Folding Bikes - Now 100% Folder User/Owner

I am now a folding bike user/owner only. I gave away or donated my beautiful old 1968 Phillips Ladies Frame 3 speed Sport Style Roadster to the Bicycle Kitchen today. I simply pumped up the tires, dusted off the frame and rode to the train station. I rode the rest of the way from the Santa Monica station to the shop. Plus I donated some new or barely used saddles, a new pedal, a new tire gauge, and a tiny patch kit too. I do miss that old bike, but I need the space that it took to store it for other more pressing things. And I still have plenty of bikes left-all folding bikes. They are the only bikes I can safely use around Los Angeles!

I am now a folding bike user/owner only. I gave away or donated my beautiful old 1968 Phillips Ladies Frame 3 speed Sport Style Roadster to the Bicycle Kitchen today. I simply pumped up the tires, dusted off the frame and rode to the train station. I rode the rest of the way from the Santa Monica station to the shop. Plus I donated some new or barely used saddles, a new pedal, a new tire gauge, and a tiny patch kit too. I do miss that old bike, but I need the space that it took to store it for other more pressing things. And I still have plenty of bikes left-all folding bikes. They are the only bikes I can safely use around Los Angeles!

With all of the extra space it sounds like a great time to buy another folding bike!

Yes, we're all collectively shocked. ;)

Meanwhile, I'm likely to get rid of my folders when the weather improves, and will likely be 100% folder free for the forseeable future....

With all of the extra space it sounds like a great time to buy another folding bike!

Oh, oh please don't tempt me! Actually, I will be in the market for another Brompton in, say, about a year or so from now. I know the basic Brompton frame has underwent a major change in 2005. And the A La Carte option that is available now to customize the bike to what you want, rather than what a bike designer dictates, is a huge attraction for me. I will miss my old Phillips, but the folding bike is the only bike I can use now.

Regular bikes are a major pain storage-wise. Whether inside a garage, or inside a car or SUV when traveling, they are a challenge. I totally prefer folders, period. My Dahon S1 is a great "market" bike, and our Bike Fridays are better than our mid-60's 'engines'. Folders are also more agile in the city, accelerate better, and are far easier to transport than "normal" sized bikes.

The only venue that a normal bike clearly excels in would be in Mountain Biking, and at age 65, my continued Masters slow pitch softball participation is likely the most dangerous sport I am going to be involved in.

Well....

I agree that folding bikes are good enough for a wide variety of purposes, and are easier to store and transport. There are many situations where a folding bike is well worth the resulting compromises.

However, I really have no doubt that standard bikes are superior in many ways and for many applications. More stable handling; more rugged frames; smoother ride without the performance compromises of suspension or slow tires or low BB's or low derailleurs or internal hubs; more precise sizing for better fit; wider variety of bars and shifting/braking mechanisms.

The only plausible exception I can think of is a Bike Friday, as it is fully custom. Though a BF will still be more expensive and have far less stable handling than, say, my cross bike.