For you weight weenies:
https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/bikes/pr ... e-11107031

Cool; thanks for posting.

Hmmm. Looks like a couple of those would fit easily into the back of my Kitfox. Thanks for sharing.

I am a bit of a weight weenie and that bike would be GREAT. It would lighten my wallet excellently.

I also need gears. 1 or 4 does not cut it where I would want to ride it.

For that $ I could buy a nice used motorcycle, or a lifetime of Uber, and a Dahon or Montague or similar.

I respect the science, effort, engineering and execution, but WAY out of my price range.

3,495 British Pounds = $4,568 USD GULP!!

Mountain Doctor wrote:I am a bit of a weight weenie and that bike would be GREAT. It would lighten my wallet excellently.

I also need gears. 1 or 4 does not cut it where I would want to ride it.

For that $ I could buy a nice used motorcycle, or a lifetime of Uber, and a Dahon or Montague or similar.

I respect the science, effort, engineering and execution, but WAY out of my price range.

Cost wise, that's about 1000 gallons of LL for the Prodrive Hummingbird. If I were to replace my old (1982) Dahon with an equivalent current Dahon, it would cost me maybe the equivalent of 130 gallons of LL. Weight savings of the Hummingbird over my old Dahon, which is admittedly weighty, is maybe the equivalent of 3 gallons of LL. Weight savings of a current Dahon over my old Dahon is about 1 1/2 gallons of LL. The Hummingbird is about 1 1/2 gallons lighter than a new Dahon. The Hummingbird's quickie folding method is definitely quicker than my Dahon or a new Dahon, but both fold smaller and therefore fit easier into my airplane's baggage area, while still leaving room for my second Dahon or a Yeti cooler, and a whole bunch of other stuff, in spite of my airplane's smallish baggage area.

Thanks, but I'll pass--it seems to me that Prodrive is literally trying to reinvent the wheel to fill a niche that isn't there. Dahon and Bike Friday have filled that niche (small wheel folders) admirably for many years, at prices much less than Prodrive is asking. Both of my Dahons are in such good shape that I'll likely never replace them, but if I did, it would be with Dahons--they're good bikes (even if they look pretty silly being ridden by adults).

Cary

After spending some time in Metro London, I saw the use for quick light folding bikes. People carry their folding bikes onto the buses, trains, and subways then ride to destinations.

I rode a Brompton while there and it was a very nice bike and folds up quite nicely for one handed carry. I can see if I were commuting on a daily basis where this would be handy. And Bill, it has multiple gears.

A 6 speed Brompton is about $1,600 USD range new. The Hummingbird is also a UK product and is 11 lbs lighter than the Brompton for over twice the price. That is about $270/lb. Then again people commute in a Mercedes when a Ford would do just as well.

TD

TomD wrote:After spending some time in Metro London, I saw the use for quick light folding bikes. People carry their folding bikes onto the buses, trains, and subways then ride to destinations.

I rode a Brompton while there and it was a very nice bike and folds up quite nicely for one handed carry. I can see if I were commuting on a daily basis where this would be handy. And Bill, it has multiple gears.

A 6 speed Brompton is about $1,600 USD range new. The Hummingbird is also a UK product and is 11 lbs lighter than the Brompton for over twice the price. That is about $270/lb. Then again people commute in a Mercedes when a Ford would do just as well.

TD

The Bromptons are awesome, Very nice units.

I like the concept of thinking about money in terms of gallons of avgas.... I do that myself sometimes.

I also look at blondes in terms of useful load...

As far as the price goes, I get it. I have about $7,000 tied up in bikes. I could have gotten by on a fifth of that, but for me it is worth the money. I like it, it's healthy, and I do it a lot. I'm sure it is worth it to the person who wants it. Lord knows I have wasted thousands on stuff I don't need, toys like airplanes etc. We all pick and choose our extravagances.

Then again people commute in a Mercedes when a Ford would do just as well.

Worth it!

I didn't even look at the price on that light folder, not my cup of tea anyway. It's title is what caught my eye.

