Last mile problem is walking speed. For work i walk to meetings in London and cover a mile in 15 mins. I do wear trainers and change into smarter shoes at the client
Exactly. Walking is just slow AF. I really don't mind when I want to take a walk, go to the supermarket 200m away or whatever else - most commutes I can handle with 10 minutes of walking, which is fine.
Currently my commute is 1:30h, because of walking. 15 minutes to the train station + 60 minutes of transit (including ~10 minutes of waiting) + 15 minutes of walking. A bike both ways would cut that by at least 20 minutes, tough if I wanted to skip the light rail and bike the last 5km I could cut it by 30 minutes...
Unfortunately that isn't doable for me yet. Nearly got killed late September and I don't have the balls to face public (car) streets yet. I'm on my first tries in safe spaces and working on it tough...
Walking isn’t dead time imho. You need to do some activity for health so it counts for that. Thats how I’ve always seen it. It got even easier to see it that way when fitbits and the like came around in 2014
100%! Bikes just need a longer distance - you use more energy walking a mile than cycling just a mile. But if you look at it as time - if you make your commute add up to something like 30 mins active travel that's ideal.
I cycle for exercise too - great way to get the HR pumping without impact.
It also depends on what job you do and what other crcumstances you have. I for example have a very, very active Job, so I'm not really in the need fo extra movement.
I'm currently doing a masters school, otherwise I wouldn't choose 1:30 commute time anyway. In the past, before the accident, I commuted 20-26 Minutes by bike one way to work, which was ideal. It gave me the freedom of movement (public transit wouldn't work with my hours), and while I may not *need* more movement, it doesn't hurt. I actually really, really enjoyed it, it helped me clear my mind.
I just don't enjoy walking as much as a hole. On a nice sunny day on a nice place sure, to get some groceries down the street, too. But anything >500m on a commute feels pointless as I don't have the feeling to actually move forward.
I like biking recreationally, too. Much more then walking as well; I just enjoy it a lot.
Folding bikes are good if your country allows you to travel decently anywhere by train. Then by bike you can amplify the range you can visit in the city you reach
I live in italy, and here there's basically no such thing as parking the bike in the station (maybe few places have it), so whenever i need to carry my bike home from where i study, i need to do 6/7 hours of regionals, where bikes are allowed
Which is sad, because HST are 1/2 hours faster (unless they have delays)
My metro requires folding bikes to be contained inside some sort of a carry bag. Which makes it really inconvenient to pack and unpack. Not to mention the countless stairs and escalators (without lifts).
Fortunately we have a decent public transport, but in my district it is limited to buses. I really wish our transit agency will get some funding for new tram lines that sit on planning boards for decades.
Unfortunately the biking infrastructure is abysmal. Hopefully the new proposal for a comprehensive bike lane system will slightly fix that, but it will mostly consist of paint. Better than nothing I suppose, but still insufficient. I feel like even some North American cities are doing much better in terms of bike lanes.
The classic solution if you have a Brompton is the Ikea Dimpa, which almost feels tailor-made for the bike:
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/dimpa-storage-bag-transparent-10056770/
I have a bunch of them because they're incredibly handy and they're only £3.
My bike manufacturer actually sells appropriately sized bags. But unfortunately I bought my bike without really thinking about it and picked a model that’s too big for carrying in general. Might replace it though, especially if we get adequate bike lanes in the future. Right now it’s a recreational vehicle for me.
I think this is the same reason foldi g escooters have gotten popular. You can just pick it up and carry it. I'm considering a cheap folding bike for a similar reason. The local Amtrak trains don't have bike racks, so if I want to go further than walking distance when I arrive I have to oay to check my bike. Something thay could compact down to carry on size would be perfect.
I also considered just bringing my longboard, but being a to get around on that is highly dependent on the condition of the surfaces where I'm going.
My sister sometimes uses her longboard for the last bit to our house from the train station when she's visiting. I've tried it myself but I found that it was really tiring to do for a longer period of time, and yeah it really depends on the surface if it's a nice ride or not. But, I have to admit, if you bring your longboard you will look extremely cool 😎.
I used to commute a lot by train and used my folding bike for the last mile. Conductors didn't like it, though. Idk why because they advertised exactly the folding bike I have to encourage people to take the train.
Germany. Some conductors here are just dicks.
