CenturionIM

Just wondering if someone has done long commutes(i.e. 20mi+) on a folder. really interested in getting one and play around with it.

Also a bike friday new world tourist popped up on my local CL: https://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/bik/3754110037.html

Is it a good deal at $735? Not sure about the frame material/weight, but the component seems decent enough to me.

This is my first experience with buying a folder, so please advise me on what to look for, what to avoid, what parts of the bike to pay attention to, etc etc.

Cfiber

Funny you should mention folders. Just a few minutes ago, I was riding my Marin Muirwods 29er, downtown. I noticed that I passed a parked folder just as I turned the corner. The folder's rider, had stopped and was talking with someone (possibly giving directions). I wasn't at the next block before I looked over my left shoulder, and realized that this folder cyclist, a small female, was soon about to pass me. I slowed down, so as not to expose her to passing traffic, that was also on my left. She passed almost without effort. I then began to speed up in order to catch her. I seriously wanted to get a good look at her drivetrain. It was hopeless! This little lady was flying on that darned Dahon!

I hear that Bike Fridays are top notch!

prathmann

My commute was only about 6 miles each way, but I am also choosing to use my Bike Friday 'Pocket Rocket' (very similar to the NWT) for a 70 miles/day camping tour to Yosemite starting Sunday as an indication that I have no issues using it for longer rides (and it's been on many century+ rides). Mine and the NWT both have chromoly steel frames and use pretty standard components. Mine uses a regular Shimano 105 double crank with larger rings (60/42) to compensate for the smaller wheels, but many are equipped with the Dual-drive rear hub using a 3-speed internal gear plus a regular cassette and a single front ring. The NWT on CL has a more normal double chainring and gives proper gearing by using the Capreo cassette that has a 9-tooth smallest cog - works well but limits you to that cassette.

Note that the NWT is primarily designed as a travel bike rather than a multi-mode commuter. I.e. emphasis is on still being good for riding on longer trips but at some sacrifice in ease, compactness, and time to fold it. So don't expect it to fold as easily and compactly as a Brompton (or Bike Friday Tikit), but it should be well suited for your longer ride. And many transit systems just have a requirement that the bike be a 'folder' without specifying a compact folded size.

Note that the NWT (and Pocket Rocket) are customized somewhat to the original buyer - you send them measurements from your current bike that's been properly fit adjusted and they build the frame so you'll be in the same position on the Bike Friday. So if you buy used you may want to check that your body size and proportions are similar to those of the original owner.

-=(8)=-

I commuted 10 miles/one way on a cheapo that I bought from Yan, a contributor to BF and a importer of DowntubeFolders.
It was great! Infinitely adjustable and with a big plastic cat litter tub strapped to the back as a waterproof trunk, very utilitarian.
IT would squirt through traffic like a little water flea. The only issue I had was that it was hard to stand and pedal, but I just
geared down instead of mashing on that bike.
I put Schwalbe Big Apples on mine and the usual mirror and stuff and racked up lots of miles until the cheapo derailleur finally
just wouldnt work any more. I will fix it eventually . . .

monsterpile

Most fo my commuting the past couple years has been on a minivelo. Its fantastic. I am not an expert on the Bike Fridays but hat seems like a pretty reasonable bike. You could ask over on the folding bike forum they will give you plenty of good info.

Leisesturm

I commuted for years in NYC on a Giant Halfway. I intended to buy a Dahon Speed 8 but they were out of them. I had never seen a 1/2way before and it was love at first sight. There was a revolving door on my building that required a folding bike. Co-workers that left their bikes downstairs eventually lost them or they had to make them so ugly that even they didn't want to ride them. I brought my folder with me to Oregon and I soon discovered it had serious shortcomings as a long haul commuter. Like an earlier poster said, the ergo's are all wrong for out of the saddle sprinting. The seven speed single chainweel gets to be limiting. Giant has discontinued the Halfway and now has the Expressway 1 and 2. It is indistinguishable from a medium high end Dahon. Origin 8 makes a nice folder but the Dahon's or the new Giant's are lighter and better spec'd. These bikes are in the $500+ range. IMHO no one needs more folder than that. If the $1200 Bike Friday's had a road triple or even a compact double and weighed 14 lbs I might understand the appeal. As it stands, I would say, even if you can afford a BF, buy the Dahon or the Giant and use the change to buy a full size commuter. Sometimes only a folder will do, sometimes you want the easy roll of 700C wheels. N+1. N+1.

