IF Reach DC: Long Test Ride IV

I've been uploading data from my Garmin 305 GPS of recent bike rides. This is the ride data of the latest test of the IF Reach DC folding electric bike. Of all the test rides, this is the slowest but that's no surprise. The battery pack had not been charged in a week and the tires were not fully inflated. A good ride all the same - have a look...

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for IF Reach DC: Long Test Ride IV

Cool Folding Bike Photo

by Larry Lagarde

This cool folding bike photo was sent to me by Siphiwe Ka Baleka, a long distance trucker who is determined to remain in shape. Judging by the photo, I'd say he's succeeding.

Spending most of his day driving an eighteen wheeler across country, Siphiwe travels through many of America's most scenic places. Only so much can be seen from the cab of a big rig though.

With his rugged Montague Paratrooper folding bike, Siphiwe can tackle any road or trail he chooses. When not in use, the bike folds to half it's normal size and stores neatly in a carry bag, keeping his living space in the cab clean.

Here are the comments Siphiwe submitted with the photo:

This photo was shot at Jackson Lake State Park in Colorado. Jackson Lake's marina has a large parking lot so I could park the truck with no problem. I was very eager to go riding so I took out the Paratrooper and quickly unfolded it....

Thanks for the photo, Siphiwe and keep on truckin'.

If you have a cool bike photo, send it via the "Email Us" link at the bottom of this page.

Folding Bikes On AirTran - Part III

CarryMe Folding Bikes Allowed As Carry-On
by Larry Lagarde

As I reported yesterday, AirTran's response was unclear as to whether folding bikes would be allowed on board their flights as a carry on. I rephrased my question and within 24 hours, I had a much clearer answer.

Basically, if the overall dimensions of the folding bike are 55 inches (Height + Length + Width) or less, AirTran will allow passengers to take the bike into the cabin as a carry on. In other words, if you have an A-Bike, CarryMe 1 spd or Carry Me DS, you can take the bike on and store it in the overhead bin above your seat. Unfortunately, the answer is not so great for other folding bikes.

If the overall dimensions of the bike are more than 55", it must be checked and is thus subject to AirTran's checked baggage regulations for bicycles. Sadly, even if your bike meets the overall dimensions and weight allowances that apply to checked bags in general (61" overall & max wt of 50 lbs), AirTran will charge you $79 each way for checking your bike. Ironically, on October 1, 2009, AirTran will be increasing the overall dimensional limit for checked bags to 70" but this change does not apply if the bag contains a bike.

If you're interested, here's a full transcript of my correspondence today with AirTran:

AirTran's Reply To My 2nd Query:

Dear Mr. Lagarde,

All customers traveling on AirTran Airways are restricted to one carry-on item and one personal item. Personal items include handbags, umbrellas, walking sticks, crutches, coats, cameras, reading material, infant food, briefcases, and laptop computers. Back packs may be considered a personal item, providing the bag is packed in a way that it will fit under the seat in front of you, if you are also traveling with a carry on bag. Back packs will be accepted as personal items subject to gate and flight crew discretion.

No carry-on item may exceed the overall dimensions of 55 inches (Height + Length + Width) and must fit under the seat or in the overhead bin. You may view our complete baggage policy online by following the link below:
http://www.airtran.com/policies/carry-on_checked.aspx

Should you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us again. We thank you for including AirTran Airways in your travel plans and we wish you a very pleasant flight.

Sincerely,

Melanie Britt
Customer Relations Department
AirTran Airways

My reply:

Melanie,

Forgive me but I just want to make sure I understand:

It sounds like you're telling me that if the collapsed bike fits in a bag with overall dimensions of 55 inches (Height + Length + Width) and if the bag fits in the overhead bin, I can take it aboard as a carry on at no additional charge. Is that correct?

Regards,

Larry Lagarde
RideTHISbike.com
Practical & Fun Bicycles That Fold For Storage, Travel & Convenience

Final answer from Airtran:

Dear Mr. Lagarde,

Thank you for your reply. That is correct. As long as it fits within our requirements it would be acceptable as your carry on luggage.

Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Melanie Britt
Customer Relations Department
AirTran Airways

With AirTran's dimensional limits for checked bags increasing soon to 70", hopefully, AirTran will see the hypocrisy of charging $79 for checked bags that contain a bike yet meet the limit.

If you'd like to fly on AirTran but are put off by this bike fee, TELL THEM TODAY. The more they hear from flyers, the more likely it is that the airline will respond.

Folding Bikes On AirTran - Part II

by Larry Lagarde

This past Tuesday, I contacted AirTran for a clarification on their regulations pertaining to folding bikes. Today I received the following reply from AirTran:

Dear Mr. Lagarde,

Non motorized bicycles with single seat will be accepted for carriage with a fee of $79.00 provided the bike is packed in a box by the customer and the handlebars and pedals are removed and stored to prevent damage. Bicycles must be packed in a box with no part of the vehicle exposed. Bicycles not properly packaged will not be accepted.

