Hi All,

I'm thinking about getting a folding bike. I currently have a Trek 520 that I use as my main bike, and an old, but recently refurbished Trek mountain bike that I use as a utility bike. I'd like to find a durable, compact utility-type of folder that would supplement my existing bikes.

I've looked at Dahon bikes and also at Downtube. The Downtube bikes look like a good value, but I had some questions about these bikes:

1. I like the idea of getting an internal hub bike (the 2009 model) but don't have much experience with internal hub bikes. Are the Sturmey Archer hubs fairly durable/reliable?
2. Is it hard to remove the rear wheel for maintenance/tire changes with the internal hub?
3. I'm also considering a traditional rear derailleur but noticed the Downtube models come with pretty long rear derailleurs that hang low. Can these derailleurs be upgraded to a short cage derailleur?

Thanks in advance!