Gonna be more adaptable than most of your other options
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My understanding is Bike Fridays are more built for fully breaking down right?
Swifts pop up cheap enough it might be worth the experiment
@JUGE_FREDD whats the deal with height and the swift
I’ve only watched the videos of breaking down a bike Friday and it looks like the big difference is that the bars come off rather than pivot but it still looks pretty quick.
Definitely into the idea of a cheap swift, found a couple on ebay but nothing on the local Craigslist I could find.
In terms of break down speed fastest to slowest
Brompton, Dahon and similar, Swift, Bike Friday
May actually be worth looking at a Dahon or other one that folds horizontally because the others have top tubes that can only get so long because of packing purposes.
My All Packa is the 62 top tube, which I think is the longest they make
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I saw that one, no way I’m riding a chrome, also, don’t want to interact with that person based on their profile picture.
Agreed on the guy
But how about putting mags on chrome?
OK, yes, and, I’d like as dither-free an experience as possible.
the oragmai guys making the new swift have a version with longer riser and seat tube they claim fits 6’4"
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@lantius has the most experience with unmodified Swifts
and he’s been the custodian of the Swift of Theseus the last few years
That’s the one where the main tube was custom made to be longer right?
I currently have both the Swift of Theseus with its custom Rodriguez main tube and one of the new Origami ones but I haven’t yet gotten it set up (need to fix some front rotor rub).
I’m not sure I’d pick a swift for a “fold it twice a day” commuter if it has to get proper small, that really is where the brompton excels. If you only need to swing in the rear triangle the swift isn’t too bad but it can be unwieldy because it doesn’t latch folded. I like the swift for occasionally folding into the trunk of a car, or as a demontable bike that fits in a smaller case than an S&S. The original inspiration for the SoT was the Hunter Cycletruck, not a folder but a compact traveler that still rode like a bike.
Seems like someone on Aliexpress should have used the photoshop scale tool on a brompton and made one for taller folks with 406 wheels…
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I’m not even folding twice a day, this will be 3 times a week max. For my commute one day a week I’ll need to ride it a couple hours before folding and getting on the train. The other two days will be a 5 min ride from the train on each end. I don’t think it needs to get proper small and I’d be ok carrying a toe strap to hold things together while folded. I only need to fold it tor half of those as the train is always empty one direction.
My main concerns:
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Inexpensive
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Rides kinda ok
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Can hold a big handlebar bag for lunch, clothes, and one textbook
The alpaca was looking good because I was dreaming of throwing it in the back of a car or something and the idea of combining my two least used bikes (bikepacking and train commuting) into one is appealing. But a swift or something else for cheap to just be a commuter is also appealing. I feel like a single speed swift is probably the right answer. A Brompton would be sweet but are cost prohibitive for a single use bike.
The other day I saw a guy hop off a Brompton, fold it with one hand and walk into the Sheridan red line station. It was smooth and awesome and now I kinda want one.
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he stopped making people send in Brompton frames for him to chop up, so now you can buy just the fork and rear from him, and the rest of the parts from aliexpress
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I’m still incredbily tempted to get a MTBrompton kit and some aliexpress ti parts for a fun bike.
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