I have a bit over 4K in my 1300 watt Rohloff geared hub Montague, and it's worth it to me, don't much care if seems high to someone else! The hub is half the price, (laced onto a new wheel, shipped) but it is the last geared hub I'll ever need to buy, they are that good. If I get another bike I'll swap the Rohloff out. Plus the speed spread between the hauling ass (37 mph, fast on a bike trust me) top gear, and the stump pulling/ride straight up lowest gear is unlike any other bike gearing system available. Couple that with it's legendary reliability and great rep and it was one those "screw it, I want it, I'm getting it" moments, one of those moments that make me appreciate not being married. I seem to remember having to justify spending wads of cash to my ex, still that way you guys? So besides zipping around a town from the airstrip at high rates of speed, I also have a trail rider, a twoferone. Light it isn't though, all up about 55 lbs, but the S-7S handles it just fine, still doing lots of high altitude (9 K+ anyway, off airport) and with full camp gear on board also.

courierguy wrote:I didn't even look at the price on that light folder, not my cup of tea anyway. It's title is what caught my eye.

I have a bit over 4K in my 1300 watt Rohloff geared hub Montague, and it's worth it to me, don't much care if seems high to someone else! The hub is half the price, (laced onto a new wheel, shipped) but it is the last geared hub I'll ever need to buy, they are that good. If I get another bike I'll swap the Rohloff out. Plus the speed spread between the hauling ass (37 mph, fast on a bike trust me) top gear, and the stump pulling/ride straight up lowest gear is unlike any other bike gearing system available. Couple that with it's legendary reliability and great rep and it was one those "screw it, I want it, I'm getting it" moments, one of those moments that make me appreciate not being married. I seem to remember having to justify spending wads of cash to my ex, still that way you guys? So besides zipping around a town from the airstrip at high rates of speed, I also have a trail rider, a twoferone. Light it isn't though, all up about 55 lbs, but the S-7S handles it just fine, still doing lots of high altitude (9 K+ anyway, off airport) and with full camp gear on board also.

I don't have to justify spending wads to anyone but me, my wallet, and my stock broker--Marilyn and I don't mix our accounts. If I'm not careful, though, I'll be out of stock, my wallet will be flat, and there won't be any wads left! Meanwhile, I don't know anyone who ever took it with him/her. If I can time things right, I'll be out of funds just about the time my ticker stops ticking. Because I'm as skilled as anyone at spending money on things I don't need, the hard part is not running out before then!

Meanwhile, I seem to have run out of things that my airplane needs, beyond the usual replacements for stuff that wears out and normal maintenance. I just got back from flitting around for about 45 minutes, and everything's working (except the anti-turbulence equipment--it was bumpier than bicycling on big rocks!). The recent annual (just before the eclipse) was about as clean as can be--I need a new ELT battery, which is on order, and soon the throttle cable will need to be replaced. But compressions are good, the engine runs as smoothly as any other O-360, every piece of avionics works as it should, God is in His Heaven, and all's right with the world--except for my friends who are crazy enough to be toughing out Irma instead of evacuating, and I hope He hears my prayers for them and protects them.

Cary

I'm always on the Craig's List lookout for a mid priced folder.

I did a quick assessment of the bikes my wife and I own. Pretty much adds up to a nicely equipped Lexus. Probably a good thing we don't care much for cars, let alone fancy ones.

I just finished up another ebike build for the crane, carried on board at all times "just in case." The cheapest of my three, only about $1200.00.
I found some trick folding handlebars that made it possible to fit the full sized 27.5" mountain bike in my existing tool compartment. I can get it out and ride off in about 20 seconds, so no more getting stuck at the job site. In two days I have a crane job below Borah Peak, and hopefully will have time to take a ride through Double Springs Pass, which cuts through the Lemhi Range. It also has numerous trails cutting off going to who knows where, I wouldn't want to do that on a bike with small wheels.

Note the liberal use of pipe wrap tape, it quickly solves many problems while giving the bike a look that makes it less likely to get stolen. This one is lightest ebike yet, 47 lbs. That's light for one of them. At my local bike shop yesterday, I picked up a bare frame and about threw it through the ceiling, all carbon. Looking at the beautiful work on it, made me want the guy who built it to build me an air frame.

I think air frames are the way to go nowadays...

Good place to carry your air guitar.

Great build, BTW. I love those bars!

