the bike I use most of the time when I want to ride to work. I never fold it, but that's the beauty with the Matrix: it's a comfortable and solid bike that happens to fold.

I love this bike but it does have some drawbacks. Well, not drawbacks, but trade-offs: before I tricked it out with fenders, a rear rack and a Cane Creek Thudbuster seatpost it weighed 32.6 pounds. The hinges are hidden because you have to use a hex tool to open and close them, which means you have to keep the right hex tools with you when you want to fold it.

Also, unlike the tidy Brompton, it flops around when you try to carry it, so if you want to move the folded bike it's a two-hand operation. Because I put a rear rack on it, I've found that a simple Velcro strap wrapped around the fork and the rack keeps it all in place, and the rear rack itself doubles as a carry handle.

If you have a Matrix at home and you keep it folded in order to save space, you have to pick up a 32.6 pound floppy metal fish (or Shark, in keeping with the spirit of Shark Week) to move it from one place to another.

But not anymore.

As I said in Monday's post, I admire how Brompton put little wheels on its bikes so you could roll them like a small suitcase. I decided to try to replicate that with the Matrix for its off-duty hours.

That meant I could finally get rid of my much disliked and obsolete build:

This, if you remember, is my first attempt at an interior bike rack for my Honda Element. I carved it out of plywood and 2 x 3s and it would drop into the space in the back. But it got in the way and made the handlebars on the bikes so high it would block most of the rear window. I of course replaced it with the Honda Element Bike rack I have today (made from the same piece of plywood). But now the Beta version of the bike rack was just clutter.

First, I flipped it over so I could start yanking out staples that were holding the indoor-outdoor carpet in place. I only removed the staples from three sides since I planned to use the carpet again.

When I had put the front wheel of the Matrix in the slot on the Beta stand (that was the opening for my wife's Trek hybrid, which doesn't need to be disassembled to fit in the Element) I noticed the wheel would sit about ¼ of an inch from the ground. That would be perfect for what I had in mind, so I measured where the wheels are when the bike was folded and cut openings for them in the plywood.

I cut the rest of the plywood so the Matrix would fit on it. Since I needed wheels, I naturally turned to my plastic tub of casters and roller blade wheels, which, like most of my clutter, sat dormant in the shop for many years before it came to my aid for this build.

After I stretched the carpet back over the plywood, I stapled it into place. Next I cut slits in the carpet to accommodate the tire openings. Once I had scrounged enough screws to put the casters on I set to work attaching them.

I flipped it over and set it on the floor. I picked up the Matrix and gently placed it on. This is what I had when I did that: I call it...the FolderRoller.

So if you have an apartment and want to wheel your Matrix or similar folder in and out of the closet, this is your build. You can also use it as a light furniture dolly when you change apartments or when your significant other moves in with you.

If you're from Dahon and you're reading this, thank you for making a great folding bike with few compromises, and I hope you promote it in honor of Folding Bike Week. And I hope to see royalty checks if you start making the FolderRoller.

(Follow me on Twitter at @michaelknorris)

Folding Bike Week: The Brompton Post

I'm lucky enough to travel to London about once a year, and when I go I tend to see a familiar sight: people on Bromptons, the legendary folding bikes that are made there.

I don't think many bikes really break down the differences between the bike culture in the U.S. versus that of the U.K. than the Brompton, or more specifically, this photograph.

London is filled with people riding as though they are off to a board meeting or a job interview. See, that outfit wouldn't work if the guy was riding, say, for instance, the DiamondSchwinn but for the Brompton, it works.

Part of why it works so well is how small they fold and what a neat package they make when they are folded. Lots of folding bikes don't have this feature and are not only too large to fit under a desk but can flop around when you try to carry them (more on this in tomorrow's post).

Last April, when I was in London, I spied and discreetly photographed a Brompton in the wild on a weekday morning. In David Attenborough intonation, I will describe what I saw:

“The Brompton...sits...right next to its master. Completely still.”

“Did you see that? In one fluid motion, he moved...the handlebars...upward. He just moved the seat! He just moved the seat!”

“The front wheel has been moved...into place.”

“Oh, now the rear is being swung into position. We don't dare...go any closer. It's going to move.”

“It's moving! It's on the move! In less than...thirty seconds...the Brompton...has left...the coffee kiosk. Just...fantastic.”

