Hm, thanks for posting, even if you didn't exactly answer my questions. It's good to have similar (as in full-sized folders) to compare experiences with.
I got the Espresso today and alternately rode and walked it across and down Manhattan from W112th St to E14th St. It fit me perfectly size-wise, except maybe for the fact that the handlebars are a teensy bit far for my short arms. It went over bumps and potholes very well but did creak a little and was definitely much slower than other bikes, though I think the fault lies with me for that because I really wasn't trying to overtake any one and also because of my inexperience, I was a little scared of going too fast and being unable to stop and then crashing. The gears were a little wonky but I was prepared for that because I'd read it somewhere around the net but the shifting mechanism was easy to figure out and use, which is a feat for me since I've never had a geared bike before, and let me tell you, it is hard to make your fingers uncurl enough to use the brakes much less the gear shifter when you feel like if you don't hold on for dear life then the bike is going to twist like a bronco and turn on you. I suppose this is what I get for being a late learner.
Anyway, back ot the bike. The middle folding mechanism is super easy to use but also kind of stiff, which has been mentioned before on the net. The folded bike is definitely more awkward to maneuver than how I imagine a smaller folder would but it is a huge improvement over an unfolded bike. It fits in the space behind my door and has less or about equal a footprint as my standard-uni-supplied dorm chair.
I did get unsolicited compliments about the looks of the Espresso, so yay!
Also, I saw a significant number of folders on my ride down from Harlem - most were Dahons but I also saw two Stridas. I've also seen Citizens being ridden around Union Square lately, along with a Brompton tucked surreptitiously against a farmer's stall's wall. I also saw a recumbent bike, not sure if it was a folder. That was the strangest one.
Here's a picture of the Espresso folded:
