Folding Bikes - roger88

Do anyone have experience with the Citizen Gotham (20" 23lb 6 Speed), the DownTube 20" 26lb 8 Speed, the Sette F1 20" 25lb 8 Speed, or to the Swift ? The first 3 choices are in the same price range, and the Swift is much costly, but is it worth it ?

Any advice is greatly appreciated. I am down to these 4 choices and would like to purchase one of them for 5 to 7 miles of Sunday ride. I currently have a Cannondale full size mountain bic., just being tired to disassemble the bic. each time trying to squeeze into the trunk of a sedan.

Is it the hub gear Downtube 8 speed you're looking at? I have the derrailleur equipped 9 speed, and it's a fine bike. Seriously though, 5-7 miles once a week will be fine in any oh those bikes, and if I were you I wouldn't for a moment consider dropping the extra coin for the Swift unless you'll be doing a LOT more riding than that. I've not tried the others in the price range, but the Downtube does me proud for a lot heavier mileage than that, and many others here love them too.

Thx for the advice. What is your opinion on 8S on the hub vs 8S or 9S derrailleur for the DownTube ?

What is your advice on thumb gear control versus the twist control ?

I would've chosen the hub gear, if I could (less maintenance, less bash-issues). If you're going to have the derailleur, get the 9 speed. I'm not a fan of twist grips, but I can live with them. At some point, I might upgrade to a rapid-fire, but it's not a big priority. What I will soon do is trade the grips out, and when I fit the new ones, leave the right hand one full length. I have big hands, and having part of them always touching the shifter causes unneccesary misshifts. What's especially nice about the Downtube is it's ability to accomodate large riders. I'm 6'3, and if I have the seatpost out all the way to the line, it's too tall for me.

The Downtube 8H is the best specified bike out of all the ones you listed. Having said that I think you shortlisted 2 other 20" folding bikes rarely discussed on here that seem pretty decent for their pricing point and certainly do not look like some of the cheap toylike folding bikes sold on ebay. In the end, you cannot beat the hub gears for everyday use and the 8H is well worth the extra $ compared to the Citizen. It is also a very respected brand by the users on these forums and Yan, the owner of the company Downtube, is well liked for his helpful attitude and honesty.

Any idea how the DownTube 8H compare to the Xootr Swift ?

The Swift is a derailleur geared bike and the 8H is hub geared. The Swift is also a very well regarded bike on these forums but arguably the 8H is better for the money in terms of 'bang for buck'. I think the 8H is the ideal first purchase into the world of folding bikes.

"The Swift is a derailleur geared bike"

Not necessarily. I got mine with flip flop, now just ss, from P. Reich in Brooklyn.