Are ORI M9 or C8 Bicycles good? Help?
 

Im new to folding bicycles abd bikes in general but I live in a very crowded city and I decided that I wanted to get a folding bicycle that I can take with me on the subway.

My friend suggested to me ORI Bikes and he said that he can get a M9 or C8 bike for about 600USD.

My question is

1. Is Ori good?
2. Is 600 a good price? I cant find them on ebay so i dunno the market price
3. Is ORI better than Dahon? They look the same to me.

any help would be appreciated.

Thank You

those frames are bad ass, especially the carbon fiber model. I know nothing about these bikes, and there are no U.S dealers. Don't know where you live. For $600 you can get a nice Dahon such as the Speed P8, or a Downtube (any of them). I just rode an older Downtube tonight, and it's a bomber frame (meaning strong). The Speed P8 and Downtubes are steel frames. What are you looking for anyway:
1. ease of fold
2. size of fold
3. weight of bike
4. price of bike (what's your range around $600?)
5. how many gears (hilly city?)
6. fashion important to you?

To be honest im not too familiar with folding bikes....the last bike i had was a diamondback mountain bike about 15 yrs ago. but i asked about bikes and my friend said he could get me an ORI for about 600usd and he said it was a great deal cause they retail for about 1000usd. Is this true?? Do they actaully sell for 1000usd??

1. yes
2. yes
3. yes
4. defintely, but at 600 which is the better bike? DAHON or ORI?
5. not really
6. yes

They look like newish versions of the Mezzo bike from the UK. So look that up.

They fold completely differently from the Dahons -- looks like a smaller fold to me.

You can see videos on the Internet (via Google search). Some in YouTube.

Hope that gets you started.

They are indeed Mezzo-bikes. Saw one in my LBS, I would prefer a XOOTR SWIFT or DAHON JETSTREAM over the ORI-bike.

since you don't live in a hilly city, no need for 27 speeds. Keep it simple I say--one chain wheel on the front, and 6-9 speeds on the back. Downtube has nice bikes with this at a great price. The drawback will be weight with the Downtube. Dahon aluminum models (Mu P8 for example) are a nice weight. I can't comment on the Ori bike so I won't. In general, sounds like you might want:
1. aluminum frame for lighter weight
2. 6-8 gears from a rear derailleur system only
3. small fold (pretty much all bikes are quick folds these days).

As previous poster noted, Xootr, Dahon might be candidates.

You can find more information about the ORi bikes on their website:
http://www.oribikes.com

They seem to be combination of Brompton and Birdy to me.

If you are spending 600+ I think you can get something really nice, like a second hand Bike friday, or yes, the Ori!
I know Dahon has quite a following, but my recomendation would be to stay away with any bike where the main tube folds in half and has to be clamped together. In my experience, this clamp will always wear in time, no matter which "updated and improved version" of clamp, and cause the bke to squeak or even rattle. I a decided fan of bikes where the rear triangle swings under the frame, such as Bike Friday, Airnimal, Xootr, and Ori.
What is revolutionary about the Mezzo and the Ori is the offset stem, which allows the body of the bike to be more compact, but still offer a good riding position.
I think 600 is definitely a good deal (I dont know of oris being sold in the US or the UK, but Mezzos retail for around 600 british pounds)! For your purposes I would recommend the Ori Mi8 model, with the Nexus internally geared hub.
Good luck getting a hold of it, and let us know waht you decide!

is 600lbs the retail in the UK or the market price? cause if 600 for the ori is really that good a deal, maybe ill get it next week. i trust my friend so i trust hes not BSing me or selling me a fake.

Hi, welcome and good luck. I dont know about the prices, but here is an ebay-auction as a reference.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ORI-M9-Folding-B...05123001r34519

I have test ridden the Ori once and liked the ride. Search here for more threads with the words Ori or Mezzo. I think its not possible to say which - Dahon or Ori - is in general the better bike. I personally would never want an Ori because I think its soo ugly and despite using alu its not very light - but you cant go too wrong I guess. Please dont forget to give us a review if you buy the bike.

The Ori has Jar Jar Binks-appeal.

its a good deal if that is the bike you want, I would say.
I think people think its ugly because it does not fit their traditional idea of what a bike should look like.
I remmeber before I got my first folder, I thought all folders were dorky and stupid loking with their small wheels.
Now I think they are awesome. The Ori is no excpeption, it is different, but this difference gives it practical advantages too....
oh, and Mezzo bikes are retailing for 620-750 brithish pounds. havent found anything on ori...
do write a review if you get one!