icedmocha 

I went to wally world to get the bottle holder suggested and it is not sold there (at least at my local one). Any other bottle holder ideas anyone has?

kurtp13

If you're refering to the Bell Clinch 600 they are online and now in my local store. But I think it is a new item. I ordered initially online with ship to store because they weren't in stock yet.

Bell Universal Cage Clinch 600, Black - Walmart.com

My local Target also had them.

Bikeman58

Noseless saddle. Doesn't cause numbness. You almost lean against as opposed to sitting on. My wife always wanted a big padded saddle until I got her one of these. We are both converts. I use this on all my street (not road) bikes. And if you experience any seat pain issues, I'd recommend trying one.

icedmocha 

I'll do that. Thanks!
edit: not available to ship or at my local wally world. Also not at amazon. I'll check target.

diver858

We bought 2 Genesis Folding Bikes to use primarily for airline travel, avoid having to rent bikes for leisure trips.

After some upgrades:
Shimano MF-TZ20 14-28 Teeth 6 Speed Freewheel | Amazon.com: Outdoor Recreation
Amazon.com : Schwalbe Marathon GG RLX Wire Bead Tire : Bike Tires : Sports & Outdoors
Amazon.com: Nexify Bike Bicycle Quick Release Luggage Seatpost Pannier Carrier Rear Rack Fender + Bike Chainstay Protector: Electronics
Cycling Bike Bicycle Rear Derailleur Chain Stay Guard Gear Aluminum Protector Black | Amazon.com: Outdoor Recreation
Ergonomic Mountain Bicycle Bike Cycling Lock on Handlebar Hand Bar End Grips New | eBay

bikes were packed in a carry bag Standard Carry Bag, flown via Alaska Air from San Diego to Monterey for a weekend trip.

Check-in for both flights was a breeze - no issues at all. Bicycles arrived in perfect mechanical condition, a few scratches here and there.

Took in the 17 Mile Drive - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17-Mile_Drive, total of 30.47 miles with the ride to and from the hotel. Ride is scenic, very enjoyable, 2 challenging hills along the way. Other than the continued creaking from the bar stem, a minor rubbing sound in the area of the front chain ring when I pedal (once per revolution, still haven't located the source), the ride was very enjoyable. Based on the positive experience, we will eventually take the bicycles to Key West in the fall, start the trip by riding ~100 miles over 2 days riding from Miami, fly home.

Few issues from the maiden voyage:

1. Adjustment screw on one of the front brakes was bent, occurred during the return. Appears to be the only casualty, my guess is that it could happen anywhere.


2. Origami bag appears to be fine for carrying the bicycle, but not for repeated airline baggage handling. Good value for the price, looking for something a bit more rugged.
- Each bag picked up a few tears on both flights. In the short term, I will attempt to patch, do not expect this bag to survive more than a few airline trips.
- Zippers are a on the fragile side. When first packing, the slider separated from one of row of teeth, there does not appear to be any way to re-thread it. As there are 2 sliders, I simply moved them both to one end when closing.

3. Speed. On flat, well paved surfaces, speed topped out at 14 - 15 mph, compared to the 18 - 20 mph typical for my road bike. Other than the two >6% grades, I had no difficulties pedaling primarily with the smaller cogs. At 6'2" tall, with 34" inseam, my road bike has 175 mm cranks, 50T large chain ring, I am wondering if there would be any significant improvement going to longer cranks, larger chain ring for the Genesis.

ShortLegCyclist

Used one of those when I first got back into riding two years ago, problems are twofold:

1. No nose means no control of the bike with your thighs, everything is on your hands. Didn't think that would be an issue until I was on a steep downhill with unexpected gravel at the bottom and tried to steer through it, but could not help at all with my lower body because of the lack of a saddle nose and ended up with a high side crash.

2. No nose means more pressure on your wrists, meaning more numbness, quicker.

I don't use The Seat as that model is called any more.

Bikeman58

Sorry about your bad experience with a noseless saddle. I still think it is an excellent saddle for certain bikes, though not without limitations. As you say, the use of your thighs to hold the bike stable is lost... but any time you ride out of the saddle(which I do a fair amount anyway), this control is lost. As I mentioned, I don't use The Seat on my road bikes, or (it kind of goes without saying) my mountain bikes. I like it on my folders, city bike, and cruiser. None of these are bikes that I ride particularly aggressively, or on off-road or rough surfaces. You also lose the ability to ride with no hands. On my road and touring bike I use the Adamo saddles which have a split nose and are less painful to use than many saddles.

Not sure I agree with the more pressure on the wrists... that is more a factor of riding position. Using The Seat on a very upright bike still puts less pressure on the wrists than being in a dropped position on a road bike with a traditional saddle. And if I have to choose a location for numbness... hand or genital... I will take hand any time.

