folding bicycle

{{Short description|Bicycle designed to fold into a compact form}}

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File:1982 Hon Convertible folding bicycle.JPG

File:30th Anniversary Special Edition Dahon Folding Bike.jpg

A folding bicycle is designed to be compacted into a smaller, more manageable size or shape, making it easier to store or carry . When folded, the bikes can be more easily carried into buildings, on public transportation (facilitating mixed-mode commuting and bicycle commuting), and more easily stored in compact living quarters or aboard a car, boat or plane. Foldable bikes are also often used as a travel bicycle (not to be confused touring bicycle) as an alternative to take-apart bikes.

Some folding bicycles are also electrically empowered. A folding bicycle or electric-assisted folding bicycle is legally defined as a bicycle (or electric bicycle, e-bikes, respectively) inall nations, having to comply with all relevant safety standards to be road worthy.

Folding mechanisms vary, with each offering a distinct combination of folding speed, folding ease, compactness, ride, weight, durability, complexity and price. Distinguished by the complexities of their folding mechanism, more demanding structural requirements, greater number of parts, and more specialized market appeal, folding bikes may be more expensive than comparable non-folding models. The choice of model, apart from cost considerations, is a matter of resolving the various practical requirements: a quick, easy fold, a compact folded size, or a faster but less compact model.{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/06/24/style/20090625-physical-slideshow_index.html | work=The New York Times | title=Physical Culture – Gear Test, Folding Bikes | date=24 June 2009}}

There are also bicycles that provide similar advantages by separating into pieces rather than folding.{{cite web|url=http://www.moultonbicycles.co.uk/models.html | website=Moulton Bicycle Company |title=Separable-frame bicycles}} America’s first folding bicycle’ does not actually fold at all! – rather, it breaks into two parts. After the war, Columbia Bicycles capitalized on the military use of their bicycles, and the folding Compax model was named the ‘Compax Paratrooper’ for the civilian market and brought to the market in 1947.{{Cite web |last=Museum |first=The Online Bicycle |title=1947 Columbia 'Compax Paratrooper' Folding Bicycle |url=https://onlinebicyclemuseum.co.uk/1947-columbia-compax-paratrooper-folding-bicycle/ |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=The Online Bicycle Museum |language=en-US}}

History

File:BicycleBersaglieri2.jpg during World War I with folding bicycles strapped to their backs (1917)]]

File:Opvouwbare fiets.ogv "Kwikstep", a full-size folding bicycle.]]

The first folding bicycle patent was filed by an American inventor, Emmit G. Latta on September 16, 1887. {{Cite web |last=Hon |first=David T. |date=2015 |title=FOLDING BICYCLES |url=https://es.dahon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/free-download-Folding-Bicycles-A-Treatise.pdf}} Military interest in bicycles arose in the 1890s, and the French army and others deployed folding bikes for bicycle infantry use.{{cite web|url=http://www.foldingcyclist.com/folding-bike-history.html|title=Folding Bike History|website=Folding Cyclist|date=15 December 2022|access-date=26 November 2009|archive-date=2 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100902114716/http://www.foldingcyclist.com/folding-bike-history.html|url-status=dead}} In 1900, Mikael Pedersen developed for the British army a folding version of his Pedersen bicycle that weighed {{cvt|15|lbs|kg|order=flip}} and had {{cvt|24|in|mm|order=flip}} wheels. It included a rifle rack and was used in the Second Boer War.{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110719174954/http://www.dursley-pedersen.net/originals/various.html?frame=%2Foriginals%2Fvarious_pages%2Ffolding.html | archive-date = 19 July 2011 | url = http://www.dursley-pedersen.net/originals/various.html?frame=/originals/various_pages/folding.html | website = Dursley Pedersen Cycle | title = Various Pedersen Models | publisher = Mads Rasmussen | access-date = 2009-09-22 | url-status = live }}

In 1941, during the Second World War, the British War Office called for a machine that weighed less than {{cvt|23|lbs|kg|order=flip}} (this was not achieved - the final weight was about {{cvt|32|lbs|kg|order=flip}}) and would withstand being dropped by parachute. In response, the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) developed a folding bicycle small enough to be taken in small gliders or on parachute jumps from aircraft.

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This British WWII Airborne BSA folding bicycle was rigged so that, when parachuted, the handlebars and seat were the first parts to hit the ground (as bent wheels would disable the bike). BSA abandoned the traditional diamond bicycle design as too weak for the shock and instead made an elliptical frame of twin parallel tubes, one forming the top tube and seat stays, and the other the chainstay and down tube.The Bicycle, UK, 13 September 1944 The hinges were in front of the bottom bracket and in the corresponding position in front of the saddle, fastened by wing nuts. The peg pedals could be pushed in to avoid snagging and further reduce the space occupied during transit.