Please follow the link below to view our complete baggage policy.

http://www.airtran.com/policies/carry-on_checked.aspx

If you have further questions regarding baggage that are not covered here, please call AirTran Airways Reservations at 1-800-AIR-TRAN (1-800-247-8726), or 678-254-7999 in Atlanta.

Please do not hesitate to contact me again, should you need any further assistance. We thank you for including AirTran Airways in your travels and we look forward to serving you on your flight.

Sincerely,

Melanie Britt
Customer Relations Department
AirTran Airways

Since AirTran's reply did not answer my question, I replied by restating my question as follows:

Melanie,

You did not answer my question.

If an item is not prohibited by the TSA and meet's AirTran's overall dimensional limit of 55" for a carry on, can I carry it on board?

According to AirTran's carry on bag policy web page, Assistive Devices which collapse small enough to fit in the overhead are welcome in the cabin. When this bike is collapsed, it will easily fit in the overhead, taking up just a fraction of space.

Regards,

Larry Lagarde

Using logic and reason, if a carry on meet's an airline's size/weight restrictions and is not prohibited by the TSA, the carry on should be allowed aboard. So will AirTran address my question with a clear answer? I'll post their reply once I receive it so check back in a few days for the answer.

Outrageous Airline Surcharges

by Larry Lagarde

If ridiculously low air fares have you dreaming of flying away to finally take that perfect bike trip, beware. The cost to check your bike may actually be more than the airfare.

Take United, for example.
Right now, United has 5 different airfare sales going with pricing from $47-150 one way to all kinds of destinations but that's just half the story. The fee to check your bike one way on United is $175.

I reported on the $175 fee back in February when I was planning a trip to Los Angeles. I was traveling to a show with 2 folding bikes. Since any bike is subject to United's $175 fee, I would have been socked with $700 in fees for 2 tiny folding bikes (one being small enough to carry on).

Naturally, cyclists are getting frustrated. One called me from an airport today because he had just been fleeced by United for $175 to check his bike. It wasn't a folding bike but that's not the point. Are bicycles such a liability that airlines really need to charge such exorbitant fees? No way!

If you're tired of any of the petty fees airlines are imposing, here's an opportunity to speak out and be heard. Join the new Facebook Group...

Say NO To Bogus Airline Fees

Do it today and be heard.

Photos: Strida Duo Folding Bike

by Larry Lagarde

Here's a slideshow I did this evening with photos of the new Strida Duo folding bike.

By the way, these are being produced in extremely small quantities but I have them in stock - for the moment.

Folding Bikes On AirTran

Are Compact Folding Bikes Subject To AirTran's $79 Bicycle Fee?
by Larry Lagarde

This Fall, AirTran Airways will be offering a new non-stop service between New Orleans and Baltimore. I enjoy air travel but hate changing planes so this new flight could be useful to me - especially if I could take my CarryMe folding bike aboard as a carry on (just like Southwest allows).

Looking for answers, I visited AirTran's site and read through all the baggage policies. According to the site, Airtran allows passengers to bring aboard Assistive Devices "being collapsed small enough to fit in overhead bins"; such Assistive Devices do not count toward the carry-on limited either (cool). But what if they don't consider my compact folding bike as an Assistive Device? There were no prohibitions mentioning bikes and the CarryMe met the other published carry on guidelines (item length + width + height must be less than 55" and must fit in the overhead bin)...

Digging deeper, I found a reference to bicycles under Airtran's baggage policies for Sporting Equipment section of the checked baggage regulations; however, the info was vague and appeared to refer to full size, non-folding bikes. Would AirTran really charge $79 each way for a bike that folded so small that it could easily & safely fit in an overhead bin? To learn more, I wrote the following to AirTran using their online form:

I have an unusual piece of sporting equipment that I take when traveling. Smaller and lighter than AirTran's limit for golf equipment, it's a 17 lb bike that folds. When I fly Southwest, they let me carry it on and store it in the overhead.
Can I do this on AirTran too? Would any fees apply to flying AirTran with this?

Shortly after submitting my query, I received AirTran's standard auto reply which states that it can take 48 hours to receive an answer.

Will AirTran answer my questions like United did earlier this year (sending a general, canned response that had absolutely nothing to do with my question) or will I get a definitive answer? I'll let you know what happens in 48 hours.

Cool Folding Bike Photos

Sahara Desert Via Strida
by Larry Lagarde

From time to time, readers send me photos of their bikes. These photos can be quite interesting so I've decided to begin posting them under the heading "Cool Folding Bike Photos".

