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Giant Halfway - what a weird bike

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Giant Halfway - what a weird bike

Old 05-01-18, 04:46 PM
  #1  
Bonzo Banana
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Giant Halfway - what a weird bike

Here is a video of one which is very similar to this year's model. I went into my local bike shop today. Basically my car was having an MOT done next door so spent a bit of time browsing. This was the only folding bike I could see although the store is quite large and I didn't see everything.


I guess its obvious looking at the name now but the bike has a single fork and single chainstay and seatstay. No doubt to allow a very slim fold. The bike looks great quality with very good quality welds and finish. The drivetrain is a mixture of good and bad. A Claris derailleur matched to a basic Shimano freewheel. Maybe the freewheel was somehow forced into the mix due to the use of a single chainstay/seatstay. Quite an eccentric bike design for what is a fairly reasonable price. I didn't realise the Halfway was designed this way until I actually saw it in the flesh. I hadn't noticed it on the images previously.
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Old 05-01-18, 05:28 PM
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The video doesn't work. I suspect it is the new people who are running the forum. I keep getting noifications for quotes that when I click on them send me to my profile page not to the quote page. Hopefully this will get better with time. For now I wish they would stop sending me E-Mails that go no place. Roger
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Old 05-01-18, 05:43 PM
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Originally Posted by rhenning
The video doesn't work. I suspect it is the new people who are running the forum. I keep getting noifications for quotes that when I click on them send me to my profile page not to the quote page. Hopefully this will get better with time. For now I wish they would stop sending me E-Mails that go no place. Roger
video is disabled in browser. it has to be.viewed on YouTube app in Android.

didn't see anything new or exciting on that bike...
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Old 05-01-18, 10:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Abu Mahendra
video is disabled in browser. it has to be.viewed on YouTube app in Android.

didn't see anything new or exciting on that bike...
Well its definitely not new as the bike has been sold for many years and exciting probably not applicable either but when it comes to folding bikes this Giant model is rarely mentioned on this forum and seems a significant radical design compared to its competition. The fork reminds me of Cannondale's Lefty design and while that fork seemed to have little advantage to mountain bikes and could be claimed to be more of a gimmick at least on the Giant it helps with folding to a small size.

It's certainly on topic as this is a foldling bike forum and as far as I can see this forum isn't being over-run with Giant Halfway postings anyway.Maybe I was hoping to see a few replies from owners about how the bike holds up on a daily basis and the strength of this design.
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Old 05-01-18, 10:41 PM
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Originally Posted by Bonzo Banana
Well its definitely not new as the bike has been sold for many years and exciting probably not applicable either but when it comes to folding bikes this Giant model is rarely mentioned on this forum and seems a significant radical design compared to its competition. The fork reminds me of Cannondale's Lefty design and while that fork seemed to have little advantage to mountain bikes and could be claimed to be more of a gimmick at least on the Giant it helps with folding to a small size.

It's certainly on topic as this is a foldling bike forum and as far as I can see this forum isn't being over-run with Giant Halfway postings anyway.Maybe I was hoping to see a few replies from owners about how the bike holds up on a daily basis and the strength of this design.
Watched the video a second time. Oh, yeah, a 'Lefty' fork...
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Old 05-02-18, 06:21 PM
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They show up around here on Craigslist occasionally. It's a fascinating design .
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Old 05-02-18, 08:41 PM
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Originally Posted by Joe Remi
They show up around here on Craigslist occasionally. It's a fascinating design .
If this popped popped up on Craigslist out by me I'd own 1 by now. It's a very interesting design.
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Old 05-02-18, 10:46 PM
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We certainly have one owner posting as evidenced here.
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Old 05-03-18, 03:57 PM
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AFAIK the design is by Burroughs. I think done to save weight. It also makes fixing flats easy. Myself, I would like fenders but that would be contrary to the design.
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Old 05-24-21, 01:39 AM
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How easy would it be to convert this to use mechanical disk brakes?
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Old 05-27-21, 08:42 PM
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Originally Posted by seibaatgung
How easy would it be to convert this to use mechanical disk brakes?
Not likely possible. Disk brake calipers generally (if not universally) require mounting brackets which are integral with the rear frame and the fork. On a bike with a normal fork, the fork can be replaced with another which has the required mounts. That's not possible with this bike, unless you can weld the necessary brackets onto th efork and frame. So... not likely possible.
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Old 05-28-21, 11:26 AM
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Originally Posted by seibaatgung
How easy would it be to convert this to use mechanical disk brakes?
Not possible, as the side of the frame/fork needed to mount the brakes doesn't exist.
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Old 05-31-21, 10:02 AM
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I saw the thread title, and jumped in, because I've got one of these. And then I realized it was a zombie.

