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Dahon Boardwalk (Complete) Inside a 29" Samsonite Oyster!...

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Dahon Boardwalk (Complete) Inside a 29" Samsonite Oyster!...

Old 07-10-21, 06:33 PM
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BobbyG
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Dahon Boardwalk (Complete) Inside a 29" Samsonite Oyster!...

Still obsessed with my new-to-me 2007 Dahon Boardwalk. (https://www.bikeforums.net/folding-b...-done-now.html)

I wanted to know if I could pack it inside a 62" airline suitcase...and I could!

The suitcase is a 1990's 29" Samsonite Oyster hard shell whose outer dimensions are officially 29.7" x 22" x 10" or 61.7"...just under the 62" checked bag limit. I bought it off Facebook marketplace for just $15. I had found a broken one earlier at a thrift store and measured it and thought it might work...and well, it did!

I had to remove the rear rack and fenders, the right pedal, take off the handle bars and slide out the seat post, and although I'm not sure I had to, I removed the bottle cage and the AirZound air horn I have mounted below the main tube. I also took a hint from a youtube video I found and removed the rear derailler to lessen the chances it would get bent. I just let it hang.

And here's the kicker, the rack and fenders fit in the suitcase with the bike.

Total weight, including my saddlebag, mini tool kit and cable-lock was 46-lbs....just under the 50-lb. limit.

I put all the bolts into labelled bags to make re-assembly quick and easy.


Here's the suitcase. It has a handle on the side facing the camera and wheels at the back, although I don't think it would roll behind the bike without tipping, unless I could work a secure mount to the rear rack.

Here's everything! I had to deflate the tires to get them to tuck inside. the rear wheel/tire tucks under the (left) pedal and one of the front v-brake arms.

Here's with the front wheel removed from the suitcase.

And here's with the wheels removed from the suitcase. I have a small bull-horn handle bar on the bike, and you can see it behind the kickstand with one grip to the left by the white rag, and the other to the right of the front chain ring. The fenders are off to the right, and the rack is also in the lower right quadrant (with green bungees). It straddles the frame. The seat post runs along the top. In the upper left corner you can see the small seat post wheel I added.

I'd have to pad the frame and fork if I were going to fly with this, and the axle of the top wheel is right up against the side of the suitcase.

This fall my wife and I are taking the train to Chicago, but I can just bring the folded bike onto the train according to Amtrak. But the next time I fly some where, I may try to bring the bike.

I wanted to share this in case it helps some one else.

Last edited by BobbyG; 07-10-21 at 06:38 PM.
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Old 07-10-21, 11:02 PM
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Congratulations! When I was faced with a similar challenge I ended up putting one wheel of the Dahon into another case. Fortunately, during the particular trip I had a right to carry 2 cases without extra charge. Yes, I deflated the tires too. The beauty of Brompton is that you can just toss into a suitably shaped luggage without any decomposition. However, from time to time it is for me the Dahon or Bike Friday and it is good to know that you can get Dahon into one regulation case fine. Yes, I think we have the particular Samsonite somewhere and some Carltons with nearly the same dimensions.
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Old 07-11-21, 06:12 AM
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Yep, old 20" Dahon skill.




Originally Posted by 2_i
The beauty of Brompton is that you can just toss into a suitably shaped luggage without any decomposition.
Sort of a beauty pageant. One can 'drop-in' a Dahon Classic, Jifo, EEZZ, Dove, K3 and Curl, too.


Last edited by tcs; 07-11-21 at 06:20 AM.
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Old 07-11-21, 12:55 PM
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Great Job! Brings back memories of J.Gaerlan's website.
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Old 07-11-21, 03:41 PM
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Excellent. I tried to squish my BF Pocket Rocket into a newer Samsonite F’lite 28 and no go. I wound up getting a regular sized bike case since most airlines seem to be charging normal checked bag prices for bikes that are technically ‘oversized’ and ‘overweight’, to a certain point. The two airlines I am flying in a week have linear dimension limits of 116” and 110”, with a greater than 50# limit as well. Kind of a hassle, I wanted the smaller package, but whatever. I think if I had a 406-wheeled bike with a flat bar (vs 451 with a drop) it would have been no problem.

Keith
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Old 08-06-21, 12:18 AM
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This is the exact same case that Bike Friday used to use with its folding bikes. I have two that came with my tandem Twosday (20+ years old now); I use one of them when traveling with my BF folding Metro single bike.
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Old 10-12-21, 05:23 PM
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Flying to Seychelles

Thanks for this. I'm going to try to pack my new to me Dahon Vitesse i7 into one of these 29" Samsonite Oysters for a trip in two weeks to Seychelles. Two long flights - DC to Paris and Paris to Victoria. Hoping to fit everything in one suitcase. I'll post the results.
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Old 12-19-21, 07:46 AM
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Originally Posted by Frogfeet
Thanks for this. I'm going to try to pack my new to me Dahon Vitesse i7 into one of these 29" Samsonite Oysters for a trip in two weeks to Seychelles. Two long flights - DC to Paris and Paris to Victoria. Hoping to fit everything in one suitcase. I'll post the results.
I wonder how that worked out for you?
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Old 12-20-21, 12:24 AM
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Thanks for asking. It worked out very well. I removed the wheels, fenders, rear rack, pedals, seat post and seat, and handle bars and stem. everything fit very nicely in the 29" Samsonite Oyster suitcase with room to spare for a tool kit and spare inner tubes, and I was still under the 50 lb weight limit. the bicycle arrived in Seychelles in perfect shape, and after a quick reassembly i'm riding it every day around the island ;-). I tried to attach a couple photos but the website won't allow that as I don't have enough posts for that. The internal gear 7 speed shimano hub made it all easy as I didn't have to worry about a derailleur getting bent or damaged. Removing the rear wheel and gear cable was pretty easy after watching a youtube video or two. I saved all the tools I used for disassembly and packed them with the bike for reassembly: a pedal wrench, 15mm wrench for the wheels, and a few metric allen keys. All the screws I removed for disassembly (fenders, rear rack, etc.) i just screwed back into the frame for shipping so I wouldn't lose them. It made reassembly a breeze. Very happy with the outcome!

Last edited by Frogfeet; 12-20-21 at 12:38 AM.
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Old 12-21-21, 07:28 PM
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Originally Posted by Frogfeet
Thanks for asking. It worked out very well. I removed the wheels, fenders, rear rack, pedals, seat post and seat, and handle bars and stem. everything fit very nicely in the 29" Samsonite Oyster suitcase with room to spare for a tool kit and spare inner tubes, and I was still under the 50 lb weight limit. the bicycle arrived in Seychelles in perfect shape, and after a quick reassembly i'm riding it every day around the island ;-). I tried to attach a couple photos but the website won't allow that as I don't have enough posts for that. The internal gear 7 speed shimano hub made it all easy as I didn't have to worry about a derailleur getting bent or damaged. Removing the rear wheel and gear cable was pretty easy after watching a youtube video or two. I saved all the tools I used for disassembly and packed them with the bike for reassembly: a pedal wrench, 15mm wrench for the wheels, and a few metric allen keys. All the screws I removed for disassembly (fenders, rear rack, etc.) i just screwed back into the frame for shipping so I wouldn't lose them. It made reassembly a breeze. Very happy with the outcome!
That's great to hear. Thanks for the update. Happy riding!
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