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Folding Bicycle In RV14 Baggage

RayJr

Active Member
Hi,

Has anyone tried putting folding bike(s) in the back on their 14?

I don't have a folding bike or any experience with them, but seems like it might be a neat idea if they would fit.

I'd be curious to know what model of bike anyone has gotten in there. Some of them seem pretty small when they're all folded up

Cheers
 
I have been shopping folding bicycles and it appears that just about any of them I have seen will fit. I am torn right now between Brompton and Montague. The Montague offers full size wheels but the Brompton appears to be the gold standard, very well built, with tons of after market accessories and easy to find parts.

Mind you, my 14 is still on order so I am speculating having seen the bikes in person and having seen the size of the 14 baggage compartment. This is not based on actual empirical evidence.
 
I have a Montague Paratrooper and a Brompton 3 speed. The Montague is a better bike. My Paratrooper is considerably upgraded, air forks, hydraulic brakes, etc, weighs around 27#. The Brompton is stripped down, no fenders and weighs around 20#. It takes time to get the Montague ready to ride. Brompton is ready to go in seconds. Both will get you into town. Brompton is much small and lighter.
 
I have a Montague Paratrooper and a Brompton 3 speed. The Montague is a better bike. My Paratrooper is considerably upgraded, air forks, hydraulic brakes, etc, weighs around 27#. The Brompton is stripped down, no fenders and weighs around 20#. It takes time to get the Montague ready to ride. Brompton is ready to go in seconds. Both will get you into town. Brompton is much small and lighter.

Very interesting. They both fit in ok? Could you fit 2 bikes in there plus your flight bag or anything else?
 
Very interesting. They both fit in ok? Could you fit 2 bikes in there plus your flight bag or anything else?

The Montague won't fit in the RV-4. Only one Brompton will fit. I put the Brompton in the back seat. I never tried to put it in the baggage compartent.
 
We have been routinely flying for several years, with a pair of Brompton Type M, folding bikes. They are not electric, but 6 speed, light weight and extremely well designed. We bought the titanium frame options and with the travel bag, they each weigh 27 pounds. Both fit nicely in the baggage of our RV-14a with plenty of room for personal bags. :D

Greg Novotny
KTIW
RV-14a N14ZP
375 hours
 

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We have been routinely flying for several years, with a pair of Brompton Type M, folding bikes. They are not electric, but 6 speed, light weight and extremely well designed. We bought the titanium frame options and with the travel bag, they each weigh 27 pounds. Both fit nicely in the baggage of our RV-14a with plenty of room for personal bags. :D

Well look at that. That answers it about as well as it could be answered. Thanks for sharing Greg. I'm going to start bike shopping I think. :D
 
We have been routinely flying for several years, with a pair of Brompton Type M, folding bikes. They are not electric, but 6 speed, light weight and extremely well designed. We bought the titanium frame options and with the travel bag, they each weigh 27 pounds. Both fit nicely in the baggage of our RV-14a with plenty of room for personal bags. :D

Greg Novotny
KTIW
RV-14a N14ZP
375 hours

@GigAir.....Wow! Totally gonna steal, poach, plagiarize that idea. Except we'll be on -7. If the bikes don't fit we can always go hiking!:D
 
Greg N was kind enough to advise us of the Brompton bikes that accompany his RV.
We went a different route and acquired Carbo Electric bikes.
They fit in the back well enough but we have not yet acquired travel bags as
Carbo does not provide same. We continue to search for a bag that fits our needs.Carbo does not fold up as small as the Brompton bike.
 

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The folding Bromptons have been a game changer for us. During the worst of Covid, while most of our friends were hunkered down at home, we had a different game plan. Krista would pack a lunch and we would fly to one of the dozens of former logging towns or Coastal Oregon airports, here in the Pacific NW (for instance Nehalem Bay State Airport 3S7 ). Typically we would Bike 15-20 miles, have a picnic lunch and fly home, in time for Beer30. The Bromptons each have over 1000 miles on them, and have been bulletproof. They are not touring bikes, but very capable in loose gravel, dirt, or asphalt. The ride is quite comfortable with Marathon tires. Go with the 6 speed for maximum utility. Joe Bob gives them a “10”! YMMV :D

Greg Novotny
Tacoma Narrows
Gig Harbor, WA
RV-14a N14ZP
 
Greg

Thanks for the tips on the bikes. Presently building my RV14A and these will be a definite purchase. Located just north of you near Vancouver and will be frequently doing day and overnight trips to interesting places around the PNW.
 
Tern folding bikes fit great

Take 2 Tern folding bikes with us every trip in the 14A, still lot of room for bags. We've biked 40 miles a day on these. Very good cross country machines, like the 14 !!
 
I've packed two Montague folding bikes in my PA28-180, but there's no way they will fit in my new RV-14A. There are so many great little airports to fly into that I consider having a bike on board as essential equipment in those cases. I considered the Brompton, but chose the Montagues for the larger wheels. It has been a great bike although not as well designed for compact folding as the Brompton. There seem to be a number of other Brompton-like folding bike options out there at a lower price point.
 
After reading this thread, I got interested in the idea for my little RV-3B and looked at and rode a Brompton and a GoCycle, both folding electric bikes. Both rode decently enough and neither would fit into the RV-3B baggage compartment.

The Brompton's folding envelope is exclusive of the battery, which is a separate package and which would also need to be included. Be aware of that if you're looking at the specs.

The Brompton's non-electric bike rides better, in my opinion, than their electric one, but not enough to matter.

The GoCycle electric bike rides about as well as the Bromption, and it would be fine once you got used to it. But it's folding envelope is larger.

Dave
 
I'll admit to this being slightly off topic, but full size road bikes with couplers fit in the baggage compartment of the 10 easily. I would expect similar results could be obtained with the RV-14. When we carry bikes the ride is typically the focus of the trip; if basic transportation is desired then a Brompton is hard to beat. Photos are of our tandem, but singles with S&S couplers would be slightly easier. Ritchey breakaway frames are also an option for a full-sized bike that travels well.

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Note that photos are from different trips. The amount of breakdown we do depends on what else we're carrying.
 
There's a modification kit for the RV-10 that adds centerline hard points and a centerline external travel pod specifically for fold up bikes. Has anyone tried getting that onto a 14 yet?
 
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