jcmkk3

Tern finally unveiled their new models at Eurobike. I was hoping for a nice 16" wheeled folder or a 20" with disc brakes. Here's a link to the news release.

brakemeister

its following their strategy to not change every model every year but rather in a 3 to 5 year cycle and add very few new models to the mix ( and maybe drop one or two from the existing line up )
Makes a lot of sense, stabilizes the market, makes spare parts availability easy, keeps dealers happy as they dont have "old" models.

The EclipseX20 is going to be nice and I have people asking for an 8 speed Castro as well. :-)

Thor

jcmkk3

I generally feel like they could streamline their current models a bit more. The C7 has quite a few parts unique to that model. The Eclipse series already has disc brake and regular models so why would it be so different to do the same to a Verge or Link? A 16" model would require quite a few new parts, but it seems like it would fill a niche for the company.

2_i 

Not that I am really interested in that bike, but what is the 'automatic' shifting in Swoop?

brakemeister

same as in the Castro Duo or Verge Duo ..... a Sram hub which shifts at around 9 miles per hour into second gear and backinto first gear when youget slower.... its the cats miau ... very very nice

Both bikes can actually be had over the long weekend ( or how long I have Demos available) for a nice special price in my garage sale....:-)

Dahon.Steve

The 16' inch wheel is already being serviced by Brompton, Bike Friday and Dahon. I happen to think the larger wheel and I'm glad Tern and Dahon are building folding bikes beyond the 20' inch wheel. Unfortunately, those bikes are starting to be pricy!

jcmkk3

If that is the case then there is really no reason for Tern to exist at all since Dahon has models that fill the same roles. I want a 16 inch Tern for the same reason that one would choose Tern over Dahon in any other categories, for me that is mainly the hinges and the support model. I would also like to see one with a more standard dérailleur drive train. I know that Dahon has made a Curve like that in the past, but at least currently, there is not one available in the USA.

Bromptons and Bike Friday's are not direct competition in this case. They are in a totally different price bracket.

Ozonation

Are these up on Tern's website anywhere? I wanted to look up some specs, but can't find the models described on their website.

jcmkk3

If you click on the box in the top right corner of the website that says "United States - English" and change it to "Worldwide - English" you will be able to see the new models and also the models that aren't imported into the USA currently.

samosaurus

The Eclipse X20 is a stunner!

Sam

rku615

Am in lurve...... what a beautiful creature....

chagzuki

10.7 Kg is very light, way lighter than previous IOS versions/similar bikes. Though I guess that's without pedals.
The larger the folded size the more important it is for weight to be low as a larger proportion of it is carried away from the body; looks like this delivers.

tcs

The Tern Swoop won a 2012 Eurobike award. It's a clone of the Dahon Ciao, which won a Eurobike award back in 2005.

(Scratches head.)

ttakata73

I'm with jcmkk3, a 16" Tern would be stiffer than a Dahon and lighter than a Brompton.
I think there is a good market for such a bike.
I pretty much had to make my own version out of my Dahon Mantis (search for other thread if interested).

chagzuki

I tend to think that if Tern produce a 16" wheel bike it won't be of the 'fold-in-half' variety, it'll be something like a Brompton or Mezzo. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they brought out a direct Brompton competitor, it seems unavoidable that someone will in the next 2 or 3 years.
Come 2013 the competition is ramped up with Brompton adopting some premium level components, previously the area of the market in which Dahon distinguished itself.

The fold-in-half design doesn't make good sense for bikes with wheels smaller than 20".

ro-monster

I love the Eclipse (both of the more expensive models). Has anyone ridden one? What were your impressions of it?

rku615

Here's a review of the Eclipse S11i..https://www.baikbike.com/product-revi...-eclipse-s11i/

invisiblehand

Kojaks, Marathons, and Big Apples is not a bad selection of tires. It should be interesting to see how the market responds.

bhkyte

Bromptons lack cockpit space, steer badly, slow, expensive for equipment specs, limited or expensive to upgrade, lack of gear options,
Dahon curve d3 difficult to fold, difficult to wheel folded, stem flex,
Bike friday expensive ,large when folded, stem fexy,
Mezzo rough on bumps,, lack of extended seatpost, under geared, no front bag, only 2 rear bag options,

There is plenty of room for another good 16" folder manufactor !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

chagzuki

Bromptons don't lack cockpit space, not since 2004 when the main frame was extended. With the shortest cockpit model, the M type, there's huge scope for adjusting dimensions with a combination of handlebar rotation and pentaclip adjustment. It's a shame however that there's such extreme upsweep on the handlebars as it gets even more pronounced when rotating the bars forward.

The Dahon Curve has a very small cockpit and lacks the adjustability.

But yes.

brakemeister

now folks ... peace :-) and yes I would like to see a 16 incher as well ... although I am not selling a whole lot of them currently...

mulleady

I do not agree at all that the Brompton steers badly or lacls cockpit space, to the contrary. There is no way I wouldn't describe the Bike Friday Tikit as a 'large' fold considering the speed at which it reduces into a compact if somewhat elongated shape.

Is there room for groundbreaking 16" folder to challenge the Brompton? Absolutely!

bhkyte

I think many people would agree with the primary point I was making.
Even if not with my choice of some of the specifics drawbacks of all the 16" folders out there.
I hope Tern do make a 16" model to improve competition.

p.s. No one challenged my criticism of a Mezzo , Typical !!!

pacificcyclist

Not sure why you said Bromptons lack cockpit space unless you meant it won't give you a stretched out cockpit like you would find on a Trek Madone or Cervelo race bike. But then, it's not meant to be a road race bike. It's slow because the rubber elastomer rear suspension is robbing some of the frame stiffness that makes it feel like it's not going fast. Sort of reminds me of the old GT iDrive system of the late 90s. Put on the firm type and I think you will feel faster, but at the expense of more jolts from the road.

Expensive for equipment specs is definitely a yes, but its unique folding size and character makes it the undisputed king in the 16" folding world. I would say only the Jifo 16 would beat the Brompton is terms of carry weight, but the Jifo 16 is only 1 speed and it's not very appealing to someone who's looking for more speeds = better value type. That's what I got from my dealer who's selling both the Jifo 16 in Sienna color vs Brompton in many colors. Brompton always win and sells well to people who do multi-modal a lot.

In regards to 16" wheels. This is a tough market to crack into because you need to understand that in North America, multi-modal use of transport with bikes are not well embraced as much as they do in Europe and Asia. Did you know that Dahon bikes are outselling in both Europe and Asia compared to the teeny tiny market share in North America. You will be shocked to know the number of sales Dahon do despite the fact that it is one of the biggest folding bike maker in the world. There are way too many competition from all fronts in the smaller than 20" wheel category. Besides, people in North America are looking for bikes that fold but can do greater distances. Therefore I see the Tern Eclipse X20 as the great move into this foray of 24" wheel bikes.
In North America, the majority of folding cyclists do go to places with their own power rather to heavily relying on the tubes or buses, so the bigger the wheels the better, faster and more comfortable the ride will be.

bhkyte

I think not,

I am sure people get my point