When I travel, I try my hardest to visit bike shops wherever I go so I can see bicycles that are rare in the U.S. The Brompton is really hard to locate around Stamford (although they are carried at a few places in New York City) but they are sold all over London. One such shop carried several, but sadly I didn't have the time to even ask if I could try one out.

The more I learned about Bromptons, the more I became interested in owning one. How cool would it be to ride to a meeting or put the bike in a case to be checked with luggage? Depending on the options, I could have a Brompton for anywhere between about $1,500 and $2,200. A case would be an additional $350 or so.

At the high end, it's more than I've spent on the recumbent, my Dahon Matrix and my homemade mountain bike combined. It's hard for me to see past that reality, but the more I learned about Brompton, the more I realized how much value the company crammed into the tiny package. For instance, the stock seat comes with a grip pad beneath so you can use it as a carry handle. You can get rolling wheels so you can roll the bike around. Proprietary components all around to minimize weight. Lots of great stuff.

So I was grateful to find an authorized Brompton dealer while I was visiting Philadelphia: Trophy Bikes.

I forgot the name of the nice woman who helped me that day, but I left thinking that if I lived in Philadelphia and wanted a Brompton, Trophy Bikes would be where I'd go.

I learned more about the bike itself from her. The options (including the $740 titanium frame upgrade) were many and I began calculating how many of my old tools and unused stuff in my basement I'd have to sell before I could get one...before making the decision whether to get one.

The associate was kind enough to let me test ride a Brompton. I get nervous on test rides but I knew this chance would be hard to replicate. So I got on the bike and pedaled a few hundred yards. It was agile, a lot smoother than I thought (Bromptons have a shock absorber in the back) and it was...fun. All in all, a winner.

If I had the cash I might have bought that bike then and there. It's that good. Visit Trophy Bikes or one of the few authorized Brompton dealers in the U.S. to check them out. Or you can head to London with a big empty suitcase.

(Follow me on Twitter at @michaelknorris)

DIYBIKING.COM Presents Folding Bike Week!

Welcome to Folding Bike Week; a seven day collection of all things having to do with sharks.

Wait. That's Shark Week.

Okay, Folding Bike Week does in fact fall on Shark Week, a seven day collection of shark-related content that is on the Discovery Channel that premiers tonight. In fact, that's an easy way to remember when FBW is scheduled. Like sharks, folding bikes are powerful, mysterious, have been around a long time and can bite if you don't respect them. Like Shark Week, Folding Bike Week is something everyone looks forward to every summer. Or, will look forward to every summer, since this is the first one.

As any regular reader knows, I believe in finding ways to integrate cycling more into day to day life, and folding bikes have been a way to do that. Some can fit under a desk at work. Some can fit in a suitcase and fly to distant lands. Some can fit in the hold of a boat or in a small hall closet. Some just...are.

One thing I've noticed in some countries I've visited is folding bikes are more a part of how people get around. I saw several when I was riding around Lisbon and getting lost on day one and day two of my Portugal trip (part III will be posted after Folding Bike Week) and midway through day one, I saw this:

At that moment, I thought to myself: this is a country that understands what folding bikes can do for the everyday commuter. You don't have to drive all the way to work, you can skip some parts you don't like with a folding bike.

You can too.

If you visit a local bike store, chances are excellent they may have at least one folding bike for you to take a look at. For instance, Tony's Bikes on 108 Broad Street in Milford, Connecticut, is currently carrying this Raleigh: simple, small, an internal hub for gears and less than $600. Think of the wear and tear on the car you can save and the gentle exercise you can have with a bike like this:

If you live near Milford, I urge you to visit Tony's Bikes and tell them that DIYBIKING.COM's Folding Bike Week brought you to the store and made you want to look at folding bikes. In fact, do that at any local bike store. Ask questions. Get answers. Have a discussion. Walk out with an understanding of these special bikes (or, failing that, a new bike and one more bike shop employee who knows about this special seven day period). 

Choose to be touched by Folding Bike Week.

(Follow me on Twitter at @michaelknorris)

Biking Nations: The Portugal Trip, Part II

Day two of Lisbon looked as though it would be just as beautiful as day one. It was going to be a short biking day as my wife and I planned to make a mad dash by train to Cascais during her early afternoon break at the Urban Sketchers Symposium.

