Folding handlebars

Joined
Nov 27, 2015
Messages
783
Location
S.E. Idaho USA
I ordered a set of these, they should be here in a week and I'll post on how they work when I get out of the hospital :shock: http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/322328700637

They are for a new bike I am building up to keep in my crane, as a dingy. I am limited to 16" max width, and hopefully these will be quicker them messing with the handlebar stem every time I put it in and out, it has to be quick. The bike will be used for town riding, maybe a little gravel road, and will be BBSO2 powered, it's a GIANT 27.5"er with juice brakes I just picked up for $225.00. The frame looks ideal for a mid drive conversion, with little loss of ground clearance and plenty of triangle room for a good sized battery. I'll post a bit more when these bars come in, hopefully using them won't result in a hospital stay, though they do look a bit spooky.
 
Good for cruising for sure!
Handlebars look good, keep us updated.
I'd do some little tests in case you gotta pop a curb, or a tracked ditch then mound or variations - at just above cruiser speed. You never know, could be cruising along a pathway, then a down hill section where your speed increases and you gotta pop a curb but you want to keep your speed going too.
 
craneplaneguy said:
I'll post on how they work when I get out of the hospital :shock:

well then, you'll best be needing getting yerself a matching folding helmet.
cuz i know that just how you roll... i mean fold.
Screen_Shot_2016-08-16_at_4.04.48_PM_1024x1024.png

morpher


[youtube]jrEmTOASEH8[/youtube]

flipphandle
[youtube]2uyHqFfwknw[/youtube]

n-lock
[youtube]Qm2tvh-qnys[/youtube]

stempark
[youtube]mSTxJtl2hvY[/youtube]
 
LOL is that even safety rated?
Must be a crowd fund project LOL

Morpher is the world’s first fold-flat helmet. Morpher folds & unfolds quickly and simply, so it's perfect for cyclists who want to carry a helmet more easily. Patented worldwide, Morpher has been designed to exceed all relevant safety standards. Morpher is initially aimed at all cyclists; especially those urban ones who find normal helmets cumbersome to carry around all day. Eventually it will also be marketed to other users of sports safety helmets (skiers, skaters, snow boarders, hockey players, horse riders etc).

Morpher's flat profile will also allow innovative selling methods, such as vending machines placed by major bicycle hire points. Morpher aims to give the world an unprecedented ease of access to cycle safety. At Morpher we also believe in a greener planet, so we've ensured that our helmets and their components are made from recyclable materials.
 
I have a Morpher helmet. the foam lining sections are hard. I like it enough that on my next night-shift rotation, I might cut them out and reline the sections with yoga mat. (firm but...softer than this).

In an effort to keep the latch from pinching the skin under your chin, the two sections slide front to rear (or rear to front), other than that...not much new. they were out of black, so I got white. I suppose I can paint it with automobile "touch up" paint. I've had good luck with that on bicycle frames.
 
Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh said:
amberwolf said:
White is more visible, and often stays cooler in the sun. ;)
ifn thatz the criteria then ron may as well just keep wearing that reflective chrome one he's got on in his profile pic :p

reflective tin foil ;)
j/k
just what popped into my mind
 
markz said:
Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh said:
amberwolf said:
White is more visible, and often stays cooler in the sun. ;)
ifn thatz the criteria then ron may as well just keep wearing that reflective chrome one he's got on in his profile pic :p

reflective tin foil ;)
j/k
just what popped into my mind

Could prevent being abducted by aliens before you can say "up periscope". (what popped into my mind) :lol:
 
Folding handlebars, now folding helmets, what will they think of next? I'm waiting for the folding saddle so tweekers don't grab it when you're in the grocery store.
 
Raisedeyebrows said:
Folding handlebars, now folding helmets, what will they think of next? I'm waiting for the folding saddle so tweekers don't grab it when you're in the grocery store.

Item for Dragons Den and Shark Tank

Go to it.
 
craneplaneguy said:
I ordered a set of these, they should be here in a week and I'll post on how they work when I get out of the hospital :shock: http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/322328700637

They are for a new bike I am building up to keep in my crane, as a dingy. I am limited to 16" max width, and hopefully these will be quicker them messing with the handlebar stem every time I put it in and out, it has to be quick. The bike will be used for town riding, maybe a little gravel road, and will be BBSO2 powered, it's a GIANT 27.5"er with juice brakes I just picked up for $225.00. The frame looks ideal for a mid drive conversion, with little loss of ground clearance and plenty of triangle room for a good sized battery. I'll post a bit more when these bars come in, hopefully using them won't result in a hospital stay, though they do look a bit spooky.


