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Comment by c-cube | Hacker News Reader

I haven't tried but I'm curious about them: would a foldable (e)bike do it for you? You just don't leave it outside at all!

I've been eyeing the Bromptons but without a commute it's harder for me to justify the cost.

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I had a foldable e-bike for two months (was great) in SF before it was stolen. Someone saw me ride up to my house and enter the basement entrance where I kept it locked to a pole in a utility closet. Later on, they grabbed a food delivery bag, told another tenant they were making a delivery, got buzzed into the building, and stole the bike. They didn't get either battery, but I haven't bought a bike since.

Very sorry to hear this, but I appreciate the tale as a warning.

> You just don't leave it outside at all!

How practical is this really? You bring your folding bike into the restaurant where you're eating, into the bar where you're meeting friends, into the gym (it doesn't fit into a locker), into the little corner store with narrow aisles, etc? I feel like taking the folding bike indoors can work for a commute if your office doesn't have dedicated safe bike storage, but I think it falls apart as an overall response to "I'm inhibited from using my bike as my primary transportation b/c it is an easy target of theft"

A Brompton is really small when folded. Smaller than a carry-on suitcase by volume. It rolls on little scooter wheels on the rear rack when folded. I bring mine into all the places you just listed on a regular basis, except for a gym. For a restaurant, it typically will fit under a table. At a bar, if you are at a table the previous thing works. I've also had the bar staff offer to stash it inside the store room. If someone you are meeting up with is DD'ing a trunk works as well. I've never been in a store so small I couldn't roll it in, you can just pull the seat up a bit and roll it in front of you.

This is one of the most insane things I've ever read.

Yeah, if I had a commute, I'd think about a foldable, although I struggle with the look. But a big use case for a bike for me is recreational distance riding, which is sounds like they're not great at.

Is there a model made where the motor, battery and electronics are all easily detachable?

In theory it wouldn't be too hard to take the battery, controller, and a front wheel with hub motor. But I think in practice even the extra few minutes to unplug, remove and reinstall, not to mention carrying all this stuff, would raise the friction to the point where it would be quite a chore.

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