Folding Bikes - advice needed

Hi,

i spent a good amount of time on this forum and checking different folding bikes but i still cannot decide which one to buy...
i would greatly appreciate if some of you could give me their advice for what i am looking for. Basically, i want use the bike for my daily commute (less than 8 miles roundtrip) + occasional errands. the area is fairly flat. I don't really mind spending a fair amount of money for a good quality bike (i am not a very good mechanic so i want a bike that is very reliable and i also don't think that i will do any upgrade such as changing brakes, etc...).

any advice?

Thanks.

I would go for a DaHon folder. I commuted on one for years until a friend borrowed it and a cager trashed both of them. I found it to be awkward for travel, a bit heavy and big.

OK here goes....

My initial recommendation is for a Brompton, which has the best fold, an internal hub (low maintenance) and a built-in rack. The ride on a Brompton is very good, because it has a little bit of built-in suspension. I personally wouldn't use a Brompton for long rides (20+ miles).

If you're looking for something that can do longer rides, a Giant Halfway is a good choice. It's pretty solid, folds pretty well and has a built-in rack.

Dahon ships the most folders and are pretty popular. Personally I'm not thrilled with their quality lately, but in all fairness I do have one of the cheaper Dahons out there and rode it pretty hard.

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that your needs are fairly basic, so really almost any folding bike will wind up being a good choice. ;) So you might be better off focusing on the features and setup that you want, as well as finding out what if any folding bikes are available at your LBS -- as a test ride may very well be the deciding factor. In the interim, you may want to figure out:

• What's your budget, including some extras like a helmet, lights, gloves, water bottle etc
• Do you want an internal hub drivetrain, or a derailleur
• Do you prefer a steel or aluminum frame
• Do you care about how heavy or light the bike is

Once you get that going (e.g. "I want a $500 steel bike with an internal hub" or "I'm up for $800, want a derailleur and a light, aluminum bike that folds small"), you will have substantially narrowed your options.

thanks for the advice.

i could only tried a dahon at shop near where i leave. it felt alright but they did not have any other brands.

my budget is max $1200.
i have to admit that i am clueless between an internal hub drivetrain, or a derailleur.
i am looking for something light but i don't need to have the lightest model either
aluminium or steel frame: is there any difference apart from weight?

dahon: i see a lot of thread where people complain about broken parts, etc...
brompton: considering the various reviews and your comment i think i am going to go with the brompton but are you paying too much for "The Brand"?
bike friday: over the top for someone who is going to use it max 10 miles a day?

thanks.

Dahon and Swift have trouble free parts packages. You will pay extra but you will not have to replace much.

Downtube starts out less, but with regular use you will likely have to replace many parts. Cheap bikes are also harder to overhaul. Rebuilding a bike with better parts can leave you with a ride that is well suited to you as an individual.

Bike Friday has the best ride, can keep up better with regular bikes.
Brompton most compact folding.

(less than 8 miles roundtrip) + occasional errands. the area is fairly flat. If you can tolerate the small dia wheels Strida can do this very well (but not much more).

check out sandsmachine.com.

try craigs list and ebay.

If you are clueless I suggest you get a regular 'vintage' bike off craigslist ($100-$300). Learn to maintain it. After a year you will be an expert and can decide what features fit your style. If you find you like the vintage, $1000 will upgrade just about everything on it. S&S couplings might make it compact enough for you too.

Hi geo8rge,

I take it that when you write,

"Downtube starts out less, but with regular use you will likely have to replace many parts. Cheap bikes are also harder to overhaul. Rebuilding a bike with better parts can leave you with a ride that is well suited to you as an individual."

that your opinion is based your experience or knowledge of the quality of the parts on, for example, the Downtube VIII H 20" wheel I just received a couple of weeks ago? I find this very hard to believe based on the research I did before buying. From what I've read, understood and so far experienced, my Downtube not only has parts comparable to bikes priced twice as high, but that it will be easier to repair and cheaper to upgrade if and when needed or wanted, due to the fact that its parts are standard.

Anna

thanks for the advice.

i could only tried a dahon at shop near where i leave. it felt alright but they did not have any other brands.

my budget is max $1200.
i have to admit that i am clueless between an internal hub drivetrain, or a derailleur.
i am looking for something light but i don't need to have the lightest model either
aluminium or steel frame: is there any difference apart from weight?

dahon: i see a lot of thread where people complain about broken parts, etc...
brompton: considering the various reviews and your comment i think i am going to go with the brompton but are you paying too much for "The Brand"?
bike friday: over the top for someone who is going to use it max 10 miles a day?

thanks.

