T&T: Best and smallest folding bikes ?

[John Foltz]

We have two folding bikes on Freedom .

One is made by Giant, the other is by Xoots.
1. The Xoots is lightweight and has top class components. Folding it  
up is more cumbersome and it is rather pricey.

2. The Giant was a real surprise to me. It was much less in cost. It's  
a bit heavier, has folding peddles, and a folding handlebar. It has a  
handy suitcase style snap in the middle, so you can stash it away in a  
hurry. It resists corrosion better than the Xoots. It comes with a  
luggage rack, and fenders. It's a solid unit -- and as I am a big guy  
-- it has held up well.

Baskets for groceries??
  Well here's what I do.
I bought a $29.00 Old Lady grocery cart at the discount store.  I have  
a few Velcro straps, which I hook to the back of the Giant luggage  
rack. We have hauled more than a hundred bucks of groceries with it,  
we hauled deliveries from vendors and today I carried a full case of  
Saranac beer from the brewery in Utica, NY to the boat.

Here's a photo of me with said contraption.
http://www.boathousejournal.com/folding_bike.jpg

If you can stand people laughing at you it might be just what you want.

If you have other questions, contact me off-line.

John Foltz
M/V Freedom
PT38
----------------------
2520 Vestal Parkway East # 309
Vestal, NY 13850
607-754-4774
john at boathousejournal.com