From 1942 to 1945, the British WWII Airborne BSA folding bicycle was used by British & Commonwealth airborne troops, Commandos, and some infantry regiments; some were also used as run-abouts on military bases. The bicycle was used by British paratroopers, Commandos, and second-wave infantry units on the D-Day landings and at the Battle of Arnhem.{{cite web|url=http://oldbike.wordpress.com/1939-1945-ww2-bsa-airborne-folding-paratroopers-bike/|title=1939-1945 WW2 BSA 'Airborne Bicycle' Folding Paratroopers Para Bike|date=12 May 2009}}

The 1970s saw increased interest in the folding bike, and the popular Raleigh Twenty and Bickerton Portable have become the iconic folders of their decade. It was, however, the early 1980s that can be said to have marked the birth of the modern, compact folding bicycle, with competing models from Brompton and Dahon.{{cite web|url=http://www.foldingcyclist.com/folding-bike-history.html|title=The History of the Folding Bike|publisher=The Folding Cyclist|access-date=2013-06-06|archive-date=2 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100902114716/http://www.foldingcyclist.com/folding-bike-history.html|url-status=dead}} Founded in 1982, by inventor and physicist Dr. David Hon and his brother Henry Hon, Dahon has grown to become the world's largest manufacturer of folding bikes,{{cite book|title=Guinness World Records |edition=2000 Millennium |year=2000|page=301}} with a two-thirds marketshare in 2006.{{cite news |url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_24/b3988102.htm |title=A Commuter's Secret Weapon |magazine=Business Week |access-date=2009-06-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090517095942/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_24/b3988102.htm |archive-date=17 May 2009}}Dahon, the biggest producer, has had the most influence on the market, with dozens of its 300+ patents having now become commonplace in the industry.

File:Khs overlay.jpg bicycles, one a F20 {{cvt|20|in|mm|order=flip}} wheel folding bicycle and the other a Flite 100 700c (622 mm) wheel racing bike, showing similarities in the geometry and riding position.]]

Size

File:Montague FIT full-size folding bicycle.jpg

File:DAHON EEZZ Vertical Folding Bicycle.jpg

Folding bikes generally come with a wider range of adjustments for accommodating various riders than do conventional bikes, because folding bike frames are usually only made in one size. However, seatposts and handlebar stems on folders extend as much as four times higher than conventional bikes, and still longer after-market posts and stems provide an even greater range of adjustment.

While folders are usually smaller in overall size than conventional bicycles, the distances among the center of bottom bracket, the top of the saddle, and the handlebars - the primary factors in determining whether or not a bicycle fits its rider - are usually similar to those of conventional bikes. The wheelbase of many folding designs is also very similar to that of conventional, non-folding, bicycles.

Some manufacturers are producing folding bikes designed around folding systems that allow them to use {{cvt|26|in|mm|order=flip}} wheels, e.g., Dahon, KHS, Montague, and Tern Bicycles. Advantages of smaller wheels include potential for more speed, quicker acceleration, greater maneuverability, and easier storage.{{cite web|url=http://www.livestrong.com/article/142026-the-advantages-small-wheels-bicycle/|title=The Advantages of Small Wheels on a Bicycle|website=Livestrong.com|access-date=2014-01-06}} For example, the A-bike is similar to the Strida but has tiny wheels and folds a bit smaller. Bikes with smaller than {{cvt|16|in|mm|order=flip}} wheels are often called portable bicycles. These forgo the performance and easy ride benefits of their larger counterparts, acquiring characteristics similar to those of an adult folding kick scooter. Nonetheless, regardless of how each bike folds, the result is easier to transport and store than a traditional bicycle.{{cite web|url=http://www.transalt.org/resources/foldingbikes|title=The Folding Bike Solution|website=Transportation Alternatives|access-date=2013-06-06|archive-date=28 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528040033/http://www.transalt.org/resources/foldingbikes|url-status=dead}}

Folding methods

File:Tern Verge closed jeh.jpg Verge X10 is an example of a half-fold bike.]]

Folding mechanisms are highly variable.

=Half- or mid-fold=

Many folding frames follow the classic frame pattern of the safety bicycle's diamond frame, but feature a hinge point (with single or double hinges) allowing the bicycle to fold approximately in half. Quick-release clamps enable raising or lowering steering and seat columns. A similar swing hinge may be combined with a folding steering column. Fold designs may use larger wheels, even the same size as in non-folders, for users prioritizing ride over fold compactness. Bikes that use this kind of fold include, Dahon, Montague and Tern.

=Vertical Fold=

Instead of folding horizontally, this style of bike has one or two hinges along the main tube and/or chain and seat stays that allow the bike to fold vertically. The result leaves the two wheels side by side but is often more compact than a horizontally hinged design. The Brompton and Dahon Qix D8 both feature vertical folding.

=Triangle hinge=

A hinge in the frame may allow the rear triangle and wheel to be folded down and flipped forward, under the main frame tube, as in the Bike Friday, Brompton Mezzo Folder, and Swift Folder. Such a flip hinge may be combined with a folding front fork, as in the Birdy. Swing and flip hinges may be combined on the same frame, as in the Brompton Mezzo Folder and Dahon, which use a folding steering column. Folding mechanisms typically involve latches and quick releases, which affect the speed of the fold/unfold. Bike Friday offers a model, the Tikit, featuring a cable-activated folding mechanism requiring no quick releases or latches, for increased folding speed.

