Well, on the "it's only a little bit more" thought; I notice that for another hundred bucks over the Crane (with shipping), I could get a Tern C7 (free shipping, and I believe he tunes them before shipping) from Thor. But where does that end?
A point: you can not compare welds in aluminum to those in steel, they look completely different. Probably not an issue even with very cheap bikes any longer as they are all done by robots. Robots do not come in with a hang over on Monday morning.
It is sunny out today, finally, so I will get this thing out and see how it rides. It is folded and bagged at the moment, waiting to go into the the back of the old Blazer.
I notice that it is both bigger and heavier than I thought it would be when folded. I can now see why folks worry about the weight (I wonder what one of those fishing scales cost?). Bulk-wise I do not think I could bring this into stores without a hassle. Maybe I am just being unreasonable, I notice it sitting next to the big bikes and it is only about a quarter their size.
For those who want to know, I measured the dropouts. The rear is a standard 135mm, and the front is a totally nonstandard 90mm. 90mm fronts were the standard at one time, but trying to find a hub that will fit these days is an exercise in frustration. I know that from trying to find a hub for my old English 3-speed; I wound up having to widen the steel forks.
It would be nice if some of you would put up a lot of unretouched photos of the Miami Citizen, the Origami Crane, the Downtube Nova, and the Tern C7 Like I did of this bike. Other bikes too if you like, but those are the ones I was looking at when I bought the Verso (which pricewise is between the Miami and the Crane), from could afford to would like to be able to afford. I don't think the people who buy those super cheap ($150) no name folders read these forums, but if you do photos of them would be nice. I ask, because I do not think I am the only one here who does not have anywhere nearby to go look at folding bikes. In fact there was one running around town 8-10 years ago, it was the only one I had actually seen, and then only whizzing by.