Folding Bikes - $1650 in my pocket

Hullo everyone,

I live in Japan and have been reading and reading so many comments about so many bikes.
For around Y150,000 [ $1650 or 1000 pounds] I can walk into my cool local bike shop and
walk out with any one of these:

Brompton M3L Raw
BD-1 8 speed
Bike Friday model T Tikit
Dahon MU SL

My part of Yokohama is flat. Most people cycle on the footpaths. There is one steep hill to get to work.
My old [ 15 years ] Brompton [made in Taiwan] has suicidal brakes for descending. And I am over 59.

So over to you, wiser souls. Which one would you choose?
I won't mention that on occasional days [twice a year?] I might try to put it into
the boot/trunk of my Mazda Roadster/Miata and drive to a flat part of Mt Fuji.

warm greetings from the Floating Kingdom
tim

Why not just get the brakes fixed or replaced on the Brompton?

Well Baccia, I asked myself that before I started looking. However, a lot of the anecdotal evidence reported that the brakes on 1990s Taiwanese-made Bromptons were dodgy in the brakes. The hill I describe is long and steep. I had to put my feet down; rather scary.

If you don't want to fix up your existing Brompton's brakes then test ride the rest of the bikes [picking a route with a hill similar to the one on your commute] and pick the one you enjoy the most. It doesn't sound like the fold and dealing with transit are factors in your use of the bike so as long as you get gearing that allows you to climb comfortably the rest is just personal preference.

Thanx Vik,
You write with common sense. Sadly, the bike shops are on the flat and some way from the hilly roads. The fold is a concern. In Japan we live in small places with little storage. So I will be folding at work and upon reaching home.

brompton raw.

I just bought a BF Season Tikit, as far as folding goes it's very quick *and* it fits in the trunk of my Geo Prizm (same as a Toyota Corolla) which I believe is slightly larger than the miata... Haven't ridden it much on hills, but it rides as well as my old full size bike.

Might want to take your Miata to the shop and see which of those fit the trunk.. my guess would be the Brompton and Mu Sl .. The Dahon brakes are very good, as good as they get ... the Mu SL will have better gearing, and be substantially lighter ..

Try Telfon lined cables, kool stops pads ,and upgrade to brompton dual pivot brakes total cost around £150!
or buy a new bike.
Bike Friday.or dahon would be mine from these options

If only I could make a composite: Brompton raw frame, Dahon brakes, Tikit folding speed......I dream on. And on. I hear someone shouting, 'Buy all of them.'
I guess I am just going to have to ride them all and let my heart and mind decide.
Thank goodness Down Tube have not arrived in town. That would make it tougher. But it is great reading and ruminating. As the Bard said, ' all things that are, are with more spirit chased than enjoyed.' [ Dont ask me which play ]

How old is the Mazda? If it is a first generation (like mine) with pop up headlights you should be able to fit the Brompton in the boot. I tried fitting my 2008 Dahon Mu SL and it is too big. I suspect the Tikit and Birdy will also be too big.

tikit model t folding speed is about the same as the brompton or dahon...
i would fix the brakes on the brommie, (braze on v brake bosses front and back) shouldn't cost too much. and spend the rest on sake!

I would clearly take the Mu SL. Its the lightest, fastest, best equipped, and most pleasant ride. Has the stiffest front. Folds faster than this Tikit (~5 sec, while model T Tikit has the handlepost screw). And if you take the wheels off it gets as small as the Brompton (the fork folds inside the rear and the cassette fits inside the curvy, that's why it is the smallest package of all 20" folders, TBOMK. It takes ~2 min to take both wheels off and rotate the fork in, btw). You can put it in 'quick fold mode' (just fold in half) in 1sec. It stands on one pedal plus the wheels. You can wheel it around in this fold perefectly. When fully folded it stands stable as a tripod (seatpost+2 wheels). It is also the best looking. I expect the Dahon is also the cheapest? No contest if you ask me.

If you're going to look at tikits, for $1600 US, even in Japan, you ought to give a hard look at the hyperfold models in addition to the model-T. The hyperfolds are a lot of fun to ride and show off. If you're an extrovert, the hyperfold is *the* bike to get.

If steepness is going to be an issue, many Bromptons may be problematic.

pibach knows my opinions on this: but the tikit can be made to fit you properly, has the best support, is the most easily repaired and upgraded, and has the fewest custom parts. Of the ones in your list, I think it's the best bike (of course I own the tikit and some low-end Dahons, not the SL, so take that with a grain of salt).

If you're looking to throw the bike in your Miata, I'm guessing only a Brompton will fit.

