Folders! Foldable bicycles, minivelos and demontables

[bikeworkshop]

Dull working bike in action, taking a frame to the post office.

Low rack/ long post makes
"plus-size" parcels a possibility

 

[grantoury]

Fab thread, love the imagination and flat-out bonkers engineering that goes in to some of these.

I know very little about mine, it looks kinda like the Batavus bikes (with the pressed box section) but not quite. I call it 'Baguette Express' because I have it mainly to take on holiday to France with me to collect baked goods, so I've included a pic from the first time it fulfilled its destiny.

Hercules is a German brand I believe, but @KayOs may know better. I love the look of it, so many different models were made like this in the sixties and seventies.

 

[Rothchild]

Hercules is a German brand I believe, but @KayOs may know better. I love the look of it, so many different models were made like this in the sixties and seventies.

Yup, it has a Sachs Torpedo (single speed, coaster brake) hub, which adds to the German flavour. I searched quite extensively for anything about it when I got it but largely drew a blank (the pressed from flat construction seemed pretty singular to me at the time, even the forks are just folded sheet!).

The closest I can find to it is this: http://www.bootiebike.com/neckermann/neckermann.htm (which is also lovely) but it's quite a lot bigger. It's like Hercules bought/stole the design and re-imagined it in to a shopper.

 

[grantoury]

I found another one, it pays to use German terms like "Klapprad" or "Faltrad."



https://www.ricardo.ch/de/a/seltenes-hercules-klapprad-1106703810/#image_gallery_fullscreen
I also found this nice example:

 

[KayOs]

Hercules is a German brand I believe, but @KayOs may know better. I love the look of it, so many different models were made like this in the sixties and seventies.

You are absolutely right. I think they also made Mopeds and Mokicks for some time.

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

I found another one, it pays to use German terms like "Klapprad" or "Faltrad."

View attachment 885574

https://www.ricardo.ch/de/a/seltenes-hercules-klapprad-1106703810/#image_gallery_fullscreen
I also found this nice example:

View attachment 885577

The larger wheel bike is lovely, almost french in its style.

 

[Rothchild]

The larger wheel bike is lovely, almost french in its style.

Looks like it was German too, by 'Hermann Klaue', who got taken over by Hercules in 1956

https://onlinebicyclemuseum.co.uk/1954-hermann-klaue-crossframe/

 

[grantoury]

The larger wheel bike is lovely, almost french in its style.

Yes, there was a French bicycle with a mono tube frame, but I can't remember the name now.

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Yes, there was a French bicycle with a mono tube frame, but I can't remember the name now.

Schultz, there's one in the french thread.

 

[grantoury]