Traveling with Folding Bikes

In China visitors just buy a bike wherever you are and then sell it back to the vendor when you leave.
Tempting to do the same in Europe, but local rentals are almost as easy.
Unless you are really finicky about the fit of the Dahon, it is indeed ridiculous to carry them with you.

If you don't consider yourselves athletes, how experienced are you in riding these bikes? Do you already own them? Do you really want to commit to carrying them everywhere? I can only imagine the most dedicated cyclists doing this. Traveling naturally gives you lots of opportunities for exercise - usually walking but also with bike rentals widely available (and public transport for when your feet are tired).

Real camping with gear or maybe taking advantage of a cute camping cabin (pretty common in Scandinavia)? I'd do the latter. While we have staff here who have camped and biked at the same time, Rick has also called camping by public transport (instead of a car) "more like boot camp."

"and also get in shape while traveling." ?

If you are not already "in shape", this could be a less than ideal situation.

No idea where you live, but perhaps you could do a "test run" to a local nearby town, using public transportation and see how that experiment goes.

I think I would look to rent locally in Europe if you wanted to bike around. If you bring your own and determine its not working out, what are you going to do with them?

Buying a folding bike in Europe is pretty cost prohibitive with the terrible exchange rate (Cnd$). We are getting the bikes this week and embarking on a serious exercise program with them before we travel. We aren't athletes...yet, we are working towards it! We used to be the kind of family that did multi-day hiking trips into the backcountry so we are used to 'roughing' it. We've got that kind of gear already. I got too caught up in my career and we stopped, and also we moved to where it's winter 10 months of the year, yuck. I'm not really interested in cabin camping, it can be expensive. We are travelling on a shoe-string (by choice) so camping is a great way to save money, and bikes give us the ability to get to campgrounds off the beaten path. I've been looking at cycling day trips in the Cotswolds, Bavaria and in Switzerland. We will have many city days as well, but having bikes would save us the expense of public transit, and folders mean we can still use transit in bad weather. I know some cities have free bike rental and some you can rent folders. 30-35 days of rentals at $60/day (exchange rate) each is about double the cost of having our own bikes with us.

IMHO....that is A LOT of countries to be dragging bikes to....if it were one or two I could see it, but as this is your first time taking folding bikes on a trans-Atlantic trip, it seems like more of a hinderance than a plus.

Don't forget to pack helmets and first aid kits, also bike tools, light for the handlebars, may places require this, and a reflective band or vest..

.when I had brought a bicycle over to London from NYC 20+ years ago they did not have the correct wrench to access the handlebar height adjustment...everything will be different, even the availability of the inner tube size that you need for a small folding bicycle...I rode my bicycle all over Ireland and used it in London...but did not take it to the Continent...I took public transport.

Think it through and be prepared to ditch the bicycles along the way...an open mind makes a happy traveler!

A self-guided hotel-to-hotel cycling holiday arranged by a tour company that supplies (and maintains) good bikes and transports your luggage would be a much better option. Look at the wide range of such holidays offered by InnTravel and Headwater for a start. These are both companies I have done many tours with and can strongly recommend. You could link several holidays in different countries and travel by train between them.

It sounds like a lot of logistics to me but here is a blog that a friend of mine does who lives in Italy and travels all over Europe with his bike. He is very efficient and well organized so if you are serious about this adventure he would be a great resource. He is an expert and I know he uses a special app just for bikers to get directions for point to point with either bike paths or less traveled roads. Good luck!!!

https://freewheelingfreelancer.com

Any particular reason you chose the Dahon bike? The Dahon is designed primarily for short, commuting rides, quick fold for the subway, etc. There are other, probably better, choices in folding bikes if you want to tour between cities and do some light camping. With some folding bikes there is no airline charge.

If not in shape it is hard (can be done but) to ride yourself into shape. I am not as discouraging about your plan as some of the others are. With the proper bike it is a great way to get around and can be very enjoyable depending on where you are going.

