folder fanatic

I am now a folding bike user/owner only. I gave away or donated my beautiful old 1968 Phillips Ladies Frame 3 speed Sport Style Roadster to the Bicycle Kitchen today. I simply pumped up the tires, dusted off the frame and rode to the train station. I rode the rest of the way from the Santa Monica station to the shop. Plus I donated some new or barely used saddles, a new pedal, a new tire gauge, and a tiny patch kit too. I do miss that old bike, but I need the space that it took to store it for other more pressing things. And I still have plenty of bikes left-all folding bikes. They are the only bikes I can safely use around Los Angeles!

invisiblehand

With all of the extra space it sounds like a great time to buy another folding bike!

Bacciagalupe

Yes, we're all collectively shocked.

Meanwhile, I'm likely to get rid of my folders when the weather improves, and will likely be 100% folder free for the forseeable future....

folder fanatic

Oh, oh please don't tempt me! Actually, I will be in the market for another Brompton in, say, about a year or so from now. I know the basic Brompton frame has underwent a major change in 2005. And the A La Carte option that is available now to customize the bike to what you want, rather than what a bike designer dictates, is a huge attraction for me. I will miss my old Phillips, but the folding bike is the only bike I can use now.

Foldable Two

Regular bikes are a major pain storage-wise. Whether inside a garage, or inside a car or SUV when traveling, they are a challenge. I totally prefer folders, period. My Dahon S1 is a great "market" bike, and our Bike Fridays are better than our mid-60's 'engines'. Folders are also more agile in the city, accelerate better, and are far easier to transport than "normal" sized bikes.

The only venue that a normal bike clearly excels in would be in Mountain Biking, and at age 65, my continued Masters slow pitch softball participation is likely the most dangerous sport I am going to be involved in.

Bacciagalupe

Well....

I agree that folding bikes are good enough for a wide variety of purposes, and are easier to store and transport. There are many situations where a folding bike is well worth the resulting compromises.

However, I really have no doubt that standard bikes are superior in many ways and for many applications. More stable handling; more rugged frames; smoother ride without the performance compromises of suspension or slow tires or low BB's or low derailleurs or internal hubs; more precise sizing for better fit; wider variety of bars and shifting/braking mechanisms.

The only plausible exception I can think of is a Bike Friday, as it is fully custom. Though a BF will still be more expensive and have far less stable handling than, say, my cross bike.