Shiot, those look scary! I would take my first few rides with a full face helmet and some pads, hahaha
 
Well I got them, and they are about what I had hoped. A spring loaded outer sleeve snaps over the inner bar, no way for it to really go anywhere once it snaps into place. I am probably a bit more comfortable with this type of arrangement then some, as I have had a lot of hang glider and ultralight experience with somewhat similar schemes for holding bits of aluminum tubing place, and the consequences of a failure were much higher then a "flight" over the (folded, if failed) handlebars. I only need to mess around a bit with the included spacers to shim them up enough so my existing stem clamps down on them correctly. If needed, I can always get something turned by a local machine shop. The time it takes to fold them is.....less then 5 seconds, and to fold them out almost no time, as all you do is pivot then forward and the outer sleeves auto snap into place. Yeah, sound scary but I think it is a reasonable design, and least they got the speed thing correct, I didn't want anything that required messing around, it has to be real quick and easy to be convenient.

I have ordered up a new mid drive (BBSO2, don't really need the extra power and weight of a HD) for this crane bike, and I'll post a pic or two when the bike is completed of the bars in operation. My cheap folding pedals also arrived, cheap but they fold, and quickly also. Right now it's looking like maybe 30 seconds max to get the bike out of the crane's storage box, and zip off, cool. One reason I want it real fast is to show off the utility of e bikes to others, and if I have to screw around for several minutes, the effect won't be so mind blowing.
 
Remember that the flipcrown had a kickstarter a few years ago. Very exciting but worked only with older type bike and forks iirc. For DH forks it wouldn't work. Wonder if there is a solution that also works for DH forks?
 
bars 002.jpgbars 001.jpgI got my folding handle bar bike finished up, and have a few miles on it now. I loaded it in the crane's storage compartment for the first time today, and it fits with 1" of vertical clearance, just right! The bars have very little play in use, different for sure then regular bars, but you quickly get used to it, nothing to be unpractical or anything, or effect the ride. They fold out, into place, faster then it takes to type this, and fold in as fast. That is exactly what I wanted, not some complicated process, I want/need to be able to pull this out of the crane ride off in seconds, not minutes. It's much more impressive to bystanders that way and just more fun, not mention making short errands using it more practical as it's so easy to get it road ready.

The donor bike was a Giant Talon, juice brakes, and in good shape, for $225.00 at the first LBS I stopped by. The BBS02 fit perfect, no spacers needed, chain line is real good, straight in the mid range, about as good as it gets. I bought the sale package from lUNA, the motor kit and Panasonic 13.5 battery for $750.00, 47.5 lbs all up weight. I have my BBSHD fatbike for the real rough stuff, plus my Montague for the plane, also BBSHD, the 02 is more then adequate for my running around town during or after crane jobs, and was also a great deal money wise plus of course it's lighter by 3 lbs or so then HD. 27 mph top speed, pretty easily.

I was expecting some possible issues with the hydraulic brake lines and handlebar wiring, but they wasn't any, unlike projects that take longer then expected (most), this went quick and easy, about time! Today was my first real use, I had a few errands to run and after I finished up the crane job, did so, with the usual ease and speed of using a ebike to do so.
 
That's gonna make for some dope mid-air tricks :shock:
 
They seem to be plenty safe for regular use (no tricks!), maybe in a crash they'd fail sooner, but I'm not worried at all of them somehow giving way in anything like normal use.

I still can't quite believe how quick and easy it loads in the crane compartment, faster and easier then my 20" folding fatbike I was using, like any other project when first completed, you need to get some time on it to discover any bugs, and I have not as yet. I have a good test run coming up, next Wednesday I have an early morning crane job right below the biggest mountain range in Idaho, and I will drive there the day before and camp out that night. There is a cool ride I want to make through a pass in this big range, and that will be a good test for the new ride.
 
