Jelligator

Hi, so I'm trying to find my first folder, I'm a college student and I live in colorado, so my main concerns were price, the weight, and how well it would handle the hills. Colorado is a lot of hills... mountians too but, I'm not gonna be on there with this bike. I need it primarily to get to and from work and school. I was looking a folder so that I could take it on the bus when the racks are full. (I don't want to be stranded at the bus stop late at night) Eventually as I build up my endurance, I may try to stop using the bus. Except in the winter. I'm not sure about riding in the snow.

Anyways long story aside, I've been doing a lot of looking around, and I was settled on the downtube nova after looking through a lot of threads here. I think its the right size and price, But I just don't know how well it'll handle the hills, and if its not good with them, what would be.

I'm a girl, not too strong, 5'3", 125lbs.
Thanks a bundle for your help and such ;u;

Dynocoaster 

Hi, welcome to the fold. The Nova should handle the hills. Where in Colorado are you? have you checked Craigslist? Found this on CL good price and bike https://boulder.craigslist.org/bik/1906630201.html

Jelligator

Hi, thank you for the welcome c: I'n in Denver. I did kind of check craigslist, but, that didn't come up in the search. Maybe because its in boulder? So that bike would also be good with hills? I'll have to check it out, then I should be able to test ride it too. maybe hopefully

puppypilgrim

Good advice from Dynocoaster. I would say Barcelona, Downtube and used Dahons. Another thing that would help is the average distance of your rides so we can recommend an appropriate bicycle. Your height and weight are no issue in fitting a folder.

Dynocoaster 

Use search words like folder, folding, Dahon , Brompton and so on..

Dynocoaster 

This is a rebranded Dahon and the 8 speed hub is nice. Comfortable bike. https://denver.craigslist.org/bik/1871414838.html

Jelligator

Oh, yeah I guess how far I'm going is good to know. My ride would be about 5 to 10 miles, depending on where I'm headed.

Thank you both for your help, by the way. It's greatly appreciated.

Dynocoaster 

also a good model although I would want to pay closer to $250-300 for it. https://denver.craigslist.org/bik/1835395472.html

Dynocoaster 

yeah also built by Dahon for Yeah https://denver.craigslist.org/bik/1887802707.html
https://denver.craigslist.org/bik/1895144269.html I like the white color.

Jelligator

Thanks a bundle for all these listings. I don't really want to pay more than 300, so those other two are nice, but not for me I think. I'll have to do some research on the Yeahs. If they fold down and weigh similar to the nova then I'm all for them

Dynocoaster 

https://www.yeahbike.com/folding-bikes/bikes.html#20

hazyphonics

yep the Nova sounds perfect. They're great bikes, cost even less if you hit up their auctions on ebay. Light at 24lbs and 7sp for the hills. I'm a 5'2 100lb female and I can carry it with one hand (not for too long though!) The orange is pretty too.

About choosing the lighter bike: I also have a DT 8h which is noticably heavier at 26.5 lbs (lifting and carrying it on the bus is a chore compared to the Nova) and has a bigger fold. I bought it for the suspension but really, you don't need it. And it makes going up hills harder.

have fun on your new bike!

hazyphonics

oh, and I also did a hilly ride in San Clemente CA recently with my mom. We took both bikes and she (hadn't ridden a bike since she was a schoolgirl!) preferred the Nova because she said it climbed better.

Jelligator

I'm gonna give one of the white Yeah bikes a try, its really close to home so I can ask if I can go for a ride on it or something. I feel better being able to try something before I get it. If I don't like it, I'll prolly get the nova c: I really like the orange color too, its one of my favorite colors. But if I end up with the white Yeah, well, thats alright too. Color isn't the main concern =u=

fietsbob

The mech that allows folding adds weight, so light, cheap and folding are not convergent .
pick only 2 of 3