BassNotBass

sreten... you talk a lot about folders being slow and you have claimed that to be a result inherent of their design, a conclusion that I'm sure you've based on experience, which I'm willing to bet is very limited to begin with. You've mentioned how your inexpensive road bike is faster than your budget folder... good for you. But as I've mentioned before you lack the ability of "critical thought". From what I gather, and please correct me if I'm wrong, you've based your opinions on personal experiences, which is only normal, but you've failed to question the validity of those opinions just for the fact that:

1. you own a road bike which was probably bought with the correct frame size to suit your ergonomics and the fact that it's a road bike and is therefore probably equipped with components for which speed was a contributing factor
2. your folder, on the other hand, is a "one size fits all" proposition, something you probably haven't addressed in the form of stem, handlebar, crank arm length and other concerns that may help bring the bike's ergonomics more to your liking, and that was equipped with tire shaped objects to begin with which you "upgraded" with bargain grade tires (again, please correct me if I'm wrong but I seem to recall you posting something about cheap clearance tires for you folder). So far nothing about this is a recipe for efficiency and speed which you seem to hold dear.

In short you base your flawed (ill-proven) judgments on limited experiences that come from a very small pool of evidence. Not only do you make very specific statements that pertain to aspects of a broad nature (not verbatim but basically that folding bikes are limited or a compromise by nature) but you've summed up a type of bicycle (folder) as being slow which is foolhardy because even an econo-bike like a Citizen shouldn't be judged against something like a custom made Bike Friday.

Am I slower on my Bike Friday NWT than I am on my 20yo Nishiki Olympic 12? Of course I'm slightly slower because I built my Nishiki to do triathlons where speed is paramount.. to cover distances as quickly as possible on that one day of competiton whereas my BF is built for touring... to cover miles relatively quickly but comfortably yet still allow me to get in the saddle and do it over again the following several days. When it comes to all out speed there's no contest... my Nishiki will win out. However I'll feel a hell of a lot better after doing 100 miles on my BF as opposed to the Nishiki... because that's what it was built for. If I wanted my BF NWT to be as quick as my Nishiki, all I would have to do is spend money and compromise what the BF was intended for.

As far as this recurring theme of speed is concerned... what exactly does "fast" mean? I'm sure I can trounce you riding my Citizen Miami while you're on your road bike but that doesn't mean squat because I know that someone like Rob English can hand us our butts on a silver platter riding his Bike Friday Pocket Rocket. So what it boils down to is personal abilities and goals... on this forum we're looking for good reliable bikes to get us where we're going in an efficient way that also provides us with a certain level of enjoyment. For most of us <CAT3 "racers" a folding bike that meets our needs, be it "straight off the shelf" or via modifications, is all that we need to keep on pedaling with a smile on our face.

If jaycs likes his bike but wants to adjust the gearing more to his liking, then power to him and let's help guide him to the best of our abilities. If you want to crap on his goals based on your cynicism, then yeah, you're an old misguided grouch.

Hi,

The "likely gearing" is a matter of changing the freehub (or freewheel) and to a larger extent the chainring and cranks. It's that simple. Changing the number of speeds can also be beneficial for stepping down the spacing between each usable gear... that relates to pedaling efficiency... I'm sure you're aware of that but may not want to acknowledge it for particular reasons.

rgds, bassnotbass.