My very first post! Hopefully someone can help me here.

I try to bike to anything within 10 miles--work, church, doctor, library, etc--if I'm not under time compulsion. I'm about to buy my first folder, and what concerns me most is speed. I've been riding a clunky 3-speed that I can cruise about 12 mph on level, but that's too slow. I test-rode a Novara Flyby 7-speed and a Tern Link D8 at REI, but they didn't feel any faster. I can start in top gear on both of them. Is there an affordable folder out there that will allow me to cruise at 16-18 mph? BTW I'm 63, 5;9" and weight 225 lbs. It's pretty level here, so I don't need a lot of low gears.

How do I find an affordable fast folder?

How fast can I find an affordable folder? - very fast.
How fast can I find an affordable fast folder? - very slow.
How affordable can I find a fast folder? - not very.
How do I make an affordable folder fast? - pedal harder, become fitter.
How affordable are fast folders? - what's your budget?
How fast are affordable folders? - how steep is the downhill?





Sorry. It's Friday afternoon here.


[edit] Xootr Swift. Quite affordable, quite fast.

Second the Xootr Swift. Great budget mid-range bike.

I think you should be upping your cadence? Spin more. I can cruise at 16-18 mph without using the outer gear at all. Unless the bike is absolute junk I don't think it would stop you from achieving your target cruising speed.

To go faster, I think you should use a lower gear, spin more, and don't start at top gear.

Edit: I should I clarify that I ride a regular bike, not a folding one although I am looking to get a folder in the future. But I still stand by my advice of increasing cadence, even if it means using a lower gear. I don't see how using a 3-speed would limit you to 12 mph, unless your bike has seriously low gearing.

You can use a gear calculator (such as Sheldon Brown's) to give you an idea of how fast a bike is designed to go under optimal conditions, but then it will up to you to reach those limits- a feat I never did achieve

I plugged the specs of the Xootr Swift (had to use a Shimano 11-32 cassette instead of the SRAM, but the cog range matches) and with an RPM of 80 on the 52x11, you'd be moving at 20.7 mph. Same combo @60 RPM translates into 15.6 mph.

Oh, just remembered that I chose 20.1.25 tires in the gear calculator since it lacked the 20x1.5's of the Swift specs and figured better to go down in size for an estimate instead of up one size that may not fit due to clearances.

Thanks for the quick responses, but for the most part you are speaking a foreign language. I really am a newbie, I'm afraid! Is there a quick explanation of how I do all that gear figuring? And maybe a glossary? (SRAM? I thought that was on a computer! What does 52x11 refer to?)
Budget is important to know and easy to deliver: I can afford up to about $800 right now.

Why do you need a folder?
For use on transit, car travel, small apartment storage?
You can get takedown bikes which are stronger and stiffer, but sacrifice instant foldability. They are mostly used for travel to a cycling destination where you race or tour.

yes absolutely right ....
I see people riding bikes ... sitting way too low ..and than meshing the gears with a relaxed 30 cadence ....
going nowhere fast and blowing up their knees

You want Fast? There's Terminal Velocity , like when thrown off a cliff , or out of an exploding in Mid Air, Airplane.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminal_velocity

Are you already able to ride fast on Any Bike? If not Consider one with an Electric Motor.

Well there goes his $800 budget.

The "engine" is far more important than the bike.

In a nutshell, go to a good shop and find a bike that fits well. That will roughly be the fastest bike for you. The best upgrade will be a decent set of tires.

The Origami Crane 8 has a 52 tooth crank wheel and Shimano 11 to 34 tooth cassette. With the Kenda 20 x 1.75 tires, and a cadence of about 70 rpm, you will be right in your target range for speed. But, ultimately, your speed depends upon the energy you are willing to expend and your endurance. The fact that a bike folds, or the size of the tires, do not determine speed; the wheel size is only one part of the equation.

My Dahon S18 has a speedo on it. In high gear on a flat surface I can get up to 20mph if I trust the speedo

I've taken my Origami Crane 40 MPH.

Of course, that was going down a BIG HILL.

My Citizen Tokyo probably can't go faster than 15 mph, at least not until I replace the 14t with 11t and the 45 psi tires with 100 psi.

Yesterday I went about 20+mph, on flats, under my own power with my Tern Joe P24. I'm a little out of shape,...

I travel a lot--all over the Midwest for my job--and my car has a spoiler which, according to my bike shop, precludes a bike rack. I think I would prefer to have the bike inside the car anyway, and space is an issue. I travel with my wife, and we may be on the road for a month at a time. Instant foldability is not important, but small size is.

I think the issue may be gear ratio. My friends with road bikes have expressed admiration for how I do on the bike I have (an aging 3-speed), and if "spin" refers to how fast I pedal, I pedal a lot more than they do to cover the same ground. My old bike isn't bad as far as it goes, it just isn't very portable and it needs overdrive.

Thanks for the tips on specific bikes. I'll look them up. You all have been very helpful!

Back again. Just checked out the few you mentioned. The Tokyo is probably too slow, the Dahon too expensive. The Crane is well within my budget, and I am pretty sure I can maintain 70 rpm or better, so "right in [my] target range for speed" sounds very good. Pinigis, this is your company, isn't it? So getting it right from the source is good. At the risk of offending a forum colleague, has anyone had any negatives on the Crane I should be aware of?

I just noticed on the picture of the Crane: no chain guard. How endangered are my britches if I lack a chain guard (I will be riding to work)?

Plastic chain ring protectors are available.
I have upgraded a number of small wheeled folders to rival road race bikes. If you look at some of my threads. Even 16 inch folders can really shift set up correctly.
Agree with comment that tyre is the best speed upgrade. Most cheap folders benfiet from jojack slick high pressures fitting. I then change the bars to lower profile bars and most sit up and beg folders have been transformed.
Folding bikes can go fast with small upgrades in my experience. By the way I used to bike to the station from home and many days me, on a mezzo, and a Moulton rider were speeding pass pretty much all the cyclists and keeping up with the cars. No further prof in my mind required that small wheels can motor.

On my Dahon Mu p8 I can hit 27mph in 8th gear with 53tooth chainring and 11-32 cassette at 70 rpms on the flats, also climb 15-20% hills in 53-32.

You'd have to spin over 100rpm to hit 27mph with that gearing .. 70rpm will get you something a little over 18 mph ..

Most people have told all, the speed realy depends on gearing your are on.
So, sheldons brown calculator is an amazing tool to explre the possibilities on gearing.
I have two dahon folders and they bolth have all around setup 52-42-30 and 11-32 with nine speed.
Fine speed and also decent gears to climb any monstrous hill.