File:Paris folding bike-2.jpg

=Magnet folding and suspension system=

A magnet combined with a rear shock absorber forms the folding mechanism. The magnet connects and locks the back wheel section to the frame. To fold the bike in half, the magnet disconnects with one movement and in a second, and without having to use one's hands, the rear wheel rotates forward, and the bike folds vertically. This mechanism also enables one to roll the half-folded bike on its rear wheel.Dezeen: [http://www.dezeen.com/2014/10/07/vello-folding-bike-valentin-vodev-vienna-design-week/ Valentin Vodev’s Vello bike folds with "a simple kick" thanks to one big magnet], 7.10.2014

=Break away and other styles=

Bikes may 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: Bicycle Torque Coupling, a proprietary connector system that can be retrofitted to a standard frame; the Gekko, which folds from the seat tube like an upside down umbrella; the Giatex, which folds and retracts, adjusting to the size of the rider; the iXi, which literally breaks into two-halves; and the Strida, which has a triangular frame and folds to resemble a unicycle.

Folding mechanisms may incur more cost and weight, allow folding smaller, and they tend to use smaller wheels. {{cvt|24|in|mm|order=flip}} wheels are the largest for which flip hinges are generally used, but smaller wheels, typically {{cvt|16|or|20|in|mm|order=flip}}, are more common.

Smaller size does not mean lighter weight, as most of these designs forgo the bracing benefits of the diamond frame and must compensate as a step-through frame does, with thicker metal. The step-through design is a boon to a wider range of rider size, age, and physical ability.

Another system found on folders, such as Montague Bikes, utilizes the seat tube as a pivot point for the frame to fold. This system uses a tube within a tube design to give the bike more torsional stiffness. It allows the user to fold the bike without "breaking" any vital tubes down, thus preserving the structural integrity of the diamond frame. This system is operated by a single quick release found along the top tube of the bike.

File:5Links, Cycling World Europe 2025, Meerbusch (P1045136).jpg

Portability

The primary purpose of folding a bike is to increase its portability. This is so that it may be more easily transported and stored, and thus allow greater flexibility in getting from A to B.{{cite news|url=http://www.atob.org.uk/folding-bikes/folding-bike-why-choose/|title=Why choose a folding bike?|magazine=A to B Magazine|access-date=2013-06-06}} Many public transportation systems ban or restrict unfolded bicycles, but allow folded bikes all or some of the time. For example, Transport for London allows folding bikes at all times on the Underground, but on buses it is down to the driver's discretion.{{cite web|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/11701.aspx|title=Bikes on Public Transport|website=Transport for London|access-date=2013-06-06|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527140218/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/11701.aspx|archive-date=27 May 2013}} Some transport operators only allow folding bicycles if they are enclosed in a bag or cover. Airline baggage regulations often permit folding bikes as ordinary luggage, without extra cost.{{cite web|url=http://www.ibike.org/encouragement/travel/bagregs.htm|title=Airline Baggage Regulation for Bikes|website=International Bicycle Fund|access-date=2013-06-06}} Singapore has also implemented new laws to allow folding bicycles in its rail and bus transportation system, with certain size and time limitations.http://www.smrt.com.sg/Portals/0/PDFs/Rider%20Guide/FAQs/Train_Poster.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240714220703/https://www.smrt.com.sg/Portals/0/PDFs/Rider%20Guide/FAQs/Train_Poster.pdf |date=14 July 2024 }} {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}

File:Landing Gear context.jpg

Rolling wheels are installed for some folding bikes for ease of portage when folded. For example, Dahon designed the Landing Gear, a specialized device that attaches to the bottom of the bike frame near the pedals. It features a foldable wheel that provides additional support when the bike is folded. This support makes it easy to maneuver the bike in its compact, folded state, offering exceptional convenience for everyday use.{{Cite web |date=2024-08-18 |title=DAHON Landing Gear: The Ultimate Support for Your Folding Bike |url=https://dahon.ie/blogs/news/dahon-landing-gear-the-ultimate-support-for-your-folding-bike |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=dahon.ie |language=en}}

Motorized

File:HONDA StepCompo.jpg

The first folding electric bike was the Honda Step Compo in 2000. Many more were introduced in the next 20 years.{{Cite web|last=Team|first=the Bicycling Test|date=2021-10-04|title=Win the Commute on These Space-Saving Folding E-Bikes|url=https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/a25102796/best-folding-e-bikes/|access-date=2021-11-01|website=Bicycling|language=en-US}}

Examples

Notable folding bicycles include:

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References

Bibliography

{{Cite book |title=Guinness World Records 2000 Millennium Edition|location=New York|publisher=Guinness Publishing Ltd./Bantam Books|year=2000|isbn=0-553-58268-2}}

External links

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Category:Cycle types