I just got the August issue of Consumer Reports in the mail today. They rated 5 models of folding bikes: Brompton C-type, Bike Friday Pocket Tourist, Dahon Speed D7, Trek F400 and Giant Halfway. The Dahon was rated a Best Buy and was tied for second place with the Bike Friday while the Brompton was just slightly ahead in first place. It is always dicey trying to give a numerical score to anything (especially a bike) but the good thing is that the article provides some excellent publicity to folding bikes and will introduce them to a lot of savvy consumers, who have never seen or heard of them before.

....the article provides some excellent publicity to folding bikes and will introduce them to a lot of savvy consumers, who have never seen or heard of them before. -rdh

It will introduce them to the folders, but will they actually go out and support the bike shops by buying one, thus encouraging more folders out on the showfloors? Not at this time except for a few visionary pioneers.

How well did the Trek do?

I know people that swear by their ratings but typical of just about everything that is rated by Consumer Reports, from computers to cars, they are generally clueless. They should stick to testing toasters and washing machines.

Their cluelessness doesn't bother me. What's the difference between what they've done versus what every person writing articles about folding bikes has done? Some sort of truth mixed in with a good dose of withholding of truth, fiction, inexperience, economic gain, personal and political agenda, and abitrariness exhibit the norm to me.

Wait. Maybe I am bothered.

IMO, it's hard to write a comparative article about road bikes, or MTBs, but it is impossible to write one about folders ... these comparos of folders are essentially comparos of folding road bikes, folding mountain bikes, folding city/commuter bikes, etc. No sound editor would let such an unsoundly based article be published ... BUT, since the topic is folders, the unsound prevails. *** grano salo, mei amici

the porn filter put asterisks for the Latin word for "with". The phrase means, "take it with a grain of salt, my friends"

Hm. Rhymes with "doom" but starts with a "c"?

Serves you right for being so educated.

I have respect for Consumer Reports. I feel they do a great job at being objective. But they are naive in feeling they can be experts on everything.

We're more expert than CR on folders, and could we agreement of the 5 best folders?

Could A to B? Probably. B, B, B, B, B.

Great thread - sound thinking.

I Particularly liked...... maunakea: " IMO, it's hard to write a comparative article about road bikes, or MTBs, but it is impossible to write one about folders ... these comparos of folders are essentially comparos of folding road bikes, folding mountain bikes, folding city/commuter bikes, etc. No sound editor would let such an unsoundly based article be published ... BUT, since the topic is folders, the unsound prevails" Good comments !
These thoughts neatly cut through the subjective chat often presented as universal fact seen on this forum.

But please can someone tell us the results in more detail.

See the attached pdf file for the CR summary of the 5 folders.

The Dahon was labeled a best buy. The biggest negative associated with it was its heavy weight.

This is from the August 2006 Consumer Reports. It has a picture of the Brompton unfolded and one of someone folding the Brompton and putting it into a car.

I have to agree with rdh, the OP. Folders are getting some publicity in the mainstream press, and that's good.

I don't mind using mixed modes of transportation to get to work. Perhaps this article will prompt other like-minded people (who maybe aren't cyclists) to take a look at folders.

The downside to the article...a small sampling of bikes, and those bikes have widely differing capabilities. Kind of like comparing sports cars and compact cars in one article. It would have been nice to have photos of all the bikes that were rated.

I'll give CR the benefit of the doubt on this one, thought. The number of people interested in folders isn't going to merit the space they would devote to say, digital cameras. People buy CR for the articles on cars and cameras. I doubt anyone bought CR for the article on the folding bikes.

Consider this article a teaser, and it isn't that hard to swallow.

Now, my Dahon Speed D7 got rated as a Best Buy, which didn't surprise me because I'm cheap and do my homework before I purchase anything as important as a new bike! It was also gently knocked for being the heaviest of a small sampling of folders. But I'm primarily a commuter. Add the weight of my rack and packs, and 5# doesn't make that big of a difference.

To all of you in the USA, happy 4th of July! To all of the rest of you, happy July 4th!

Consumer Reports actually uses statisticians to design (contolled) experiments on products they review. This is why they seem objective; they are objective. I haven't read the folding bike article, so I can't determine if they designed an experiment to test them or not. I know this of CR because I at one time considered a job with them; didn't want to live near NYC, so, I passed. It would have been a fabulous job, though!

While I'm usually impressed with CR's rating methodologies, the folder article compares 7- and 8-speed Bike Friday, Dahon, Trek, and Giant models against a 3-speed Brompton C3E, then dings the Brompton for poor climbing.

DOH!

Sadly there is the old idom; "lies, damned lies and statisctics..."

Not all things are easily understood by quantitative analysis. Often items when tested may have similar stats but very remarkably in their “feel”. It is sometimes this kinesthetic involvement that drives people to buy an item that statically appears to be “inferior” but that they somehow connect with on a kinesthetic or emotional level. I don’t even want to get involved with how status or perceived status can influence purchasing decisions.

I’ve ridden almost every one of the bikes they tested and it amazes me they missed some of the things they did. How did they miss the incredibly flexy seatpost on the Giant? Oh wait, maybe that is where they got their “good” shock absorbing rating from. The D7 is VG? What are they smoking? As much as I am not a Brompton lover the rear suspension on the C3 actually works better than what anyone else has in that group.

Like many of you I am glad to see some coverage of folders. They should have came here and asked us for suggestions for a comparo…

Here are my five (for commuting):

Swift w/8spd Nexus reb band hub
Brompton M6 series
Downtube FS or new internal hub model
Dahon Mu XL
TBD…maybe a BF or Birdy.