I would recommend you check out most local craigslist bikes. I doubt you will be satisfied with any of the four bikes, it would be best to try before you buy.

Thanks,
Yan

Why, what do you expect to be wrong with them?

By the way, only one (the Citizen) is local. The others are local to the area I happen to be vacationing in next week.

From your specific requirements I believe you will only be happy with a quality bike. The bikes you are looking at are considered low end ( or old ). Hence I don't think that you will be satisfied.

I don't expect anything to be wrong with any of the bikes.

Thanks
Yan

Low-end is fine; I just didn't want it to be a Wal-Mart "bicyle-shaped object." For example, my daily commuter is a circa-1990 Specialized Hard Rock (i.e. the cheapest bike they sold 25 years ago) and I'm perfectly happy with that.

1990's hard rocks, as I recall, had sweet cro-mo frames. IMO they ride a lot nicer than many of the aluminum bikes on the market now. The components may have been entry level, but the frame and geometry made for a very nice ride. My bike friday replaced a 1990's era Trek 720 touring bike I had. And if i don't look down at the 20" wheels, I feel like I'm still riding the Trek. I think you need to go test ride some folders; you will find some things you absolutely don't like and maybe some you do, but in your situation I would not buy something I hadn't a chance to ride and compare first.

I think your Hard Rock is nicer than the bikes you are considering. Let me know if I am incorrect.

Thanks,
Yan

Yan is right, also I took a look at the citizen tokyo and that tiny monster weighs 30lbs!? that's heavier than my fully loaded 20" daily commuter with full heavy rack (Tern link @ 29.4lbs). With rack the tokyo is 32lbs!

I have a feeling this is even heavier than your Hard Rock! I bet your hard rock is either the same weight or lighter!

Also a note on airline carry on's that seems to be lax only for local airlines but if you even try to take a bike on a international flight the carry on limit is actually 7KG for the entire luggage and they do weigh it. So I doubt anyone would be bringing a bike on board not matter what bike you have even the abike would be too heavy by the time you put it into a carry on luggage with NOTHING else in there.

these are the asian airlines i've been taking (cathay, eva) but even for my national carrier (air canada) their limit is 10kg max which is not that high at all for any bike. the smallest fold brompton can probably make it to the 10kg max with lots of $$$$ but then you won't make the measurements on that flight cause of the small size limits.

Okay, let me clarify further: as long as the damn thing isn't improperly welded such that it'll snap in half when I try to ride it (or otherwise obviously sub-standard/defective/unsafe), then it's good enough as far as quality goes. We're talking about something that I'm only planning to use when I travel (which isn't all that often), so it's really not worth paying a lot for. If this thing were going to be my only bike I'd get a Brompton and be done with it, but that's not the situation here.

FYI, my Hard Rock has a rack and basket on it and, loaded, probably weighs at least 40 lbs. Although it'd be nice if the bike weren't made out of cast iron, I'm not willing to pay extra for it (unless it weighs so much that the airlines would charge extra).

My revised requirements are:

1. Functions as a bike, at least marginally
2. Can be taken on a plane (somehow) without excessive disassembly or baggage charges
3. Not expensive

Will any of the bikes I listed fit those requirements? It looks like the Citizen may not; according to Citizen's website the folded dimensions (for a new one, which I assume is the same) add up to 67.5 inches. I haven't been able to find the folded dimensions of a Dahon Classic III yet.

The other sort of advice I'm looking for here is stuff like "the Dahon is better than the other choices because it has an IGH, and you don't want a derailleur on a folding bike" -- or maybe the opposite, I don't know. Or "bike X that you listed is noticeably better than bike Y that you listed," or "the cheapest bike that fits your requirements would be model Z -- look around for that one." (tcs said something kind of like that last statement, by recommending the Dahon Classic III, but the rest of you are apparently worried it isn't good enough. If the rest of you concur with him, tell me so and I'll just buy that one and call it good).

I'm in Atlanta, and I test-rode a Brompton at a bike shop in Decatur on Saturday just to see what it was like (verdict: twitchy steering, but I could get used to it). The store also had Giant Expressway folding bikes, but I didn't test ride those because I knew 20" wasn't going to work for my needs (and I didn't want to impose unnecessarily on the salesman).

I'm 5'10" so I shouldn't have too much trouble fitting on most folding bikes, I think.

I'm perfectly happy to get a used bike (in fact, I prefer it because I know I can get a better deal that way and am not scared of doing my own maintenance). I know I can get an IGH Dahon for $150 off Craigslist (unless somebody else buys it first); I just don't know if that's what I want or if a derailleur bike would have a better gear range or something. I do not want a single-speed because the places I travel to (and Atlanta, if I ride it here) have too many hills for that.