In Japan the SL probably will be the cheapest to own. And the lightest. And the only one with 20" tires.

What is a BD-1?

"I just bought a BF Season Tikit, as far as folding goes it's very quick *and* it fits in the trunk of my Geo Prizm (same as a Toyota Corolla) which I believe is slightly larger than the miata... Haven't ridden it much on hills, but it rides as well as my old full size bike."

ah yeah...i got the 94 geo prizm. it folds too, but only in accidents!

[quote=pibach;8929705]And if you take the wheels off it gets as small as the Brompton (the fork folds inside the rear and the cassette fits inside the curvy, that's why it is the smallest package of all 20" folders, TBOMK. QUOTE]

Good infro ,never heard this before. I think that the Diblasi R22 20" will fold smaller than a Dahon SL. It will also be thiner as the main frame does not fold back on to itself. Quality is not compairable with the other bikes, however I peronally I would prefer it to a Brompton from all the other bikes mentioned.

the trunk of my Geo Prizm (same as a Toyota Corolla) which I believe is slightly larger than the miata...

2.5x larger.

[quote=pibach;8929705]I think that the Diblasi R22 20" will fold smaller than a Dahon SL.

The Dahon standard fold is quite wide and probably larger than a DiBlasi, thats true. But taking the wheels off, that changes. The frame gets into itself making the flattest package possible. It is by far smaller than a DiBlasi then, probably 30% less. I did fit it in a cardboard 56x53x27x cm (probably one can get it even smaller). It is quite exactly as large as a Brompton, which is 56x55x25.

you can get a tikit with disc brakes...

Thank you very much, all of you across the globe. Gosh. I am humbled.
Feijai - the BD1 is made by Riese und Muller.
PDR - my old Brompton just goes into my 2000-made MX5 NR. [NB class]
The Hill - it's a 5 minute walk up it. Most people get off and leg it. What are the purists view on that?
Pibach - thanx for the tips on MU SL and its removeable wheels. My chum in Hong Kong recommends it. It is not the cheapest. With the present exchange rate they are all similar in ¥¥¥¥.
Most cyclists in Japan charge along side walks, pathways or ride on the wrong side of the road. And go through red lights. It is one of the few activities that Japanese are allowed to be reckless at; like smoking.
I wonder which of these great bikes will cope with charging along these paths and clunking up and down kerbs, over manholes and through clouds of smoke.

deff. the Tikit!! :)

The Hill - it's a 5 minute walk up it. Most people get off and leg it. What are the purists view on that?


To my mind, as soon as progression up the hill matches walking pace it is time to get off the bike and walk... spinning the cranks and getting nowhere just looks silly.:rolleyes:

Blind dog,
If you don't need to fold to often - have considered the Moultons ?
The TSR9 with kingpin to split the frames is about £1000 = $1500

http://www.moultonbicycles.co.uk/models/TSR9.html It features short travel dual suspension.
I find there's no need to slow down for most of the holes and manhole covers on my TSR30.

However I've also ordered up a Brompton S6E-X as the Moulton is not such a airline friendly package or quick everyday fold (not worth the effort for a business trip which might only have one free morning). But I don't expect the Brompton ride quality to be anywhere as good.
On the Brompton I ordered lower gearing - I would rather be overtaken by a bus on the flat, than suffer the indignity of pushing it up too many hills. If this turns out to be the wrong call, I would plan to fit a 53/39 chainset and to a manual change.


To my mind, as soon as progression up the hill matches walking pace it is time to get off the bike and walk
It's the one situation where I do not feel at ease wearing cleated pedals : do I have enough momentum and time to unclip before gravity wins and I fall over ?

Whatever you get take that bad boy to Lake Yamanako and take some pics. I haven't been there for years but this is one of my favorite pics ever.

Chiapas - hola - you are a total Tikit freak.
PDR - sensible point about walking v spinning. Thanx.
Islandhopper - a colleague has a Moulton and pleased as punch. I think it looks a bit Heath Robinson. ANd I do need to fold my bike for taking in at night.
Okinawa dude - great photo. I think I will start with the ride from Kamakura to Enoshima first, with Fuji-san smiling down at my perspiring form.

the BD1 is made by Riese und Muller.

Oh, a *Birdy*. Sorry wasn't familiar with the acronyms.

I would go for a hyperfold tikit; you will appreciate the ride over the brompton. But keep the B. for when you absolutely need the smallest fold.

you can put Big Apple tires at these bikes to make them more compliant over road irregularities (at least the Birdy and the Dahon, for the others I am not sure they fit).