Experience of Airnimal Joey/Chameleon

sharrow

Hi

Looking for a new folder and am considering an Airnimal.

I have a 35 minute train journey and 10 miles of riding each way.

Just wondered if anyone out there has experience of using one of these daily where they need to 'fold' it to get on a train. Is it a complete pain in the a**e and do you get sick of it after a couple of weeks? Or is it something you get used/tolerate, to because the other benefits outweigh the faff of folding it?

Any comments base welcome

sharrow

Gary R

I test rode a Airnimal Chameleon,It seemed to be the best "fast" folder i could find,i thought it was a bit over priced for 105 shimano,& the basic fold in half would do for a train commute,A few people i spoke to had problems with frames breaking although Airnimal were quick to replace no quibble.I didnt buy in the end as a change of job saved me going down the folding bike/train route

Champagne tastes,Lemonade pockets

Dudu

The Chameleon's a very fast bike, almost as good as a non-folding road bike made of Al and carbon, but it takes quite a time to "fold" (or rather, dismantle). It's intended for carrying on planes and long-distance trains, which is why it is called the "AIR-nimal" and comes with a handy suitcase to put it in.


<font size="1">*** Have you got rock salmon?
No, but we've got soul ***</font id="size1">

SJLcp

I have cycled over the Tourmalet on an Etape on an Airnimal and they are great bikes - the original ones had some problems with frames cracking and the poor cable routing but I think these issues have all been fixed now - its not a fast fold bike and consequently you might want to look at the Joey or what about the Dahon speed pro - they are v. fast!

sharrow

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by SJL</i>

what about the Dahon speed pro - they are v. fast!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

I was a bit concerned about what must be an inherent weakness in the Dahon's frame i.e. the hinge. I currently ride one of the 24" wheeled Dahons and after 2 years the frame/hinges creaks dreadfully (think strangled cats!) due to play in the hinge pivot. So I was looking for something with an uninterrupted top/down tube hence Airnimals and/or Birdys

Chriscommuter

<i>Originally posted by Dudu</i>

The Chameleon's a very fast bike, almost as good as a non-folding road bike made of Al and carbon, but it takes quite a time to "fold" (or rather, dismantle). It's intended for carrying on planes and long-distance trains, which is why it is called the "AIR-nimal" and comes with a handy suitcase to put it in.


I've got one and fully agree, great for taking on hols, but can be a b4gger to build up/dismantle...

Fantastic to ride though.

17 years commuting up and down the King's Road and i still don't get faster...

star_rover

Had a Joey Explore for a few months.
It was a bit of a ball ache taking it apart to take on the train in the morning. You have to remove the front wheel completely before folding. Then once folded you have to carry the bike in one hand and the wheel in the other, or bungee the wheel to the bike (making the whole thing awkward to carry). And it takes up a lot more space than you think, so finding somewhere to store it on the train might be problematic.
The fold/disassembly doesn't take that long but you can end up with crud on your hands from the front wheel, and if you've attached race blades they have to be removed prior to folding.
Ride's pretty good though.

sharrow

<i>Originally posted by star_rover</i>
So did you get rid of it coz it was a hassle?

palinurus

It sort of depends on what your train journey will be like, but if you're on a crowded train and have a fair bit of walking to do an Airnimal may be too cumbersome folded. Go take a look at one if you can, fold it and see what you think. They do ride very well, I got one (a Joey) for train journeys- infrequent journeys at the weekend to get around a bit for day rides and touring rather than regular commuting stuff. I sold it eventually but I am thinking of getting a nicer spec Airnimal so I can get out to the hills a bit more often.

Roastie

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by sharrow</i>

Hi

Looking for a new folder and am considering an Airnimal.

I have a 35 minute train journey and 10 miles of riding each way.

Just wondered if anyone out there has experience of using one of these daily where they need to 'fold' it to get on a train. Is it a complete pain in the a**e and do you get sick of it after a couple of weeks? Or is it something you get used/tolerate, to because the other benefits outweigh the faff of folding it?

Any comments base welcome

sharrow
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Where is your train journey? Do you need a folder?

deadpet

I had a Joey for commuting duties and while it was a decent ride it was a nightmare to keep up with the maintenance. If you didn't clean and lube every week - including all the hinges and clamps - it moaned and groaned and creaked and squeaked like an arthritic pensioner. Also the wheels weren't that hot and I had to have the back one totally rebuilt after only a month of use. Nice bike but not ideal for commuting duties.

palinurus

I only ever used mine in the summer for commuting. I wouldn't have used it as my only commuting bike as I don't think I would've wanted to use it in the winter. I need lowwww maintenance once it gets cold.

Cunobelin

These are brilliant fast road / touring bikes. Stacks of fun, but think of it as bike that folds not a folding bike!

It takes a while to fold and unfold, and is not a small package, unwieldy in a crowded train.

There has however been a number of cases of failures. I have had 4
1 Seatpost failure where the welds "unzipped", 1 Where the frame and the "plates" holding the bottom bracket / suspension failed, and 2 at the base of a supporting strut.


I must say thsat replacements have been quick, and without any query.I still keep a Chameleon simply because they are so much fun.

For low maintenance, try the Rohloff Joey

PS - as the "insert image code" doesn't appear to work, here is the image as a "URL": without the codes as that one doesn't work either!


http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b60/C ... CF3125.jpg[/url]

ejls2

Sorry for bringing up an old thread.

I had a quick test ride on a joey the other day and thought it was great!

The only thing I didn't like was the relatively upright position, even with the saddle all the way back. I know it's beter than most folders but I'd like to make mine as close feeling to my other bikes as possible.

Has anyone succeeded in fitting a seatpost with some layback instead of the the inline one?

Cheers,

Ed