Anyway, I want a folding bike to commute to work. I have an 18 mile each way drive which is about 40 miles round trip. So speed is an important issue. I have heard some 8 gear folders will only do about 15 miles an hour if you pedal like crazy. -jayhuse

Make sure that you include a set of fenders/mudguards, lighting system, rack(s), and perhaps bags to your list. Dahon has the most range of offerings in that type of bike.

Also, I need it to be Reliable.

My Dahon Boardwalk is now almost 3 years old without anything major going wrong with it. Reliability is one of the top reasons I purchased from them.


The folding part is when the weather gets bad an somebody might give me a ride in a car.

Dahon has the most compact fold for the size except for 16" wheel (Brompton and Merc has it here). Another plus is that in the 20 inch wheel and smaller sizes, the bike would probably fit almost all cars. The 26 inch ones might or might not, depending on room in the trunk, the actual trunk size, and what junk you are willing to move or part with when you do stick the bike in the trunk.

less than 600.00

Dahon has the most mid price models in that price range.

I would like to be able to use this as a back up bike for my regular road bike.

You might find that the back up bike becomes your "first bike" after living with a folder for a while.

I may be keen on Dahons since it was my first folder. It proved to be a perfect "teaching tool" for my introduction into the folding world. There are other perfectly nice bikes out there for you. I am just letting you know my own true experience with my Dahon-I generally like to write or talk about what I know to be true.