A week with the CarryMe

During my Student Internship Program at Mighty Velo, I got to use a CarryMe micro folding bicycle for my daily commute to and from work and also to run my errands during the weekends. So here’s what a week with the CarryMe compact folding bike looked like. 

Prior to this, I only rode the CarryMe folding bicycle for photoshoots, so I never had to go the distance with this compact bike. Now, I was going to ride it for a week and had to be comfortable folding and unfolding the bike to take it in and out of public transport with me.

As the newest intern to the team, the other interns were tasked with teaching me how to fold and unfold the CarryMe compact folding bike. Despite designing some of the posts that promote the CarryMe as easily foldable under 20 seconds, I was sceptical about being able to do it myself. I was a little confused the first time I watched them unfold the bike. Their hands moved in a blur as they pulled up the handles, secured the seat post, unfolded the pedals. Surely enough my first shot took me nearly a minute. But I tried again and again for another 7 minutes, and sure enough! I was soon able to fold it easily under 15 seconds. With that, I was confident enough to take my CarryMe micro folding bike home.

Weekdays

So, out of the Mighty Velo store I went, cycling down the path towards Bendemeer MRT. That short 10-minute trip to the MRT station instantly made me realise how compact the CarryMe micro bicycle actually is. The narrow and tight pathways leading to the MRT tend to be swarmed by people leaving work every evening. With a normal bicycle, I would have had no other choice but to dismount my bicycle and push it through the crowd. But with the CarryMe foldable bicycle, I was able to squeeze through the crowd without having to dismount and push it.

As soon as I arrived outside the MRT, it didn’t take long for me to fold the CarryMe up before entering the station. Thanks to its lightweight design and easy folding capability, I could easily carry the folded CarryMe compact folding bicycle up the stairs and down the escalator. Also, being under the 120cm by 70cm by 40cm size limit when folded, I’ll be able to bring it on board the train and, also the bus!

So, after saving about 5-minutes worth of walking, I was in the MRT train heading back home from Bendemeer to Tampines East.

When I reached the doorstep of my house, my parents were taken aback when they saw me with the bike. I was rather confused at first, wondering what they were so surprised about. When I looked at the time, I then realised that I was actually about half-an-hour earlier than usual!

On most days, I was just making my way to work, and then straight home. However, on Friday night I had some friends who wanted to meet up for supper at the McDonalds near my house. I was almost too lazy to leave and was about to reject their offer. Then I remembered that I had the CarryMe foldable bicycle that week! Surely enough it only took me 5 minutes to zip over on my bike, versus the 15 minutes it would have taken me to walk there. When I got to McDonald's, I folded up the bike and just rolled it right in. The CarryMe folding micro bike can stand on its own when folded, which made it super easy to keep beside our table while enjoying our supper.

Weekends

I used the CarryMe foldable bicycle a few times over the weekend as well. 

On that particular Saturday, my mom fell ill. She usually goes out every Saturday for her weekly grocery shopping. Now that she was sick and unable to do her usual shopping, she sent me off to get the groceries with a long list she wrote. Again, I took my new trusty buddy, the CarryMe micro bike, on this little errand. It is usually only a 7 min walk. With the CarryMe folding bike, barely took me 3 mins to reach there.

Upon entering, I folded it up and pulled it along as I began picking out products that’s on the shopping list my mother gave me. I didn’t even need to worry about carrying all the groceries under the hot afternoon sun home. With the CarryMe folding bicycle, I managed to hang all the grocery bags on the handlebar of the bike and cycled home without any difficulties.

Later in the afternoon, my friends and I scheduled a futsal session at the court located at SAFRA Tampines, about 5 bus stops away from home. I usually take a bus there, but now with the CarryMe folding micro bike, there wouldn’t be a need for me to ride the bus and pay for the ticket fare. I can simply unfold the bike, and off I go!

Not only did I not need to spend money on the bus fare, but along the way, I also managed to get a good exercise before playing. The only downside was since I was the only one who had the privilege and convenience of a CarryMe folding bicycle, I had to meet up with my friends at the location itself instead of riding the bus together although we all live just blocks away. Now if only I can convince them to start cycling with me…

On Sunday, I handed the CarryMe foldable bike over to my father, who was rather curious and eager to give the CarryMe folding bicycle a go. He is a bicycle enthusiast and gets excited every time he gets the opportunity to get his hands on any sort of bike.

The CarryMe folding bicycle is known to be the worlds’ lightest foldable bicycle and it can be folded and unfolded in under 15-seconds. Just like I did a few days prior, my dad practiced folding and unfolding the bike with my instructions, and now he can do it even faster than me! With that settled, we took the CarryMe to our nearby neighbourhood park to bring it for a spin. When I say ‘we’, I meant my dad took off on the bike and left me in the dust!

For a moment we did think the little CarryMe might not take his weight because he is nearly 100kg! But the CarryMe was very stable and sturdy when he mounted the bike, and he said it was just as comfortable to ride as a bigger mountain bike!

Conclusion 

Overall, I had a great week with the CarryMe foldable bike. I learnt that the CarryMe won’t just bring you from point A to point B, but as a whole, the CarryMe foldable bicycle can lead you to a healthier lifestyle, strengthen the bond between you and your friends or family and even save you a sum of money in the long run.