Originally Posted by
avole
Who is making a negative claim?? You misunderstand.
Also, because one person has toured on a folding bike really proves nothing. I mean, I have too, but it isn't the perfect tool for touring, you'd have to admit.
I've seen many comments on touring with folding bikes and generally they have been very positive but maybe I'm missing your point somehow. I've seen people comment on touring with Bromptons across Asia, taking on buses and trains, storing in their hotel room and riding great distances through amazing countryside etc. It sounded like the perfect way to tour to me. I guess they weren't the fastest bikes or the strongest but the convenience seemed amazing and a full sized rigid bike with the much greater inconvenience seemed like the compromise.
Also if you want a bike they whole family can use and quickly adapted to rider height etc then a normal rigid bike is the compromise or you want a bike that can be easily stored or transported then the normal bike etc is the compromise.
I guess there are compromises everywhere when you think about it but a folding bike may be the least compromised for many uses.
I remember reading about a teacher whose bikes were constantly stolen at School until he finally settled on the cheapest nastiest low end bike he could get his hands on, made it look as horrible as possible and upgraded a few key parts just to keep it reliable. At the time of writing which was a few years ago it had not been stolen so he got to ride everyday without issue which benefited his health and wealth plus he enjoyed riding. The right bike for him was actually the wrong bike for most people.