Tandem Bike in a Bag

Seriously! You can put a full-fledged, honest-to-god, rear-suspension, 24-speed bicycle built for two in a bag. Ping did a lot of research and found Glitterbike, a Taiwanese manufacturer which makes a folding tandem bike. We put over 80 km on it in just a few days, and we're loving it.

This is the coolest thing: you can fold it so small that it fits into a bag which you can carry onto the MRT or the ferry. You don't have to buy a separate ticket just for the bike! Of course, at 19 kilos, you'll rather ride it than carry it, which inspired the following poem:

Bike in a Bag

by Mark Ivan Cole (thanks to Jerry Boyd for the idea!)

I carry a tandem bike here in my bag!
I carry it everywhere, though I may sag
And tumble and stumble and fumble and flag,
I still keep my bicycle zipped in my bag!
When other folks ask why I carry it there,
I simply respond, with the haughtiest air:
"My bike is pristine, and I feign would despair
"If once I besmirched it with my derriere!"
I've wondered, of course, if perhaps we should ride it,
And not haul a bag with a tandem inside it,
But till I've the courage to swallow my pride,
I'll lug this big sack with the tandem inside.

For more detail on the bike, read on!



We sold our wonderful Burley Zydeco tandem just before we moved here, and the local rental tandems just haven't been as enjoyable. Still, where do you put a bicycle built for two when you've downsized to where we are now? The only answer was a folding bike. Really? How good could a folding tandem bike be?


They're just now exporting outside the country. They even have an "extended frame" which is intended for taller guys like me. We found their local distributor in Shilin and stopped by to take a look at it. Ping convinced them to let us test ride their rental unit.

The bike ROCKS! Wow. The rear suspension soaks up some of the bumps that Ping used to get on the Burley. The tight steering is responsive, and we feel no frame flex, even with both of us pedaling hard. The front and rear pedals are not locked in synch. One of us can actually coast while the other pedals, which means that I can do all the small movements at slow speed without Ping trying to match them.

The bike folds in half just in front of the pilot's seat, so there's no need to detach the chains. The award-winning design has a quick-release of the shock in the back so the rear wheel rotates underneath to shrink the bike so small you can actually put it in a bag! At 19 kilos/42 lbs., it's no lightweight, but having it in a bag allows us to take it on the light rail, the ferry, or even the bus, if we want to go ride somewhere further out--at no extra cost! When we get off the train, we just unfold it, put in the seats, lock and go!