stbtra

Hi guys, I'm narrowing down which folding bikes to get for myself and my SO to take on flights/road trips, and a tour this summer of either rural france or italy where we'd stay at hotels, perhaps carrying our luggage.


Info from the sticky thread:
Us: 5'10 ~ 150 , 5'0 ~120
We both commute in a hilly city, and I do a lot of road/mixed terrain riding myself.
budget: $<1k per bike but flexible
location: SF, usa

I've narrowed it down to either the:
Tern Link D8 ~$650 or the
Dahon Visc P18 ~$800


Pros D8: comes with a rack, better locking hinge?
Pros Visc: from my research are the wider gear range and I'm kind of worried about the whole Tern frame failure issue.

Next step would be to test ride them but no one stocks the visc around here.

My main concerns are, which bike is easier to swap standard bike parts on, and is the tern frame failure a real issue to be concerned about?
Also, is the wider gear range going to be useful or does it not matter as much for the use cases I'm describing?

Sorry to start another one of these threads, hopefully it is specific enough.

Joe Remi

You gotta figure you'll use them in SF - folders bought for trips tend to become everyday bikes 'cause they're so easy to grab and ride - plus there's no telling what hills you'll encounter overseas. Since both bikes share the same number of folder-specific parts, I'd say get the 18-speed Dahon and put a rack on it.

ThorUSA

Id go with the visc ..its a nice bike ..easy to put on a carrier ...if you going to tour I would suggest getting a higher more backwards carrier like the cargo from tern

sure there are a couple specific folder parts on both ( about the same ) but most is standard bike stuff
with the front low of 39 and the rear being a 32 teeth you have tremedeous climbing ability ... comes in handy in the hills of the Toscana or SF by that matter , especially when loaded...
keep in mind that you don't usually stand up in the pedals like a mtb but rather sit and spin a higher cadence ... here is where the low gears really shine

besides the visc is last yeasrs model and discounted ...

HGR3inOK

Did you consider the Dahon Mu P8 (Dahon Mu P8)
and/or
the Dahon Mu P24 (Dahon MU p 24)
and/or
the Dahon Vigor P9 (Dahon Vigor P 9)?

I think all of these are compatible with fenders and racks and front luggage.

-HANK RYAN-
Norman, Oklahoma USA

ThorUSA

the vigor is an awesome bike, especially for the price its sold