WOW—Now that’s a GAP/C&O towpath travel bike (I’m seeing it through that particular lens because I just attempted a ride with my G line. If you look at my post history) if I ever saw one! Even easier to put on the Amtrak, then just glide the 330 mile journey on gravel.
Maybe change out the tires. Yes, definitely change out the tires. I’m sure there’s a marathon plus option. There is the issue of packing storage, but just everything you would put on the front and back of a Brompton—just cram it all into an extra large backpack, carry it all in your shoulders -should be fine.
Trip will be a SNAP after that.
JeanneMPod on
but seriously, I have a weird obsession with these little odd brand folding bikes. Have you seen the kwiggle?
cpcallen on
I got an A-bike back in 2008 or thereabouts. I loved it: it may not be as practical as a bicycle as my Brompton is, but it’s so small and so light—and dreamt up (though not engineered) by the same guy who dreamt up my first microcomputer, with an equally minimalist philosophy.
My only complaints about it are:
* The pedals tend to damage the seat covering.
* The main frame tubes, being aluminium, are very prone to fatigue cracking at the quick release clamps for the telescoping movement. The bike would have been better had these clamps been designed in a way that does not deform the outer tube.
* Worst of all: though I had no issues for the first several years, after that I found it increasingly difficult to prevent the inner tubes from popping like a balloon. This usually happened where the tube rests over the large groove in the center of the rim (needed to allow the small tyres to be removed from the rim), so I tried filling the gap with a bit of rope to help support the inner tube, but thought this seemed to work for the first month or two eventually it got to the point that I would change the inner tube, carefully reassemble everything, inflate the tyres, go for a short ride, and then seemingly as soon as I left the bike alone for a few minutes I’d hear a sudden Psssst! as the inner tube once again failed.
I still have the bike. Maybe one day I will find some tubeless (i.e. solid or foam-filed) tyres for it.
But OMG those tiny wheels with no rotational momentum would make the most gentle ride in the park on a smooth bike path feel like an ambitious off-road mountain biking adventure!
3 Comments
WOW—Now that’s a GAP/C&O towpath travel bike (I’m seeing it through that particular lens because I just attempted a ride with my G line. If you look at my post history) if I ever saw one! Even easier to put on the Amtrak, then just glide the 330 mile journey on gravel.
Maybe change out the tires. Yes, definitely change out the tires. I’m sure there’s a marathon plus option. There is the issue of packing storage, but just everything you would put on the front and back of a Brompton—just cram it all into an extra large backpack, carry it all in your shoulders -should be fine.
Trip will be a SNAP after that.
but seriously, I have a weird obsession with these little odd brand folding bikes. Have you seen the kwiggle?
I got an A-bike back in 2008 or thereabouts. I loved it: it may not be as practical as a bicycle as my Brompton is, but it’s so small and so light—and dreamt up (though not engineered) by the same guy who dreamt up my first microcomputer, with an equally minimalist philosophy.
My only complaints about it are:
* The pedals tend to damage the seat covering.
* The main frame tubes, being aluminium, are very prone to fatigue cracking at the quick release clamps for the telescoping movement. The bike would have been better had these clamps been designed in a way that does not deform the outer tube.
* Worst of all: though I had no issues for the first several years, after that I found it increasingly difficult to prevent the inner tubes from popping like a balloon. This usually happened where the tube rests over the large groove in the center of the rim (needed to allow the small tyres to be removed from the rim), so I tried filling the gap with a bit of rope to help support the inner tube, but thought this seemed to work for the first month or two eventually it got to the point that I would change the inner tube, carefully reassemble everything, inflate the tyres, go for a short ride, and then seemingly as soon as I left the bike alone for a few minutes I’d hear a sudden Psssst! as the inner tube once again failed.
I still have the bike. Maybe one day I will find some tubeless (i.e. solid or foam-filed) tyres for it.
But OMG those tiny wheels with no rotational momentum would make the most gentle ride in the park on a smooth bike path feel like an ambitious off-road mountain biking adventure!