unionmanbirch

A couple months ago I purchased an Origami Crane 8 with the hard-shell suitcase/trailer kit to use for touring and airplane travel. I've seen some reviews here of the Crane, but really haven't seen much on how the trailer worked. On Friday, I left from Boston with the intent of riding down to Philadelphia then flying home. Unfortunately, after 150 miles I hurt my right knee and had to call my wife to come get me in northwestern CT after just 3 days, but I think I still had some experiences worth sharing.

Because the trip was cut short, I did not have a chance to fly with the Crane so cannot report from first-hand experience, but I have packed the bike and trailer kit into the suitcase and they fit easily and come in under 50 lbs., so I don’t see where flying would be a problem.

Before leaving for my trip, I put around 200 miles on the Crane with a long ride of 40 miles. I changed a few things on the bike: switched to Big Apple tires; switched the saddle; used MKS AR2 EZY pedals and Power Grips; added bar ends; and swapped out the 52T chainring for a 42T. The Big Apples were great and smoothed the ride out considerably. The 42T chainring was a good move. I could ride up all but the steepest few hills I encountered, and pulling the trailer, did not miss the bigger gears at all. The power grips felt fine on shorter rides, but by day 2 were uncomfortable and I probably won’t use them again. It felt like they were holding my foot pointed inward too much and I wonder if that led to the knee issues. Maybe I set them up wrong.

I am pleased with the Crane itself. I had the bike professionally tuned before leaving, and it performed well. The 8-speed shifting was good, as were the brakes. The frame felt solid. The handlebar stem flexed a little when climbing and pulling on it, but I got used to the feel. Overall, the Crane is a very solid bike, especially for an entry-level folder, and I can recommend it.

The trailer kit worked fairly well except I had problems with the cheap wheels. I thought about replacing them with better ones, but I didn’t do it. The hard-shell suitcase held all my camping gear, food and clothes with no problem. It rained the first night and a little water got in through the zipper closure, which was not a big deal as I had my gear in plastic bags. The suitcase bolts onto a trailer kit which attaches to the rear quick release axle. The connection was fine, but the rear wheel would sometimes rub against the suitcase handle when I turned sharply right. That was not a big deal either because it did not rub very often, mostly when I was stopped and turning the bike around. The problem I encountered was with the wheels on the trailer. The 12” wheels have plastic hubs and spokes, and both hubs came apart. The wheels stayed on the axle and I did not notice until I stopped about 120 miles into the trip. I was able to put them back together and they did not come apart again. I would not go on another trip without replacing them with better wheels, and am concerned how they would have held up if I had tried to push them another 250 miles as I had originally planned. For flying, I would use the trailer again, but prefer racks and panniers.

Overall, the Crane is a good bike and the trailer kit should be fine with new wheels. Not a bad deal for $500.

2_i 

Google trailer searches return the Origami kit offers for around $100, without a suitcase but including shipping. I wonder what the weight of the kit is and what the separation between the wheels is. In terms of design it seems to follow Bike Friday but out of steel rather than alu as main material.

BassNotBass

So sorry the trip was cut short but I bet it was fun. The wheels I put on my suitcase trailer are probably like the ones you have and these relatively inexpensive wheels have horribly shoddy bearings. They have a sloppy tolerances right out of the box and aren't sealed in any way so crud easily gets through the gaps and can ruin an already crappy bearing in no time. I've replaced mine with sealed ball bearings (I'll have to double check but I think they were SKF) and they've been great.

Pinigis 

The kit weighs 8 pounds and there is 21.5" between the wheels.

Pinigis 

I would love to see some photos of the bike in its modified state.

unionmanbirch

Here is the Crane after the trip:

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With my neighbors where I spent the first night:

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In front of an old schoolhouse in Woodstock,CT:

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Pinigis 

It looks great! What bar ends did you use?

unionmanbirch

Thanks. They are just a pair of 20 year old Onza bar ends I had laying around. Nothing special, but they gave me extra hand positions.