Originally Posted by
jimx200
Brand new to folders here, but pretty experienced with road and mt. bikes.
To me this is the key phrase.
In that I read that you have experienced lots of bikes and know the difference between quality and rubbish bikes. So, I would caution you
to ignore the lowish price constraint and go for a better quality bike - Bike Friday.
They are steel (lots of people like that), are designed to take on flights (by packing them in a suitcase) and the ride quality is so very good that it will quite probably become your only bike. Plus they are made to size, the only folding bike where this is the case. Every single other folding bike is made in medium or even small (as they are aimed at the far east market). Check out vik's blog - he has several BFs. The versatile tikit in particular would be a great choice.
I might also put forward the Xootr Swift. Though they are size medium, you can fit a long stem and order it with a extra long seatpost; but the ride quality is just excellent. They don't fold small but well enough so you can throw it in the boot, and like many other folding bikes, with a little disassembly they pack into a suitcase. The Swift is only $679, about 1/2 of a BF.