Easier folding?

[BentWart]

Has anybody tried cutting a slot in one of the shock mounts (probably the one on the swingarm) on a Sofrider to allow it to be folded by just loosening a quick release, rather than completely unbolting one or the other end of the shock? I'm imagining a suitable size/strength tube replacing the bolt, with the shock mount being cut in a way to look and act sort of like a dropout for a wheel. Same concept - loosen QR to remove, tighten the QR to keep everything happily in place while riding, and the "axle" providing the strength, not the QR shaft, with no chance of losing a nut, bolt or spacer during the folding process.

The reason for the question is that I just recently picked up a used Sofrider off of Ebay, and I see some real possibilities, but would like to make it into a bike that's easier to toss in a hatchback. It looks like tucking the rear swingarm under, while spinning the front triangle to one side would achieve a substantial reduction in stowage space. I don't need to get it down to "luggage" size, just "easy to toss in a small car" size - sort of like my ancient "made in Iowa" Linear LWB folder.

Has anybody else already gone through this same thought process? If so, what were the lessons learned, successful or otherwise? I'd rather not carve up my frame unless I'm fairly certain that the idea would work.

 

[MrSteve]

Rather than cutting slots and weakening the shock mounts, how about looking for a wingnut to replace one of the nuts
on a shock mount bolt?

 

[BentWart]

You raise a valid consideration, and one I do take seriously. My main reason for considering the QR approach is that I've had instances in the past (with a Trek R200 - same thing, releasing a shock to allow the rear swingarm to be folded under for more compact stowage) where undoing things for folding led to dropping a some small part or other on the ground in poor lighting, and much muttering until I finally found where it had bounced/rolled to under my car.

PRO QR:
1) No possible lost or misplaced parts, because everything stays on the shaft.
2) Potentially quicker/easier than any option that involves pulling individual parts off of a bolt, and making sure that they don't get lost.
CON QR:
1) Potentially weakens shock mount
2) If placed in the wrong spot, a violent bump could dislodge the shock if the QR isn't tightened down well.

The PROs are mostly speed and convenience. The CONs are potentially safety issues, but might not be, if the solution is properly engineered. I don't know yet if there is a safe way to do what I'm thinking about, which is part of why I'm asking the question.

I'm still thinking it through, but I figure that I'm not the first person to think about ways to make the folding process easier, and I'm curious what others have come up with.

Thanks for your reply!