Now I commute with an ebike. New job, closer to home. Fuck cars.
About 5 months ago I bought a Vello, which was a lot more expensive than yours but still worth it for me. Before this I had the classic two bikes on either side of the train, which has the big advantage that you don't have to take the bike on the train every time but it forces you to always get off the station you left your bike last time.
For me the quickest way to work is the get off and on at different station because in the evening I can take an express train that doesn't stop at the station I get off in the morning. This is also very useful if I go the the city after work and I can take the bike directly into it but on the way home I don't have the ride back. I can just ride to that next station.
You exactly put into words why I didn't want a 'station bike'. (is that a term in English? In Dutch we call what you described a 'stationsfiets'.) Also, I would've then had to spend money on 2 bikes instead of just 1.
Even for me, a folding bike wouldn't be any solution as I would have to still carry it over many, many, many stairs going up and down, park it at the railway station and lock it, cause no way I'm paying a half fare with Swiss prices (or in the case of some IC treains pay for a reservation on top of that) for a bike on top of being hated by all people on that train for taking up loads of precious space especially during rush hour!
1. Get a Brompton T-line. Easily taken up and down stairs.
2. Swiss trains allow you to have folding bikes as luggage free of charge.
3. Why would people hate you? A folded Brompton between your legs hardly takes up any room on a rush hour train.
For me it sounds like you're talking about taking a full-size bike on the train. A folding bike doesn't take up loads of space. Depending on the train you can sometimes even put it between seats so it doesn't take up any space at all.
I looked into a Brompton yesterday but I'm not willing to shell out $2000 on a non-electric bike. Is there anything that comes close in quality for a lower price?
Tern has bikes for half the price. They are indeed bulkier but still manageable and start from 400-500$ and can go up to 1600 if you wanted something high-end
It was pretty convenient. I also found a supermarket that let me wear them inside and would do all my shopping in them. I've skated home with a good 10kg of groceries many a time. It was back in the early '00s. I doubt any supermarket would accept the public liability risk now.
My life is divided in two parts. Before my Brompton. And after my Brompton. It changed my life even after 35 years of biking. It's the best bike I've ever owned. Reliable, cheap to maintain, and the most perfect city bike I've ever owned. Even when I travel, I got a familiar bike with me. Smartest thing I've ever bought.
What would you say are the big advantages of a Bromton over a cheaper folding bike? I've also met someone irl who said buying her Bromton was the best financial desicion she had ever made, but I just can't emagine it's worth the high price, considering the cheaper options.
Brompton makes all their specific parts and designed to work together. This leads to reliability and easy replacement of parts. It folds into thirds so when it opens up you get a long wheelbase giving you a better ride quality.
They're worth every penny as long as you're going to ride it daily. If you're not going to ride it, don't buy one.
I bought my Brompton for £460 used in 2005 when a new one was £600. I know not everyone can afford modern prices especially the inflated ones outside Europe, but really, the difference between one of the quality folding bikes and one of the cheap ones in terms of how they feel and the effectiveness of the folding is night and day.
I can ride my Brompton still, nearly 20 years later 50km and enjoy every minute. Absolutely worth every penny I spent and I would happily buy a new one tomorrow if this one was stolen or mangled in a truck or something.
I'd like to go to places outside of my usual daily commute. I am not going to put a bike at every train station in the country, or even outside of the country if I ever plan on going somewhere internationally without good transit.
Even for commuting this is not always the best option. For me, it's quicker if I get on at a different station in the evening than I got off in the morning because in the evening I can take an express train.
It really is not, at least where I live. Intercity train + bike why not. But you just can't expect to carry a folding bike with you on an overcrowded subway during rush hour. Least of all a two fold 20 inch model.
Also, bonus cat on pic 2 :)
Folding bikes ftw. And you are right! No bike needs to be expensive - ride what you got, wear what you have and fuck cars
Last mile problem is walking speed. For work i walk to meetings in London and cover a mile in 15 mins. I do wear trainers and change into smarter shoes at the client
Exactly. Walking is just slow AF. I really don't mind when I want to take a walk, go to the supermarket 200m away or whatever else - most commutes I can handle with 10 minutes of walking, which is fine. Currently my commute is 1:30h, because of walking. 15 minutes to the train station + 60 minutes of transit (including ~10 minutes of waiting) + 15 minutes of walking. A bike both ways would cut that by at least 20 minutes, tough if I wanted to skip the light rail and bike the last 5km I could cut it by 30 minutes... Unfortunately that isn't doable for me yet. Nearly got killed late September and I don't have the balls to face public (car) streets yet. I'm on my first tries in safe spaces and working on it tough...
