Best looking folder on the market

[DVC45]

Just for looks, I say Dahon D3 followed by Xootr Swift. What's your pick?
:)

[Donkey Hodie]

Dahon Jack

[SesameCrunch]

Boy, that's like trying to pick the prettiest woman/man. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Of course, if you're looking to stir things up a little, you picked a good topic. Let the war of words begin!

PS: This thread is worthless without pics!

[spambait11]

In terms of currently produced bikes, on pure aesthetics alone, I'd say the Brompton and most Bike Friday iterations.

Then the monocoque Birdys.

Mobikys also look nice, but they need bigger wheels.

[Bacciagalupe]

Boy, that's like trying to pick the prettiest woman/man....
Huh, and I was going to say it's like figuring out which one got hit the least with an ugly stick.... ;)

I'm fairly fond of the aesthetics of my Dahon Mariner D7, unfortunately it's kind of a POS. I've gotten far more positive comments from pedestrians about the Mariner than my Swift.

[Skidurts]

The Strida looks pretty. Triangle frame. Single-sided fork and stays. Hidden cables. It's like a piece of art.

[DVC45]

Boy, that's like trying to pick the prettiest woman/man. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Of course, if you're looking to stir things up a little, you picked a good topic. Let the war of words begin!


:D :D

I would've voted on your DT, but its your own build and not as factory issued.

Oh, yes, pics please! :)

[spambait11]

Moulton F-frames are real beauties too!

[DaFriMon]

For a folder that looks like a folder, maybe Strida. Don't have one, don't want one, but they have one of a kind looks.

For a folder that doesn't quite look like a folder, maybe Airnimal Chameleon. Don't have one, can't afford one, unless I sell some of my other bikes.;)

[willysson]

the Dahon Mu SL?

[Chop!]

Strida 5 for it's combination of design simplicity, engineering excellence a triumph of form over function! Just did the Bristol folder ride on my 5, 20-25 miles of hills, rough tracks & only 1 hill beat me (as it did for most of the riders) there were several Brommies, SPs, Moultons, Dahons (inc 1 curve), 1 Micro, 1 Thompson & Jac my son on my GoBike.
Second place to GoBike purely on lokks let down by engineering deficiencies & lack of support.
Closely followed by the new Birdy in terms of looks but the Birdy beats the GoBike hands down in terms of ridability & engineering detail.
In the 'Breakable' dept. the 'Pylon' Moulton if money is no object & the Airnimal for it's beauty combined with sporty practicality.

[14R]

In order:

1)Dahon D3

http://www.wrower.pl/wiadomosci/img/2006_11_11643568242_5905_DahonCurveRozlozony_ik.jpg

2)Brompton

http://www.velorution.biz/images/Brompton-sequence.jpg

3) The legend of the GoBike

http://en.red-dot.org/rd/img/360/2005-03-0301-a.jpg

[James H Haury]

My Dahon classic (not a 3 anymore but a fixie)because I have fixed it up myself to be the best it can be ,or possibly my dahon getaway (converted to a fixie) Both are red. None of my bikes are 100% stock.So what have you done(Your name here)? From taping the handlebars to changing the gearing to make your bike better for you?

[LittlePixel]

Beauty can be many things...

Classic Elegance: Bridgestone F-frame Moulton in white paint
Jeep-style Ruggedness: Airnimal Black/White Rhino
Modern Elegance: Dahon Mu SL in silver-grey paint / yellow stripes
Retro Chic: Raleigh RSW 16 with metallic blue paint and white balloon tyres
Gizmo-laden Coolness: Kuwahara Gaap Wind in white
Zen-like simplicity: Steel Swift in black with fixed gear

Wooden spoon for the ugliest goes to:
Mezzo (sorry Mezzo)

http://www.sfbikes.com/Moultonbridgestoneo.jpg
http://www.bicycledoctor.co.uk/graphics/airnimalblackrhino.jpg
http://www.kanekoings.jp/image/mu.sl.jpg
http://sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/images/67-rsw-page.jpg
http://www.rintendo.com/Pics/GaapWind-White10219e-m2.jpg
http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2004/b/black1.jpg
---
http://www.downlandcycles.co.uk/images/mezzo/models_r1_c10.jpg

[wubrew]

Beauty can be many things...

Classic Elegance: Bridgestone F-frame Moulton in white paint
Jeep-style Ruggedness: Airnimal Black/White Rhino
Modern Elegance: Dahon Mu SL in silver-grey paint / yellow stripes
Retro Chic: Raleigh RSW 16 with metallic blue paint and white balloon tyres
Gizmo-laden Coolness: Kuwahara Gaap Wind in white
Zen-like simplicity: Steel Swift in black with fixed gear

Wooden spoon for the ugliest goes to:
Mezzo (sorry Mezzo)

http://www.sfbikes.com/Moultonbridgestoneo.jpg
http://www.bicycledoctor.co.uk/graphics/airnimalblackrhino.jpg
http://www.kanekoings.jp/image/mu.sl.jpg
http://sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/images/67-rsw-page.jpg
http://www.rintendo.com/Pics/GaapWind-White10219e-m2.jpg
http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2004/b/black1.jpg
---
http://www.downlandcycles.co.uk/images/mezzo/models_r1_c10.jpg

Whao!:eek: :eek: :eek:
I want one of each. There goes 10th commandment right down the drain!

