Breaking In
An abridged version of this appeared as My First Date With Bluestreak on the La Dolce Velo blog in December 2025. Riding a bicycle for transportation is, as much as it hurts my cycling advocate heart to say it, still an unusual choice here in Austin, Texas. More unusual still is to pick a steed based on something other than speed or riding comfort. My house is small, though, and after being passed up by a bus with a full bike rack late one night, I determined that a folding bike would address both issues - allowing it to be stowed in the front closet rather than out in the shed, and giving me the reasonable recourse of simply folding it up and carrying it onto any bus that already has a full house of bikes hanging off its front bumper. Not one to catch as catch can, I researched the topic to absurd levels. I drew up a list of requirements - disc brakes, upright posture, multi-speed, rear rack, rollable while folded, and not too pricey. I was probably days away from committing to a Bro...