Just want to know does anyone commute on a folder, if so, what do you have? Also, do you see a huge time difference between commuting on your folder compared to a conventional bike that doesn't include a road bike (They are always faster then every bike out there)?

A lot of people I know commute on folding bikes (I have done it in the past). As to the speed compared to a road bike, it depends a lot on the folding bike. Many folding bikes with smaller wheels are quite under geared compared to full sized road bikes (but that is very much configurable). And there are folding bikes with 26" wheels.

What distance (and type of riding) is your commute? What type of folding bike are you considering? ...

You may get more responses in the folding bike forum.

Cheers,
Charles

I do and enjoy riding it for my 14+ mile roundtrip ride. Hard to explain, but the ease at which you can ride mine as opposed to other bikes if appealing. It is fun in the city, and with the small wheelbase turns quick.

As far as speed I'd say it was comparable to a mid to higher priced hybrid.

I mostly ride my Salsa Vaya, but when I want versatility I take the folder. Hop on the bus, go to a restaurant, put the bike under the desk, or have my wife pick me up somewhere - the folder can't be beat.

out of my 3 bikes that I commute with (road bike, IGH hybrid, folding bike), my folding bike, a Dahon Speed P8, is the slowest, but I think that's primarily because it has the least aerodynamic posture. I also roll with marathon pluses on that bike and those are pretty sluggish tires.

I don't think folders have to necessarily be appreciably slower than other bikes, but that's how it works out in my case.

All other things being equal, I think riding a fullsize diamond frame bike is preferrable to a small wheel folder, but when multi-moding or needing maximum versatility, a small wheel folder can't be beat.

I commute mainly on two bikes: a road bike for daytime in sunny weather and a folder with fenders / lights / rack for nights and bad weather.

the folder is a Xootr Swift, which is really a fabulous bike that happens to fold. I frequently ride the 13 miles in and then fold it up for the train ride home.

I've ridden the folder on sunny/dry days for comparison, and it is maybe 55 minutes instead of 50 with the road bike. maybe even closer than that. so, basically the same.

I used a folding bike every day for years. Ride six or seven mile to the train station (Hamilton or Trenton NJ), take the NJTransit in to NYC, ride 2.5 miles to my office; in the evening reverse that, getting off at Hamilton. Total around 20 miles of biking, 100 miles on the train. There was no better way to do this commute; biking was faster and cheaper than car or any other option.

A few months ago my office moved, so I am now in easy walking distance from Penn Station, so I leave the folder in my office and ride a conventional bike to the station, and leave it there. The only advantage is that I don't have to take the bike on the train. I'd been doing it so long, I found I actually prefer riding the bike in NYC traffic than walking on the NYC sidewalks. NYC drivers are more courteous than NYC pedestrians!

My current folding bike is a Downtube 8H, to which I have made countless upgrades and downgrades (rigid fork, dynamo lighting, fenders, and so on). It is a really excellent bike. It is as fast as any other bike I own (same engine) but having only one hand position it is not ideal for really long rides. I mean to ride a century on it one of these days, but haven't.

I have heard that you can achieve the same gear-inches on a folder bike as you can on a regular bike by using different gear combinations, to account for the smaller wheels. Not sure how that ends up working in actual use.

Here is 1st hand info .. 26" wheel 39:16 [2.4375:1], and 53:16 [3.3125:1], 20" wheel,
feel similar 63.375, vs 66.25 .. tooth here or there

little wheel, rotating more often, does wear chain and cog, replaced, a bit sooner..

but I havent quantified, wear comes from use,the 20" wheel Bi Fri is getting most use, now..

Seems like braking surfaces would also go more quickly?

I'm considering a folder (likely a ss or 2 speed Brompton). I'd prefer a Swift, but I don't think it will work as well for the multi-modal thing. Waiting to see how things shake out job-wise.

my Dahon Speed P8 has 20" wheels and a 1x8 deraileur drivetrain. a 20x1.25 tire with a 53 tooth chainring and 11-28 cassette gives the following gear inches:

[TABLE]
[TR]
[TH]88.8[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]81.4[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]69.8[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]61.0[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]54.3[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]46.5[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]40.7[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]34.9[/TH]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


for comparison, my hybrid has an alfine 8 IGH. a 700x32 tire with a 45 tooth chainring and 20 T cog gives the following gear inches:

[TABLE]
[TR]
[TH]98.1[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]86.2[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]74.3[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]60.8[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]51.7[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]45.4[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]39.1[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]32.0
[/TH]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


and my road bike has a 2x10 derailleur drivetrain. a 700x23 tire with 53/39 chainrings and a 11-28 cassette gives the following gear inches:

[TABLE]
[TR]
[TD][TABLE]
[TR]
[TH]126.6[/TH]
[TH]93.2[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]116.1[/TH]
[TH]85.4[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]107.1[/TH]
[TH]78.8[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]99.5[/TH]
[TH]73.2[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]92.9[/TH]
[TH]68.3[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]81.9[/TH]
[TH]60.3[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]73.3[/TH]
[TH]53.9[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]66.3[/TH]
[TH]48.8[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]58.0[/TH]
[TH]42.7[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]49.7[/TH]
[TH]36.6[/TH]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]



so as you can see, my folder is a little under-geared at the top end compared to my other bikes, but that really only affects downhills (non-existent in chicago) and ripping tailwinds.

i've also found that the higher RPM of little wheels makes fenders more necessary if you ride in inclement weather. cruising along at 18mph, those little wheels will fling road crap EVERWHERE, much, much more than a full-size wheel at the same speed

[check pads for imbedded grit]

Kool Stop Salmon Compound on the Brompton ...