[jur]

Coveting is OK, as long as it is not thy neighbour's wife or his donkey. Neighbour's bike is OK. ;)

[DVC45]

That Dahon and Swift is calling on me. :)
They both look slick, clean and not crowded.

[maunakea]

I dropped by Bikefix in Holbron (London) today after some IP meetings in the neighborhood. Bikefix appeared to be a very good stockist, but the proprietor was somewhat distracted by the bungling of a new assistant. I saw my first Airnimal Joey and Rhino in res, many Brommies, Birdys, and a number of curious vsf brand full-size frame, non-folding, German-made bikes with ISO 406 wheels. Strange. I would nominate vsf for the wooden spoon were they a folder.

Getting an Airnimal in a suitcase would be a chore. I second the Rhino as the most rugged folder.

[matt52]

I dropped by Bikefix in Holbron (London) today after some IP meetings in the neighborhood. Bikefix appeared to be a very good stockist, but the proprietor was somewhat distracted by the bungling of a new assistant. I saw my first Airnimal Joey and Rhino in res, many Brommies, Birdys, and a number of curious vsf brand full-size frame, non-folding, German-made bikes with ISO 406 wheels. Strange. I would nominate vsf for the wooden spoon were they a folder.

Getting an Airnimal in a suitcase would be a chore. I second the Rhino as the most rugged folder.

If you're still in town you need to get down to Velorution in Great Titchfield Street (about five mins walk from Goodge Street station) - probably the same range of folders, but an even more wild variety of European eccentricity on bike side. Pedersens, Zero-shafts, trikes, etc, etc. And the staff are dead pleasant as well.

[matt52]

Beauty can be many things...

Wooden spoon for the ugliest goes to:
Mezzo (sorry Mezzo)

http://www.downlandcycles.co.uk/images/mezzo/models_r1_c10.jpg

Aw, what's wrong with the Mezzo - I kind of think the front bit gives it an aggressive sporty edge. But then I like the bike...but I do look forward to its birdy-style reincarnation as a monocoque. So far only on sale in the far east (sigh)

http://www.velovision.co.uk/storyimages/2006/eurobike/eurobike5.jpg

[Guy Retreau]

Some don't consider the Joey a true folder in terms of commuting on a crowded train.
But doesn't it have nice form. The possibilities are endless.
Looks like a offspring of the retro Raleigh Twenty and we know how goodlooking they are.
http://www.airnimal.com/Images/JoeyLarge.jpg

[Fear&Trembling]

I dropped by Bikefix in Holbron (London) today after some IP meetings in the neighborhood. Bikefix appeared to be a very good stockist, but the proprietor was somewhat distracted by the bungling of a new assistant. I saw my first Airnimal Joey and Rhino in res, many Brommies, Birdys, and a number of curious vsf brand full-size frame, non-folding, German-made bikes with ISO 406 wheels. Strange. I would nominate vsf for the wooden spoon were they a folder.

The staff can sometimes be a bit surly in there ("too cool for school") and occasionally they talk abject nonsense, but most times they are helpful enough.

Was the German bike a "Fahrrad Manufaktur" - they don't fold but they are a sort of utility version of a Dahon mini-bike...

I still have not made my way to Velorution - but I hear good things.

Best Looking folder (well, separable): Moulton Double Pylon - a thing of beauty...
Best Looking bike when folded: Brompton - bijou...
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/203/491034159_38820ff076_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/210/491023430_c09a6f849c_m.jpg

[maunakea]

F&T, yes, the logo was "vsf Fahrrad Manufaktur", but since the last two words are simply "bicycle manufacturer" I took the brand to be vsf. I asked the proprietor, in between his barking at (training? supervising?) his assistant, why someone would buy a vsf, since it combines the size of a full frame bike and the compromises of ISO 406. He replied that it was not as long as a mountain bike. With the 2+" Big Apples on it, it wouldn't be that much shorter than a road bike. Plus, the vsf weighed about 15 kg/33 lb. I mused on this but spoke no more.

Matt, I'll visit Velorution on my next visit (I'm now back in Hawaii). I hope it has more Spoonerisms.

[Simple Simon]

+1 on the Moulton Double Pylon.
+1 Strida, especially 5.
+1 Go bike (or is that Ghost Bike :D )
+1 Swift, as long as kept simple and stripped down (that goes for most bikes - added 'stuff', water bottles, racks, even mudguards and dangly derailieurs kill nice clean looks).

-1 Always thought that the Brommie looks like a 'granny bike' - especially with traditional M-Type bars.

-1 Twenty IS a 'granny bike', :) but
+1 customised, striped out and simplified, 20 becomes cool.
-1 mezzo looks all wrong to me - its that massive long stem out front that looks (and feels) spindly.

