Fit a bicycle??

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evboy

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 12, 2015
Messages
198
If you fold the back seats down, can u lay a 26 inch beach cruiser in the back seat.
 
never tried that but my 57cm road frame with traditional racing geometry and drop bars fits if I remove both wheels. The front passenger seat needs to be all the way forward and unuseable for passengers.
you could take the bike to a dealer with a gas or ev spark for sale and try it out. Wrap it in a clean sheet to be nice :)
Good luck!
 
how could i attach the bike to the outside of the car. the plan is to ride the bike home while charging and then ride it back to pick up the car
 
evboy said:
how could i attach the bike to the outside of the car. ...
There are many threads about this subject on this forum.
A 'strap-on' bike rack would have the upper straps pressing down on the plastic 'spoiler' above the rear glass.
If you had a light bike instead of a 40 lb beach cruiser, it would be easier on the plastic.
But you still have to worry about theft of the bike and the rack.

What about a folding bike like a Bike Friday or a Dahon?
These are proper adult sized bikes, they just have small wheels.
What about a folding E-bike ! It would be your EV tender!
 
how would someone steal my bike. i attach the bike to the car and drive to the station and plug it in. i then take the bike off the car and ride home. 4 to 7 hours later i ride the bike back to the station and attach it to the car and drive home and then put the bike back in my apartment.

also i wouldnt be caught dead on those folding bikes and on top of that they cost 1300 dollars. I cant think of a bigger scam and waste of money. I will stick to my 36 pound SE beach cruiser with landing gear forks for 250.00 you can have the girly folding bike for 1300. Next ur going to tell me to dumb the sparky and buy this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrTZij_bYGc
 
evboy said:
... you can have the girly folding bike for 1300. ,...
Thanks! I will.
I'll be packing it in its suitcase and visiting Maui this winter, with no added fees for the bike!
And fully packed with riding gear the suitcase probably doesn't weigh 36 lbs. I should check...

It does take a real man to ride a single speed 36 pounder, and think that's cool... ;)

Still, what about your plastic wingy thingy on the hatch? And the rack? Will you take it off each time?

There are El'Cheapo folders and they can be a proper fit for an adult. When riding one you don't know you're on 20" wheels.
And you can carry it up the steps to your 3rd floor aparment a little easier than that behemouth you have now!

Mine is the real-deal, made in America, Bike Friday. Totally high-end components. Totally for the bike snob,,, so ignore me before I go on about bikes.... :p
 
does your folding bike have gears? also, since ive been riding single speed cruisers my resting heart rate dropped from 84 bpm to 62. its been good overall for me all ball busting aside.
 
I've fit my full size bike in the car. Fold the seat down and pop off the front wheel. It's not hard. I always put the bike in rear wheel first then turn the handles so that they will be parallel to the hatch. You can still seat two people that way.
 
too much work. i have to take the nuts off and then put them back on and then take them off and put them back on again. i guess i can walk the 10 minutes back and forth. no biggie. i wont be buying the car until probably march anyway.
 
evboy said:
does your folding bike have gears? ...
3 X 10 Ultegra Road Group , Baby.
20" wheels but top end components all the way!

A used road bike with quick release wheels can be had for not much. Be sure to get your size. CL almost gives them away.
But then it would be light, fast and effortless to ride, you might not like it!! ;)
 
i only buy used. looking at 2015 now. i was going to go 2014 but the a123 batteries pushed me to 2015.
 
norton what if u unfold it and its not as locked as u think while riding and it opens up. that can be a real dangerous wipeout..... i go about 8 mph on my BC. what do u get up to on your folding bike flat surface.
 
evboy said:
>norton what if u unfold it and its not as locked as u think while riding and it opens up.
>>...i go about 8 mph on my BC. what do u get up to on your folding bike flat surface.
>I would be a Dumb Chit to have that happen. :lol:
A Bike Friday New World Tourist is not a 'Quick Fold' Bike. The frame is under tension when in riding position, so it can't 'fold up' when riding.
It's more of a 'Suitcase' bike. Bike Friday does make a Quick Fold, the Ticket I think it is. It's mainly for commuters, such as yourself.

>>Do you want the truth, or how I feel sometimes?? ;)
You and me, on the road or bike trail, next to the beach. Your home turf! Sprint, 1, 5, 20 miles,,, you call it!! But you on your SS 36 pounder, OK? :!: Loser buys the beer! :cool:
 
Schwinn has folding bicycle with 7 speeds for about $200. It's not the best components, but it'll do for leisurely rides around the lake and beach cruising. It fits in SparkEV when folded. It take me about 2 minutes to put it together, but I take my time. It's actually hard to mess up as loose stuff affect the ride right away, and the redundancies (ie, pins) prevent catastrophe if you're only moving 10 MPH.

I take my dual suspension Trek for trail riding and 18 speed road bike for long distance. But for quick leisurely ride, folding bike works great.
 
Folding bicycles have as many gears as you want, from about 1 to 21, and they certainly are the perfect fit for a smaller EV. They also travel well, on buses, trains, ferries, and airplanes and almost always without any additional fee. They weigh well under 50 pounds so airlines treat them as a regular piece of baggage, even on domestic flights. Some collapsed foldables even use one wheel as a caster so you can roll it instead of having to carry it.

But back to their use in EVs; my BikeFriday Tikit (16" wheels) fits nicely in the rear hatch (also without the removable "ledge"/trunk cover), similar to the Dahon above. It has it's own integral cover for when folded and thus keeps the car clean(er). My BikeFriday Pocket 8 (20" wheels) goes into the back seat or on top of one seat when folded down. I could easily fit 5-6 BikeFridays in the Spark with the back seats down.

As for price, foldables are expensive, but largely because most have topnotch Shimano and other similar components. There are many now in the used market, though, from many different makers. You can easily find one for under $1000 US.

As for external options, especially for larger, non-folding bikes, there appear to be very few. I have yet to see a roof rack for the Spark (which would have significant extra drag), and it appears from the comments above that a hitch-mounted rack--my preferred option--is a non-starter at this point. Hatch-racks are tricky due to the Spark's fairing, and not optimal for many reasons anyway.
Stepping back a bit, I will say that even with a folding bike, it's nice to have an external rack. It keeps the car cleaner and able to hold four people, and is quicker to load/unload when using it as a "dingy." I wish someone would make or adapt a hitch mount for the Spark EV.
 
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