Best Full Size Folder for a NYC Commute

[tartare]

Hi all - first post.

Seriously considering a folder for a 7-10 mile commute in NYC. I want a full size bix like a Montague or Dahon - I won't be doing a lot of Mtn Biking, but want the option - honestly, I will be putting slicks on the bike as soon as I get it, so that tells you where I am coming from.

I want a folder because my office building has rules on bikes and I don't want to lock on the street. other considerations are good cases (Montague seems to have an ok nylon one and a airline one that require full disassembly) and parts. I don't feel the need to go cheap as I will have my butt on this until it snows.

Any help/advice appreciated.

Cheers.

Mike

[invisiblehand]

Why do you want a full sized bike? EDIT: For the MTBing? Well, I have no idea what MTBing is like with smaller wheels. Perhaps someone else can pass along some advice on that front.

Are you positive that your office allows folding bikes into the building?

You should be able to test ride the Dahon someplace. Take the time to do so.

[nycfoldee]

Personally I use a tikit here in the city. In one of our buildings there is a bike room, but in the other one, I just cover it with the shower cap and carry it in.

-Peter

[ignant666]

I commute daily from Brooklyn to the city on my Swift Folder, & love it. Not full-size, but a lot easier to get through the lobby past building security for that reason. Ride is very similar to my old IRO, but 100x more fun.
Plus, you get to support an NYC business; he's in Red Hook.

[MichaelW]

I will be road testing the Cadenza 8 as soon as we get them in the UK and will probably get one unless it sucks. Reviews so far indicate that it is far from sucky if you want a 26" city bike that happens to fold in half.

[tulip]

I had a Dahon Matrix, but I found it to be neither a good mountain bike nor a good folder. Heavy and a bit cumbersome for mountain biking (but fine for commuting, except the squishy fork), and folding in half was still too big for convenient Metro rides.

I have a Bike Friday now with 20" wheels, and it's much more satisfactory. Bike Friday does make the Pocket Llama mountain bike.

[Caaah]

I have a Dahon Espresso, and I have no complaints. Its not my everyday bike, since I prefer the small wheeled folders, but I wouldn't mind riding it every day if I had to. It was the cheapest Dahon full-size I could find that folds with a quick-release (no allen wrench required).

[noteon]

I have a Matrix. I like it, including the squishy fork (which I occasionally lock out if I want to trade hand comfort for a little more speed), but I've also replaced the pedals, tires, and cables, chopped the bars, added fenders, and I forget what else.

My commute is Washington Heights to Wall Street. The Matrix is a little heavy, but I only have to carry it into the lobby and up in the elevator. (And it's easier to carry if you DON'T get the "El Bolso" bag, which El Sucketh for larger bikes.) I'm with tulip on the Metro issue, though; if I were doing a bike/train combo commute, I wouldn't want the Matrix. I'd get something smaller.

Starting this week, I hope to start taking my three-year-olds to preschool in a trailer behind it, and then continuing on to work. I did a test run with an empty trailer this weekend to make sure there's a safe route, and it looks as though we're ready to give the real thing a try.

http://homepage.mac.com/noteon/Sites/matrix/matrix_and_trailer.jpg

Oh, and I should probably add that I had a significant number of mechanical problems with it at first. Not so many now, but it was aggravating for a while there.

[sprockets]

Seriously considering a folder for a 7-10 mile commute in NYC. I want a full size bix like a Montague or Dahon - I won't be doing a lot of Mtn Biking, but want the option - honestly, I will be putting slicks on the bike as soon as I get it, so that tells you where I am coming from.
Mike

I took my Pocket Llama off road down Cotopaxi (a volcano in Ecuador). It was on a tour group with a bunch of guys on full sized, front suspension mountain bikes. I kept up with no problem and even passed a bunch of them. That was the first real riding I had done on it. By the end I did have to tighten the CK headset up, but hey, it was the first ride and the toolkit provided with the bike worked like a charm.
There are pictures here: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=375098&highlight=cotopaxi.