New Folding bikes

[Spirit of Gratitude]

For anyone who my be interested, We purchased two new folding bikes for our R-29. They only weigh 25lbs each and fold down very quickly. They are 7 speed and ride very nice. They can be found at http://www.citizenbike.com/
We got the Gotham2 style. They fold into bags and stow into the aft cabin perfect.

Stuart.....Spirit of Gratitude 😀

 

[sparky]

Bought the same bike last year, absolutely LOVE it!

 

[RProffer]

Thanks for the pictures. How sturdy is the aft rack? Is it sturdy enough for saddle bags for groceries and stuff? Some other websites were not very fond of the Citizen bikes. In your opinion, how good is the construction? Do you think they will hold up to corrosion? How quickly do they fold down?

 

[Spirit of Gratitude]

The back rack seems very sturdy. I would have no problem carrying bags of food or whatever back there.
I saw that some people were not fond of the bikes on the internet also, before we bought them. We bought the better quality bike that they offer. All I can say is we are very happy. Now if you are expecting a bike you can jump and do tricks with this would not be the bike for you. We need good transportation to the store and to sight see. These bike are perfect for that. We also saw some on the internet that were much higher priced and most likely better quality. They were over twice the price. :?
I guess it really comes down to, Are you a major bike head that needs the best that is out there or do you want something that will get the job done and be enjoyable. These bike are very enjoyable! It is all we need. The 7 speeds are perfect. We took them with us last week to Telluride and had a ball with them. We find them to be perfect for us.

As far as corrosion goes, we take care of our stuff. Will we have them up on the sport rack getting hammered with salt water? NO! We will not. When we are done with them they will go back in there nice bags and get stowed away in a dry place. I just like to take care of my stuff. So I guess what I am saying is that they will treat you as you treat them. like anything in life i suppose .
They fold down in about 30sec for me and fold back up in about the same time. I think the construction is good.
We added the fenders,better seat and back rack as upgrades. We are happy we did. I don't know if the people on the internet were talking about the $159.00 models they sell or what. For us we did not want a cheep bike but at the same time we did not want to spend twice as much. We went mid range an would do it all over again.
We think they are great bikes! 😀

Hope this answers you questions,
Stuart

 

[RProffer]

Thanks Stuart. I was looking for a decent folding bike to use both on my boat and with my 5th wheel camper. Thanks for the info.

 

[sparky]

I have the Citizen "Gotham", Joe has the West Marine folding bike (the red one, better quality than the cheaper blue one). I think the Citizen is heavier, both in weight and construction, though given the choice my 6'2" husband chose the West Marine. Frankly I was glad as I prefer the Citizen. I made a storage bag for each bike and have them stowed in "the Cave", the WM lays on its side and fits under the dinette and the Citizen stands upright just aft of the other bike, still allowing full use of the hanging clothes rod.

We have seen people leave the bikes topside, with bad result. We brought the bikes home last winter and stored them in the house.

It is enough of an investment to take the extra time to care for them. We did add better seats, and carry spare innertubes and a repair kit. We always wear helmets in unfamiliar places. Most roads around marinas are not bike friendly, at least not out here, and the bikes do not control as well as a full size bike especially when going downhill fast. Also, the tires seem to lose air rather fast, so we found a nice 12 volt bike tire inflator at Costco, has a long enough wire to be able to plug into the 12v outlet on the passenger side of the helm and reach to the cockpit. 😀

 

[Spirit of Gratitude]

Two new pics of the bags for the bikes to store in. They fold up into themselves and then you can store them on the front of the bike.

 

[j&lgray]

We use the Dahon Mariner model of folding bike. Taken these on our boat and RV trips and love them. We had canvas bags made for them and they stow nicely on top of the Laurie Ann. They have over two years of constant use and are holding up strong. We put panniers on them to carry our groceries.

We call these 10 mile bikes because that is the end of their comfort level. They cost more but the quality is great and no corrosion issues.

Just another alternative to look at.

 

[Spirit of Gratitude]

That looks like a great bike also! It is kind of hard to tell them apart from ours.
Here is a website on the Dahon.... For anyone you wants to peek.

http://us.dahon.com/bikes/1608/mariner-d7

Nice bike!



Stuart