Given the short distances you are looking to travel, it appears that you want something that will fold compact.

If the Brompton is too expensive, you can look at the Merc. See http://www.mercbike.co.uk/. Note that you can by them on EBay for 330 pounds instead of 400 on the website. There are several threads that discuss the Merc versus the Brompton in this forum. My wife and I have tried both for the past two months and I think the Merc compares favorably because of its price and accessories.

You might want to consider the Birdy Red/Yellow. The fold is not as compact, but the ride is better than the Brompton/Merc. You can get a rear rack that folds with the bike.

Dahon does make the Presto Light or something like that. With 16" wheels and less than 20 pounds with local bike shop support, it might be a good choice for you.

Downtube does make a 16" mini that compares well with the Dahon model.

With either the aforementioned Dahon or Downtube, you might run into sizing problems if you are particularly tall or heavy.

Oh, in response to a lot posts refering to broken parts on the Dahon and such, you should factor in that there are more Dahon folding bikes than any other brand in the US. The figure that I read is something like 60% of all folding bikes are Dahons.

Hi,

i spent a good amount of time on this forum and checking different folding bikes but i still cannot decide which one to buy...
i would greatly appreciate if some of you could give me their advice for what i am looking for. Basically, i want use the bike for my daily commute (less than 8 miles roundtrip) + occasional errands. the area is fairly flat. I don't really mind spending a fair amount of money for a good quality bike (i am not a very good mechanic so i want a bike that is very reliable and i also don't think that i will do any upgrade such as changing brakes, etc...).

any advice?

Thanks.
Most people will say that hub gears require less maintenance, but they are a pain when you need to change a flat. If you go for a hub gear like on the Bromptons, try and minimize the possibility of flats by getting good kevlar tires and using a tube filler (Slime???) that will greatly reduce this kind of maintenance.

Oh, in response to a lot posts refering to broken parts on the Dahon and such, you should factor in that there are more Dahon folding bikes than any other brand in the US. The figure that I read is something like 60% of all folding bikes are Dahons.
Also keep in mind that the cheaper Dahons ($500 or less) will not have very good components and lots of buyers. ;) You may want to specifically investigate the component quality for the more expensive Dahons if you liked the ride.

Re: Brompton, I think it's less "paying for the brand" as "paying for the best fold" and "paying tarriffs and import costs" as they're made in the UK. No idea on the Merc's quality, but it's a Brompton knock-off that as far as I know is minimally or not available in the US.

The Swift is a great bike. It's light and fast, it feels much more solid than the Dahons, it's my main ride these days, but it doesn't fold very small.

Bike Friday is definitely overkill for short commutes. It's made for people who fly to France and ride 50+ miles a day for a month straight.... ;)


As for some other stuff....
Aluminum = light, stiff, likely to fail eventually (as in 10+ years)
Steel = heavier, more flex, soaks up a little bit of road bumps, lasts a long time

Derailleur = regular type of transmission, light, quiet, efficient, easy to fix, exposed to elements, can only shift when bike is in motion
Internal hub = heavy, protected from elements, slightly inefficient, usually needs less maintenance, expensive to repair if anything does go wrong, usually a bit noisy, can shift when bike is standing still

Bike weight doesn't really affect your speed, so I wouldn't worry about weight unless you have to carry the bike a lot. If you have a wet and muddy commute, go for an internal hub; otherwise derailleur is fine.

So with your budget:
Brompton, if you need a small fold and/or have a wet commute
Giant Halfway, if you need a fairly small fold and the option to ride longer distances
Swift, if you don't need a small fold

I have both the lesser costly Dahon (Boardwalk S1) and the Brompton CE3 (the no frills, stripped down model) to commute in an emergency as well as have a little fun occaisionally. I modified both to what I wanted in a bike. Both are simple, easy to maintain, and no derailleurs to fuss over with constantly. They are quick to manuever about (important in heavy traffic, or threatening situations), and very reliable. The Brompton is mostly intended to carry on buses and trains. The Dahon, while I have carried it on buses and trains, is mostly intended to just be folded up at it's destination and ridden without using another form of transit since it is so much heavier. Different folders for different activities.

