Citizen!
 

For many years I've considered folding bikes for tossing into the car or to easily take on a train or whatever, but always balked at the prices.


Well, I've since jumped in. Facebook Marketplace first brought me a Citizen Tokyo in fine shape for $70. If I was to be picky, I'd swap the freewheel to a 7 speed one with an 11-28 range to speed it up. Plus, the original shifter has some damage but is functional, so a 7 speed swap would fix that. Otherwise it's nice for used and cheap.


Then this past Monday came around, and up pops a Miami for $60. I could tell from the photos that it had lived a rough life, fenders were dented up badly and there are some bad chips in the paint, but I figured I could do something with it. Long story short, I offered the seller $40 and brought it home.


The cable ends were all bent up, snipped those and put new ferrules on (I'm only 5'8" so losing a tiny bit of length won't hurt). The vbrake noodles were broken front and rear, replaced. The rear brake pads were toast, replaced from the used bin. Both tires were bad, one had a bad sidewall gash, the other just bald. Bald tire is still on the rear, gashed one replaced with one from the used pile. I did order a replacement for the bald one (keeping this project cheap). Fenders are now gone, kickstand was damaged too, swapped with one from my parts bin (I usually abhor kickstands but for a work/city bike I find them useful). Repacked both wheel bearings, headset was loose, should repack that but forgot, cranks feel fine. Added a bottle cage. Derailleur was poorly adjusted too.


I've ridden it a solid 20 miles since I got it already, quite a nice riding and functional bike for $65 total investment. And, being a little rough around the edges, it may be a little less of a target for thieves if I take it into the city. Only thing that has me worried is I'm over the weight limit by a good 30 pounds. I have other bikes so it won't get used a ton, hopefully I can get under the limit by year's end.


I haven't taken pictures, will have to get the two Citizens next to each other for a photoshoot haha. I definitely prefer riding the Miami, as the Tokyo is significantly slower, but it's cool to have two bikes that can be taken anywhere and would fit about anyone in the house. I know my 10 year old fits the Tokyo if I make it small. Wife doesn't like to ride, so I'll skip looking for a third...


... that is unless one of those old Fuji Marlboros comes up for cheap. Always thought they were fun.

Welcome to the Folding World! It can get cramped when someone folds us up without permission, sorta like the opposite of falling off the edge of Discworld.

I had been on the forum very scarcely since I joined about seven years ago, I had looked for some folding topics, didn't see, was only this year that I saw the Folding Bikes subgroup, and wow, I was off to the races! I've had a folder for about ten years now, it's my daily townie, heavily modified and racked and panniered. I don't fold it often, as it's now a much slower process, but when I NEED to, I can, like for a train trip, that was a breeze.

Enjoy!

I put an 11-32 on my 20" Dahon Boardwalk to have better top-end and lower gearing for hills. This necessitated a new/used derailler.

I also have a 16" Dahon Getaway V. I added a 12-28 for more speed and then a 60-tooth front chainring. The chain rubs the frame slightly in the lowest gear, so I think 28 is the limit...but I would like to go to an 11-28 to get just a little more top end, although the 12-28 with the 60 is fast enough for commuting with no significant overall time penalty.

(above) I retrofit my Dahon Speed for 50/34 front with added derailleur, replaced the (terrible) dahon compact rear derailleur with a medium (GS) cage one installed in "normal" location to handle the wider range, and with original 11-30 7-speed cassette it gives me 21-85 gear inches on 20x1.75 tires. I don't need any higher, might need a touch lower (I can do 34 low cog) if I heavy tour in serious mountains, but the 34-30 is enough for the hills here. Transformed the bike from a "folder" to a fully capable bike, that can handle full grocery-run pannier loads. It's my daily now.