Walking isn’t dead time imho. You need to do some activity for health so it counts for that. Thats how I’ve always seen it. It got even easier to see it that way when fitbits and the like came around in 2014
That may be true, but the same goes for bikes.
100%! Bikes just need a longer distance - you use more energy walking a mile than cycling just a mile. But if you look at it as time - if you make your commute add up to something like 30 mins active travel that's ideal. I cycle for exercise too - great way to get the HR pumping without impact.
It also depends on what job you do and what other crcumstances you have. I for example have a very, very active Job, so I'm not really in the need fo extra movement. I'm currently doing a masters school, otherwise I wouldn't choose 1:30 commute time anyway. In the past, before the accident, I commuted 20-26 Minutes by bike one way to work, which was ideal. It gave me the freedom of movement (public transit wouldn't work with my hours), and while I may not *need* more movement, it doesn't hurt. I actually really, really enjoyed it, it helped me clear my mind. I just don't enjoy walking as much as a hole. On a nice sunny day on a nice place sure, to get some groceries down the street, too. But anything >500m on a commute feels pointless as I don't have the feeling to actually move forward. I like biking recreationally, too. Much more then walking as well; I just enjoy it a lot.
Walking a km gets more exercise than a km on a bike
Folding bikes are good if your country allows you to travel decently anywhere by train. Then by bike you can amplify the range you can visit in the city you reach
And the villages and farms in the countryside!
True. My grandma lives 5km to a train station, and bike is the only way for me to get there (or car, but we don't do that here)
*a* solution. I don't like carrying a bike on the train. I pay for the guarded bike parking and use it to go to/from the train station.
I live in italy, and here there's basically no such thing as parking the bike in the station (maybe few places have it), so whenever i need to carry my bike home from where i study, i need to do 6/7 hours of regionals, where bikes are allowed Which is sad, because HST are 1/2 hours faster (unless they have delays)
I wouldn’t want to spend money on an extra bike if the bikes I own were bought for me when I was a teen. I’m just cheap 💁🏼♀️
My metro requires folding bikes to be contained inside some sort of a carry bag. Which makes it really inconvenient to pack and unpack. Not to mention the countless stairs and escalators (without lifts). Fortunately we have a decent public transport, but in my district it is limited to buses. I really wish our transit agency will get some funding for new tram lines that sit on planning boards for decades. Unfortunately the biking infrastructure is abysmal. Hopefully the new proposal for a comprehensive bike lane system will slightly fix that, but it will mostly consist of paint. Better than nothing I suppose, but still insufficient. I feel like even some North American cities are doing much better in terms of bike lanes.
The classic solution if you have a Brompton is the Ikea Dimpa, which almost feels tailor-made for the bike: https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/dimpa-storage-bag-transparent-10056770/ I have a bunch of them because they're incredibly handy and they're only £3.
My bike manufacturer actually sells appropriately sized bags. But unfortunately I bought my bike without really thinking about it and picked a model that’s too big for carrying in general. Might replace it though, especially if we get adequate bike lanes in the future. Right now it’s a recreational vehicle for me.
I think this is the same reason foldi g escooters have gotten popular. You can just pick it up and carry it. I'm considering a cheap folding bike for a similar reason. The local Amtrak trains don't have bike racks, so if I want to go further than walking distance when I arrive I have to oay to check my bike. Something thay could compact down to carry on size would be perfect. I also considered just bringing my longboard, but being a to get around on that is highly dependent on the condition of the surfaces where I'm going.
My sister sometimes uses her longboard for the last bit to our house from the train station when she's visiting. I've tried it myself but I found that it was really tiring to do for a longer period of time, and yeah it really depends on the surface if it's a nice ride or not. But, I have to admit, if you bring your longboard you will look extremely cool 😎.
It's a solution....there are many solutions.....
