Yes... I use my Brompton whenever I have the opportunity. Some days, I'm hauling a lot of equipment, files, etc., so I have to drive out of necessity, but that is more the exception than the rule. Otherwise, the Brompton does just fine.

Although I do have to be more careful of potholes, etc., the advantage is the ease of storage - I just slide it behind the door at the office - and if there's a lot of pedestrian traffic, a folding bike is more nimble.

My commute is only about 10 km round trip, but I've ridden my Brompton for 40 km without any issues.

How do you find it more theft proof - do you take it inside with you?

Yes.

if you've got a a lot of shopping to do, lugging a folding bike around a cramped store can be annoying, no doubt.

my folding bike is more useful when i'm meeting friends at a bar after work for drinks, where i can fold up the bike and simply take it inside with me as opposed to street-locking a regular bike. also, because i live in a very urban environment, most of my friends live in condos and apartments, and when i ride to visit a friend's place, again the folding bike is great because i can fold it up and simply bring it into their apartment. bringing a regular bike into another person's apartment would be a touch rude.

shopping isn't necessarily the best argument for folding bikes as a theft prevention tool, but making social calls in an urban environment is a pretty god one, for me at least.





bingo. thieves can't steal a bike that's not sitting there waiting to be stolen.

Exactly.

Now in my case, "Shopping" means grocery shopping or going to a Target or WalMart. In all of these cases, these stores have shopping carts, so I just fold up the bike, put it into a shopping cart, and then start shopping.

I have never been stopped in any store when doing this, and though you significantly reduce the cart's capacity for groceries when there's a bike in there, there's still more than enough space to buy more than I can easily ride home with.

Needless to say, its hard to steal my bike when it's in my cart the whole time.

-Warr

I do commuting almost every day.. the routines route is from home to the office. The distance is only about 15km one way. I usually ride my ORi bikes eco.. 8 speeed.. but sometimes i switch to my downtube nova 30 speed.. i prefer to ride on my ORI to go commute daily, because it folded really simple and compact.. i dont have to lift the bike.. just fold and wheel it.. and i can park the bike under my table.. so simple..

Do you ever go up to the cashier and ask for a price check?

When I commuted a few years ago, I rode my MTB with 2.0 slicks and averaged around 17 MPH for 9 miles. The average speed on the same route on my Colnago with tubulars was close to 21 MPH. I don't think the weight difference(6lbs) was the contributing factor as much as the tires. I suspect the same is true with a folder. I recently picked up a Bike Friday NWT with 1.95 tires and expect it will perform about the same as my MTB. It as a Capreo 9spd configuraion with a 9 tooth to make up for the smaller wheels. I will likely add another chain ring or two to get a wider range.

If you want to ride a folding bike fast, get a fast folding bike.

No, but there are quick release removable pedals that are compatible with cleats/straps/strapless shoes.