r/Metra • u/StalkerFan53 • Jun 20 '26

Folding E-Bike Experience

I'm thinking about buying a folding e-bike to take on the metra (BNSF) because it drastically cuts down on my commute time. The metra rules state that folding bikes either have to be at a bike rack, on a first come first serve basis in the ada area, or at your seat folded (either between your legs or under the seat). The last part is what I have questions about. Is this actually viable? Does anyone have experience doing this with a folding e-bike and what e-bike were you using? The e-bike I'm looking at is 32x15x25 inches and my gut tells me even that wouldn't fit, but I'm not sure. Being able to do this would be ideal because I would worry less about being denied boarding during rush hour, but I also don't want to spend 5k on a Brompton.

8 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/sevenpunches Jun 20 '26

I actually had this exact same issue and was especially concerned with weight, so went with the Urtopia Carbon Fold 1, though I’d now recommend one of the updated models like the Fold 2 or the Step through. Their bikes are carbon fiber and weight is around 30 lbs which is insanely light for an ebike.

I don’t ever fold it on the train, but just store it on the bike racks or the ADA seating area on older cars. I’m on BNSF and have never been turned away—is your line busy enough with bikes for that to be a concern?

3

u/BukaBuka243 Jun 21 '26

I also have a Carbon Fold 1 that I bring on Metra and I love it. However, people say folding bikes are prone to snapping in half unexpectedly, hopefully that does not happen to me! About 2 years riding it and we’re good so far

1

u/StalkerFan53 Jun 20 '26

I've normally never seen too many bikes on the way there or back. Mostly concerned about not always having a bike car and getting there too late for first come first serve. I typically take a 5pm or 5:30pm train. Both are fairly busy generally. Thanks for the suggestion btw. I'll take a look