I have seen lots of RV'ers pull out a folding bike, flip it open, and pedal away merrily. So I guess it could work in your "under the desk" scenario. Those I have seen had pretty small diameter wheels, limited gearing, and very limited cargo carrying capablilty (or so it looked to me), so I don't think that they would work in the "walkabout" thing. As a canoe bike, I suspect that you'd better have really good trails when you try to use one...