I've actually changed my mind and we will go with the Tern D8, it folds easier, has a bigger crank and fits my 6' son better. We checked them out last night for the second time. It's more than I wanted to spend but the frustration factor is lower. We are working on our fitness, jogging, cycling and weight training, so we should be ok that way before we travel. We are looking to do 10-20km a day, not 50km+ is all I meant. We can also leave the bikes with family if we want days without them. I've read people's online articles about doing this kind of trip but was just hoping to get some other feedback. Thanks for the good ideas.

I still think there are better choices in bikes.

As the owner and regular use of a Dahon foldie, I caution you about this plan

Unless you go really high end (and maybe even then), these guys are both (1) heavy and (2) awkward. Awkward when folded, I mean. Awkward to wheel folded and to heft about.

The terns are about a pound lighter, but 26 lb is still a lot to haul, plus other bags.

You probably know that, again excepting perhaps the high-end models, foldies do not perform as well as conventional bikes. They are not as comfortable or fun to ride. They can feel a little squirley. They don't handle bumps and ruts and potholes as well. My commute includes about 10 miles total on mine (plus a train ride). I don't use it for longer rides.

These bikes offer some distinct advantages, but be sure to weigh the disadvantages too.

For the same money, you can rent an awful lot of bike overseas.

The starting point is you are in trouble or about to get in trouble if you are asking this forum for advice about bike touring across nine countries on a folding commuter bike that you have yet to buy or ride. The next point is that your itinerary is too ambitious unless you are looking at 90 plus days of touring.

For a first time bike tour in Europe, keeping the route to one or two countries over a couple of weeks at most would be a start. Booking and renting through a self-guided tour company may be a better option unless you are willing to do a lot of self-initiated research as to routes.

And if you really want or need traveling bikes for self-contained tours, look at bikes designed for touring such as the Bike Friday bikes with travel case that can be used as a bike trailer.

Jeeny

I went to websíte. Does that Tern D8 reallycost CAD$1000?! That is a lot of money and there are much better options.

The folding bike is a nice gimmick. Carry one in the trunk of your car and then pull it out to tool around in the city, ride slowly say 10-20 blocks can be pleasant day. But it is a completely different story if you intend to bike tour between towns. 10 to 20+ kiometres is a lot of hard riding on a small folding bike Those small diameter tires will make it slow going and tiring.

Have you ever biked with a backpack, 10 - 20 pounds on your back? I guarantee you will be in a lot of pain after 5 kilometres. That extra weight on your back and ass will kill you. If there are any hills, if you stand up to pump, your legs will be jelly in a minute with all the extra weight on your back. Also, your center of gravity is much higher with the backpack which makes you less stable and expose you to more risk particularly on a narrow road. I suggest you start test-packing and weighing your gear. A tent and sleeping bag alone has significant weight​ and volume, let alone clothes, cooking utensils and other stuff.

You will probably end up with $1000 boat anchors to haul around Europe unless you sell or dispose of them.

If you insist on doing bike-touring, you really need a full sized bike, not a gimmick or toy, and saddle bags. I suggest you look at some buy and sell site or a used bike shop for your first destination (loot.com or gumtree.com in London UK?) and arrange to buy a half decent used bike for about £100-200 upon arrival, and use a rack and saddlebags. Standard bikes are easy to fix and to get parts. Can you say the same with the Tern? At the end of the trip, sell it, give it àway or transport home.

Here is link: http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/buying-a-second-hand-bike-in-london/

I really hope you write a trip report when you do take your trip.

Hopefully you will have a positive report to make and prove all of us with misgivings wrong.

Looking at your 5-19 post with your calculation for rental working out to 1800cdn$, looks like the cost of your latest choice in bikes totals 2k+ cdn$ Does the math still work in your favor?

Best wishes for an enjoyable trip

Jenny, I came across this Canadian bike tour company when searching for off-beat tours in France, and thought it could be worth your while to contact them as they seem very experienced in cycling in Europe and must have good local back-up people, as well as willing to offer flexible arrangements. I can't help feeling what they offer would be both less expensive and less hassle for you.