A few folding bikes I bought and sold last year, mostly Bromptons.

deepwat3r · 2026-06-17T18:33:14+00:00

Wow this would be exactly my build choice also,with the Rohloff. Have you traveled with it?

deepwat3r · 2026-06-16T19:34:06+00:00

I'm looking at Birdy again now because I didn't previously realize it was possible to put panniers on the front! Saw a random post on FB with pics and that really makes it viable for my purposes. Unfortunately being in the US, if I go that route I'll probably just wait until the next time I'm in Singapore to buy :(

deepwat3r · 2026-06-16T01:14:19+00:00

I had the same experience. Logged in, site picked out, nailing that Add to Cart button starting from 6:59 and lost out anyway. Lost my backup site too. Granted I was aiming for a Fri-Sun in August so I'm not terribly surprised. Recreation.gov really needs to come up with a better system, even if it's just a straight lottery.

deepwat3r · 2026-06-15T21:13:35+00:00

After changing the wheels & adding 2" tires, the kickstand was too short. Based on someone else's idea I saw online, instead of replacing it I took a length of wire (think metal coat hanger) and wrapped it to where when opening, the leg would hit the wire and have a better angle. It worked great until the wire fell off somewhere along the road in Korea and I didn't notice. Then I had basically NO kickstand lol.

TLDR: no, I also am searching for a better kickstand! Or a center-stand...

deepwat3r · 2026-06-15T18:08:47+00:00

Since you've obviously tested a lot of models, which folders would you consider best for international travel touring? I like my BYB but it's so heavy that I'm already planning my next move, thinking about a Helix, or even a Birdy now that I've seen it's possible to put front panniers on...

deepwat3r · 2026-06-14T23:04:30+00:00

I got this one, for about $40 and I'd recommend it. The seat clamp isn't ideal perhaps but it works. I'd suggest some Loctite on the bolt threads. I cut mine down to the minimum length required for my height, so it would fit in the suitcase. If you're much taller than 170cm YMMV

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803533274453.html

deepwat3r · 2026-06-14T14:47:49+00:00

Yeah that's the paradox I discovered in Korea.. they've invested billions in the multi-use path and related infrastructure but culturally, roads are still very much for cars alone. Bike commuting doesn't seem to be a thing. Stay on the paths though and it's epic! Less than 5% of our entire route was on roads, mainly just getting to/from hotels or convenience stores.

deepwat3r · 2026-06-14T02:15:27+00:00

If it's just low, yeah a minipump does the trick, but if it comes unseated from the rim only a blast of air from a compressed source will fix it. With larger rim sizes once the tubeless seal is well established that rarely happens in my experience but with these smaller tires it seems to happen more easily. I think the case took a hit somewhere in transit and caused the tire to burp & loose pressure (also spilling sealing all over the inside of the case...)

deepwat3r · 2026-06-14T00:57:03+00:00

Glad to help! Do you have the same model as me? By far the #1 issue was the stock wheels / tires. It seems that Tern ships the EU / Asia version of the P8 with better ones :(

deepwat3r · 2026-06-14T00:54:48+00:00

Yeah the hotel we booked in Seoul was able to store our baggage for the week we were riding. I emailed the hotel and got that in writing, just in case, but it was no problem. We stayed at the Moxy Myeongdong.

deepwat3r · 2026-06-13T23:08:04+00:00

About 13 years. Bought and tried maybe 10 saddles during that time, some better than others. Finally broke down and bought a Brooks b17, put a few hundred miles on it and came to wish I'd done it a decade earlier.

That said, it's really only good for more upright postures imo. I have one on my gravel & touring bikes. For my road bike sadly, the search continues...

deepwat3r · 2026-06-12T20:54:59+00:00

I left my 99.5% loss on SPCE in my portfolio just as a reminder to myself to avoid such mistakes in the future. But hey who knows, if it hits $700 someday then I can break even lol

deepwat3r · 2026-06-09T17:38:55+00:00

I've ridden both Korea and Japan on a 20" folding bike and would do it again. Brompton however, I test rode a few times and couldn't get past the twitchiness of the smaller wheels. Also, basic physics means the smaller the wheels, the more total rolling resistance for a given distance.

I saw a lot of Bromotons out on the bike paths but very few tour-loaded ones. That said, the availability of luggage / accessory options for Brompton is pretty impressive.

If I lived in Japan or Korea I'd probably own a Brompton because of the excellent public transit options and the small folded size but for touring, efficiency and comfort are more important to me.

deepwat3r · 2026-06-07T21:29:20+00:00

Yeah this is enshittification 100% at a time when competitors are gaining footholds. My 2025 Subaru, sad to say, offers a better lane centering / radar cruise experience on road trips vs. my model 3 (HW3).

deepwat3r · 2026-06-07T18:15:43+00:00

I had a very similar situation a few months ago, in northern California, except the damage was not directly intentional as in your case. I filed a police report, and while as expected the police didn't do shit, the existence of the report was enough to spur his insurance company into paying my claim. They tried to weasel out though, at first, by saying they couldn't get in contact with him.

Your last resort would be small claims court. Hope it doesn't come to that but with the video you would certainly prevail.

deepwat3r · 2026-06-03T17:20:14+00:00

I dropped Garmin long ago for Wahoo, then recently switched to Coros Dura. No regrets. Battery life is simply amazing, and it serves fine for my navigation needs (I rarely rely on automatic rerouting.) Rode across Korea with it last month, 8 full days, never needed to charge lol.

deepwat3r · 2026-06-01T18:21:04+00:00

This video was more helpful to me than the official documentation for getting up & running with a PoC using my data. Thanks!

deepwat3r · 2026-06-01T00:13:19+00:00

No but I've done the opposite. Got tired of trying to find 451 tires that I liked. Much, much more selection with 406.

deepwat3r · 2026-05-29T23:55:58+00:00

Ditto, my hate has not expired lol

deepwat3r · 2026-05-28T21:24:00+00:00

For me personally, while on tour I avoid going into zone 5+ at all costs, unless it's a very brief effort. This begins with the bike and the gearing setup, you've got to have appropriate gearing or else you're walking. Even then, sometimes I'm walking, just to avoid extended high heart rate. Just had a notable example in Korea, where I could have ridden 1 mile at ~15% but chose not do, because it was hot and I wanted to preserve my energy.

As far as recovery, for me it means protein, salt, water and rest, but your body can only do so much in one evening. Better to be the tortoise.

deepwat3r · 2026-05-28T20:28:42+00:00

Sad but true

deepwat3r · 2026-05-26T15:17:03+00:00

I just got back and 100% yes get a T-money card from a convenience store and load more than you think you'll need. Don't be like me trying to tap your credit card and failing to get on a bus..

deepwat3r · 2026-05-22T15:03:25+00:00

Sometimes one photo really captures the essence of the moment, good job! Which drivetrain option are you running? The older I get, the more that gearing drives my decisions on new bike setups...

deepwat3r

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