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Old 12-20-08, 04:27 PM
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makeinu
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Originally Posted by feijai
I own a tikit, but I have not tested the Brompton enough: so take the statements below with a grain of salt. Though I believe they are all correct.

Brompton pros:

  • It's been around far longer. The tikit is only two years old and its design has not been as well tested. Though its frame warranty is assuring.
  • It folds into a more compact space (about half the volume of the tikit). This is not to be discounted.


Tikit pros:

  • Handles and rides much better. This may be due to poor trail on the Brompton, among other factors. The Tikit steers more stably, can be ridden without hands, and can be ridden stably out of the saddle. The Brompton cannot.
  • Has "real bike" geometry. The Brompton's top tube is very short, resulting in a poorer riding experience over long distances. The tikit comes in three top tube lengths, and is better structured overall, particularly with the length of the rear wheel with respect to the seat. Most people will find the tikit a better fit: and any male over 5'8" will find the tikit to be a much better fit.
  • Folds and unfolds extremely rapidly, particularly the Tikit hyperfold. If rapid folding if your goal, the tikit is the clear choice.
  • Designed to roll on its front wheel when folded; the Brompton is instead outfitted with small skateboard-style wheels which IMHO are only usable on flat surfaces like in a shopping mall.
  • Is highly customizable with standard parts, both at Bike Friday and after the fact. Bike Friday has a wider range of options, and nearly everything on the bike is standard. This is also a big deal if you need to repair your bike in an unusual location. In contrast, the Brompton is particularly poor in this regard: almost nothing is standard.
  • Has far better brakes (and standard ones).
  • Has adjustable handlebar height.
  • Has quick-release wheels. Is easier to repair popped tires.
  • Bike Friday has a lifetime warranty on its frames and is famous for going to extreme lengths to keep its customers happy. I know this personally.


I do not think the Brompton has much of an advantage at all when it comes to flying. The tikit packs relatively straightforwardly, certainly better than my Dahons do. Unlike folding to go into shops or on trains, packing for an airplane isn't every hour: it's fine if it takes a few minutes. In this video, Rob English packs the whole thing in eight minutes, including lots and lots of stopping for explanation. And as Oldies pointed out in another thread, the Brompton will not fit in a standard suitcase. The tikit will, and easily.

As I've posted elsewhere (plus pretty pictures), I am of the opinion that the tikit is a better bike in almost all respects except for compactness. The Brompton by necessity sacrifices a great deal in order to achieve extreme compactness, but if that is a crucial need (and it often is), Brompton is the way to go. Otherwise, it's hard to argue for the Brompton over the Tikit.
I agree with pretty much everything said here except I don't think it's fair to say that the Brompton is really half the volume of the tikit. Multiplying maximum LxWxH and calling it "volume" is a bit like comparing a french fry carton to a box of frozen french fries from the supermarket:

Looks big and if you compute LxWxH it seems like it is big, but it really isn't.

The Brompton gets a freebie because it's square. All other folding bikes are smaller than the LxWxH calculation admits and smaller than they look. How small are they really? I don't know, maybe someone more motivated than myself can make molds out of all the popular folding bikes (han solo style...pun intended) and fill the molds with water to find the actual volumes, but my feeling is that bikes like the Curve and DT Mini are as small as, if not smaller, than the Brompton in actual volume and the tikit is perhaps just slightly larger.

Now that's not to say the Brompton's square shape doesn't have some value. It does and it may fit places other bikes won't because of that shape (then on the other hand other bikes may fit places Brompton's won't because of their shapes), but it really depends on where you need to put the bike.

So let's not confuse shape with actual volume.

Originally Posted by Yiorgos05
Does anyone regularly take either the Tikit or the Brompton on the subway in NYC, especially during rush hour? Does that work well? If anyone has tried both bikes, can that someone say if one works better than the other for a commute that includes a crowded subway ride?
Check with David Lam at bfold. He is without a doubt the most knowledgeable folding bike dealer in NYC and has a stellar reputation for customer service.

Last edited by makeinu; 12-20-08 at 04:36 PM.
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