20" wheels and folded size summing to 70" imply it's too big, plus I'd rather buy a used bike for $100-$200 than a new one for almost $400.

Derailleurs are lighter than IGH. When you pack them, you need to protect them from bending. Bromptons ride very differently from Dahons, etc. Find a Dahon dealer or used one to test ride. If you only spend $100-200 then if you decide you don't like it, you can try to resell it or donate it or something. Not sure it is worth agonizing over at that price.

Make sure you deduct the weight of all the parts you wont need , when you remove them , and then put in an IGH hub wheel instead.

A Dahon Classic III is a 30 year old bike.. it put Dahon on the map, and would suffice for occasional use if it was in good shape, people did actually ride them and there is somewhat of a cult following for some of models (stainless) .. the S/A rear hubs of the era were pretty much bulletproof, so should be fine.. I ride a Sachs 3 speed Moulton as a daily bike in hilly Marin County and it's enough gearing (177%) for the hills if you are not locked into constant cadences .. the Classic III had a 40g/i low and 71g/i high.. so that would get you up most hills.. they come up all the time for the $100 to $200 range, so, as others have said, go look at the $150 bike and if it is in good shape, buy it and ride it.. if you hate it, sell it..

These were the bikes that turned upstart Dahon into the world's largest folding bike manufacturer.

Don't know about your locale, but $150 would be a skosh pricy in my neck of the woods (unless it's the stainless model). These bikes are by far the most common folder on my local craigslist. I'd look for a creampuff that was ridden a few times and folded away for the last quarter century.

The brake pads might be hard; the tires & tubes might be dry rotted. The chain and Sturmey gear hub will need oil. Additionally I swapped aluminum rims onto mine, an inexpensive upgrade that was worthwhile.

I visited my brother in Cali a few years ago. His family has 3 Tokyos(he's got a wife and 3 kids).
I rode one for a while and I thought they were ok. Back in NYC; I wanted a compact and nice
riding folder. Got a 2012 Brompton S6L and liked it so much; I sold it after a month. I replaced
it with a 2013 Brompton S6L-X(lighter model with lowered gearing). A year after that; I had a
trip to Aruba booked. I usually travel with my Brompton in a cardboard box; Jetblue Air said no
boxes on international flights. I purchased a used Tokyo on Craigslist. With a bit of disassembly;
I was able to squeeze it inside my luggage. Never really used it after that trip. Was hoping the
wife would use it to go on rides with me, but she doesn't really like cycling. So when it was time
to move; I sold it for about the same price I paid for it.

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2826/...fd56e235a6.jpg2013 Citizen Tokyo in a suitcase by 1nterceptor, on Flickr
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR2T...6zPoymgKaIoDLA

Here's my video of another bike(Tobukaeru w/ 20 inch wheels) getting disassembled to fit in the same suitcase as above:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUQN...6zPoymgKaIoDLA

What were the dimensions of the case?

I don't have the suitcase anymore; but I believe it met the 62" limit for check in.
I think it's been discontinued by Samsonite; the model was Winfield 28" Spinner.
Something like this:

Samsonite Winfield 2 Fashion 24" Spinner

So here's what I ended up with: TWO Dahon Classic IIIs (of different model years, and apparently slightly different designs) for $175 total. This was from the guy who originally wanted $150 for one. He was willing to sell me the second one cheap as a package deal because an overweight person rode it and bent the top seatpost a little -- not enough to make it dangerous to ride, but enough to make it not telescope. I figure I can still remove it to pack it down small, and buy a replacement seatpost eventually.)

Did I do well?

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=490610

You did well if you are happy....sounds like your happy. Good job!

Thanks,
Yan

You did quite well. I can't even get a rusty Dahon III for that price around here without haggling for a while.

Small folded bike that cheap,not worried about quality.
This sounds like a Brickerton to me. Also nice and light.
Otherwise I believe a mezzo with minimal disamblembly(one or two allen key bolts)to the stem would fit a suitable size suitcase and can be bought cheaply in UK. But not usa.

The op already purchased what turned out to be a fantastic deal: TWO Dahon Classic IIIs.

Interesting the post showing the purchase was not showing when I posted my brickerton suggestion. Must have been lost in server.....

However, I preffer the Dahon classic to a Brikerton but Brickertons much lighter and smaller folded. Sounds like you did well.

Bickerton period literature: 30x20x10
Dahon period literature: 27x17x9.5

Sheldon Brown in 1984: "When folded, the Hon is the most compact folding bike ever to see mass production."

Re bickerton bigger fold.
I find that hard to believe. Its a tad difficult to measure folding bikes. Accurately and there is room for interpretation. Ie which vector do you use. Any comparative photos?