Citizen bikes

[wilcofan]

Hey, I'm new here, but I came across these a couple months ago, and decided to get one for the build I'm gonna do. While this may not be exactly what most people think about concerning going green, but my idea is to store one of these folding bikes in my van, so that when traveling, I can park the van during the day and ride the bike around to conserve on fuel.<br><br><A href="http://www.citizenbike.com" target=_blank>http://www.citizenbike.com</A><br>

 

[bobbert]

I'd go with the Gotham2 bike that they sell on that website, as it has the most speeds. Be sure to buy a good lock, as a lot of folding bikes are a hit for thieves. If you go with one of those that you listed, you wouldn't be out too much $$$.&nbsp;<div>I bought a Bike Friday, &amp; it folds up relatively compact. It is made in the USA, &amp; can be custom made to your size. The only con is that Bike Friday's are highly sought after among thieves. I spent $1300 for mine in April, this year.</div><div><a href="http://www.bikefriday.com/touring" target="_blank">http://www.bikefriday.com/touring</a></div>

 

[Seraphim]

Might consider an old beater bike and a good chain to the bumper, with a better range of gearing. That G2 has a range that's good for slightly rolling hills, if you're a strong rider, other mostly just flats. If that's all you're going to do, then no problem. You can get a decent used bike with a triple chainring and a much better gear range for $50 bucks.&nbsp; You can go through 6+ such bikes for the same amount of money.&nbsp; Just make the bike more difficult to steal than it's worth.<br><br>Just my $.02, but DW and I are avid riders, and we keep our bikes mounted on the rear of the van.&nbsp; They're not inexpensive bikes, either, but we've never had a problem.<br>

 

[wilcofan]

Seraphim, I thought about that as well, and I do have a couple beaters at home I bought off craigslist that I take with me out of town on trips. Usually these are mounted to my car rack, and when I get to my destination (be it a hotel or a friend's house), I take them off the vehicle and into the house. The advantages I see with the citizen bike, are that are more personal lifestyle preferences: <br><br>1. I don't want to leave the bike on the van all the time. I worry that the bike on the outside of the vehicle will send either the message that someone is inside, or that no one is there and the bike is ripe for the picking (I picture myself waking up in the middle of the night to a guy with bolt cutters). Also, I worry that if someone thinks I'm not there, they may be bolder and more curious to see what other valuables might be available to take.<br><br>2. If I'm in a metropolitan area, a folding bike affords me more options for public transit. While most busses have bike racks, not all of them do. Some cities have restrictions on what time of day you can take a bike onto a train. I was just in San Francisco, and you can't take your bike on the BART on certain trains during certain times (mainly the high traffic ones during rush hours). Having a bike that folds up and fits in a carry bag, could be the difference between getting a ride and having to wait for a later train.<br><br>3. If there's an emergency (you hurt yourself, there's a storm, etc) you can still take a cab or get a ride from someone, by folding the bike and putting it in the trunk.<br><br>Maybe it's the prepper in me, but I have a tendency to overthink the "what ifs"...<br>

 

[Seraphim]

You've thought it out well. We each have our own priorities, and you've done a good job of considering yours. Not much else to say lol.