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Message started by FlyingLaZBoy on Jan 24^th, 2010, 3:12pm

Title: A practical purchase
Post by FlyingLaZBoy on Jan 24^th, 2010, 3:12pm

I ride DART enough that I've been thinking about (and doing some digging into) folding bikes -- lower-end ones, admittedly, but folding nonetheless. Whenever I do take DART, the furthest I have to go to or from the station is about 2 miles. Additionally, part of my DART riding is on the smaller "flex" buses, and I also want to be able to put the bike in the back of Terrie's Prius -- so for all the above, a folder seemed like a practical option. Mark Colletti purchased one back in the summer, but I forget the brand name.

After a bit of test riding, it came down between a used Breezer IC3 with 16" wheels, and a KHS "Mocha" with 20" wheels, both under $400. I wound up purchasing the KHS, because of somewhat more substantial fold interlocks, adjustable height handlebar, 7 speeds vs. 3, and the 20" wheels. It folds and unfolds in about 30 seconds, which is reasonable. It's certainly DIFFERENT riding a "DF" style bike again, especially with 20" wheels -- but I won't be using it for long distance or club rides. Here is a series of pics:

http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae256/pbrown8js/101_5367.jpg

http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae256/pbrown8js/101_5366.jpg

http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae256/pbrown8js/101_5375.jpg

http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae256/pbrown8js/101_5368.jpg
http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae256/pbrown8js/101_5370.jpg

http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae256/pbrown8js/101_5369.jpg

http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae256/pbrown8js/101_5371.jpg

http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae256/pbrown8js/101_5373.jpg

http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae256/pbrown8js/101_5377.jpg

Title: Re: A practical purchase
Post by Kwijybow on Jan 24^th, 2010, 5:06pm

Cool! I've been percolating on a folding bike over a year now, and lust after a Bike Friday, but I'm more of Dahon priced kinda guy. Give us some ride reports after you use it a bit.

Take Care,
Nelson.

Title: Re: A practical purchase
Post by FlyingLaZBoy on Jan 24^th, 2010, 9:58pm

Rode it up to the Rowlett DART bus station and back, about 6 miles total -- it's no speed demon, and I could stand more than the 7 gears it's got to be able to go faster, but all in all I think it's going to do the job nicely. I put my old Performance Viewpoint 10W halogen headlight on it, which will work just fine for the occasional evening sidewalk commute.

Title: Re: A practical purchase
Post by bryan.gibbon on Jan 25^th, 2010, 10:53pm

That is a great bike for its intended purpose! Any riding is better than none...

Title: Re: A practical purchase
Post by bob wand on Jan 25^th, 2010, 11:11pm

My Brother-in-law carried one in airplane for ground transportation.
I wonder if one would fit in a Hugo.

Title: Re: A practical purchase
Post by FlyingLaZBoy on Jan 26^th, 2010, 8:59am

Oh, and just another note on the design -- the two hinges also have locking pin backup, in case the quickrelease happens to come loose... good thinking!!!

Title: Re: A practical purchase
Post by bent_eagle on Feb 16^th, 2010, 12:51am

Very nice! I'm also in the folder-curious group. Where did you find them to test ride, Paul?

Title: Re: A practical purchase
Post by FlyingLaZBoy on Feb 16^th, 2010, 7:07pm

bent_eagle wrote:

Very nice! I'm also in the folder-curious group. Where did you find them to test ride, Paul?

RBM Richardson location -- they've actually got a good stock on the floor, ranging in price from $300 to > $1000... Talk to Sam Montag, he's the one who helped me. Of course, you have to go into the CLOTHING section to find them... ::)

Paul

Title: Re: A practical purchase
Post by Kwijybow on Feb 16^th, 2010, 9:41pm

I saw a couple nice ones at REI this past weekend as well.

Title: Re: A practical purchase
Post by bent_eagle on Feb 16^th, 2010, 11:40pm

Cool! Thanks!

Title: Re: A practical purchase
Post by MrOverdressed on Feb 17^th, 2010, 2:47pm

I wonder what it would take to put a hub-motor on it. :)

Title: Re: A practical purchase
Post by Opus the Poet on Feb 20^th, 2010, 1:59am

Buying a hub motor and support electronics, and swapping a wheel out and mounting the electrical "stuff" required. Folders usually work out best with the motor and battery on the same side of the fold. A folder and a hub motor are actually a pretty good commuting option for office workers if you are allowed to keep it in your cube or office and recharge. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Title: Re: A practical purchase
Post by Hurricane Dan on Feb 20^th, 2010, 9:06am

I just put an e-bike kit on my wife's bike and I don't think I'd want to add that kind of weight to something I had to haul around on a bus/train and in the office. I don't know how much the bike weighs, but the e-bike kit is pushing 30 lbs between the motor, battery, controller, throttle, brakes, wiring and hardware to mount it all. Seems like a lot to lug around.

Title: Re: A practical purchase
Post by Opus the Poet on Feb 20^th, 2010, 1:41pm

What kind of battery was in that kit, SLA (sealed lead acid)? Those are basically just bricks of lead with a little acid in fiberglass mats to make them work. The way to go on e-assist is either NiMH or LiFePO4 chemistry with the LiFePO4 having the best energy density (Wh/lb) Also since if you're toting the bike on the bus you don't have to actually ride it very much you can get a lighter battery with less range, but if you plan on riding all the way to work you need a bigger battery and just use the folding feature to reduce your parking footprint in the office/cube. You can get 10 miles of assist out of a bundle of AA size NiMH cells in series, but the pack needs to have monitoring electronics to prevent overcharging and a smart charger that can use the the electronics to tell the status of the pack and not burn it up. A 24V pack needs 20NiMH cells in series (@$4/cell, 1.2V/cell)

Title: Re: A practical purchase
Post by MrOverdressed on Feb 20^th, 2010, 1:43pm

This is my favorite EBike Kit.

A Mid Drive unit (double freewheel kit)

From:
http://www.cyclone-tw.com/order-M.htm

http://www.cyclone-tw.com/images/electric-recument-8.jpg

Title: Re: A practical purchase
Post by michael_carr on Jul 9^th, 2010, 8:35pm

I bought my KHS Mocha today, and pick it up tomorrow... I'd love to correspond with you and trade notes about the experience.

Tx,

Michael

Title: Re: A practical purchase
Post by FlyingLaZBoy on Jul 10^th, 2010, 6:15am

michael_carr wrote:

I bought my KHS Mocha today, and pick it up tomorrow... I'd love to correspond with you and trade notes about the experience.

Tx,

Michael

Hi, Michael, and welcome to RBENT!!!

According to my BikeJournal logs, I've put about 170 miles on the Mocha since winning my argument with DART... [smiley=thumbsup.gif] It's been a pretty handy bike to have, especially since my work commute is only 2 miles one way. I replaced the original seat with a differently-padded Schwinn that I got at Target.

It's been trouble-free, and I haven't even lubed the chain yet. It's no speed demon, I probably don't get much over 10mph even in top gear, but I didn't buy it for speed.

Overall, I'm happy with it -- wish it were lighter, but it's not, and I didn't want to spend $1000 on a folder.