H

fietsbob

people crass continents on Their Bike Fridays..

xlDooM

I used to commute on my dahon mu sl folder (9 and a bit miles one way). It didn't feel slow at all, and I got a real kick out of beating people in proper biking gear on proper bikes, while in my jeans with a backpack on a tiny little bike

In the end I bought a 29er and put big apple tires on it though, because the folder was not comfortable over rough bikepaths. My commute is largely on slabs of concrete with tar expansion joints poking out between them, and the constant slamming tired me out. On the 29er it is much more comfortable, and I am 1-2mph faster as a result. However, this speed difference is almost entirely due to comfort I'm sure, if my commute were on billiard smooth roads it'd be not much different since my mtb is hardly "aero" .

MichaelW

My everyday bike is a Dahon Cadenza 8. It folds but I wouldn't like to fold it everyday and its a bit too big to take on crowded trains as a folder.
It rides like a 26" urban utility bike, comfortable, efficient, agile and easy to ride.
I used to commute 2x6 miles for a couple of years and I fit studded tyres for snowy winter conditions.

cooker

I got a Bike Friday NWT, partly thinking I would commute on it, and I never have. There are a few reasons. The normal bike is already sitting there ready to go - no unfolding required. I paid $250 for it used, so it would be much less of a loss if stolen, compare to $2000 for the BF. In summer I arrive at work on the verge of sweating excessively, and I stand outside by the racks and cool off for a couple of minutes. If I had to fold the BF and carry it up to my office, that would be just enough extra effort to make me drip (a rollable Tikit would help here). Some of the downtown streets near the office are badly rutted and potholed, and larger wheels give a smoother ride.
If the folder was my only bike, I might commute on it, but since I have the handier alternative right by my door, I don't.

phillybill

I have been doing this for a few years (Since 2007).... here is the list of the bikes that did not make the cut.
- Montague Paratrooper - 1 year - Great bike... not train friendly
- Bike Friday pocket rocket - 6 months, to clumsy in the fold , but nice to ride
- Dahon 7 speed - 2 months ,heavy, terrible up hills, did not like the gearing, not sporty enough
- Dahon speed 8 - 5 months, not as heavy, nice ride for steel... bit clumsy for the train
- Giant Expressway 2 - 6 months, Very sporty with a trekking bar, fold as good as a Dahon... nothing special
- Citizen Miami - 1 month, heavy... did not fit right.... rides like the Dahon 7.... eh
- Dahon Silvertip - Nice ride... eh fold for the train.... might as wekk get a big folder
- Mezzo 10 - 5 months, lighter, nice fold, sporty ride for a small bike, did not like the riding position
- Brompton S6 - 1 year, I know... WOW.... great fold, train friendly, ride ok, luggage ok, my big ass feet hit the rear roller wheels to much, caused knee issues
- Swift - 4 months ... liked the ride, hated the fold, did not like the rack system, got in a bad crash.
- Bike Friday Tikit -2 months... did not like the ride, the fit was eh... the stem was to wiggly for my weight.
- Dahon Espresso - Present bike.... got nothing but good to say about it... a full size folder that is a bit bigger fold than the Dahon speed 8

Some of these I had at the same time. I feel like a serial folding bike killer.

The espresso.... nice bike... nice ride.... goes on the train ok... subway fine... back of the acura great......

Standalone 

Like Phillybill above, I wound up with a Dahon Espresso.

I had a 16" Dahon, but traded it in after a season or so-- too small for my 6'4" frame. The Espresso is still small, but with 2.1" tires on it and the seatpost all the way up, it is reasonable. I do the 17 mile ride home sometimes, skipping the train. Otherwise it's a 2x5 mile commute with a train ride.

edit: photo added. at some point I will replace the cheap drive train, but this one is good enough for commuting. The stem is a replacement, and I have switched out the seat post and saddle. Fenders are aftermarket.

