Want to buy bicycles and was wondering how many people have the folding bicycles and if they like them?  Do they fold up easy?  Where do you put them when you are travelling?

We have a Dahon folding bike. It is great for getting around the RV park, but not so much for long rides. The handle bars set straight up, making it a bit uncomfortable. It folds up easily and we have a bag to store it in. We put it in the back of the SUV when traveling.

I meant to ask also if you had a choice would you buy the folding bicycle or a regular one?

We have the same kind and same opinion as Tylersamma. We got the fold ups so we could store them in the basement of our 5er. It's a trade off.. Ease of storage....get the fold up.....Riding comfort.....get a real bike. The fold up is OK for around a park but no good for a bike ride.

We have had our folding bike about 5 years now. We are looking at replacing with regular bikes because we want to ride more for the exercise. The foldup is just not suited for long rides.

I had a folding bicycle for about 3 years. Although it saved space, I never felt it was very stable once I got off of the cement or blacktop. It seems that a lot of parks we stay at have gravel roads or trails, so I finally sold it and got a regular bike.  

Much happier now.

Jim 

We got folding ones when they were on sale at Camping World. Also got the bags and they each sit as "passengers" in the back seat of of Freightliner, held in with seatbelts as all good passengers should.

Another question:  Can't talk my better half into buying bicycles because he says I won't ride it.....how many of you that have bicycles actually ride them?

We had a hitch put on the trailer and brought 2 bikes with us. After 2 years I got tired of looking at the bikes hanging off the back of the trailer and we donated them to a charity, and stored the rack. It all depends on the individual.

You could always pick up a used bike somewhere and then if you don't ride it much, you could sell it or give it away and you wouldn't be out of a lot of money. If you find out you use the bike a lot, you can always buy up a new one.

Just a thought.

Jim

We aren't full timers yet but last year we bought a couple of "beach cruiser" bikes made by Sun bicycle company in Fl. They are basically wide tire & seat old style bikes built for comfort. The pedals are moved forward a little so it isn't so hard on old knees. Cost about $450 each. We don't ride them at home much but do take them when we go camping. They are light weight and serve us well for riding around the campsites and on trails. When the grandkids go with us we can't get them off of the bikes so I guess they are good for youngsters as well. --Rod

If space and weight requirements permit, I would get a beach cruiser or mountain bike instead of a folding bike. Mostly for the fact that it is a better form of exercise than a folding bike and that should be just as important a factor as 'just getting around'. We have a pair of mountain bikes and we use them all the time, both for sightseeing and vigorous exercise.

Zooter Swift folding bikes. Maybe the only folding bike that rides like a regular bike. Expensive though at $700.00. Fast, smooth, and tough as nails. We started out with folding bikes from Camping World at around $150.00 apece. When we sold a camper a couple of years ago we including them in the sale after the potential buyer said would I throw the bikes in. You get what you pay for in folding bikes.

Donna, unless you are looking for something to putter around the campground on stay away from the fold up bike, walking around the campground will do just as well.   If you are serious about biking enough to get some exercise, I would suggest a good quality commuter or city bike or trail bike, trail as in paved trail not as in mountain bike trail.   You sit in a more comfortable position than a traditional road bike yet you don't have the big knobby tires like a mountain bike.  This type of bike you could ride around the campground and as you get more comfortable with it you could easily go for a little more vigorous 5 or 8 or even 10 mile ride. Biking is great if you can work into getting comfortable to ride 5 or 6 miles you can really enjoy it, see a lot of wildlife get some really good exercise. Over buy on a bike now, it will be easier to work into longer distances, you'll enjoy it more which will make you want to ride a little more and you wont be looking for a new bike in a year or so when you want to go out of the campground for a 5 mile ride around the park.  It takes a little bit of dedication, a little bit of hard work and a lot of ("wow did you see that deer/eagle") fun, and a five mile ride is not out of the question for most people.
  
Flyone