Curve D3 - You Can Wheel It While Folded!, Rumours that you can't are untrue. Options

[Kootenay Joe]

This week I found out - the hard way - that a Curve D3 can be easily wheeled while folded with the seatpost extended.

I went for a nice leisurely evening ride to the big park 8 miles away. Deep in the park I noticed how nice and comfortable those Big Apple Tires are. Positively bouncy...very bouncy...kinda squishy...flat tire...ahhhh!

No pump. I left my rackpack with it behind. No seatpost pump. I swapped it out for the suspension seatpost for this ride. No patch kit.

Sun going down, 1 mile of wooded trail and 8 miles of suburban road to home. Better start walking because I can cuss myself out and walk at the same time.

Got out to the roads. Pushed for a mile or so. Met 4 cyclists, none of whom had a patch kit or pump or the time to lend me one while I fixed the flat anyway (commuters going home).

Made it to the main highway, which has a bus route, but only hourly service. I have my bus pass. Only 7 miles home now. The rear wheel is "bouncing" badly as all that Big Apple rubber "flubs" around. Pushing is getting awkward.

At the first bus stop I fold the bike to wait for a bus, but I can tell that one won't be along for a while.

On a whim I extend the seatpost fully and try to push the folded bike. It works! A slight twist of the wrist ensure that the folded front wheel (which is not flat and rolls freely in both directions) is the rolling wheel.

I've heard a lot of people say you can't roll a folded Dahon bike. Well, they're wrong. I did two miles this way very easily.

Caught the bus and boarded with the folded bike (score one for a folder). Got to the main bus loop and saw a line of cabs. Flagged one and popped the folded bike in the trunk (score two for a folder). Made it home.

Definitely a learning experience. I learned/relearned:

1.) That pump-post is useful.
2.) Patch kits fit easily in pockets.
3.) Big Apples are comfortable, but puncture easily (my third puncture in one year).
4.) Don't ride any farther than you are prepared to walk without a pump and patchkit.
5.) Folding bikes are very versatile for multi-mode transport, even when you can't ride them.

I repaired the flat (sharp object puncture in tire center - no sign of the cause ) and this time I put a Mr. Tuffy tire liner (cut down from 26") into the back tire. The back tire is always the one that flats. A quick ride showed no difference in rolling feel that I could tell. I tested the folded "wheeling" trick again with an inflated rear tire. Still worked. You just need to angle the bike slightly to make it roll on the front wheel only. I'll be using this technique a lot in future.

Now how do I stop myself from doing this again? I want to use the suspension seatpost sometimes as those 16" wheels are a bit harsh even with Big Apples.

Pulled out the water-bottle braze-on mounted minipump that I carried in my rackpack. Why isn't this thing mounted on the water-bottle mount? Oh yeah, it interfered with the hinge. Well that long walk has convinced my I should put some thought into this. Longer bolts and some offset washers solve the hinge interference issue. Now I will always have a pump no matter which seatpost I choose.

What about a patch kit? I should always have one in my cycling jersey. Which I didn't wear on this ride.

A little duct tape and that handy little area behind the seat tube and the seatstay bridge now has a small patch kit and single thin tire iron (you only need one for Big Apples) fitted.

Sometimes we learn/gain more from our mistakes than at any other time.

[folder fanatic]

This week I found out - the hard way - that a Curve D3 can be easily wheeled while folded with the seatpost extended.

No pump. I left my rackpack with it behind. No seatpost pump. I swapped it out for the suspension seatpost for this ride. No patch kit.

Got out to the roads. Pushed for a mile or so. Met 4 cyclists, none of whom had a patch kit or pump or the time to lend me one while I fixed the flat anyway (commuters going home).

Made it to the main highway, which has a bus route, but only hourly service. I have my bus pass. Only 7 miles home now. The rear wheel is "bouncing" badly as all that Big Apple rubber "flubs" around. Pushing is getting awkward.

At the first bus stop I fold the bike to wait for a bus, but I can tell that one won't be along for a while.

On a whim I extend the seatpost fully and try to push the folded bike. It works! A slight twist of the wrist ensure that the folded front wheel (which is not flat and rolls freely in both directions) is the rolling wheel.

I've heard a lot of people say you can't roll a folded Dahon bike. Well, they're wrong. I did two miles this way very easily.

Caught the bus and boarded with the folded bike (score one for a folder). Got to the main bus loop and saw a line of cabs. Flagged one and popped the folded bike in the trunk (score two for a folder). Made it home.

Definitely a learning experience. I learned/relearned:

1.) That pump-post is useful.
2.) Patch kits fit easily in pockets.
3.) Big Apples are comfortable, but puncture easily (my third puncture in one year).
4.) Don't ride any farther than you are prepared to walk without a pump and patchkit.
5.) Folding bikes are very versatile for multi-mode transport, even when you can't ride them.

Now how do I stop myself from doing this again? I want to use the suspension seatpost sometimes as those 16" wheels are a bit harsh even with Bg Apples.

