For the first post with the new way of embedding pictures, I
will introduce our latest purchase: the Dahon folding bicycle.
As the name would imply, the bike folds for easier storage
and transportation to shore.
We’re very excited about this bike. Aside from folding, this also happens to be a
really nice bike. From reading their
marketing, it appears that most of Dahon’s market is city folk who ride to work
and carry their bikes onto subways and elevators. Secondly are really, really committed bike
riders who need one they can take with them wherever they go. People on boats appear to be an afterthought
and though they make many different models, ours it the only one specifically
marketed for mariners. Hence it is
called the Dahon Mariner D7 (it has 7 speeds).
Our excitement is also because this bike significantly
enhances our range ashore. This was
something we never appreciated when we had two vehicles waiting at the end of
the dock. My trips to West Marine, Home
Depot, and ACE Hardware were almost daily when my transportation was a
truck. When it is my feet I seem to go
less often and buy less.
The cargo carrying capacity currently consists of a milk
crate strapped to the back. A folding
trailer is a possibility if our needs prove greater.
The bike is ostensibly Tanya’s, since she is our
Galley Officer, and the one that has to make the 1-mile provisioning trek to
the store when we run low on beer. She
made a trial run to the local K-mart yesterday and I barely got the dinghy back
to the boat before she was calling to be picked up at the dock. The kids all have folding Razor scooters, so on
a family trip I’ll be the only one without wheels. We’ll have to wait and see if another bike
makes sense. We haven’t even figured out
where we’ll put this one yet.
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