A folding bicycle is designed to fold into a compact form, facilitating transport and storage. When folded, the bikes could be far more quickly carried into buildings and workplaces or onto public transportation and is more effortlessly stored in compact living quarters or aboard a automobile, boat or plane. Folding mechanisms vary, with each offering a combination of folding velocity, folding ease, compactness, ride, fat, durability and price.
Distinguished by the complexities of their folding mechanism, a lot more demanding structural requirements, greater number of parts, and more specialized market appeal, folding bikes may possibly be more pricey than comparable non-folding models.
Half or mid fold Numerous folding frames follow classic shape pattern of your safety bicycle’s diamond frame, but feature a hinge point (with single or double hinges) allowing the bicycle to fold approximately in half. Quick-connect clamps enable raising or lowering steering and seat columns. A comparable swing hinge may possibly be mixed with a folding steering column. Fold designs may perhaps use larger wheels, even the exact same size as in non-folders, for users prioritizing ride over fold compactness.
Triangle hinge A hinge inside the frame may well enable the rear triangle and wheel to be folded down and flipped forward, under the primary frame tube.A flip hinge may possibly be mixed with a folding front fork. Swing and flip hinges might be mixed on the exact same body, as in the Brompton bike and the Dahon bicycle which use a folding steering column. Folding mechanisms generally involve latches and swift releases, which affect the pace with the fold/unfold. Bicycle Friday offers a model featuring a cable-activated folding mechanism requiring no rapid releases or latches, for increased folding speed.
Break away and other styles Bikes may well partly fold and partly disassemble for packing into a standard or custom sized suitcase for air travel (e.g., Airnimal and Bike Friday). Other variations include the bicycle torque coupling – a proprietary connector process that is often retrofitted to a standard body. The Giatex folds and retracts, adjusting to the measurement with the rider. The Gekko folds from the seat tube like an upside down umbrella. The iXi literally breaks into 2 halves. The Strida has a triangular shape and folds to resemble a unicycle.
Fold up bike mechanisms may well incur a lot more price and excess weight, allow folding more compact, and tend to use more compact wheels. 24 inch wheels are the largest for which flip hinges are typically employed, but smaller wheels, typically 16 or 20 inches, are a lot more common. Smaller dimension does not mean lighter excess weight, as most of these designs forgo the bracing advantages in the diamond body, and should compensate as a step by means of frame does, with thicker metal. The step-through style is a boon to a wider range of rider size, age and physical capability. Another method found on folders utilizes the seat tube as a pivot point for the shape to fold. This system uses a tube within a tube design to give the bicycle additional torsional stiffness. It enables the user to fold the bicycle without “breaking” any vital tubes down, preserving the structural integrity from the diamond shape. This process is operated by a single quick release identified along the top tube from the bike.
