Newtofolders

Hello everyone, tonight I discovered folding bikes. I got so excited I almost bought a Citizen Tokyo. I wanted some advice on the folding bike that is right for me. The last time I owned a bike was 10 years ago, and I've never owned a multi-speed bike. My budget is about 400$. I would use it for commuting (33.8 mi). Thank you.

rex615

More information would help us with recommendations.

What size are you? The Tokyo might be too small for a really tall rider.

Are you going to ride the whole 33.8 miles? 20" wheels might be a bit faster and comfortable.

Are you going to go on the bus or train with the bike? Then fold size is important.

What part of the world do you live in. If you live in London, you have to ride a Brommie.

Tell us more.

Mr. Jim

A bit of advice, these two statements:

"The last time I owned a bike was 10 years ago"
and
"I would use it for commuting (33.8 mi)"

usually do not go together, if part of the commute is by train etc. that's not so bad, but not having ridden for a while and jumping into a commute like that is probably not going to be feasible without some work.

Newtofolders

I am 5'3 130lbs I live in Oakland Ca. The commute is to San Francisco, part of the commute will be by train or ferry. The train can sometimes be very late, I've heard the ferry is a better option.

EarlVanDorn

I am sort of in your situation. I recently saw an older Dahon "Stowaway" on eBay. It looked to be in good shape and had the travel bag. I paid $79. It was in Atlanta and my niece picked it up for me. I'm dying to get my hands on it, but it will be a week or two. Anyway, I figured better to see how I like riding a folding bike on a cheapo before spending three to ten times as much on a new one. There are lots of them on Craigslist where you are, so you ought to be able to pick up a good used one.

My guess is that I'll end up with a Citizen Tokyo at some point.

fietsbob

Used to be a Cal Trans van and bike trailer crossing the bay bridge
during rush hours, did that end?

A friend of the Shop I worked at, in SF, rode his steel framed 'Race' Bike ,
lived in Oakland, handled baggage in the crew at SFO.

Newtofolders

I am thinking of about going with the Dahon Speed P8. More than I planned on spending but I like the features, specifically those fat tires. Plus there are shops near by were I can buy it. Thank you for the advice everyone.

silver98gst

Great choice! I would ask to test ride it before you buy to make sure that's the one you want.

Jodolena

Am probably too late to comment but I bought a Dahon Boardwalk last year for $650 Australian - and I really love the bike. It's a great ride and I use it to ride to the train station and take it on the train to work. If I were making the choice again though, I would have bought an alloy frame which is about 2kgs lighter. It seems to me though that the choice is between whether you get a good tight fold on the bike - in which case Bromptons are great - but not such a good ride - or you get a Birdy that is fabulous to ride though not so good to fold up. The Dahon is a great mix between the two - it folds up okay and is a good ride - smooth with a decent gear range. Am not familiar with the Citizen Tokyo but weight is an important consideration as is the ease of the fold.

rex615

That is a good bike. I think you will love the Big Apple tires, they give a nice ride plus they are good at resisting flats.

Do take a test ride if possible before buying.

kamtsa

If you live in the Bay Area your local craigslist should have significant number of folder postings.

Edit: like this one, Dahon D7, asking price $400 https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/2830149831.html

rex615

Ad says "18-inch Special Edition Dahon tires"

Is that correct?

Oh and sorry about the Hijack. Checking Craigslist is a good idea.