Hello everyone,

Says courier guy, “I have a bit over 4K in my 1300 watt Rohloff geared hub Montague, and it's worth it to me,“

Thanks for all your prior info on this thread. Am rethinking doing this for my Paratrooper Pro for travel in my Cessna 182. Was wondering if any new technology/products have appeared of late that I should look at before taking the leap? Any advice appreciated. Thanks

Blue skies,

Tommy

For a folder that can handle trail riding, the Montague is still the hot setup. Assuming you don't want to take the time to re assemble a regular bike that is. I had no choice, I needed a folding frame, and I really like the sub 3 minutes it takes me from shutting the plane to riding off, about half that time is un securing it, the bike unfolding is nothing, fitting the front wheel brake disc between the calipers can be finicky, but still, only 15-20 seconds to do that and secure the axle.

The BBSHD or the lighter, less expensive, and less gutty BBS02 is still preferred for conversions. All of mine have been trouble free. The Rohloff hub, if you go that route, is simply unbeatable and is the last thing I worry about. The only issues I have had have plagued cyclists from day one, flat tires and falling off/over/running into things.

Get on Luna Cycle's site and get a package deal: battery, motor, charger, etc., for your best bang for the buck. Get the "hod rod" tuning, the extra power does not have to be used and will not hurt the range, but when in a hurry it's nice to have. I can't imagine flying without a bike, when going XC anyway, and would never go back to NOT having one onboard. I wish it weren't so, because they weigh and cost, but the advantages for me anyway are too great to pass up. Safety is a big part, knowing I can land somewhere and get around on my own and keep myself amused while waiting out bad weather. This feature makes up almost for the beating the bike gives me, at least the plane stays safe.

Thanks courier guy for the confirmation. I am not that far from Luna so I may just visit them to see about a package deal.

Any tips on where to purchase a Rohloff? On eBay you can see the basic unit along with the hand controller and a long bracket in the $1,300-1,400 range. But the same set is also sold for up to $1,000+ more! Also there is a more complete kit with some cables, bottle of oil, etc. for $100 more. Worth getting?

Thanks again for all your help.

Best,

Tommy

Stopping by Luna? That should be a hoot, I'm not sure they are set up for retail walk ins, but what the heck, give it a shot. If nothing else, make your order via the web (don't expect someone to pick up the phone, ain't gonna happen) and then make a note that you will pick everything up, that should work. Keep in mind you're dealing with ebike fanatics, not pro business retailers, they are learning as they go, but their heart is in the right place, and the main thing is they offer great pricing and only deal quality stuff. If you happen to talk to the grand poobah (unlikely) Eric, mention the guy in Idaho, me/our flying connection, he is former Air Force I am told.

Recently equipping my new fatbike also with a Rohloff hub, I had few options, as the fat models seem to be hard to come by. The "standard" model, which is what you want for the Montague, is readily available through various vendors. Turns out, my best deal I could find on the fat hub was thru Luna, as they had bought a batch to use on one of their fat e bikes. Whether or not they have or can get the standard hub is something I'd ask when you order, via customer support. Otherwise, I'd just shop around and see what you can find. You will also need a 160 mm "MonkeyBone", from Cycle Monkey, the US distributor for Rohloff. It is a CNC bracket that replaces the stock disc brake bracket while offering a lug that engages the OEM 2 torque plate. Not rocket science, but confusing at first. Cycle Monkey can hold your hand, but their prices are high, at least for the hub itself. They are in the SF Bay area.

I rode my new fattie to my mailbox for the first time a few days ago, 1.5 miles, as usual I was in top gear once I got there, at the bottom of a hill. It is so convenient to just be able to hit any gear you want, while at a standstill, can't do that with a derailleur system! Trail riding, when faced with an unexpected steep incline, same deal, just back off pedaling for a half second and make the shift. The only problem with the Rohloff is that they spoil you, and that's why I bought another for my fattie.

Hi Tom,

Thanks again for your valuable advice. Have decided to forego a trip to Europe and do the Rohloff/Luna conversion to my Paratrooper Pro along with some minor eye surgery. Am 71 and fairly fit but probably will not do any difficult trails. Backcountry roads will be about the Max. So am trying to decide the configuration to order from Luna.

For the most part will ride to/from Y (gym/pool) and airport. These are both about 3 miles one-way from my home which is on a hill that I now cannot pedal up. (Although I would like to pedal as much as possible.)Thus the motivation for the setup. Have electricity at airport for charging.

Am not against spending extra to minimize weight, in general, and for the 182. Any advice for the drive/battery/charger configuration from Luna would be appreciated. Am looking at this for say 5-10 years out when I might need more assist.

Blue skies,

Tommy