Originally Posted by
Jerrys88
I love my Brompton for its compact size, ease of folding, reliability, and the way it rolls when folded, but I'm wondering if it's time to try something different. The issues I have are that it is heavy (I added rear rack for better rolling when folded, and installed a heavy and not most efficient Schlumpf Mountain Drive to achieve my preferred gearing. It now weighs 30 lbs.) and I prefer a bike with at least 12 gears, including super low-end gears for climbing steep hills.
So, given the following criteria, what bikes would you guys recommend I look at?
1) As light as possible.
2) Rollable when folded, or, if not, then light weight is especially important.
3) Designed with minimum 12 gears, including super low gears. Speed is not issue.
Bike is kept in car trunk and used to commute 18 miles a day with multiple folding and unfolding to take in and out of stores and office.
If you want a lightweight and cheap folding bike, you may consider a bike with only one gear. Then you can walk uphill with your bike. And if it is not too steep, you can ride your bike uphill, if you choose a folder with just a low gear, that is suited for that.
You can keep your Brompton with quite different characteristics for different purposes as your second folding bike. You could even have three different folding bikes, for different purposes.