Folding bicycles
- Thread starter goodnews
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
I love my Titanium Brompton traveled all over on this great little bike .I believe the Brompton is the only folding bike where one can travel long distances or on and off all day and not feel buggered and sore like the nasty Chinese rubbish
Titanium Brompton
Titanium Brompton
FBoykin
Senior Member
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- Vessel Name
- Hannah Jane
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- 2000 Grand Banks 42 Classic
I owned a bicycle shop for nearly 45 years until I sold it to my long time manager and retired end of December 2015. We sold a lot of Bromptons. Excellent folding bikes and a very loyal following. Pretty much custom order from the factory in England placed through your nearest USA Brompton dealer. They are not inexpensive. But they fold smaller than any other folder and still offer a good ride. Every customer that bought one loved them. We sold them to long haul truckers, apartment dwellers, small plane pilots, boat owners, etc.
Biggest issue is rust from the salt air (true w/any bike). It kills me to see a bike stored on deck under a tarp. You have to show them some love and attention if you want them to last.
Take a look at folders from Giant Bicycle. We sold a lot of them too - aluminum frames and fairly common parts. (Bromptons use a lot of special parts - but then they don't break down very often). Giant aluminum frame - that helps ward off some of the rust issues.
DaHon also makes folders. Years ago they made a Mariner model - aluminum frame with a lot of stainless steel parts. Good deal if you can find a used one.
Biggest issue is rust from the salt air (true w/any bike). It kills me to see a bike stored on deck under a tarp. You have to show them some love and attention if you want them to last.
Take a look at folders from Giant Bicycle. We sold a lot of them too - aluminum frames and fairly common parts. (Bromptons use a lot of special parts - but then they don't break down very often). Giant aluminum frame - that helps ward off some of the rust issues.
DaHon also makes folders. Years ago they made a Mariner model - aluminum frame with a lot of stainless steel parts. Good deal if you can find a used one.
Tom.B
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DaHon is still making the Mariner model. I bought a pair for Bess as a Xmas present. Nice ride! The wheels are large enough to give you a smooth ride and provide a good long distance ride. 7-speeds and a luggage rack. All stainless and aluminum construction means it is good for a boating environment. They are awkward to carry and stow onboard, so make sure you have room. Like Boykin said, don't keep any bike out in the weather unless you want to replace it every couple of years. Our main problem is with all the projects on the list, we don't ride as often as we should [emoji6]
Sealife
Guru
If you are looking for cheap, can't beat the Schwinn loop. Nothing high tech, have to fight rust, but ours held up for a few years. I especially liked the load handling characteristics of the rear frame design.
FBoykin
Senior Member
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- Hannah Jane
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- 2000 Grand Banks 42 Classic
Nice to see DaHon has resurrected the Mariner. I went online and checked the specs - old version has stainless steel spokes, but new one doesn't mention that on the Dahon site. Not that big of a deal, but anything that fights rust is a plus. Nice that it comes with a rear rack & fenders. I'd still check out the Giant folders and Brompton is definitely worth a look if you want to go all out and also want one that folds the smallest.
