superslomo

Want to start commuting to work, maybe this fall or this coming spring, but living in New York I am concerned about getting my road bike stolen.

How many people commute on a folder to get to their offices? I have about 11 miles to ride from home to work, and while there are some hills (mainly the Brooklyn Bridge ) it is not that much terrain to worry about.

Any folder experiences, any recommendations as to brand or model?

Thanks for any advice you might have!

jyossarian

Where's oboeguy?

Anyways, I'm thinking of getting a Swift folder myself direct from Peter Reich in Bklyn. You can also get them from the Xootr website. Other folder brands are Dahon, Brompton, Raleigh, Giant, etc. Check the Folding Bike forum.

rodny71

have you made certain that you can't bring your bike into the office? if not, do this before buying another bike, some buildings are becoming more bike friendly.

superslomo

My understanding from other folks who tried is that the management company was utterly opposed... and the company I work for doesn't really have any storage space.

Hiland_hall

Dude- take the Manhattan Bridge! fewer pedestrians to get in your way.

sf6864

But the manhattan bridg is so ugly. The best thing about it is the view of the Brooklyn Bridge. Anyway, I commute on a Downtube to work, also over the Brooklyn Bridge, about 8 miles each way. It's a very good bike FOR THE PRICE.
I also tested a Swift, almost the entire Dahon line, and the Trek folder. I'd avoid any Dahon - they're all too flexy. The Trek is just OK, but not great. The Swift is truly great, but it is expensive. If you can afford a Swift, get it. I can't, at least not yet. The Downtube is better than any Dahon and good enough for my skill level - I'm by no means an expert rider. Yan, Downtube's owner, is very responsive and participates in the folding bike forum regularly. Most office buildings will let you bring the bike inside if it's in a bag. Just remember that the bags, both those that come free with the Downtube and things like Dahon's El Bolso, are not really up to the task of supporting the bikes weight. Think of them as covers, and carry the bike by the crosstube. I should know, I ripped both the Downtube bag and an El Bolso. The Downtube didn't bother me, since it was free, but the Dahon was annoying. Their customer service is completely non-existant (they told me to go to the retailer and that's it), so beware. That was $55.00 down the drain.

oboeguy

What the thread isn't even two hours old. Do you think I spend all day on BF? What would give you that impression?!?

So yeah, I've commuted on my SpeedPro from Washington Heights to Midtown. I've ridden my folder in a century and up a 36 mile, 10,000' climb too. I wouldn't worry about folder capabilities -- they're great! Besides the bunch of Dahon dealers in the city you should also check out bfold. The guy who runs the place is great -- too bad for me he's not a Dahon dealer (we got a second SpeedPro in July!).

Anyhow I first got one because the management company of the building I was working in didn't allow my road bike into their building for "liability" (read: BS) reasons. Not much they can say about folders, so it was all good once I got the (first ) SpeedPro. There are very few places I'd lock a decent bike in NYC out in the open (Wave Hill, for one) so I say get a folder this weekend and start commuting next week.

edtrek

I've just had my first experience with a Dahon folder. I rode it 5 days in St. Louis. I have to agree with John Forester's observation that the only reason to ride a Dahon is that it folds - I had a blast riding it, but it's nowhere near a regular bike.

After 5 days, I broke the welds holding the bottom bracket in place - NOTE TO SELF : riders weighing 230 pounds who stand to climb on a light folder have nobody to blame but myself.

Anyway, here's a link to my too-brief experence with a Dahon. This winter I hope to get the frame welded.

oboeguy

A 17 year old report on Dahon folders is likely to be utterly worthless with respect to modern Dahon bikes. More recent models of Dahon folders give an awesome ride -- you're missing out! Our SpeedPros (one '05 and one '06) have been ridden in centuries, up a 10,000' volcano, commuted on in NYC, etc. Still, 230lbs is pushing things a bit -- the current models are spec'd for about that as the max rider + cargo weight.

(and no I don't work for Dahon )

Edit: wish I did though!

nolucker

Just to add my .02, I commute from Brooklyn, about 15 miles each way on a pricey road bike that I would never let out of my sight. My imperfect solution is to leave it in the parking garage near work where I used to park the car, they charge $10. This may sound like a lot, but it beats worrying about having my whole investment lost to some lowlife thief. That said I'm looking for a decent beater mountain bike so I can lock it up outside my office building near all the other bikes. BTW, i much prefer the Manhattan bridge, since it doesn't get much pedestrian traffic, and it lets me off on the East Side closer to where I need to be.

jyossarian

Yeah I know, you split your time on BF between here, Roadies and Folders. We've only got 1/3 of your BF time.

oboeguy

LOL with a dip into Foo from time to time.

straightedge

I don't live in NYC (wish I did), but have been there a few times with a different folder each time. The first was with my Montague CX. The second was with my Dahon Boardwalk singlespeed. It wasn't the fastest ride, though I did pass some of the food delivery guys in midtown. The first day I had it I put it through hell, going over curbs, off road, up steep hills, crappy roads etc. for about 8 hours. The only problem I had was a screw falling off of the rack on the back. Lost one in New York too, found out that a bottle holder screw works perfect.

Oh yeah, and at least from a visitors perspective, the Manhattan Bridge is better , it was kind of spooky at night because there was noooo people (except for the guy sleeping on the side) but I thought it had a better view, since you also get to see the Brooklyn Bridge with the lower Manhattan skyline. I actually skateboarded over it, you can't do that on the Brooklyn Bridge (damn wood).

buzzman

I bought a Dahon folder in the early summer of this year to ride while I was working in Rome and Lisbon. I'm 6'3 and about 190 lbs. and was riding on urban roads that were pretty challenging and often cobblestoned. I loved the ride and managed to put a few miles on it at a pretty good speed.

I've had two other folders in the past and one was the old style Dahon, which is, indeed, a completely different species of bike from the Dahon I have now. I carried hefty rack pack loaded with stuff and the bike handled the curvy hill climbs and descents in both cities. I was living and biking in NYC before I left for Europe on my full sized bike but would certainly have been happy with the folder for most of my NYC rides.