Hello!

Has anyone purchased a bike from greenzonebikes.com? https://www.greenzonebikes.com/folding-bicycles.html

I am on the fence between the design on the Ciao P8 and Barcelona Citizen....but like the price (only) at Greenzone. Need to hear the experiences of others.

Thanks!

Loren

Hey Loren,

I haven't had any actual experience worth reporting on yet, but I decided to jump in and give Green Zone a shot after a recent unfortunate bike loss. I'm a little skeptical, as there is not a lot on Green Zone out there, and I'll come back and report on how it plays out.

So far though, since my order was placed, a human being has been in touch by email to confirm some contact information and I received an email with tracking information.

I heard Greenzone and immediately thought of Iraq. ;(

Ditto.

Did you check with the folks who hang out in the Folding Bikes forum?

The full-size folding tandem looks a bit questionable.

This fella arrived today. Got here late in the day so I haven't had a chance to ride yet, but here is what I have so far. I have no doubt that the you get what you pay for adage will apply here, but I just need something small with wheels—preferably two—for the time being. I'm a super casual, non-technical rider, so I don't really know what to report. For reference my previous bike was a 2007 Dahon Vitesse. The greenzone's paint job is ehh; chipped it a bit just getting the bubble wrap off and noticed some more minor chipping/scratches on the front logo (three years in with the Dahon I never needed to crack the bottle of touch up paint they provided). Joints lack a certain... finesse, but after appropriate tightening are sturdy. Folding is easy enough, comparable to the Dahon. Saddle seems like its going to be uncomfortable. It's heavy for what it is, 33.4 lbs out of the box (less the chain guard, which had to go as it was interfering with the chain and the crank). Shimano 7 speed, 14-28, 65mm crank. Wheels and brakes needed serious adjustment, but I guess thats to be expected with a mostly assembled bike in a box. Will see how he rides tomorrow.

Hey Tomato Bob, can you tell us what your size and weight is? I ask this because I would really be concerned with safety. I weigh 250 and the idea of that amount of weight on a cheap folding bike would scare the sh*t out of me. If the bike is sound though, a $200 folding bike really opens up the market to commuters and people who might have never considered or even been exposed to folding bikes.

Scott

I'm 5'10 and my weight tends to fluctuate between 220 and 230. This model lists the weight limit as 250 lbs. When I got the Dahon I was about 30 lbs heavier, which was over the suggested weight limit by a bit, and after a few rides I never once felt like that would actually be an issue. The seat post on the GZ doesn't seem super and it took me a few adjustments to get it to support my weight just sitting. The minimal setup sheet contains a user submitted suggestion about sanding down the contact point to add friction. I'm about to take it out so we'll see if it holds my weight riding.

Thank you for your input on the bike Tomato B.
I'm going to get a new folding bike with my jury duty money.
either the Kent Compact 16 from Bikes4families or a Pegasus folding from a local place in Chinatown.
I hope the Chinatown place has them for under $200, last year they had some generic 3 spd ones with the rear band brakes for $135. this year they have an entire new lineup of folding bikes, mostly 6 spds, not 7 like yours.

Two final notes.

The seat fully extended rests petty low, so while weight should not really be an issue height will be. I mentioned I'm 5'10", and I have an inseam of about 30.5, and the seat is a bit low for me.

The way the rear brake was initially set up it interfered with pedaling. I've adjusted so I can pedal, but am not entirely satisfied. Hopefully I can tweak it some more.

I own/have owned 3 folders. I'd recommend going with a Dahon. Go used if that puts it in your price range. Stay away from the cheaper priced folders, by-and-large. I had a Dahon Speed P8. Solid, dependable bike, V-brakes for easy adjustment, good Schwalbe Big Apple tires. The Kent may be ok, but it will be heavy for its size and the components may be lowest end. Check carefully on them before buying.

Jury duty money? This is more interesting than the subject of this thread. Last time I served on a jury, I think I got $8 tops. I may want to move to your jurisdiction, lol.

But seriously, I'm looking for a cheap full suspension folding bike. Or, at least for it to have front suspension. Can you report back or PM to see if this shop has full suspension 20" wheeled bikes. Thanks.

We don't get much either, $40 a day plus carfare.
Yes, I will report back if I get either bikes.
the Chinatown place has bikes from this company, it sure looks like it. and, I was looking at the 20", full suspension model outside, though I knew I can't afford it
I've only window shopped, I will go in when I have cash in hand as a bargaining chip.

https://www.jianhocycle.com/

Any further insight/advice on Greenzone? TomatoBob - did the bike meet your expectations?

Nope. I ended up replacing it before the end of the summer. It had a few bum parts I had to replace and it never felt sturdy. And I found it basically impossible to fold (I rarely folded my previous folder, but it's nice to be able to when you need to).

Just to add two cents. I got my $200 Greenzone this week and rode it a couple of times.

I'm 5'10" , 195 lbs with a normal saddle-to-pedal distance of 35" or so. The Greenzone saddle only goes up to about 33" without violating the minimum insertion distance stated on the seatpost.

I needed to adjust the rear brake and removed the fenders and rack to reduce the weight. The wheels are bolt-on with nuts instead of quick release. The seat is also nutted to the seatpost, so you'd need to carry 13
and 15 mm wrenches or a crescent wrench for roadside repairs. Folding capability is fine, though sometimes I catch the cables when unfolding. There is a hex screw that secures the stem and makes it more solid than the simple quick release.

Riding around in a parking lot or down the block was fine. But on a longer hilly ride the short seatpost was a problem with powering up a hill. Quality is poorer than a (higher priced) Dahon that I test rode in a bike shop, but, in all, justifies the difference in price.

My net: worth the price if the seatpost is high enough.