Originally Posted by
trider
So we believe 20" folders would be the best choice. We paid $200 each for the Citizens. We are hoping to keep the new folders under $450.00 each. I really like the Swift, but at close to $700 thats a little too much. I'm thinking The Downtube 2009 FH (8 speed full suspenion) with internal hub would be a good choice at $459.00. Shipping will probably be another $60.00 each.
Unless space is a premium, you want to bring the bike into buildings/restaurants, or you want to seamlessly fit both of your bikes into small car trunks, then I would stick with a 20" non-suspended folder. So something like the Dahon Speed or -- if they are still available -- the Downtube NS. The Downtube Nova is at a particular pricepoint where it is hard to go wrong -- plus it has rack mounts, a kickstand, a front derailer mount, and some other goodies -- but I don't care for freewheels. Dahon has a lot of nice accessories. So you might want to consider that in your decision.
Internal hubs are nice for some applications, but I think that they are over-hyped on the forum. I don't think that there is anything wrong with IGHs, but for most riders I suspect that it matters little whether they have an IGH or a derailer.
20" -- ERTO 406 -- wheels simply offer a much bigger selection and better availability of tires and tubes. While both 20" and 16" wheels result in low trail geometries, the 16" wheels are quite extreme. Consequently, I think that 20" wheel bikes handle better.