Hi,

I need some help in choosing my first folding bike...

Am stuck between a Giant Halfway 7, a dahon vitesse D7 HG or Dahon Speed p8....

Anyone know which is the best buy (all about £400)???

I'm afta a strong bike thats good for hills and speed... main use will be for commuting with a couple miles each end, but will need to go long distance too (hour or 2 in saddle).

thanks guys....

I really like the Dahon Speed P8. I think it rides/feels nice and you have more speeds, good for going up hills. Ay! I don't like the aluminum frame, single sided fork, and rear arm of the Giant. Just not as strong of a design as the Dahon. Did you know the Dahon is 4130 chromoly frame? It will be stronger and ride better than aluminum for the long hall.

Are you eligible for the tax relief on the Cycle to Work Scheme with your employer? If so you might be better off opting for the super light Dahon MU SL which would fulfil all your purposes. It would possibly come out at around £400 with tax relief.

thanks for advice.....i was initially drawn towards the Dahon Speed P8 purely on looks so may well stick to my initial instincts.

My employer is in the cycle scheme but im budgeting low for my first folder.

If you want to set a low budget then go real aggressive. You cannot beat the Downtube for the money, it's easily as good as a Dahon twice its price. I've 2 of them and they are very highly regarded on these forums. See:
https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Downtube-IXFS-...QQcmdZViewItem

Downtube is a direct marketing operation online but the owner Yan is very helpful and tghe bike can easily be tuned out of the box or by your LBS. This bike will do very well long distance and also off-road too. You can always get a seat post rack.

hi mulleady,

I've been looking at the downtubes, are they really as good as, if not better than say £400 Dahon? I may just get one of those and forget about thew cyclescheme (dont think they have a dealer in the uk) What are the gear inches like, will they go up hill well, do they have speed in them?

Anyone else comment on the downtube for a first folding bike?

thanks

Since you know very little about bikes, it's best that you go to an LBS and not an internet dealer. The Halfway is a nice bike and I like the fact you can easily remove the wheel. Other forum members didn't like the rather large package but you don't need to bring it inside a bus or packed train.