It's a nice folding bike. It works for me. I use it nearly every day to commute to work from Brooklyn to midtown Manhattan.

I have to say, it doesn't seem to have any radical advantages over a more conventional folding bike. Yes, you can remove a tire without removing the wheel, but really, how often do you have to do that? I've done it only when I'm replacing tires. It's easy enough to patch a tube without removing the whole tire, and it would be just as easy on a conventionally-framed bike. Also, it doesn't have quick-release hubs. You need a 13mm socket to remove the wheel, which isn't likely to be in your little commuter pocket tool kit. Wheel removal isn't any easier than it would be on a normal bike.

I suppose it folds up a bit thinner than a conventional frame and, depending on your storage situation, this might be useful. But it's not a huge difference.

So, yes, it looks different, it's fun, but I can't see any practical difference in day-to-day use between this and, say, a Dahon.

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Old 05-31-21, 01:06 PM
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I saw the thread title, and jumped in, because I've got one of these. And then I realized it was a zombie.
Well, you know what BikeForums is like: resurrect an old thread and it's "Zombie! Start a new one!"; start a new thread and it's "We've had a thread on that! Use 'search'!"

AFAIK the design is by Burroughs. I think done to save weight. It also makes fixing flats easy. Myself, I would like fenders but that would be contrary to the design.
Yes, Burroughs, one of the greatest bicycle designers of our time - although not every thing he tries quite works out. He's been designing single sided frame+wheels since at least the Windcheetah days and has a chapter on this in his book. The Halfway was done during his collaboration with Giant, which brought the road bike world the now ubiquitous 'compact' frame. The Halfway idea was, as some have already said, to make the folded bike thinner. As Isinfallen points out, this introduces other secondary compromises. C'est la vie.

BTW, the Strida folding bike has been single-sided front & rear since the mid-1980s and has always had fenders.
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Old 05-31-21, 01:34 PM
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Kind of a tangent but I want to watch shaq ride a mini bike.
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Old 05-31-21, 03:47 PM
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Originally Posted by seibaatgung
Kind of a tangent but I want to watch shaq ride a mini bike.
That would be funny.

But anyone much over six feet (which definitely includes me) looks funny on a folding bike.

I don't care. It works for me. It's the best fit (hah!), all things considered, for me.
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Old 06-01-21, 02:53 AM
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Originally Posted by tds101
Not possible, as the side of the frame/fork needed to mount the brakes doesn't exist.
But they do, so it must be possible.
Just how?
Either with a mirrored caliper (Strida) - or with a common caliper which is operated against its normal rotation direction (IFMove).


I do not think it would be a good idea to try converting.
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Old 06-01-21, 07:06 AM
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Originally Posted by Blackstrida_A_
a common caliper which is operated against its normal rotation direction (IFMove).
Isn't that how project right is done?
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Old 06-01-21, 09:29 AM
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Originally Posted by tcs
Well, you know what BikeForums is like: resurrect an old thread and it's "Zombie! Start a new one!"; start a new thread and it's "We've had a thread on that! Use 'search'!"
Seriously? You are going to defend pulling up four year old threads and appending to them without mentioning the fact, by saying people complain? GTFOH. The 1/2way hasn't been made for years. That's what tipped me off. What if I didn't know that? And, as zombie threads go this one doesn't even take the cake. I've seen 15 year old threads resurrected. That can really get surreal. We're better than that. Or should be.

