bike eagle

I never did get around to buying a folder (yet), because I've been training for a marathon and haven't been cycling much. The marathon will be over soon, so I'm getting interested in cycling and folders again. I'm still not really into the looks of the Abike, but Thor's pics comparing the Curve and the Brompton are very interesting. Honestly, the only thing keeping me away from the Bromptons is the difficulty in changing a flat. Or, is it not that bad after all? The Mezzo and the Curve look like they use more conventional bike designs, would be easier to change a flat when it happens, and yet fold into a package that is almost as small as the Brompton. True? Or am I missing something?

fietsbob

Thor's second picture shows the Dahon folded, is wider than Brompton's
the wheel under Brommy fold
is also a way to stand the bike up, when you stop .. kind of functionally, a kickstand..


Buy the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires and the puncture is a low probability.

OK its not going to be a TdF race bike wheel change ,

but the internal gear hub works so well and un like derailleurs there's
no external bit to bend out of alignment..

I only have replaced a worn out tire no [knock wood] punctures..

bobw

Neither rear wheel is a joy to fix when there is a flat. Internal hubs require the wrenches to loosen things, fiddle, etc. I've decided that the smarter course of action is to patch the tube while its still on the bike. Deflate, tire lever the tube free, partially inflate to find the leak, patch, and put it back on. Works pretty well, except for those occasions when the tube is damaged too near the valve to repair.

BTW, my curve has the twin kickstand. It does make propping up the bike for repairs *much* simpler, especially because the pump is inside the seat post, so the usual biking trick of flipping the bike upside down and using the seat and handlebars to stand the bike up doesn't work so well...

mulleady

People will say Bike Friday as there is a big North American fan club here. But let's be honest, the best compact folder is the Brompton.

It may not be as good a tourer or all-rounder as Bike Fridays but it possesses the best proper ride to fold ratio.

chucky

Nonsense. The Brompton's ride is at once mushy and harsh and the proprietary parts are a nightmare.

Apart from the extra gearing I'd take a Carry-me any day over a Brompton. And the Carryme folds smaller and the shape of the fold is 100x more useful.

Despite all the praise from you Brits, I've never found the Brompton to offer any particular advantage over a typical Dahon. Sure the chain is less exposed (though still not enough to stop worrying about the grease...and the idler requires grease) and the fold it is slightly smaller (though you can't tell if you don't have a ruler/tape measure).

Clearly Dahon and other 20" wheel bikes have the best ride to fold ratio. That's why they're the best sellers. Going down to 359 wheels from 406 wheels is a poor compromise.

neilfein

Dahons are more inexpensive, and I suspect that may have something to do with it. Dahon's frame latch is, alas, a barrier to long-term durability, and the parts for a Dahon (particularly the IGH models) are pretty hard to find at a non-folder shop.

The ride on my Tikit beats the Bromptons and Dahons hands-down, but the Tikit is the largest of the three bikes, when folded. (I'm using my Curve for comparison.) It's also much, much easier to find parts for it. However, none of this is the OP's question. If I had gone solely by folded size, I wouldn't have bought my Tikit.