From the beginning of 2004 I worked on a project in Taiwan for 6 of the next 8 years. Shortly after I arrived I bought a full size Giant road bike. We were allowed to return to the US for 2 weeks every 2 or 3 months. It quickly became obvious that traveling with that bike was going to be difficult as taxis in Asia tend to be Toyota Corolla size and smaller. After a year I decided to sell it and look for alternatives.

I had ridden a few small-wheel folders and didn’t like the feel. It is a very subjective thing and it just didn’t work for me. Ultimately I hit upon a 2005 steel Ritchey Break-Away and had it built up with a 10-speed Campagnolo Centaur drivetrain. The Break-Away doesn’t fold. It is a full size road bike with 700c wheels. The frame separates into 2 parts and fits into its own piece of luggage. I continued to ride this bike until 2016 when it was stolen. I replaced it with a 2016 carbon Break-Away.

As I said, ride feel is very subjective. It has been a long time since I rode a small wheel bike, but going from memory, I think it felt a bit more twitchy than I was comfortable with. Anyway, the important thing is to based our choices on actual experience rather than published reviews. To me those are only starting points...