+1 Love the look of those black Airnimal Rhino's, and all the new Dahons seem so much better looking than the ones around even 5 years ago.

If I had to choose 1, I'd take the moulton - and put it on the wall, too expensive to ride :D

[old and new]

I have a Helious,it's a beaut ! It's light,it cost $550 at the time,3-4 years ago.I didn't choose it because it was light to be fast or to show-off,we bought it 'cause it was light for the wife to heft.I use it more than she anyway.I like all the Dahons,I'm not on the ball with all they offer,the Curve seems cool,it's different.

[SesameCrunch]

.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/203/491034159_38820ff076_o.jpg


Hmmm, maybe an acquired taste...

[maunakea]

Has a certain engineering overstatement, but with a huge weakness: theft vulnerability. A frame strut would be weaker than a cable-lock cable.

[Fear&Trembling]

Hmmm, maybe an acquired taste...

I should say so. Perfect for the arriviste, or bearded, middle-aged, small-wheeled purist. I fall somewhere in between...

Has a certain engineering overstatement, but with a huge weakness: theft vulnerability. A frame strut would be weaker than a cable-lock cable.

True, but who in their right mind would pay $11000 for a bike and then lock it and leave it? It would be akin to a pagan sacrifice!

[juan162]

I love those space frame Moultons. Of course, I was an architect major in college, so I love the form follows function thing,

Juan

[Shaymo]

For looks alone, its got to be the Gobike

[noahj]

Sorry, Moulton doesn't count. It splits/packs, but doesn't fold. I would say the same for my Fridays, though I love them dearly.

The coolest folding bike ever is the Soma Ti:

http://www.bikesmiths.net/bike11.jpg

Alas, no longer made. If anyone has one of these to sell, I'd like one.

[spambait11]

The coolest folding bike ever is the Soma Ti:
Why? Because it's Ti?

They're actually Panasonic bikes Soma re-branded (Soma does not have the resources to make their own from scratch). Japan is your best bet for one, but don't look for it under the Soma label.


Edit: SOMA Fabrications, San Francisco, CA (http://www.somafab.com/)

[juan162]

noahj,

I do think that Soma is a sharp looking folder. Wish they had that in the US!

Juan

[noahj]

Why? Because it's Ti?


Yes,of course. But it's also a very nice bike, leaving aside the Ti coolness factor.

[Fear&Trembling]

Sorry, Moulton doesn't count. It splits/packs, but doesn't fold. I would say the same for my Fridays, though I love them dearly.

Thanks for arbitrating.

The coolest folding bike ever is the Soma Ti:

http://www.bikesmiths.net/bike11.jpg


A few folders have been made with Ti. My recollection from an old (Japanese) blog was that the frame hinge wasn't too great, but I may be wrong.

[makeinu]

Am I the only one that thinks the Brompton is kinda ugly? It looks like it should be a little old lady's bike.

The Curve D3 is probably the best looking (in red) followed by the Birdy and that monocoque Mezzo (the regular Mezzo doesn't do anything for me, but it's not too bad).

The Swift isn't ugly, but it isn't good looking either, just plain. The tikit is probably the worst. Most of the bike looks fine, but when you see the seatstay area...

I don't think we've had any pictures of the Birdy yet:

http://www.birdybike.com/Models/birdy-Anthracite-large.jpg

[juan162]

I actually think that the Curve is the one that looks like a little old lady bike. I think the Birdy looks more like a 'serious' bike. It all comes down to personal taste, though.
Juan

[DVC45]

The GoBike and Birdy looks like one of them Transformers robots from the 80's. :)
Thanks for adding more pics guys!

[flea]

I don't think we've had any pictures of the Birdy yet:



Sorry, can't get behind the Birdy. It always looks broken to me.

[Skidurts]

The Curve D3 is probably the best looking


I think it looks plain, but when folded it looks worse.

[14R]

I think it looks plain, but when folded it looks worse.

The Curve looks really bad when folded...that is an opinion that I share.

[BruceMetras]

I have a Helious,it's a beaut ! It's light,it cost $550 at the time,3-4 years ago.I didn't choose it because it was light to be fast or to show-off,we bought it 'cause it was light for the wife to heft.I use it more than she anyway.I like all the Dahons,I'm not on the ball with all they offer,the Curve seems cool,it's different.

Yup, I've always liked the look of the Helios.. Purchased it from a boat supply outlet a few years ago... this one has been great and has encountered no mechanical problems (other than the occational flat). I leave it normally in the trunk of my Alfa Spider as it folds fast and flat to a height of only 11", which 'just' allows the trunk to close.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/194/511519075_c9b7d3b66c_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/220/512308437_9fe9f0ea0f.jpg

[pm124]

With regards to looks, I'm 100% Moulton, whether it counts or not.

I saw a really cool looking folder on the NYC Westside bike lane yesterday. It had super thin tubing and a vintage Moulton-like spring in the front. I wanted to ask the guy what it was, but was late to work.