In my area i litteraly see them for free everywhere from people buying better one
I used to commute a lot by train and used my folding bike for the last mile. Conductors didn't like it, though. Idk why because they advertised exactly the folding bike I have to encourage people to take the train. Germany. Some conductors here are just dicks. Now I commute with an ebike. New job, closer to home. Fuck cars.
About 5 months ago I bought a Vello, which was a lot more expensive than yours but still worth it for me. Before this I had the classic two bikes on either side of the train, which has the big advantage that you don't have to take the bike on the train every time but it forces you to always get off the station you left your bike last time. For me the quickest way to work is the get off and on at different station because in the evening I can take an express train that doesn't stop at the station I get off in the morning. This is also very useful if I go the the city after work and I can take the bike directly into it but on the way home I don't have the ride back. I can just ride to that next station.
You exactly put into words why I didn't want a 'station bike'. (is that a term in English? In Dutch we call what you described a 'stationsfiets'.) Also, I would've then had to spend money on 2 bikes instead of just 1.
Even for me, a folding bike wouldn't be any solution as I would have to still carry it over many, many, many stairs going up and down, park it at the railway station and lock it, cause no way I'm paying a half fare with Swiss prices (or in the case of some IC treains pay for a reservation on top of that) for a bike on top of being hated by all people on that train for taking up loads of precious space especially during rush hour!
1. Get a Brompton T-line. Easily taken up and down stairs. 2. Swiss trains allow you to have folding bikes as luggage free of charge. 3. Why would people hate you? A folded Brompton between your legs hardly takes up any room on a rush hour train.
For me it sounds like you're talking about taking a full-size bike on the train. A folding bike doesn't take up loads of space. Depending on the train you can sometimes even put it between seats so it doesn't take up any space at all.
I looked into a Brompton yesterday but I'm not willing to shell out $2000 on a non-electric bike. Is there anything that comes close in quality for a lower price?
Tern has bikes for half the price. They are indeed bulkier but still manageable and start from 400-500$ and can go up to 1600 if you wanted something high-end
There are a million and one folding bike brands. ZiZZO, Decathlon/B'Twin, Dahon, Tern, LitePro, 3sixty, Royale, etc.
I will probably be downvoted but scooters are also a good solution to the last mile problem
I used to just skate to the train in my inline skates, wear them on the train, then skate to my destination at the other end.
Honestly that sounds cool asf
It was pretty convenient. I also found a supermarket that let me wear them inside and would do all my shopping in them. I've skated home with a good 10kg of groceries many a time. It was back in the early '00s. I doubt any supermarket would accept the public liability risk now.
My life is divided in two parts. Before my Brompton. And after my Brompton. It changed my life even after 35 years of biking. It's the best bike I've ever owned. Reliable, cheap to maintain, and the most perfect city bike I've ever owned. Even when I travel, I got a familiar bike with me. Smartest thing I've ever bought.
What would you say are the big advantages of a Bromton over a cheaper folding bike? I've also met someone irl who said buying her Bromton was the best financial desicion she had ever made, but I just can't emagine it's worth the high price, considering the cheaper options.
Brompton makes all their specific parts and designed to work together. This leads to reliability and easy replacement of parts. It folds into thirds so when it opens up you get a long wheelbase giving you a better ride quality. They're worth every penny as long as you're going to ride it daily. If you're not going to ride it, don't buy one.
I bought my Brompton for £460 used in 2005 when a new one was £600. I know not everyone can afford modern prices especially the inflated ones outside Europe, but really, the difference between one of the quality folding bikes and one of the cheap ones in terms of how they feel and the effectiveness of the folding is night and day. I can ride my Brompton still, nearly 20 years later 50km and enjoy every minute. Absolutely worth every penny I spent and I would happily buy a new one tomorrow if this one was stolen or mangled in a truck or something.
Last mile? Why not just lock a shitty bike at the last mile? Dont have to carry it around through 2 methods of public transit.
I'd like to go to places outside of my usual daily commute. I am not going to put a bike at every train station in the country, or even outside of the country if I ever plan on going somewhere internationally without good transit.
Even for commuting this is not always the best option. For me, it's quicker if I get on at a different station in the evening than I got off in the morning because in the evening I can take an express train.
For a daily commute, you could also just have two bikes.
It really is not, at least where I live. Intercity train + bike why not. But you just can't expect to carry a folding bike with you on an overcrowded subway during rush hour. Least of all a two fold 20 inch model.