Originally Posted by yangmusa
I thought a replaceable hanger was fairly common on MTBs?
San Francisco, ey? James, have you tried out the Swift on Muni, Bart, busses etc..? Are they ok with the folded size? (I'm moving there in a couple of months so I'm curious.. )
./ Magnus
I commute with the Swift every day on the Caltrain from San Francisco to Silicon Valley (Sunnyvale), and have had no problems. On the bike cars that hold 24 bikes, I just rack my Swift unfolded since there's plenty of space. On the "baby-bullet train" bike cars, which are strictly limited to 16 bikes, I always fold my swift and stow it conveniently in the luggage rack, just out of courtesy to the non-folding riders (hey, that's one less rider left behind).
CalTrain is a "life in itself"...you get to see the same guys, day-in and day-out, 2hrs a day out of every week day. On days when the train is crowded and the bike car is to capacity, "tempers flare" (TDF buzzword) and riders sometimes argue over rack space. That's why a folding bike is essential if you plan on not getting passed-up by a full train (and to work on time). It's not so bad now that they've added more trains on the heavy commute hours, but I still occasionally see riders left behind at the station.
Taken from CalTrain's Bike FAQ:
Folding bikes must be able to be stored under the seat in front of you, or be placed in the luggage racks provided by Caltrain.
Yeah, right...anyone who rides CalTrain knows that you can barely get a Timbuktu messenger bag under the "seat in front of you", let alone a folding bike. I've never been asked to jam my folder under the seat in front of me (it's possible, but I'd probably need a rubber mallet).
I haven't tried the bus, but then again, I wouldn't even bother taking a Muni bus to any place in San Francisco, since it would easier, faster, and so much more pleasant to just ride my Swift.
