Originally Posted by
Abu Mahendra
What folding bikes specifically--make and model--did you ride that did not handle well?
I have a Novara folding bike that I especially dislike. I don't know the model. Also a Kent ultra-lightweight one (magnesium frame) that handles poorly, strange seat tube angle. I've also ridden several of the older ones, Raleigh Twenty, Raleigh RSW 16, and was not impressed. Moulton F-frame (though not a folding bike) also very twitchy. Of course those designs are very old and obsolete.
I've ridden a couple of Dahons that rode well enough, but I didn't like the way they fold, and their proprietary parts made it difficult or impossible to change the way they fold. I take my folding bike on a commuter train on which there is a very specific place where I can store the folded bike conveniently, and if a bike doesn't fit there, I have to modify it until it does. The Dahons I looked at did not give me any options to modify anything
Re your comments about Yan / Downtube: is this speculation, or do you have first hand information? I have neither, am merely reporting what I was told.