To begin the series, I've selected a photo from French cyclist Regis Fender. Regis was looking for a challenge and decided that he would ride a bike across Africa's Sahara Desert from Marrakech in Morocco to Saint Louis in Senegal.

A trek across the Sahara is not to be taken lightly so Regis did his homework and decided the best bike for the job would be a... Strida folding bike. Regis selected the Strida for it's simplicity, minimal maintenance requirements and portability.

Apparently, the Strida was a good choice because both he and the bike survived the 3000km/5 week adventure no worse for the wear (he did go through several tubes and tires though).

At first, I was somewhat skeptical that someone would ride a Strida alone for such a long distance and in such an inhospitable and remote place; however, Regis has sent me so many photos that the evidence is overwhelmingly in his favor. In fact, I will be posting more photos from him in the coming weeks.

Got a cool folding bike photo?
Email it to me as an attachment (jpg format please) along with a brief description and I'll post it.

Rock Star Folding Bike At Auction

by Larry Lagarde

If you're a fan of the Talking Heads and folding bikes, this may interest you. Former Talking Heads frontman/songwriter David Bryne is auctioning his well traveled Montague CX full size folding mountain bike.

According to a story that appeared on Road.cc, David has used this bike for years to sightsee while on the road touring with his band. David estimates it's been around the world four times. Major cities where David has ridden the Montague CX include Berlin, Buenos Aires, Istanbul, London, Manila, New York, San Francisco, and Rome.

If you want to bid on David's folding bike, the auction is taking place on eBay. Currently, the high bid stands at @ $1700 and bidding ends on August 16th. Proceeds from the sale are being donated to the London Cycling Campaign, an effort to make London "a world-class cycling city."

IF Reach DC Wins Again

by Larry Lagarde

This is getting embarrassing. Again, I have attempted to exhaust the battery pack on the prototype IF Reach DC folding electric bike and again the bike has beat me.

Okay. I'm not upset. In fact, I'm blown away by this bicycle. It's light, fast, has serious endurance and is a joy to ride. I just can't ride it enough.

Although yesterday had been a very long day, for over a week, I had been looking forward to riding the IF Reach DC on another long ride. So after dinner, I placed 2 Dosun M1 high output bike lights on the handlebars, filled up my waterbottle and hit the trail at 9:30 pm.

Initially, I rode the bike in High Torque mode, which is slightly faster but I decided to switch to Low Torque to see the difference. Cruising speed was a bit slower in Low Torque (max of 19.3 mph) but the motor stayed engaged the entire time (rather than switching on and off repeatedly) so I found the experience more enjoyable.

By 10:45 pm, I was out of time. I had ridden 30 miles and the motor still had juice. Next ride, I will not stop until the batteries quit. Stay tuned.

Slideshow: IF Reach DC

by Larry Lagarde

Here's a slideshow of photos I shot yesterday of the new IF Reach DC folding electric bike.

The shoot took place at the Michoud Assembly Center in New Orleans, LA., a long time NASA production facility. Pictured in the background is one of the last remaining Saturn V booster rockets in existence. The Saturn V is the largest and most powerful rocket of all time. It was used to propel the manned lunar missions and Skylab into space.

RideTHISbike.com DEAL OF THE WEEK

Buy Any Montague Bike & Get The Kickstand Free!

Here's an opportunity to save more money when buying a Montague or SwissBike. Starting today and running through August 14th, buy any model folding bike made by Montague (DX, CX, MX, Paratrooper, SwissBike TX, LX or XO) and you can receive the kickstand free of charge. Just order the bike without the kickstand and write the following in the comments: DEAL OF THE WEEK - FREE Kickstand.

By the way, order an XO and I'll even throw in the Montague/SwissBike carry bag!

LL

Contortionist Folding Bike

by Larry Lagarde

Folding bicycles must be on the minds of a lot of designers because new folding bike designs are appearing with surprising frequency. The latest is the Contortionist by Dominic Hargreaves; it's quite interesting too.



The Contortionist folding bike is a full size bike that folds within the circumference of a standard sized bicycle wheel. As with the IF MODE folding bike, the Contortionist incorporates mono hubs front and rear. The result is that the entire bike folds within the wheel rims. By folding one of the handlebar ends outward (rather than in), it can serve as a tiller for rolling the bike folded. The folded mass is fairly wide when compared to the MODE; however, as most folding bikes go, the bike's folded width is tolerable.

Although the Contortionist folding bike pictured in the video is a life sized rolling prototype, the designer must still be working to sort out the drive train as the left crank arm and pedal are missing. Also, with so many folding points, it remains to be seen whether the design can stand up to the rigors of real world cycling conditions. Regardless, it's fascinating to watch the bike fold/unfold and the clean, oval frame holds great visual appeal.

In fact, Hargreaves may even win the Dyson Award for this. I wish you the best, Dominic.