Folding Bikes - chinese bikes.

I do not have any experance with folding bikes but have been riding the same cannondale for 16 years. my wife and i want folding bikes to use when we travel on our boat. I found someone in Atlanta GA who imports folding bikes from china and sell them for 50 dollars on craigs list. do you think that these would give us an idea of if we would like good folders or turn us off to them completely?
thanks for you input.
you can see the bikes on craig's list atlanta ga.

This thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=498126) is all about a particular brand/model of Chinese folding bike. Lots of good words about them, but they may not apply to the brand/model you are considering. For a decent value/price bike, lots of people might recommend Downtube bikes--certainly more expensive than a $50 bike, but pretty well-known quality-wise.

To an extent, you get what you pay for, bearing in mind that the pay rates there are vastly different to those in Europe and America. A fifty dollar Chinese bike would be about ten times better than a $50 European or American bike. Of course, no such thing exists for obvious reasons.


To be honest, though I am a fan of some Chinese stuff, and have tried a few cheap bikes from there or Vietnam, none of them were as cheap as that - nothing like, so I wouldn't hold out great hopes of not being disappointed at something sold at that price point.

My son bought a £100 Chinese full suspension bike and it did the job of getting him to work when he was a student. It was heavy as hell, and the brakes were awful, but it worked and worked even though he is the world's worst abuser of bicycles.

I bought two Vietnamese hybrids and they were really good - amazing value. They cost about £130.

I just bought a fake strida for £110 from China. It is pretty damned good but there were some issues. After about 160 miles, the rear wheel needs re-spoking after six broke, it needed some setting up of adjustments right out of the box, but it's great fun and with a little TLC, I think it will be a long lasting favourite.

$50 is so cheap, I'd be a bit cautious - I mean - how can you even send a bike half way around the planet for $50, let alone build one and make any money?

I grew up on Fuji road bikes in the 80's and loved them. I currently have a flat bar Sagres that is my primary ride. I just sold a Trek 7500 which quite frankly, felt was over-rated. The reason I sold it was that it was no better than a 99 GT Airstream, that I bought at a yard sale 3 years ago for $50!! I slapped a flat bar on that, and even though its somewhat heavy, its great for riding around town.

I had a Downtube, and agree that you can't go wrong with them. I'm seeing a lot of them used lately (1 or 2 years old ) for $150 - $200 on Craigslist. I bought a Chinese folding bike (Flying Pigeon, 20 inch tires) that I absolutely love. It fits my style of riding, is light, folds nicely, and rides great.

I would check out the $50 folder in person before you purchase it. Truthfully, it seems a little cheap in price. I was all set to buy a Kent Ultralite folder a couple of years ago sight unseen, based on a friends recommendations. I took the time to ride his, and hated it from the onset. The terrible gear ratio, coupled with the small 16 inch tires made me feel like a clown in the circus.

i hate to break this to you but if you've been riding a top of the line quality bike like a Cannondale for the last 16 years
you will be greatly dissapointed on a $50 chinese folding bike.

I suggest you invest on a good folding bike they will be worth your time and money.
if you buy that bike anyway i know you will upgrade to a better one soon.

...my wife and i want folding bikes to use when we travel on our boat....

What kind of riding would you be doing? Slow leisurely pedaling through fishing villages and seaside towns? Paved roads? Gravel/sand? Even a really expensive folding bike could turn you off to folding bikes if it weren't the right bike for the ride.

my wife and i want folding bikes to use when we travel on our boat.

Folding bikes add a very high degree of value to a boat. You likely spent many thousands of dollars on that boat. You wouldn't attach a piece of junk outboard motor to it. Why would do the same with a bike? Get a good folding bike, you'll be glad you did.

OK, I went ahead and searched Craigslist Atlanta, and found the ad the OP is referring to:

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/bik/1013474716.html

Like "EvilV", I too am a fan of Chinese bikes. I own two; a Qile Duo, and the other one is made by a well known manufacturer, Flying Pigeon. Both are considered "cheap" pricewise as they are in the sub $120 range. However, they are good products for this price point, and while neither is a Bikefriday, or a Birdy, my Qile Duo has over 4,000 miles with no issues. The Flying Pigeon is quite new, and probably has less than 200 miles ridden on it.

As to the bike in the Craigslist ad, I don't know what to to tell you except that I've seen those same bikes retail for around $119-$139 plus shipping on Amazon, and eBay. For the money I don't think you can go wrong if all you're looking for is a bike that you can ride for pleasure, to run errands, or short distance communting. And since you will have to pick up the bike personally, you can get a chance, provided you open the box right there, to inspect it.

Why this seller is offering them at $50 is a mystery. Maybe he bought these thinking he would sell them quickly at a higher price, or perhaps he took them as a trade in lieu of money that was owed to him. Who knows except him. Call him, and just ask him very casually why the price is so low.

Let us know what you decide.

Edward

HMMMMM, I'm wondering if they "fell off a truck" !!

I've seen those bikes being sold locally for $140 ea.
and seen some on Craigslist going for more than that.
I've checked it out here locally and it has a 3 speed cluster, rear band brakes
and alloy rims but in the 18 inch size.
I would get one for $50, but that's me. I'm comfortable working on bikes
if something needs adjustment. 3 cocktails at a bar would cost one $50 here.

I've seen those bikes being sold locally for $140 ea.
and seen some on Craigslist going for more than that.
I've checked it out here locally and it has a 3 speed cluster, rear band brakes
and alloy rims but in the 18 inch size.
I would get one for $50, but that's me. I'm comfortable working on bikes
if something needs adjustment. 3 cocktails at a bar would cost one $50 here.

3 cocktails at a bar for $50? You must be in the isle of manhattan.

can u post a pix of these so called chinese bike so we can judge it?

can u post a pix of these so called chinese bike so we can judge it?

Posted earlier...: http://atlanta.craigslist.org/bik/1013474716.html

Certainly looks like it's worth taking a chance on for $50. Unless they are complete boat anchors or something.

Posted earlier...: http://atlanta.craigslist.org/bik/1013474716.html

Certainly looks like it's worth taking a chance on for $50. Unless they are complete boat anchors or something.

yup definately worth it if i u in it for a cheap folder....this pix look exactly like the zsport folding bike which are going for 2 bills.

yep, and these are hotel bar prices,
these new celebrity bartender places probably cost more.
but in those days the company took care of the bill.

It does look like a Zport from the watermark.

harmstrong, where is your boat moored?

At $50, it's a gamble. If you know about bikes and can take care of adjustments and some modifications yourself, you may find these bikes well worth the cost. If every minor problem means a trip to the bike shop, however, you may soon be throwing good money after bad.

I have recently bought a cheap chinese folding bike as well; mine is one the ones being offered on ebay, bidding starting at $0.99, shipping $80; so I got it for $80.99 total. It is not total junk; in fact I rode it to work today and rather liked it. But I made major component changes to the bike before I even tried riding it. That doesn't bother me at all; if it would bother you, you might be better off buying from a shop that stands behind its merchandise.

I think i have decided against the bikes.
the boat is docked at Jeckyll island ga. lots of good bike paths and beach front riding.
thanks guys for all the input,

what boat you got ?

http://www.thorusa.com/cordahon2.jpg

usually we need a couple things which are not easy to combine ..I need light and small otherwise the bike doesnt get onto the boat .... but it all depends
:-)

lets hear


thor

dahons are made in china.
dahons are not chinese bikes?

(what bikes are not made in china??)