Originally Posted by
Azreal911
I really wish I can answer that for you but I cannot. The ONLY thing i know of that's different is New York is tightly packed and you can get anywhere you want quickly. also there's been quite a bit of effort getting bike lanes in throughout the city.
Los Angeles is mostly urban sprawl and everything is pretty spread out. there is no cycling infrastructure from what I've seen while driving around the city 5 years ago but things change over time if you have the right people working for the city.
Chicago, there's a nice bike lane right along the bay and passes through Navy Pier which is a gorgeous route to take before you head off into the city streets. I've seen a downtube while walking to work downtown once, and Chicago does have a market:
Folding Bikes ? Rapid Transit Cycleshop
Washington DC: no clue I just know in the summer it's very muggy and hot also i wasn't aware any bike lanes downtown but this was years ago and cycling on the mall looks fun but it's gravel.
San Fran: hills like hell! not sure if anyone wants to bike there unless their bike has a 25 gear inch setting! but going down those hills can be white knuckle.
These are places that I've personally been to and walked around I can't say anything about the rest cause there's not first hand experience from me.
San Francisco has an huge cycling culture, but doesn't seem to have found a reason to focus it on folders as of yet. As you say, the hills are pretty gnarly, and most people (aside from the insane fixie/messenger people) are tackling them on very-low-geared mountain and city bikes, then hopping onto BART or CalTrain. You would think the average apartment size there would draw these riders to folders, but I haven't seen a significant exodus towards them as of yet.