Originally Posted by wilfried

I had a Tern Verge P20, which I quite liked, but alas, was stolen. I got some insurance money though, and now I'm in the market for a new bike. The Tern hit a lot of the right points, so I might just get another one, but since I have the opportunity, I thought I'd check out other bikes.

My first question, what other bikes should I consider?

Given that I live in a closet in a walk up, I'm stuck with folding bikes. I have a Brompton, which hits the marks for a compact city commuter. The Tern was the fun ride bike and light tourer. It's faster than a Brompton, and I took on 80+ mile rides and for weekends away (though I've also ridden my Brompton 70+ miles). It has a wide gear range, very low on the bottom, and pretty fast at the top, and it could handle just about any hill, so I could take it places I couldn't take the Brompton. However, I also fitted it with rack and fenders, which also made it a utility bike, good for commuting, carrying stuff, and light touring (though of course heavier and slower). My one complaint is that the handlebars are too high, which isn't bad in itself, but is too much like the M bar Brompton, and I would hope for something a little lower and sportier. It was versatile, a decent ride, and different enough from a Brompton. So, what else is out there that I should to consider?

I checked out a few other bikes, and none particularly struck my fancy, until I test rode a Birdy today, a 24 speed dual drive. Wow, that bike has a great ride. The gear range is crazy wide, the suspension smoothed out the pockmarked streets, and the disk brakes were great. I liked the internal gear hub "front derailleur," so I can downshift after I stop, and not get stuck in too high a gear at a stoplight. It has an adjustable stem, so I can get the lower handlebar that I want. I would have to ride it more to judge, but on first impression, that bike is a marvel. It also costs $2200. With rack and fenders and tax, I think it will cost like $1000 more than a Tern P20 with the same equipment. I also wonder if it's as versatile, and if all those fancy bits make it fiddly. It has 18 inch wheels, so would it be hard to find tires and tubes? The fold also isn't the tidiest. So, what are thoughts on the Birdy? Is it worth the eye watering price? If I really, really want to, I can swing the price, but it really has to be worth it. It was bad enough to lose a $1300 Tern, losing a $2200 Birdy would be that much worse.

tl;dr: What bike might be a good replacement for a stolen Tern Verge P20? What do you think of the Birdy, considering it's eye watering price?

BTW, I know about the Tern recalls, and will take that into consideration. Please comment on bikes, not Tern and its travails. I have all those other threads to look regarding Tern.