Folding Bikes - If this was your LBS...

And these were the bikes at the LBS... (http://www.calhouncycle.com/productcart/pc/viewCat_h.asp?idCategory=2)
Which folding bike would you choose for yourself? Why?
If you were going to recommend one to me, which would you pick if I told you:
-I want it to be relatively light and portable so I can travel with it
-I probably won't ride extremely long distances on it, but I'd still like it to be rack compatible so that if I'm traveling, I can carry things with me.
-My next planned vacations are to a camping/park area with some serious on and off-road paths (and serious hills) and to the mountains of California to visit family - the lodge we're staying in is a few miles from the relatives' house, but again, it will be hilly. I don't need an off-road folding bike, but if it's an option, I wouldn't mind researching it.
-Overall I'm looking for a solid, versatile traveler that's good for hilly and non hilly situations.
Thanks for the help. I'm new to the idea of folders, so I just wanted to get some input!

And these were the bikes at the LBS... (http://www.calhouncycle.com/productcart/pc/viewCat_h.asp?idCategory=2)
Which folding bike would you choose for yourself? Why?
If you were going to recommend one to me, which would you pick if I told you:
-I want it to be relatively light and portable so I can travel with it
-I probably won't ride extremely long distances on it, but I'd still like it to be rack compatible so that if I'm traveling, I can carry things with me.
-My next planned vacations are to a camping/park area with some serious on and off-road paths (and serious hills) and to the mountains of California to visit family - the lodge we're staying in is a few miles from the relatives' house, but again, it will be hilly. I don't need an off-road folding bike, but if it's an option, I wouldn't mind researching it.
-Overall I'm looking for a solid, versatile traveler that's good for hilly and non hilly situations.
Thanks for the help. I'm new to the idea of folders, so I just wanted to get some input!

If you're doing "some serious on and off-road paths", and you're looking into folders, you'll be way more comfortable on 26" wheels.. Since your LBS carries Dahon, I'd probably get a Matrix (http://www.dahon.com/us/matrix.htm) and fit tires to whatever terrain I expect .. here's a Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uONL3igeqlg&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Edahon%2Ecom%2Fus%2Ffolding%2Dbicycles%2Dus%2Dmountain%2Ehtm) of Dahon's Zero G (which I have, although not in the current line up)... if you had to go to 20" wheels, then the Airnmal Rhino with it's aggressive suspension and gearing, is setup for the rough stuff... Downtube's FS model would work at 1/6 the price of a Rhino, but you wouldn't have the gearing and quality of components for hilly NorCal off-road, and your LBS doesn't carry it.... my vote is for a Dahon Matrix

And these were the bikes at the LBS... (http://www.calhouncycle.com/productcart/pc/viewCat_h.asp?idCategory=2)
Which folding bike would you choose for yourself? Why?
If you were going to recommend one to me, which would you pick if I told you:
-I want it to be relatively light and portable so I can travel with it
-I probably won't ride extremely long distances on it, but I'd still like it to be rack compatible so that if I'm traveling, I can carry things with me.
-My next planned vacations are to a camping/park area with some serious on and off-road paths (and serious hills) and to the mountains of California to visit family - the lodge we're staying in is a few miles from the relatives' house, but again, it will be hilly. I don't need an off-road folding bike, but if it's an option, I wouldn't mind researching it.
-Overall I'm looking for a solid, versatile traveler that's good for hilly and non hilly situations.
Thanks for the help. I'm new to the idea of folders, so I just wanted to get some input!

You will presumeably be able to test ride a number of these and should do so but if I were starting with one to measure the others against, I would start with the Birdy Silver.
- Its light (22lb)
- It folds quickly to a compact package and just as important, the package stays together, is easy to hold and has the chain to the inside
- It offers the comfort of full suspension with something of the feel an speed of a road bike on the open road.
- The Silver because they are offering a good deal on it and the gears are probably worth the extra over the Red
- Its great on the road, handles rough roads well and is better suited to off road than most other folders.
- Its a durable proven mature design
- It can be set up to carry loads
- It holds its value much better than most bikes
- I like the way it handles hills
- Its the best multipurpose folder I've seen and its good enough for everything that I do that I don't feel the need for any other bike.

Other thoughts about it.
- Schwalbe Marathon Racer tyres would probably be a noticeable upgrade from the standard tires. If you want to do a lot of riding on soft surfaces, you may want to go with 2" wide Big Apple's.
- I've found the standard gearing good but if I was climbing a lot of steep hills with a load, I would want lower gearing.

David

Awesome. Thanks for the advice. I don't know what I will do now except go and test ride some and see how it goes. I had a FS bike once and it drove me nuts when I was riding on roads because I just felt like I was bouncing all over the place and working way too hard to get anywhere. Is there a solution to this problem? Can the suspension be tightened up or something? I have never really been an off-road biker, but I certainly wouldn't mind dabbling in it, but only if the bike can be flexible enough to use on roads, too (for now). Otherwise, I might just scrap the trail-riding ideas and stick to the roads for a while and invest in a FS bike later on.

Thanks again!

Awesome. Thanks for the advice. I don't know what I will do now except go and test ride some and see how it goes. I had a FS bike once and it drove me nuts when I was riding on roads because I just felt like I was bouncing all over the place and working way too hard to get anywhere. Is there a solution to this problem? Can the suspension be tightened up or something? I have never really been an off-road biker, but I certainly wouldn't mind dabbling in it, but only if the bike can be flexible enough to use on roads, too (for now). Otherwise, I might just scrap the trail-riding ideas and stick to the roads for a while and invest in a FS bike later on.

Thanks again!

Birdy suspension is quite firm; enough to ease the bumps but not like a mountain bike. I suspect that you would like it. It's also very easy for you to change if you want a different set up, there are 3 alternative rear elastomers and 2 alternative front elastomers. The front suspension has anti-dive braking geometry which is really nice to have on steep downslopes.

David

Okay, cool. I'll give that one a test ride. Thanks! :)

Well, after lots of discussions with the folks at my LBS, this is the choice that I have made:
I think I'm going to go with the Dahon Speed TR. It's been too rainy here this weekend to really do a proper test ride, so I'll probably wait until next weekend to make my final decision, but that's the one that we've agreed is probably the best suited for what I want it for.
The reason I'm opting away from a suspension bike is because I don't really think that I'm going to be doing a lot of trail riding (the place I'm staying in CA rents out MTBs if I want to do some off-roading anyway), and I think I'm more in a touring mindset anyway. It's got plenty of gears so I can tackle hills, and I'm such a utility biker that the racks and fenders appeal to me greatly. I like the quick release pedals and the guy at the LBS showed me some quick release SPD pedals that I can put on, too, so I can have either kind when I want (that's awesome, IMO).
I still have a couple of questions, though:
Why are Brompton bikes so much more expensive than the Dahons? Are they much better bikes?
Is a $925 folding bike comparable to a $925 non-folding bike? Is the build quality the same? Same level of quality in the components?
Are the Dahons customizable at all? I know some folders are moreso than others. Is it possible to switch the handle bars out for drop bars, for instance?

Thanks!