Disc Brakes on the Rohloff-Bike Friday, my go to daily rider..
my 2 examples above were, It, and My Koga WTR Trekking Bike..

I don't quite understand this unless:

* Your small wheels are wider than your big ones, or

* You are sitting lower.

All that being said, fenders are often a good thing...

no, the tires are roughly equivalent in width, and saddle height is roughly equivalent. the reason an unfendered small wheel bike is so much messier compared to an unfendered 700 wheel is because those little wheels have much higher RPMs for equivalent speeds, and thus impart a far greater centripetal velocity into the water and mud particles that the tires fling into the air.

trust me, the difference is noticeable.

I commute primarily on my Cross Check. However, I have two Bike Fridays (a Model T Tikit & a fixed gear Pocket Rocket). As far as speed, it depends on the folder. My Pocket Rocket is a road bike & very very fast. The Model T Tikit not so much. I have a 30 mile round trip commute & the time difference doesn't vary significantly between which bike I ride. It probably varies just as much depending on how tired I am rather than on which bike I'm riding.

I used my folding Bike Friday since it had space for a really big saddlebag and also had a rear rack even though I had no need for the folding feature while commuting. Gearing was about the same as on my road bike (60t ring and 11t cog on the Friday equals 52t ring and 13t cog on the Cannondale). Speed for commuting was also about the same but the Cannondale is lighter and therefore faster on hills.

A bike that fits you well and is mechanically sound will be a decent bike regardless of it's wheel size... my P20 measures out just like my other bicycles fit wise and has seen a great deal of commuting (300 miles a week in the summer) over the many years I have owned it. It was so comfortable and carries weight so well I decided to turn it into a touring bicycle.

I do not feel like I am giving up anything when I ride it.. it is quick and agile and comes off the line very quickly which is great for stop and go city riding. The beefy 406 wheels and 1.5 Marathons can handle the worst of roads due to smaller wheels being proportionally stronger.

Brake wear is higher on a smaller wheel due to the increased wheel speed and if you ride a higher performance model of folder or small wheeler you will appreciate better brakes as energy is a function of mass and the square of velocity... that smaller rim will be spinning much faster than a road wheel and has more energy to overcome.

A 20" tire has to spin roughly 35% faster for any given speed, than a 700c tire does for the same speed. That's a fairly significant difference.

I commuted with a folder for a while.
It was a blast !
No difference in time elapsed time to get to work--squirted like a little water flea through traffic.
The only caveat is, its sort of hard to stand up and pedal. But, no big deal.
I strapped a big, plastic kitty litter tub on the back for a waterproof trunk for Floridas hurricane season.
A folder is a great commuter. You are right around Bike Friday . . . Check 'em out !!

Difference? maybe to the tire, ever so slightly.. I am still moving over the ground at the same rate,
So, air resistance on my body moving though the atmosphere, remains the same..

It spins at a rotation speed 35% faster. The edge of the tire moves at the same rate as a 700c tire.

I don't see why brake pads would necessarily wear more quickly, unless 20" pads are shorter than 700c pads (which is probably true on average). I do see why rims would (as they are 35% shorter in circumference.

Cheers,
Charles

Significant in what respect?

The only significant differences I have noticed are that smaller tires wear out faster, my lights are brighter. In a smaller wheel, the dynamo hub puts out a higher voltage!

Oh, and rims do wear out a bit faster. I have seen that.

Steely Dan's point about road grime and fenders, I think, is correct. But since i would never commute on a bike without fenders, it is not significant.

This all makes sense. And it's true for a dynamo hub since that depends on RPM (which is higher for a smaller wheel). This would not be true for a bottle generator rubbing against the wheel.

Cheers,
Charles

right. i wasn't trying to say that small wheels are a deal-breaker or anything, i was just trying to inform anyone thinking of commuting with a small wheel folder that fenders are even more purposeful than they are on full-size bikes because the higher RPMs of small wheels fling crap EVERYWHERE. the solution is obvious and easy: add fenders.

the reason this was on my mind is because i recently removed the fenders from my Dahon because i put some 20x1.25 tires on it, and they looked kinda dumb with the super-wide fenders that were designed to accommodate the big apples that used to be on the bike. well, after one ride in the rain, i learned that small wheel folders without fenders are MESSY, much messier than a normal full-size bike without fenders. i'm currently in the market for some 20" wheel skinny tire fenders.

I ride a DaHon folder to commute on some days; in the past it was 100% (for a year and a half), but one morning the DaHon greeted me with a blow-out (ka-boom!) on the back tire as i was rolling it down the driveway to start my commute.

Not wanting to take the time to deal with it right then, I grabbed my road bike (700C wheels compared to 16" on my DaHon Curve) and wow, what a difference in riding comfort and to some extent speed. Now, I do ride the Metro train for 11 miles in the middle of my commute, but since there are "bicycle cars" now, I haven't found the full-sized bike to be as much of a pain as I'd anticipated.

Sometimes it's bit more of a squeeze getting in or out of the train, but usually, no problem. So now I am on the fence; still like my DaHon, though with all the stop signs and traffic signals on my route, it is only about 1 mph slower than my road bike.

Plus, getting to the train platform means walking down lots of steps, which is easier with the road bike. Similarly, carrying the bike up the escolator on the other end of my Metro ride is easier with the road bike.

All that said, while I am still on the fence on this issue, I am leaning more to the road bike side. Time will tell.

Rick / OCRR