Don't I Have to Pedal More?

For many people, this is the very first question they will ask when encountering a small wheeled folding bicycle. (I will discuss folding bicycles with normal wheels in the future) I have heard this query more times than I can count, and it is often followed by " . . . really? . . . like you can go up hills and everything?!?" -- and I can assure you that yes, I can go up hills with my folding bicycle. in fact, I can bike at the same speed as a normal bicycle in any situation.

This miracle is brought to you through the amazing simple machine that is gearing. So, if you have smaller wheels, you can compensate by either using larger chainrings, or smaller cogs on the cassette / freewheel / hub gear. Shimano even makes a group specifically for this purpose called Capreo, and despite the need for some new tools to install and remove (a completely uncommon issue in the bike industry), it works really well. In general though, special equipment is entirely unnecessary because most of us bike in the middle range of our bicycle's gearing most of the time. Smaller wheels and standard gearing just mean that you use a higher gear that you normally would to ride at a given speed. Sure you lose that 110 inch top gear, but you may gain some nice lower end gearing to plod up hills (especially nice for commuting). For you roadies out there, this is basically the same concept as a compact crankset, which as you may have noticed is all the rage these days. In all reality, a small percentage of bicycle riders need or even use the highest few gearing combinations they have (53-11 much?). Given this fact, you would be much better served by a lower range with narrower jumps between gears. In fact this will even offer greater efficiency as you have more gears to chose from while riding the speeds you normally ride at, and it also encourages you to ride smoothly at a higher cadence in a lower gear as opposed to stomping on the pedals and wasting energy.

So, to answer the question, no, you don't have to pedal more with smaller wheels. You may not have the same high end gearing available to you as on a traditional road bike, but you can if it is that important to you! However, when you actually take the time to think through how you bike and what you want to use your bike for, I think you may realize that the lower gearing easily offered on a folding bike with standard parts will be a more functional set up. Many of the benefits of folding bicycles come down to this point of functionality; and as with many aspects of life, functional utility is the most important factor driving long term usage and enjoyment of a product.

Sure that Colnago Presidente looks AWESOME hanging in the bike store's window. Fortunately, it will also look awesome hanging on your wall when you try to pass it off as an artistic tribute to modern industrial design while explaining why you don't ride it 6 months after purchase.

Tune in next time for "Aren't Small Wheels Slower?", as for now, get up and go ride.