Looking to buy my 1st folding bike
12-22-22, 01:00 PM
#27
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12" wheels. I am guessing you don't have a very long distance to ride to work. If you ride in the dark buy a super brite headlight to shine on the road.
12-22-22, 06:25 PM
#28
Ride more, eat less
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I've been commuting on folding bikes since 2013 in NYC.
My commute is about 8 miles one-way, in heavy car traffic, majority of time riding between car mirrors, filtering among bumper-to-bumper traffic.
I take my folding bike onto the subway train once in a while when I get caught in bad weather.
I started out with a Bike Friday Tikit. It was a great ride, folds nicely and even easy to walk with while folded.
I rode into a few car doors when drivers didn't look before opening their doors, the Tikit survived those,
but in 2015 I got T-boned by a car in the rain, the frame was bent and it would cost too much to get the frame repaired.
Then I figure if I'm just going to get hit by cars and worry about my bike getting stolen, why not just go cheap?
$350 Citizen Tokyo was my next folding bike for commute, 16" wheels makes a smaller target for cars to hit, less attractive to thieves.
It was still stolen from my locked basement when I was on vacation for a week.
Compact as it was, the handling does get a bit tricky when the roads are bumpy and speed gets higher than 17-18 mph.
It was great for how small it is, but not so great for riding.
Next I bought a $150 folding bike with disc brakes on eBay, free shipping to my door.
I have been riding it since 2019, and still used it today. It has never let me down in the last 3 years.
A handful of flat tires, some disc brake pads, I'm on my second set of tires.
It's been the least expensive, most reliable commuter.
I also have a few folding ebikes that I ride for errands when I need to carry volume of stuff on the bike.
They are different beasts when compared to acoustic folding bikes, not as agile in traffic.
My commute is about 8 miles one-way, in heavy car traffic, majority of time riding between car mirrors, filtering among bumper-to-bumper traffic.
I take my folding bike onto the subway train once in a while when I get caught in bad weather.
I started out with a Bike Friday Tikit. It was a great ride, folds nicely and even easy to walk with while folded.
I rode into a few car doors when drivers didn't look before opening their doors, the Tikit survived those,
but in 2015 I got T-boned by a car in the rain, the frame was bent and it would cost too much to get the frame repaired.
Then I figure if I'm just going to get hit by cars and worry about my bike getting stolen, why not just go cheap?
$350 Citizen Tokyo was my next folding bike for commute, 16" wheels makes a smaller target for cars to hit, less attractive to thieves.
It was still stolen from my locked basement when I was on vacation for a week.
Compact as it was, the handling does get a bit tricky when the roads are bumpy and speed gets higher than 17-18 mph.
It was great for how small it is, but not so great for riding.
Next I bought a $150 folding bike with disc brakes on eBay, free shipping to my door.
I have been riding it since 2019, and still used it today. It has never let me down in the last 3 years.
A handful of flat tires, some disc brake pads, I'm on my second set of tires.
It's been the least expensive, most reliable commuter.
I also have a few folding ebikes that I ride for errands when I need to carry volume of stuff on the bike.
They are different beasts when compared to acoustic folding bikes, not as agile in traffic.
12-27-22, 02:03 PM
#31
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Originally Posted by wesgreen
Acoustic - that's on the nose! I'm going to use that.
Originally Posted by Ron Damon
Analog.
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12-27-22, 04:08 PM
#32
Ride more, eat less
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Originally Posted by wesgreen
Acoustic - that's on the nose! I'm going to use that.
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12-29-22, 03:09 PM
#33
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Originally Posted by Nyah
I've got only one folding bicycle - a Dahon Speed converted to drop-bars and geared like a 'road bike'. It serves me well, but, I may consider getting something similar w/16" wheels - just for fun, really - now that I know 50mm road tires are available for 305-size rims. Bullhorn-bars would take up less space in a locker than drop-bars would.
So far the Fnhon 16" Gust w/V-brakes is at the top of my list. I can order the frameset through Parcelup .com, pay via Paypal and build it up using the same aftermarket components that fit Dahons and Fnhons.
I can afford any folding bicycle I want, but, chromoly, V-brake-ready side-folders are what I prefer. They're inexpensive, durable, reliable, very upgradeable and can roll-while-folded. The only thing more I could ask for would be a titanium frameset that has these same traits.
So that would be only two folding bicycles in my stable. The rest will be mini-velos (also with rim-brakes) to serve my bicycle interests that don't require folding.
So far the Fnhon 16" Gust w/V-brakes is at the top of my list. I can order the frameset through Parcelup .com, pay via Paypal and build it up using the same aftermarket components that fit Dahons and Fnhons.
I can afford any folding bicycle I want, but, chromoly, V-brake-ready side-folders are what I prefer. They're inexpensive, durable, reliable, very upgradeable and can roll-while-folded. The only thing more I could ask for would be a titanium frameset that has these same traits.
So that would be only two folding bicycles in my stable. The rest will be mini-velos (also with rim-brakes) to serve my bicycle interests that don't require folding.
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1973 Schwinn Super Sport
1986 Schwinn Peloton
1976 Raleigh Super Course Mk II(for wife)
1983 Gitane Super Corsa
1991 Trek 750 Multitrack
1973 Schwinn Super Sport
1986 Schwinn Peloton
1976 Raleigh Super Course Mk II(for wife)
1983 Gitane Super Corsa
1991 Trek 750 Multitrack