Early in the morning, we raced each other (she in a taxi and I on my bike) from the Sheraton Lisboa to A Brasileira so we could have breakfast together before her class. Thanks to the address debacle of the night before, I now knew that area well and easily beat the cab.

When I locked the bike up I couldn't help once again noticing how beautiful Lisbon is and why I didn't mind the hills: you can actually see interesting things.

After some good coffee and a ham sandwich, we separated so she could go to class and I could try out a a second date with Lisbon. I first had to descend the hills into Baixa. Thankfully, the guy at Bike Iberia did an excellent job tuning the brakes.

Within minutes, I was in the heart of Baixa with all the shops and cafés. Off in the distance I could see Arco da Rua Augusta, which translated into English roughly means: 'you can't miss it.'

I didn't stay too long: I only had the morning and I was determined to use it effectively. My goal was to cross Baixa and check out St. Jorge's Castle, which is positioned on a large hill in Alfama. This meant looking at maps and biking uphill at the same time. I did pretty well with the second part as I made it up to the cathedral.

 
I climbed further, pausing at the most interesting tree I had ever seen.

I stopped to take some pictures of the river while I gained altitude and felt like another cup of coffee and a pastry. So I found both, which was not hard to do.

I continued on and soon found that my second date with Lisbon was just as fun - and awkward - as my first. I didn't make it up to the castle and had once again become lost. So lost in fact, I had to use the little 'breadcrumb trail' feature on the bike GPS to find my way back to roads I recognized. Still, it was a beautiful ride.

Once I found my hotel I had only an hour before I'd have to change clothes and meet my wife, so I decided to ride as far as I could for a half hour before turning around and heading back. Since the bike path the day before took me east, I decided to ride west. First, I headed back through Baixa and past Pr. Do Comercio, which is on the other side of Arco da Rua Augusta that I saw earlier that morning.

Along Avenida Infante D. Henrique (roughly translated: 'busy road by the river') I got to build up some speed on the level ground as I headed west. Eventually, at the thirty minute mark, I arrived here and had to turn back.

I realized that I had traveled in a pattern resembling the letter “C” so remembering that the quickest distance between two points was a direct line, I decided to cut across.

As it turned out, there were two problems with this strategy. First, I was in Lisbon so many of the streets weren't in a 'direct line' and second, there was a lot of climbing involved.

After making numerous twists and turns I eventually made it back to my hotel - an hour and ten minutes after I set off on the one-hour run - which brought the morning's trip to 16 miles. I had to quickly shower, change clothes, then take a reasonably priced taxi back to A Brasileira, where I sat outside with a cappuccino and another pastry as I waited for my wife to arrive. It was another great day of biking, but I still wanted to get to the bottom of the mixed signals Lisbon was sending me. There isn't a lot to like about cobblestones, steep hills and narrow streets by themselves, but for whatever reason they all work in Lisbon and combine into a fun cycling experience. But I was still having trouble finding my way around easily.

My third and final day of riding was one sunset away. Would Lisbon stand me up on the third date? Would I even show up for the date because I had gotten lost?

I didn't have much time to answer either question, because my wife arrived and after a quick lunch we set off for the train station that would take us on the 35 minute trip to Cascais. Upon arrival, we literally had less than an hour to sightsee, so we took another reasonably priced cab up to Boca do Inferno to look at the coast.

I noticed a bike path nearby that stretched along the road and snaked off into the distance. As we took the cab back to the station I realized that for my third and final date cycling in Portugal I should do something ambitious and create a plan I'd have to adhere to: I would ride through Lisbon in the morning, take a train from Rossio station to Sintra, ride from Sintra to Cabo da Roca (the most western point of mainland Europe), ride to Cascais, and take the train to Algés station, which would put me right next to the end of the bike path in Belem where I could easily ride back to Lisbon...where I'd return to the hotel (without getting lost), change clothes, and then ride casually but triumphantly back to Bike Iberia (without getting lost) to return my bicycle before the 7:30 closing time. I had no idea how many riding miles it would be but I was sure it would be more than thirty.

It was an ambitious plan, but I was determined to impress myself and ensure Lisbon wouldn't give me a “let's just be friends” talk at the end of the next date.

(Follow me on Twitter at @michaelknorris)