Any folder bike will have ou properly covered. I believe the most important thing for you is how confortable the bike is so you enjoy your ride no matter how heavy the bike is, how ugly it is when folded and so on. You never mentioned you need a compact folded, so a 20" wheel folder will do great!

Let us know what you choose.

Rafael

"Downtube starts out less, but with regular use you will likely have to replace many parts. Cheap bikes are also harder to overhaul. Rebuilding a bike with better parts can leave you with a ride that is well suited to you as an individual."

I am not sure how you come to this conclusion. I have 2 Downtubes and find their parts to be as good as bikes costing 3 times as much and certainly not parts that are going to wear out with regular use --in addition I would put their frame up against anyone regardless of cost.

The Downtube, as opposed to many other folders ,uses standard versus proprietary parts which will make upgrades or repairs much cheaper in the long run.

Yan runs a low overhead and low margin business. This gives the buyer a chance to get a high quality bike for a great price. This is one case where low price does not equate to "cheap bike".

--in addition I would put their frame up against anyone regardless of cost.
Don't know what this is supposed to prove, but ok.

Take you aluminum frame and bend it back and forth until it breaks in half. I bet it breaks in half faster than ANY cromo frame. :rolleyes:

Originally Posted by donkeyman--in addition I would put their frame up against anyone regardless of cost.

Don't know what this is supposed to prove, but ok.

Take you aluminum frame and bend it back and forth until it breaks in half. I bet it breaks in half faster than ANY cromo frame -spambait11

Or even better, just try to add another hub to an aluminum frame that does not fit exactly as the original part measures up. You cannot "cold press" (spread out or contract the dropouts) an aluminum frame. But steel especially a good grade like Cromoly will do it and more.

Any folder bike will have ou properly covered. I believe the most important thing for you is how confortable the bime is so you enjoy your ride no matter how heavy the bike is, how ugly it is when folded and so on.


Agreed.

I was at a bike shop in New York City where a woman test rode a Brompton and didn't like the feel. She was going to test ride a Dahon Helios but the saleswoman kept telling her the Brompton folded better, chain-ring was in the inside while the Helios was bigger, heavier and didn't fold as well. Needless to say, if the bike doesn't feel good, you pass it by. The sales woman was trying to sell the Brompton even though it cost almost twice what the Helios sold.

To be honest, I felt the Helios was a better riding bike than the Brompton and unless she was going to board the bus, would have been a better choice. Don't let some sales person sell you a bike that does not feel good. Buy the most comfortable ride out there and you'll use it more often.

thanks for the advice.

i could only tried a dahon at shop near where i leave. it felt alright but they did not have any other brands.

my budget is max $1200.
i have to admit that i am clueless between an internal hub drivetrain, or a derailleur.
i am looking for something light but i don't need to have the lightest model either
aluminium or steel frame: is there any difference apart from weight?

dahon: i see a lot of thread where people complain about broken parts, etc...
brompton: considering the various reviews and your comment i think i am going to go with the brompton but are you paying too much for "The Brand"?
bike friday: over the top for someone who is going to use it max 10 miles a day?

thanks.

Consider the Merk GT3 if you are thinking of Brompton. I've done 700 + miles on mine so far and I like it a lot. Available at £330 (UK POUNDS) on Ebay (uk) and fully equipped with carrying bag, rack, front luggage system, lights, and kick stand, it is good value for money. It is a complete rip off of the Brompton which you might find objectionable, but it works great. It is so close a copy that Brompton parts are I believe interchangeable should you wish, or should the Merc company disappear.

I have hammered mine and The only problems I have had are with spokes in the rear wheel. They are easy to replace though and cost next to nothing. The brakes aren't good but can be hugely improved by liberal oiling of the cables. Spares are available at prices so cheap they make you smile, for example:

Pedal £4.50
Chain tensioner £4.50 (about 28% the price of the Brompton part, of which it is an exact copy).
Kevlar belted tyre £6.50
front wheel £18

I could go on, but I think you'll get the picture.

Like I said, I'm past the 700 mile mark now, and I ride the thing for the pure joy of it. If I get bored, I just wheel the little darlin' out and spin the pedals for a bit and my mood rises 100%. It makes me grin so much that I have to wipe the flies off my teeth. (Ugh).

