Hi
Although I used to own a folder bike I had not owned or ridden a bike in past 10 years. Since I just concluded my folding bike search I figured why not share with a hope some will find it useful.
Bikes I considered:
Origami cricket/crane
Citizen Miami
GreenZone value edition
Dahon single speed
Kent Giordano
Others I forget
Folding bikes have many similarities, among them:
made in China
Shimano index shifter (except Dahon which is single speed)
V brakes
weight around 25lbs (except Citizen which is 32lbs due to steel frame)
20" aluminum wheels (I did not consider 16" due to potholes in my area)
fenders (except kent giordano)
Things I disliked:
Origami cricket - seat post cannot go all the way in due to suspension - it has to be stored outside of the frame for compact fold
Origami cricket/crane - handle bar stem cannot be height adjusted, thin (weak?) hinge
Citizen Miami - steel frame - hence 32lb weight
Dahon single speed - price and single speed, brand probably target for thiefs
Kent Giordano - fenders not included, unknown quality/reliability, cannot accommodate >2" tires
GreenZone - seems to be the same as no-brand bike from amazon and ebay - handlebar welded to stem, thin stem hinge, when folded it's 3" longer than others, 48t chain wheel (hm...GreenZone handle bar is not welded)
Edit: GreenZone bike is similar to Citizen Miami, as it has steel frame. Ebay and amazon bikes -although they look the same - they are aluminum frame and much lighter.
Things I liked:
Origami crane/cricket- no quick release on front wheel (harder to steal w/o tools)
Origami crane - frame looks really sturdy, looks like it could accommodate 2.35 big apple tires, good website with a lot of info/photos
Origami circket - suspension and disc-brakes yet still lightweight
Citizen Miami - low price caught my eye (still too much for a steel frame bike)
Dahon - good reviews/opinions all around (cannot go wrong?)
Greenzone/ebay/amazon - inexpensive if gotten from ebay/amazon, might accommodate >2" tires due to frame design
Comments:
origami crane's frame seems well designed, stands out from the folding crowd. Somehow cricket does not inherit the same frame design strenghts but offers more features. I think cricket could be a winner if it was mated with i-motion hub instead of derailleur (and perhaps sturdier stem hinge) - otherwise the chain is too low for the suspension features to shine (like going over a curb).
Citizen Miami - it's OK except the weight
Dahon - pricey and perhaps the bike that thiefs look for due to brand recognition
Greenzone/ebay/amazon aluminum lightweight folding bicycle. I figured that handlebar stem is not angled forward like on most folding bikes and is not good for taller riders like me. Price+shipping and no easy returns were also a turn off.
I picked Kent Giordano because of the price, sturdy construction (thick handle bar stem hinge, big frame hinge, rear triangle) and standard bicycle parts. There was one 5 star review on Amazon and few positive comments in bikeforums but not much info otherwise. Just in case, I got it from the place with free shipping and easy returns and I'm gonna keep it. (I do need to get fenders though).
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Originally Posted by bbmike
