Originally Posted by
Bonzo Banana
Maybe a 2 speed Brompton would suit you? This would lose the weight and minor inefficiencies of the hub gearing. You can tailor the Brompton quite a lot to get a bike you will love. However always worth trying other bikes, enjoy the experience of shopping for a bike and see what else might suit you better. There are many other alternatives to the Brompton other than Tern.
Well, there are times when I get good use out of lower gears, since it's not all flat where I live. Maybe 3-speed would be better, but not sure if that would make a significant difference in speed and weight though. I'm moving to Prague soon, where I think it can get even more hilly then here in Bratislava. There's a very nice guy selling folding bikes, a Brompton owner too, and he highly recommends 6-speed especially for Prague conditions.
Other than Brompton, I've tried Tern Link D8 and Birdy (Comfort I think?). Birdy was a nice ride, but I'm not really a fan of the fold. Dahon bikes – not a fan, I don't like the fold either, since their bikes don't have the N-fold like Terns do, which makes it more inconvenient to fold, imho.