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Old 06-01-21, 09:38 AM
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Originally Posted by Inisfallen
I saw the thread title, and jumped in, because I've got one of these. And then I realized it was a zombie.

It's a nice folding bike. It works for me. I use it nearly every day to commute to work from Brooklyn to midtown Manhattan.

I have to say, it doesn't seem to have any radical advantages over a more conventional folding bike. Yes, you can remove a tire without removing the wheel, but really, how often do you have to do that? I've done it only when I'm replacing tires. It's easy enough to patch a tube without removing the whole tire, and it would be just as easy on a conventionally-framed bike. Also, it doesn't have quick-release hubs. You need a 13mm socket to remove the wheel, which isn't likely to be in your little commuter pocket tool kit. Wheel removal isn't any easier than it would be on a normal bike.

I suppose it folds up a bit thinner than a conventional frame and, depending on your storage situation, this might be useful. But it's not a huge difference.

So, yes, it looks different, it's fun, but I can't see any practical difference in day-to-day use between this and, say, a Dahon.
I had a 1/2way for years. The frame cracked at the big weld down by the bottom bracket. I had moved with it cross country from NYC to Portland, OR. I had gotten friendly with the staff at my new LBS in Portland and they were a Giant dealer. They worked a deal and Giant gave me a new folder. They didn't make 1/2way's anymore so I got the successor, the Expressway. The upmarket one at that, with all the trimmings. Pretty much a Dahon though, when all is said and done. Folded there is no comparison! The Halfway had a MUCH tighter fold and isn't that the whole point? And since the #1 reason people remove wheels from a bike is to fix flats and since you don't need to remove the wheel to fix flats on a 1/2way, why would wheel removal need to be easy? Look at all the hassle people go through to keep strangers from removing the wheels of their bikes. I really miss my 1/2way ... wanna trade?
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Old 06-01-21, 11:12 AM
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Originally Posted by Leisesturm
I've seen 15 year old threads resurrected
link?
Originally Posted by Leisesturm
And since the #1 reason people remove wheels from a bike is to fix flats and since you don't need to remove the wheel to fix flats on a 1/2way, why would wheel removal need to be easy?
My solution is to run tubeless and if I blow a flat to put in a 2 sided tube until I can patch the hole.
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Old 06-01-21, 11:49 AM
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Originally Posted by seibaatgung
Isn't that how project right is done?
Pardon me, I'm not sure to understand you correctly, but I'll answer like so:

Which project?

If the project is the complete construction of a bike - obviously, the answer is Yes, because Ming and Pacific did.
(All I wanted was to point out that this is possible - even with missing fork/frame side.)

If the project is the "converting" of a bike's brakes - certainly No.
(Even if you're able to source a caliper which is certified for a backwards rotating disc, the situation is still the same like mentioned already by sweeks in post #11 above.)
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Old 06-01-21, 11:55 AM
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Originally Posted by Blackstrida_A_
Which project?
English Cycles has a series of "Project Right" bikes that have a right sided fork and only right chain and seat stays.
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Old 06-01-21, 12:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Leisesturm
I really miss my 1/2way ... wanna trade?
Sure, why not? But since you've moved to Portland, and I'm still in NYC, the logistics might be difficult. And we could probably both buy new bikes for what the shipping would cost.
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Old 06-01-21, 03:13 PM
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Originally Posted by Leisesturm
...without mentioning the fact
Every post has a date. Clear text. Right up top. If it's your first day on the internet, we'll cut you some slack. After that, no excuses.

by saying people complain? GTFOH.
I said folks complain. Somebody complained.
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