No saddle is perfect, but rather than give up riding, I will assume the risks and limitations that come with the seat. Not to diminish in any way what happened to you -- which sounded bad (and I truly hope you ended up okay)... but there is no way of knowing how you would have faired had you had a nosed saddle that day. The worst spills of my like were all on traditional nosed saddles.

Hope you are still riding and enjoying it.

ShortLegCyclist

Yes, thanks, I was fine, just scratched up because there was barbed wire and a sharp, unsigned right hand turn right at the bottom of the slope of the public multi use path, with several flattened section where others had obviously done something similar to what I did.

I actually had the bike slowed down to less than 5 mph, but then hit the gravel, the rear end slid out, I overcompensated when steering into the slide and couldn't bring the bike to a hockey stop due to the lack of thigh contact/control, but I ended up going over the high side at something much less than 5 mph.

I blame poor multiuse path layout and signage for the spill but I could have still pulled it out if I'd had thigh contact/control with the seat.

I used to ride out of the seat a lot but now that I'm well past 40 I almost never get out of the seat, and I almost always spin up hills rather than mash, the exception being when there is an annoyingly slow person ahead of me.

No, this did not deter me riding one bit thanks! Like you I have many bikes and only had The Seat on one of them, so I was also very unused to riding with it as it was on my heaviest old steel mountain bike and I never use that bike on my commute or for the open road as the top gear is only about 93 gear inches.

I no longer use the seat, but I have found that in the thousands of miles since I was using it, I no longer find any of my other seats uncomfortable at all. I hated my Brooks and Brooks Cambium saddles when I first got them, but now they are my favorites by far.

Bikeman58

Glad you are still riding, and glad you have saddles you like. Still, I am glad there are choices out there. The Seat allows me to do a lot more riding than I would otherwise(though I wish they made a lighter version)... and I really like the Adamo saddles as well.

And my wife rides with me 2-3 days a week... and would did not enjoy riding until she got The Seat. So I have to thank The Seat for that as well. Never was a fan of Brooks saddles... all my steel campy equipped road bikes came with them and I never liked them. Even today, I am pretty much a fan of ll bike things vintage... but not the Brooks saddle. To me it is super uncomfortable (no matter how much I oiled it, broke it in, or how many miles I put on one). It is just not the saddle for me.

Keep on cycling.

icedmocha 

Do these work with the grip shifters?

diver858

I neglected to mention that I also upgraded to Thumb shifters - Shimano TX30 Mountain Bike Bicycle Shifter Friction Thumb 3x6 3x7 18 21 Speed | eBay - apologies for the confusion.

diver858

Mobile bike mechanic came by yesterday to replace the front brake. He did not understand why the manufacturer chose the cheap plastic construction, as metal brakes are not much more expensive, the plastic is MUCH more susceptible to such damage, will eventually go bad (few years) due to heat / moisture. For $20 with labor, I will likely replace the front brake on the other bike as well, avoid risking damage when on travel.

icedmocha 

So if I upgrade to friction shifters do I need to replace the shifter cable?

diver858

Cables were included with the new shifter, straightforward to change.

atombikes

I say yes.

diver858

Please elaborate. My bike mechanic - who would make $$ from such an upgrade - felt that narrow, high pressure tires and better wheels, bearings should have the most significant effect (I now have Schwalbe 1.5" high pressure). I used 80 psi on the last ride, he suggested going to the high limit (100 psi). His primary concern was clearance for the larger chain ring, longer cranks - hitting the ground on turns, etc.

Based on the limited usage of the folding bike, I am not prepared to upgrade the rear wheel just yet; if I decide to keep it, make any investments, I will consider replacing the derailleur with an internal gear hub, and in turn, better wheel.

BruceMetras

Not a great candidate for IGH .. vertical dropouts in the rear.. it can be done of course, but not as clean has track/horizontal ends for chain tensioning chores..

diver858

Should not be an issue - the simple derailleur guard appears to be sufficient protection for shipping in a basic travel bag.

BruceMetras

Ask your bike mechanic if putting an IGH rear wheel in your Genesis would be an issue .. maybe he/she can take the time to explain it better..

atombikes

The pic I attached shows a 53t chainring and 175 crankarms. There are no clearance issues and nor are there issues with footstrike. The longer crankarms slow my cadence (as would be expected) and the larger chainring allows higher speeds before spinning out.

So I think it's a good idea to change out the crankarms and chainring.

diver858

Bike mechanic suggested IGH as an option, if the external derailleur did not stand up to transportation - does not appear to be an issue.

diver858

I have 175 mm cranks on my road bike, typically ride on the larger chainring (believe it is 52t), understand the cadence benefits. Again, primary concern was clearance, due to the relatively small wheels, thank you for the useful details.

elsipotesal5

what is the diameter width of seat post planing to replace !

diver858

Cycling Bike Motorcycle Water Bottle Holder Rack Aluminum Handlebar Cage Adapter | eBay

allencb

FWIW, they dropped the price to $180.85.

I'm so very tempted...

Chris