cplager

Oy vey.

O.k. Let's actually put some numbers here.

At worst, for accelerating ONLY, the mass of the tire counts twice its normal mass (this assumes the mass of the tire is entirely at it's largest radius, but this isn't a horrible approximation). The heaviest tire smallwheeler listed above was 720g. 720g * 2 (tires) * 2 (rotation) = 2.9 Kg or 6.3 lbs.

If you are tiny (say, 100 lbs) and you have a light folding bike (rest, say 25 lbs), this is less than a 5% effect (and we are comparing the heaviest tire to an 0 weight tire). If you compare Big Apples to something half their weight, you're talking about 250g difference * 4 = 1 Kg which is less than a 2% effect. And that's assuming you're tiny. For me and my bike, I've got a factor of two on those numbers, so wheel weight is a factor of 2 less important. AND this is only true for accelerating, not riding at a constant speed and not climbing. As far as road imperfections, it's the total (bike + rider) weight, not wheel weight that matters.

If you're not racing, tire weight is virtually irrelevant. What isn't irrelevant is rolling resistance and this can make a big difference to noticeable speeds.

To the OP, I'm not a big fan of suspension on upright (as opposed to recumbent) bicycles. It is often lossy and as badmother points out, may not work well if you are on one end or the other of the weight spectrum. That being said, it might help for the reason you are looking. Being more upright (less weight on your hands) will help a lot; thick gel gloves helped me too).

I'd recommend against the $200 Ebay folders. Used bikes are a great way to go if you or a friend know about bikes. I like my Origami Mantis, but you'd hardly recognize it now as it is (and I never rode it in its original configuration).

Cheers,
Charles