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In the middle of another day in the office where I've tired myself out walking back and forth across campus, I think I really should get myself something to move more efficiently while I'm in town.
Can anyone suggest some options? I'm 198cm tall and just under 100kg, and in the UK.
I don't think I could leave a full-sized bike here - can't leave it in my office and there's no locked bike shelter near my building. I live an hour-ish bike ride from work, so riding my bike in is fun sometimes but definitely doesn't help with the tiredness problem!
Is there a cheapish folding bike that could take me?
Or a scooter?
I'm not thinking of anything electric - we're currently not allowed to keep the batteries in our offices, and the distances are short enough that I don't really need motor assistance anyway.
A lot of people telling me that folding bikes are useful, which is nice, but I'm already convinced.
What I want to know is, does anyone know an affordable folding bike that I will fit on?
@christianp Maybe a cheap enough second-hand bike that the theft risk from leaving it locked but not in a locked bike shelter is acceptable?
@gjm yeah, I thought of that, but our campus security don't like bikes being left locked to bike stands for long periods of time. And it'd seize up from not being ridden.
@christianp I love using my Brompton for getting around. Small wheels == big smiles.
They are a bit pricy (I got mine many years ago second-hand) and if you need to carry them up some steps / stairs they can be a bit heavy. However, I find for little errands, or work travel it's perfect and I wouldn't be without it. I regularly choose it over my "big" bikes 
@christianp A skateboard will get you around campus. If your campus has a lot of lawn, get or make a lawnboard instead. They have large wheels. Added bonus: they're hands-free, so you can be extra dangerous by scrolling Mastodon on your phone whilst evading pedestrians, if that's your thing.
@christianp Sounds like the right distance and use-case for a skateboard, if you worked out your balance on the board in more junior years.
@christianp Shame about no batteries: I feel like the most appropriate way for a mathematician to get around campus is on a Segway
@christianp A nonelectric folding bike would be great for that and it helps having a lighter bike if you have to carry it far. Browse your local bike shops and see what they have for options and do some test rides.
@christianp In Cambridge quite a few of my colleagues have taken to use the Voi bikes/scooters for this sort of thing.
@christianp Obviously this only works if there is a voi franchise :/
@christianp I use a folding kick scooter for that sort of thing. It can be carried in one hand, taken on the bus, tossed in the boot of a car. I have a thin cable and padlock to lock it (through the wheel) to bike racks, but that's mostly performative deterrence. Mine is a Cityglide, but Razor makes them too.
@jtwcornell91 @christianp My mind went to something like this because I found a folding bicycle to be heavier and bulkier than I had anticipated before I owned one.
@soaproot @jtwcornell91 the ones I've seen all say max height 185cm. Given how dyspraxic I am, and wanting to avoid back pain, I'm not keen on trying that
@christianp @soaproot yeah it looks like mine says 4'6" to 6'2" so adult but not really tall adult size. My dyspraxic 11-year-old does fine but height is not an issue there.
@christianp second-hand Brompton folder, the new ones are nice, but fundamentally Brompton's have not changed much over the years, keep an eye out for one locally, they are generally well looked after and even if it needs work spares/repair are OK, easy for self-repair and/or just make sure bike shop is familiar with them. Once adopted I doubt you'll ever give it up … ;)
@christianp
I've been a folding bike user for the last 3 years and I love them. No budget for a Brompton. My first was a Tern and now, I have a used one made by our local outdoor shop, MEC. A bit heavy to carry up to my 3rd floor apartment but much more suitable than a full-size bike and it doesn't slow me down much.
#BikeTooter
@EllenInEdmonton @christianp
Brompton can be stored almost anywhere.
A 20" folder is cheaper, and can fit under a desk.
Here's a picture of my 20-inch folder in a bag (getting a lift from a #TernGSD ). The 20" folder has a luggage rack on the back, so its a bit bigger than usual.
@christianp The UK has a rich history of folding bikes. I’d second the suggestion to look for a used one. Raleigh Twenties are still out there and another brand whose name escapes me now, and of course Bromptons, are all possibilities.
@christianp coming from a country with a rich biking tradition (where it's just considered part of how you move around rather than "an activity") and famously tall people, is this just a matter of "I am tall"?
@christianp mostly asking because for some folks it's also a matter of needing a specific posture - if it's just a matter of not feeling like you're riding a kids bike, there's a bunch of options that make unsuitable bikes viable, like (relatively cheap) saddles and handlebars with extended tubes so you get those crucial extra few inches.
@TheRealPomax ah, right. I'm hypermobile and sprain things or get muscle pain very easily, so I wouldn't want to push my luck with bad posture
@christianp extended tubes might get you that, to ensure a straight back - most bikes that are designed with good posture for tall folks at least somewhat in mind (like Brompton bikes) are unfortunately not what I'd called affordable, more of a long-term purchase =(
(they last accordingly, so on a per-year basis over the lifetime of the bike it works out to perfectly affordable, but several thousand pounds up front is not exactly pocket money)
If you have a bike shop nearby, though, probably worth quickly popping in and seeing if they've had to solve that problem for someone else already =)
@christianp I found an extremely cheap second-hand one on gumtree that folds. Not sure what it's called, but it's got the now-defunct URL 'bike-in-a-bag.com' proudly emblazoned on it. Does the job, and looks like a pile of rolling rust, so it's basically theft-proof. I consider that a feature.