genman

I bought a Ritchey Break-away. It's very good for a road bicycle, though "folds" in 20-30 minutes not 5.

We have some ambitions for "world travel," at least currently Taiwan/Vietnam at the end of the year. In any case, my wife is under 5' tall and, though I would love to get her on a Ritchey, is considering for a few reasons a folding bicycle. The first is for commuting to work, so she had some way to get around town during lunch, though since we're a 10 minutes walk from the bus, and they have a rack, I would say leaving a bicycle at work would make more sense. The second reason is travel, as I said.

Her inseam is such that a 44-45cm frame would be suitable.

Given that larger wheels are probably better suited for the crappy roads in Seattle, and almost regardless of where you venture, there's plenty of hills to deal with, I'm looking for a folder with 20" wheels.

I also feel, to get proper fit, you need to have proper "top tube" length. It seems not too many folders come in multiple sizes.

Her existing bicycle is a bit too "fast" for her and would prefer more of a touring machine. Actually, for her it really comes down to not wanting to /look/ like a fast or be uncomfortable. I do think that having bullhorn or other styles of handlebars would be better. I'm thinking bar-end shifters would better fit her imagine.

I haven't spent too much time on this yet, but I've sort of come up with the list of qualities. Personally, money isn't a big consideration, though paying more for no reason would be a waste. So, here's the list in priority order:

1. Correct (best) fit
2. Light weight, under 20 pounds ideally
3. 20" wheels
4. Designed not like a "racer" (her word to describe my road bike), elegance over aggressiveness
5. Easily packed / transported
6. Performance, she's does 15-18 mph on flats.