Guiyoforward

Hi everyone, I am a bike newbie. I recently splurged on a very nice 26in Joe Tern P24, and now my wife wants a bike for her. For space constraints (at home and on our car's trunk), i decided to get her a 20in - i will probably use it too, since the Tern is great but huge, just luggable, not really portable...
I went through many threads in this forum, which has been great. I don't intend to start a flamewar (I went through the whole "friends don't let friends buy cheap bikes" thread!) and I know the people from some of the companies I mention post here, so I'll try to be tactful. Please do understand my constraints - plus I hope other people will find this thread valuable.
My constraints:
-$300ish shipped CONUS
-I live in a very flat area, so one gear is fine (a plus maybe, less maintenance)
-coaster brakes are a no no
-adjustable stem height since different people will be riding it
-disc brakes nice addition, but not fundamental
-lightweight - say below 26lb

I was heading to a Dahon Ford Taurus 1.0 - on the heavy side, one gear seemed ok, but it sold out on Amazon.
I considered a Camp Alloy which has disc brakes ($292 shipped), And i also checkeda Hasa on Amazon that seems kind of OK and cheap ($219 shipped), apparently a Dahon mariner clone (sorry I cannot post links).
But then on his forum I found about Downtube, Origami and Citizen.
Right now am between a Downtube Nova, given the price and the low weight, and the Camp Alloy with disc brakes (both have more gears than I need, not a problem). Are the two in very different categories in terms of quality and components?
Any advice or recommendation?
Thanks a lot!

Dropbear

Do you intend to haul two foldable bikes in your car's trunk? I find that even a standard Dahon with 20" wheels would take up most of the space in the trunk of my VW Tiguan. Hauling two foldables will require folding down part of the rear seats.

Guiyoforward

Yes, in fact the Tern takes up most of the space in my Corolla's trunk. The 20in would have to take the back seat.

reppans

Really? I can fit one in the boot of a MINI Cooper S.

Dropbear

Hauling only one is not an issue. I don't even need to remove the parcel shelf.

Hauling two is a little trickier. And if you add a kid's bike to the mix, it suddenly feels very crowded inside.

reppans

I would have thought that, without the parcel shelf, you could haul 2x 20" folders AND a kids bike, without having to fold any seats down. However, if you wanted to keep the bikes hidden under the parcel shelf, then I could imagine 2x 20" folders might be tight in your car.

Dropbear

A Tiguan's 395L of cargo space is only slightly bigger than most hatchbacks, hence the tight fit. Even a Birdy posed quite a challenge. A Dahon with its bigger 20" wheels and my Biomega Boston with its 24" wheels were surprisingly better fits.

BikeLite

Either Downtube or Origami. Both owners take part in these forums.

tds101 

I agree. Both Downtube and Origami provide excellent customer service.

https://downtube.com

origamibicycle ? Origami Bicycle

After looking at the camp folder on Amazon, and seeing real 1 star reviews, mixed with untrustworthy 5 star reviews, I'd recommend either Downtube or Origami over that brand any day.

Guiyoforward

Thanks. From reading here and seeing the people from these dompanies participate I got a very good impression. However, i would like to know if quality wise there's a noticeable difference between the Camp and the Downtube. Thanks again

Pinigis 

Hey, this is Paul from Origami Bicycle Company. Our Gazelle model meets most of your needs/wants. It has just been redesigned for 2017 with very nice disc brakes (very easy to modulate), and we now include a rack and fenders. The seat is really nice, and the handlebar now rotates for a tighter fold. The 28 lb. weight is just over your you goal, but it also rolls very well while folded, so you shouldn't have to carry it much.

Guiyoforward

Thanks, nice suggestion. How much weight do the fenders and rack add? I also just saw the Ford Convertible by Dahon, what would be the differences besides disc brakes?
Thanks again

Guiyoforward

Yes, very few reviews for the Camp, I agree. Thanks!

Pinigis 

The rack and fenders account for about 1.1 lbs of the 28 lb. total weight

Rick Imby

I am not a fan of single speed bikes. Especially for people that are not avid riders. While adding a little complexity with shifters the ability to pedal up an occasional hill or against even a moderate headwind vs walking is huge on both the ego of the rider and the enjoyment level.

I'm glad you enjoyed my friends don't let Friends thread---grin---

Awesome that your better half is wanting to ride also.

Guiyoforward

Yes, she got to ride my new Tern Joe and realised how much she had enjoyed riding. Fitting two bikes in a car will still be hard as discusses above.
My main worry is that the derailleur is too exposed - but hey, millions of bikes survive every day so it's probably not a huge problem.
I haven't been able to find an inexpensive folder with internal hub, I wonder why
Are there any that you know?
Thanks again

Roegmann

I own the Downtube Mini and it is sturdy. I am sure Yan's other lines are equally as good. There are many threads, links, and blogs talking about his 20" wheeled bikes. When I ship the kid off to college in a few months, I will probably give him the Mini for easy dorm storage and upgrade to the 8H or 8C

Yeah, they have more gears than you want, but with the 8C you have an IGH; extremely handy for the boot, believe me I know your transport issues. I have a FIAT 500 (It is smaller than the Mini Cooper, but taller, so it looks bigger) and my Mini has to be finagled to fit.

Guiyoforward

Can we have pics of the folders in the cinquecento?? That must be a feast!

1nterceptor

Additional options on Craigslist; plus you get to test ride.

https://newyork.craigslist.org/search/bia?query=fold

Doc_Wui

Inexpensive ($280 shipped) and light (24 pounds) is my Downtube Nova. It has rim brakes, but they work great for the speeds I ride. The gearing seems a little high for my tastes so I put on a freewheel with a 11T gear. The original was 14T. Cost $28. I bet most casual riders wouldn't care.

I bought it and also the Downtube FS8 ($329 shipped? I forget) this year. The FS8 is 8-10 pounds heavier but offers full suspension and also has better gearing for a little higher speed. It's the only bike I own that has a rear suspension. Very comfy.

I originally thought the Nova would fit in my miata trunk, but now plan to put a hitch on it and use a rack for my regular bike. Both fit in our Jetta wagon. They will be packed for weekend trips where we want to have bikes w/o the
hassle of having them stored on a rack.