JeremyZ
07-06-07, 03:52 PM
Well, I'm almost ashamed to admit that I've had two folding bikes in the past and am thinking of a third. (the other two are sold)
The first one I had was an aluminum Kent with rear suspension, an aluminum frame, 20" wheels, and 5 speeds. The seat post wouldn't go high enough for me to get any torque, and I'm only 5'8" with a 32" inseam. I went riding downtown (Chicago) once, but was discouraged to be busting my butt to keep up with the little girls.
The other one was a cheap Chinese one called a Z-bike. This one had knobby tires, a 3 speed external deraileur, and also rear suspension. Believe it or not, I liked this one a lot better, even though it was cheaper in every meaning of the word. It was much easier to carry on the train, it came with a bag and a pump, was more comfortable, and just more fun all around. Shouldn't have sold this one. There's a pic of it about 1/3 of the way down this page:
http://nordicgroup.us/fold/#Zbike
So now I'm looking for my first "proper" folder, and I have a better idea of what I want now:
- Low price, preferably under $300
- No rear suspension: I want my hard-earned energy going into the pavement, not a shock. If it rides rough, I'll do something with the seat and/or seatpost.
- Folds acceptably small for trains & buses, but not so small that the ride is punishing. (I'm thinking 16" wheels)
- I'm leaning towards an internal hub mechanism or nothing, for reliability & cleanliness reasons.
- It doesn't have to be as fast or effortless as my 21 spd, 27" Schwinn cruiser, but should go 10 mph on flat ground without too much effort. (fast jog / slow running speed) Fast enough to make it worth carrying a bike, in other words.
- Intended use - Having a bike to throw in the trunk without having to commit to a bike rack. I have hatchback, and don't want a roof rack that will kill my fuel economy, and there don't seem to be any rear racks for hatchbacks. (maybe if I get a trailer hitch) Also, I'd take it to work via bus & train once in a while, and on the train to the city once in a while.
The bikes I'm considering at the moment are all Dahons: Boardwalk 1, Boardwalk 6 (or whatever they're up to), Curve D3. Even though the D3s go for around $360, I'm thinking of stretching a bit to get that one. I like that it has the hub gears, so I'd still have gears without an external derailleur. I like the aluminum frame, tires, and esp. the 16" package size.
The Boardwalk S1 is neat because of its simplicity. Coaster brake would be nice if I were caught in the rain, but I'm concerned about how the hill-climbing will be. Will I be able to handle hills if I stand up and pump? Or is the one gear more on the low end, so that it would be top speed that would be limited?
Boardwalk S7 - Nice, but probably on the big & heavy side for public transit. My previous 20" folder was pretty damn clunky on the train, and I had to take up two seats.
Curve D3 - On paper, this one looks perfect, but folks here seem to be going for the fancier 5 speed version. I'm not really convinced that I need more than 3 speeds and the extra couple hundred bucks would be quite painful too.
Used Dahon Sturmey-Archer 3-speed, 1980s vintage. I was looking at a couple of these on ebay, they seem to be going for around $160 shipped. But I read somewhere that Dahon's quality back then was not all that great. Can anyone confirm or deny this? How much more would they weigh, with that funky folding handlebar support?
Whichever one I get, I'll probably end up getting an identical one for my wife in a week or two, which is why price is doubly important.
Some of the fancier brands seem to be liked here, such as Brompton, but I don't think they make any in the $300 range with 16" wheels, do they?
I apologize for posting this, but looking through the past responses to similar threads, everyone has different criteria than I do...
The first one I had was an aluminum Kent with rear suspension, an aluminum frame, 20" wheels, and 5 speeds. The seat post wouldn't go high enough for me to get any torque, and I'm only 5'8" with a 32" inseam. I went riding downtown (Chicago) once, but was discouraged to be busting my butt to keep up with the little girls.
The other one was a cheap Chinese one called a Z-bike. This one had knobby tires, a 3 speed external deraileur, and also rear suspension. Believe it or not, I liked this one a lot better, even though it was cheaper in every meaning of the word. It was much easier to carry on the train, it came with a bag and a pump, was more comfortable, and just more fun all around. Shouldn't have sold this one. There's a pic of it about 1/3 of the way down this page:
http://nordicgroup.us/fold/#Zbike
So now I'm looking for my first "proper" folder, and I have a better idea of what I want now:
- Low price, preferably under $300
- No rear suspension: I want my hard-earned energy going into the pavement, not a shock. If it rides rough, I'll do something with the seat and/or seatpost.
- Folds acceptably small for trains & buses, but not so small that the ride is punishing. (I'm thinking 16" wheels)
- I'm leaning towards an internal hub mechanism or nothing, for reliability & cleanliness reasons.
- It doesn't have to be as fast or effortless as my 21 spd, 27" Schwinn cruiser, but should go 10 mph on flat ground without too much effort. (fast jog / slow running speed) Fast enough to make it worth carrying a bike, in other words.
- Intended use - Having a bike to throw in the trunk without having to commit to a bike rack. I have hatchback, and don't want a roof rack that will kill my fuel economy, and there don't seem to be any rear racks for hatchbacks. (maybe if I get a trailer hitch) Also, I'd take it to work via bus & train once in a while, and on the train to the city once in a while.
The bikes I'm considering at the moment are all Dahons: Boardwalk 1, Boardwalk 6 (or whatever they're up to), Curve D3. Even though the D3s go for around $360, I'm thinking of stretching a bit to get that one. I like that it has the hub gears, so I'd still have gears without an external derailleur. I like the aluminum frame, tires, and esp. the 16" package size.
The Boardwalk S1 is neat because of its simplicity. Coaster brake would be nice if I were caught in the rain, but I'm concerned about how the hill-climbing will be. Will I be able to handle hills if I stand up and pump? Or is the one gear more on the low end, so that it would be top speed that would be limited?
Boardwalk S7 - Nice, but probably on the big & heavy side for public transit. My previous 20" folder was pretty damn clunky on the train, and I had to take up two seats.
Curve D3 - On paper, this one looks perfect, but folks here seem to be going for the fancier 5 speed version. I'm not really convinced that I need more than 3 speeds and the extra couple hundred bucks would be quite painful too.
Used Dahon Sturmey-Archer 3-speed, 1980s vintage. I was looking at a couple of these on ebay, they seem to be going for around $160 shipped. But I read somewhere that Dahon's quality back then was not all that great. Can anyone confirm or deny this? How much more would they weigh, with that funky folding handlebar support?
Whichever one I get, I'll probably end up getting an identical one for my wife in a week or two, which is why price is doubly important.
Some of the fancier brands seem to be liked here, such as Brompton, but I don't think they make any in the $300 range with 16" wheels, do they?
I apologize for posting this, but looking through the past responses to similar threads, everyone has different criteria than I do...