Hi,
Originally Posted by
jrickards
Folders tend to have small wheels and upright seating. Their obvious attraction, for some anyway, is their ability to fold for carrying onto mass transit or storing. However, I'm curious, would those of you who ride folders be willing to ride the same bike even if it didn't fold? In other words, is the bike size/shape attractive enough to you to consider it for commuting whether or not it folded (for those of you who don't need it to fold)?
I agree that many folding bikes are often non-standard sizes and more upright positions (as they come). First, with some modifications, this issue can be greatly ameliorated. Second, some manufactures (Bike Friday, for example) try hard to make bikes that are sized to fit as a regular road bike would.
The folding bike I'm putting together now will fit me almost identically as my regular bike (although right now it is geared
higher than my regular bike; I'm trying to fix that now).
For many people commuting, folders make a lot of sense. If it doesn't appeal to you, then don't get one.
Cheers,
Charles