You know when they are folded in, reminds me of them crazy bike carriers splitting lanes. But for reasonable people like you and me, its a good and useful for tight spaces such as zig-zag pathway stoppers, well the older ones or custom ones done by complex owners tend to be real narrow.
 
markz said:
But for reasonable people like you and me, its a good and useful for tight spaces such as zig-zag pathway stoppers, well the older ones or custom ones done by complex owners tend to be real narrow.

If you're talking about bollards, those are always lower than handlebar height. Right?
 
They should be, but they aren't always. In some places along the canal paths (at entrances/exits to the paths from streets/sidewalks) here they are up to shoulder height, though mostly are closer to waist-high (on a pedestrian).

They're also not all wide enough spacing to ride through (most are), and have to walk thru turning the bars/wheel to get thru. Wheelchairs won't fit thru those either, and neither will some baby strollers.

Mind you, I'm talking about regular bicycles, not my contraptions. :lol: CrazyBike2 will fit thru if a wheelchair will, but SB Cruiser is (now) just a bit too wide to fit thru a regular house front doorway, so I don't expect it to fit thru those kinds of bollards. ;)
 
Chalo

https://www.google.ca/maps/@50.9029302,-114.1093117,3a,60y,23.1h,71.72t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1srE4KiIp9r2EuvwLCqzyOFg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
 
rsz_img_20170914_103757733_hdr.jpgrsz_img_20170914_101447677_hdr-2.jpgrsz_img_20170914_110020339_hdr-2.jpgA few pictures of the folding handlebar crane bike "at work." It's a better trail bike (not at all it's intended purpose) then I thought it would be! Besides this rough ride up a canyon into the highest range in Idaho, I later zipped around town, after getting it out of the crane again, and the quickness and ease of getting it deployed and then put away is really paying off. At one point I had to go through a security gate at a small town airport, a power operated one that when closed has enough slack to allow someone to walk through (don't tell Homeland Security), and thinking quickly (!) I realized the bike would fit with the bars folded so that's what I did, very cool.

The relatively light weight, as compared to my two other rides, is obvious when throwing it around. Plus, it seems to be easier to pedal power off. I'm not sure if that's because of it's weight or the fact that maybe the BBSO2 has less internal drag then the HD, probably a bit of both? It is very close to being "regular" like when pedaling, while meanwhile having a 32 mph top end when desired, the best of both worlds! I also discovered a nice sweet spot, I call it a high speed cruise, and one I'll probably use often when range is not an issue but time is. 22-24 mph, top gear, still able to assist with brisk pedaling, and a very modest wattage draw (can't remember exactly, but below 500 watts 345 or 400 I think) not a battery killer is the point, while really moving out pretty damn smartly. All I have left to do on this project is get a rear rack, which will be useful as a handle when loading and unloading the bike into the crane, plus a small frame bag for incidentals. Total cost a bit over 1K, not bad. I'm working in town again today, right in the middle of it, and am already thinking of what excuse I may have to go for another ride. With all the rough rocky steep trails I ride, I get a perverse thrill out of riding smooth pavement from time to time. :shock:
 
I have used the "folding handlebar bars" bike most every day this week, while on crane jobs. To illustrate how quick I can get it out....today the job foreman gave me the hand signal that means "shut it down, it's bean time, let's go eat." By the time the crew of carpenters had finished nailing down that last truss I had just hoisted up, and then climbing down three stages of scaffolding (about 20'), I was zipping by them and saying, "see you in half an hour". QUICK :shock: Sure I could catch a ride with them, but I'm usually the only vegan so that gets a bit awkward at times. The last three days I've hit three different Mexican roach coaches (mobile food service trucks, not meant in a derogatory fashion, not at all, I love those things) since having the zippy ebike so handy gives me the autonomy to eat where I want and it is SO good to get away from the frigging job site for a while, that so called half hour is usually around 50 minutes, wink wink. Tomorrow (yeah, working Saturday, again) it looks like I'll have an awkward space of an hour or so between jobs, no problemo I'll jump on the bike and run some errands and/or see some friends, what a game changer it is having it onboard.
 
Right on fellow vegan ebiker! Bad ass your bike fits in your plane and crane.
 
That is great that they are working out so well. That is one heck of a little 'bike box' you have on your crane. Please keep us posted on how those bars hold up!
 
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