Is it actually possible to manufacture a high quality bike and sell it, at a profit, for $85 ? I somehow doubt it.

It's not uncommon in the Uk to find on ebay an advert with two such cheapo bikes up for auction, bought in the heat of a husband / wife moment, ridden once, and then forever consigned to the back of the garage awaiting the next clear out. I think this says a lot about the appeal of "cheap" bikes.

I think this forum could do a major service to the folding bike world by holding back on Brompton. Dahon, BF, Birdy, etc and focusing once in a while on the lower order of bikes that are commonly available, some of them must represent good value for money, albeit with some upgrading. I think Citizen is the only more affordable range that gets reguarly discussed on here, is that because its the only one worth considering ?

Oh yes, and the take over thing, its cyclic, Brompton is on top at the moment, but before that it was BF, or Downtube, or Dahon, every dog gets it's day in the limelight on here.