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Edit:

Having read some of the other comments in the thread, I'd say this-

When I first sat on this little bike, it felt very wierd, now my much more expensive mountain bike feels lke a railway truck and I barely use it except if I lend the Merc to my girl friend and we go for a ride. Then after I get back on the Merc, if feels skittish. Obviously, this advice does not work if the bike doesn't fit you. I'm pretty short, and I've heard from invisible hand that people over six feet tall might not find it suits them without special seat posts and such. As for the comments about the hub gear being a pain if you get a puncture, the Merc has kevlar belted tyres and in any case, all you need do is make a good exact measurement of the locknut position on the knurled gear adjuster before you undo it. I know about this because I've bust four spokes on mine and had the wheel off to replace them. I can do it in about twenty minutes now.

One more tip - if you want to remove these tiny tyres soap them up with old fashioned washing up liguid and water first. They are stiff little buggers other wise, b ut by doing this, I can get them on and off without levers. That would be impossible if dry. They are really tight as you try to get the last bit over the rim.

i am looking for something light but i don't need to have the lightest model either
aluminium or steel frame: is there any difference apart from weight?


Aluminum = light, stiff, likely to fail eventually (as in 10+ years)
Steel = heavier, more flex, soaks up a little bit of road bumps, lasts a long time
An aluminum frame is in most cases lighter than a comparable steel frame, but not always. Aluminum frames are usually stiffer, because they use oversized tubing (thin-walled tubes with large diameters). In some cases the wall thickness of the aluminum tubes is so thin that those frames get dented easily, but I would think that folding bikes use somewhat thicker tubes and therefore smaller diameters (at least mine does).
Steel frames can rust, aluminum frames cannot.

There is no magic, a $200 bicycle will make more trade offs than a $500. While I have only seen DT demonstration models, the parts package did not seem that good. Looking over the part, I see "Prowheel" crankset. If you use the bike a lot you will probably want to upgrade. My Monty shipped with prowheel, I now have shimano 105. Those plastic folding pedals may also be a problem. I am 200lb and ride most every day, so I really abuse the bikes I have.

I have commuted 8-10 miles roundtrip for a year on downtube VIII - no problems at all - only change I made was to put a brooks saddle on it recently.

ok... dahon dealer here .... thats why I am not sayin what I like best and why ... pretty obvious of course.

You want to spent up to 1200 buckaroos for a bike ... Thats a lot of dough ...
Do yourself the favour and find ways to testride the bike.......

The main thing is that you have fun riding the bike.... only when you have fun , you will use it, and thats the main issue... doesnt make no difference if alloy frame or steel, internal or derrailleur , easy fold versus small fold...
all doesnt matter if you dont ride the bike .... and again YOU only know what you like...

Thor

There is no magic, a $200 bicycle will make more trade offs than a $500. While I have only seen DT demonstration models, the parts package did not seem that good. Looking over the part, I see "Prowheel" crankset. If you use the bike a lot you will probably want to upgrade. My Monty shipped with prowheel, I now have shimano 105. Those plastic folding pedals may also be a problem. I am 200lb and ride most every day, so I really abuse the bikes I have.

This point goes without saying. What you need to factor in is at what level you are comparing prices. A $500 Dahon could have in real terms $150 worth of parts and a lot of markup (ie. profit margin for the importer and then dealer). DT may have $200 of real parts and then be sold at the $300 price level. So even though you bought a $300 DT, you actually received "more" bike.

This isn't always the case but I think we'd all agree that there are "more hands in the pie" getting a Dahon here than a DT. The distribution chain would dictate it so that people would make money at each "level" in the process of getting the bike made, imported, distributed and then retailed. At the minimum DT cuts out one step in the process and possibly more.

The one benefit Dahon could have is economy of scale if they buy in enough quantities to get a price break that is better than DT's. They'd better be buying a lot of the same item to make that really work out although if they have enough volume they may still get a decent price break. It is obvious that DT didn't due too bad in that area either considering what the retail the 8 spd internal hub models for on its own and what they sell the entire bike for.

If you are considering something like a Brompton the Merc is a good alternative as EvilV mentioned. Mine has been very reliable so far. A pretty good bike for the money. If you are a big guy stay way away from the Giant Halfway!!!

Considering what you have to spend definitely look at the Swift! It is definitely one of the best all around folders and many of us who have other folders love our Swifts too.

If you are a big guy stay way away from the Giant Halfway!!!

I am personally a big fan of the Giant Halfway, but even if you are not a big guy there are better options for the same $$ out there nowadays.

Again, let us know about your decision,

Rafael