In this post I wanted to mention one of the most crucial bits of kit that could really help out your car-free-dom. And, no it’s not headphones, that was my last post!

I have previously written about the cycling aspect of being a car-free-family. And this post is about a particular type of bike – a folding one – which is one of a myriad of possible biking options.

With car-free-dom you do need to mix up travel options and combinations at times to get to where you need to go – bit of bus, bit of a walk, bit of train etc. And a folding bike means that you can take it with you at each stage.

Once you’ve figured out the vaguaries of unfolding – I did make sure I practised it quite a bit as I didn’t want to look like an imbecile trying to figure it out in the railway station (!) – then it feels really good to get off a train and jump straight onto your bike.

There are some possible drawbacks with folding bikes though. Firstly, they can be pretty heavy to carry around even for a short distance, and particularly if there are some stairs to navigate. The lightest ones can be really pricey, but might be a great investment.

Secondly, as a folding bike can be a bit pricey if you do get one – mine was second hand – you need to make sure somebody else doesn’t wander off with it i.e. locking it to something on a train when you need to leave it somewhere is a good call.

Thirdly, folding bikes don’t often have many gears and have small wheels so if you are going somewhere hilly it can be a challenging cycle!

That written, with those drawbacks in mind, a folding bike can be a cracking addition to moving around in your car-free-dom. So if you are working then using a cycle-to-work scheme like the one in the UK to buy one could be a great option.