Steely Dan

i'm a little confused, how is the speed p8 "clumsy for the train" while the espresso "goes on the train ok"? the espresso has 26" wheels and the speed p8 has 20" wheels. it seems to me that the bigger wheels of the espresso would be more clumsy on a train than a 20" wheeled speed p8.

Standalone 

Dropping the handlebars down on those dahons can be clunky. The Espresso carries well on the shoulder or walks one handed through the station and then *bam* fold it in one swoop right as I'm walking into the vestibule of the train car.

It is bigger, but more convenient, at least in a certain way.

Boudicca

Folding forum is a great resources for folding bikes (well duh).

But basically, there are two sorts, the folding bike, which includes the Tikit, most of the Dahons and Bromptons, where you can fold it up real small and take it with you on the train or into the office.

And then there are the packable bikes, like the NWT and the Pocket Rocket (which I have), which fit into a suitcase so you can take them on vacation. Hell, you can even use the suitcase as a trailer if you want. They do fold, but it's an ungainly, clunky fold that would be awkward in a train.

I admit I can't see the advantage of commuting on a packable bike, although I love riding it.

ClemY

My “folding” bike isn’t really a folding bike: it comes apart. It was originally based on the Raleigh 20. It has 20” 406 wheels with 20x1.5” tires. It is stiff as a brick because I built it using a lot of scrap tubing I had left over from building a tandem and triple to ride with the kids. It is also a bit heavy. Originally I built it as a 10 spd, but over the years it has been rebuilt a few times and now it has 3x8 setup with 28-42-54 rings and 12-32 cluster and cantilever brakes. I have ridden it to work in the past when I was bicycle commuting. I had to ride bike paths and other rough roads. The 20x1.5” tires did a pretty good job of absorbing the nasty road surfaces. My mode of commuting with it was to take it apart enough to get it in my old Karman Ghia and drive past the worst of the city traffic and park and ride through the park about 10 or 12 mi. to work. I also had a couple of other bikes to choose from, so I didn’t get too board with it.

phillybill

Typical Dahon fold..... they are about the same size folded +- a inch here or there. But I don't take the train much anymore. The train anymore.... the new cars they have do not let you sit with your bike.. you have to stand with it. I only have 5 miles to the subway... so I would rather ride there or do a park and ride commute.

Steely Dan

but that's not really true. the folded size difference between the two bikes is more than an inch here or there.

Dahon Speed P8 folded dimensions/weight - 11.8" x 30.3" x 25.2" / 26.2 lbs

Dahon Espresso D21 folded dimensions/weight - 13.3" × 36.7" × 30.8" / 31.1 lbs

source: https://dahonbikes.com/mainnav/home.html

i guess i just fail to see how a bulkier, heavier folding bike is less clumsy on transit than a smaller, lighter folding bike.

Standalone 

Those dimensions assume the removal of the handlebars of the Espresso, if you look at the photos. Re-read my post. The 16 & 20 inch dahons require you to undo the handlebars, twist them down, unclamp the long steering "post" and drop it down to the side of the bike, then bend down and swing the whole thing together.



The larger bike simply swings in half. Since no one worries about me _walking_ the open bike through the station, the larger bike is in fact far more convenient. I don't even have to carry it. Just swing it closed like this and step into the train:



If I were carrying it onto a bus or putting it in a taxi trunk, the smaller dahon makes more sense. Using the front rack of a bus or train commuting on the Metro North? Take the larger full size bike, and take the long way home for a training ride instead of a TRAIN-ing ride .

phillybill

eh..... like I said.... and inch or more .... Truly I have tried them all.... or almost all. The brompton by far was the best for the train.
What I really need is an IF Mod , now there is a folding bike to fall in love with.
https://www.nycewheels.com/if-mode-folding-bike.html
I was up in NYC and rode it back in Jan when we had a warm streak..... oh... suck a nice bike. If I only had one.... this would be it.
Thought this was a strong contender https://www.nycewheels.com/tern-foldi...clipse-p9.html
to the espresso.... but I only paid 255.00 for a mint espresso... I like a bargain just like anyone else

Steely Dan

i guess we just have a different understanding of what "+- an inch here or there" means.

it's not a big deal, your initial statement just caused me confusion. we probably aren't going to understand each other.

carry on and ride whatever works for you!