Pulled out the water-bottle braze-on mounted minipump that I carried in my rackpack. Why isn't this thing mounted on the water-bottle mount? Oh yeah, it interfered with the hinge. Well that long walk has convinced my I should put some thought into this. Longer bolts and some offset washers solve the hinge interference issue. Now I will always have a pump no matter which seatpost I choose......

You highlighted many of the reasons I use folding bikes exclusively now. Since I have 3 different models, from different years, even different makes, I tend to use parts that are interchangeable and not connected to a sole bike/part. My pump is used only at home. If I suffer a flat, I could not fix it myself out there-too much potential criminal trouble-so I am aware of all bike shops in my route and drop the bike off there. I use public transit whenever it suits me-and the bike when it is the best way of getting around. The key word here is options, choices which is not usually available to others with the regular bikes. That is why I switched over and will probably never go back to regular bikes again.

[Danny K]

Joe - a wee tip from the long distance cylcle-touring world. Stop me if you know this one:

You're out in the middle of nowhere and a looong, long way from any bus stops. And it's miles and miles from 'civilisation', ie., no help, in any direction. Repair patches all used up, no good anyway, because the pump's just gone kaput!

So, what to do?

Take the tyre off the rim - no need to remove the wheel if it's one of those complicated rear wheel combinations - AND pack as much roadside grass as you possibly can into the tyre. It'll protect the rim and surprisingly, (depending on how much grass you were able to squeeze in and then replace the tyre back on the rim), effective. You will find that you can cycle quite efficiently until you reach help.

Now's not the time to tell me you're in desert-like territory.

P.S. Out of curiosity, what presures do you ride your Big Apples at?

[Kootenay Joe]

Danny,

Wow! You UK guys. All this esoteric tough-guy old-time cycling knowledge. Like a gold-mine.

Thanks for that tip. I didn't know that one at all and if I had I'd have used it.

I'd have had to walk a mile to grass, but there would have been plenty of it. Cedar bark and cedar greenery could do the trick too.

Big Apples would be perfect for it, lots of room to stuff in grass.

No tire lever, but I had a knife and lots of dead wood to work with.

VERY good idea.

See, I'm learning even more from this.

I ride my Big Apples at 55psi front and 60 back, but I hadn't looked at the tire pressure for a while. I was carrying a book bag filled with heavy tomes from the library and I noticed the ride was more comfortable, so I may lower my tire pressure a bit.

My full ride that evening was actually:
Ride to library to return books and pick up new ones. Leave folded bike safely in lobby in view.
Ride to cafe to eat. Leave folded bike under table.
Ride to park to burn off too many Nachos Grande.
Walk all the way back, successfully burning off Nachos Grande.

Definitely a folding day. I've stopped using the folder for daily commuting for a while and I'm using my road bike (just for a change), but that led me to putting the folding pedals back on the Curve and using it as a local get-around bike wearing casual clothes and sandals. It is a good commuter, but it is a GREAT get-around bike.

[Danny K]

I ride my Big Apples at 55psi front and 60 back, but I hadn't looked at the tire pressure for a while. I was carrying a book bag filled with heavy tomes from the library and I noticed the ride was more comfortable, so I may lower my tire pressure a bit.

So the puncture wasn't caused by travelling with too low a pressure in the tyres that's for sure.

I normally ride between 50/60psi but found 40psi much more comfortable. I've had doubts about cycling with these lower pressures, fearing an increase in punctures, as I'm at the heavy end of the maximum rider weight for a Dahon Folder anyway, but to date I've been fortunate to escape punctures at these lower pressures.

However, after reading of your puncture, think I'll pump 'em back up. I'm far too heavy to get away with it for long.

[Keith C. Johns]

I always carry:

1) Spare inner tube.
2) Adjustable wrench to remove axle nuts.
3) Small tire pump.
4) Paper towel (for greasy fingers).

I don't need tire irons with my 16 x 1.75 in. tires.

I reason that I can do a better job of fixing flat tubes at home than on the road, but a good tube is a faster fix.

The pump will allow me also to fill up the tube and go a distance before it deflates again in the case of a slow leak.

The idea of stuffing grass in there is excellent! I'd just leave the inner tube in place--what would it hurt? A little less grass needed. In the desert? Could you stuff it with sand? Just wondering....

I learned a while back that if I fold my Dahon Folder with the handlebars left up and the seat post down enough to act as a tripod leg (so it doesn't fall over when I let it stand alone), and a piece of Velcro (or a piece of string) tying together the fork and seat stay, that when tilted back the bike can easily be pushed forward on both wheels at once. No lifting, just balancing. I use this technique almost daily when I bring my bike inside destinations and avoid leaving it outside exposed to potential theft.

Your observation of the ease of bringing along the folded bike on various public transportation modes is the other gem about folded bikes which you don't realize until it is needed. All in all this was an exercise in appreciation of folding bikes!