People should realise both Tern and Dahon are so called performance folding bikes more inline with racing bikes and have lower weight limits. The EN/ISO 4210 standard seems to pretty much have normal bikes at 120kg and mountain bikes at 136kg but racing bikes tend to be stated as short life performance products and that seems pretty much what Tern and Dahon are aiming for. Personally that's reason enough for me to avoid these brands. I'm rather have a strong frame over a slightly lighter one.

There's a lot of good info here about weight limits of bikes by Specialized in their manual. It's the most comprehensive information I've seen about weight limits of bikes in a manual and is closely following the 4210 standard.

https://media.specialized.com/suppor...0000057489.pdf

I know its often stated that a high quality bike can be stronger and lighter than a cheap bike and to a degree this can be true based on high quality heat treated and superior materials components etc but also the reverse is true and simply making a lighter frame with a lot of butting does compromise strength and the lifespan of the frame will be shorter. The fact neither Dahon or Tern state the normal weight limit of about 120/115kg but are somewhat below that surely means compromises have been made. The weight limit of 120kg seems to be given by some as 115kg allowing 5kg for clothes and what is being carried but they are pretty much the same value. It's what most quality bikes seem to aim for and are certified for. I don't get or want the compromise in strength below that value. I don't want a short life bike or a bike that might cause me to die quite frankly. I'd be impressed if the Tern and Dahon bikes had the same weight limit and were lighter but they aren't they are weaker bikes than their competitors and many of these competitors are much cheaper and better value for the components offered but a little bit heavier and slower but only a marginal difference. I'd also point out that many bikes that claim the 120kg weight limit are not equal, one bike may have just scraped through the requirements after testing and another may have massively exceeded those requirements of strength but both Dahon and Tern are below the normal expected value. Yes a bike that exceeds the weight limits comfortably may not state an increased weight capacity over 120kg for commercial reasons. Of course good practice and an ideal weight capacity is recommended but the same certification will allow for lower weight capacity bikes. I've seen folding bikes as low as 60kg capacity which is hugely restrictive to who can ride them.

All bikes sold in Europe are tested and certified and probably the same is true in the states. The maximum rider weight is there for a reason and is a good indicator of overall strength of a bike.