Hi guys,

the time has come for me to sell my motorcycle and use a bicycle as my only means of transportation (by choice!)... I am 33yo, 1,80m and 85kg and I plan to take big trips with my folder after some training, as well as everyday commuting. I've come down to these two bicycles cause I live in Greece and the choices are limited (not all brands have dealers here). I would also check a Bike Friday New World Tourer if I could but...

I'd love to hear some opinions from you comparing the two bikes.

Thanks in advance for your time!

Speed Tr rides better for longer distances with vastly huge gear ratio...up and down the hills it will pay for it big time...
the Brommy will fold smaller and has a huge fan club ... it has a cult status which the Dahon doesnt have that much .

its sometimes hard to find speed tr's as they are sold out in the US for example with no new shipments in sight ( maybe later int he year)

thor

Thanks for replying meister! I wonder though if the 6-speeds of the Brompton are adequate for most situations on a tour. Also I wonder about the reasons Brommy has such a fun club. Is it because of the folding and the parts quality or is it the ride quality as well? How do they compare on the road? Which is faster and which is more comfy?

The type of riding you do and how much ride quality matters is important here.

Best place to start is by checking out youtube videos of each. Nycewheels have excellent (youtube) videos on both Dahon and Brompton bikes but particularly the latter.

So many hours in front of a screen researching... Need some feedback from daily users to settle down to a model... Both have pros and cons in important areas of interest and I can't make up my mind!

The difference in wheel and tyre size will make a large difference to the feel of the ride. The less rotating mass the quicker a wheel is to both accelerate and slow down, hence the Brompton will feel snappy in that respect. For stop-start city riding small wheels are great. The Speed TR with larger wheels and fat (and heavy) Big Apple tyres is going to feel a lot less agile, less responsive, but more stable.

Both are steel-framed bikes. . . I've recently come round to thinking steel does provide a significantly better ride than aluminium (generally speaking). The Brompton's suspension works well to smooth out bumps so in that respect it may, despite the small wheels, have some advantage in terms of comfort, if that's what you're after. However a lot of people find it too bouncy and it does bob when pedalling at a high cadence. You can add a Thudbuster seat post to the TR but that's a whole load more money. If you're often cycling on gravel/cobblestones then you might be find a Brompton rough going.

Rather obviously the Speed TR is all about carrying stuff with the front and rear racks. The Brompton is limited in that respect.

To sum it all up; if you're cycling long distances with panniers and only occasionally bring the bike on public transport then the TR wins. If you're often getting on cramped public transport then it's got to be a Brompton. A folded TR is quite a large object, and somewhat cumbersome. A folded Brompton is compact and versatile in how it can be rolled/carried.

Might want to explore other options .. if you are indeed going car/motorcycle free, and had to have a bike that folds, if it were me, I'd look to something that could handle most all types of roads, be solid, strong, reliable, no proprietary parts.. in short, a folding workhorse ... Montague shows dealers in Greece .. I'd also check out a Paratrooper..

Door #3

US made Bike Friday offers a lot more custom choices..
drive train and such..
NWT, and Pocket Llama are 406 wheel.
NWT has a lower BB, than PL, both offer a size choice, S,M,L.
dual drive rear hub, just like the TR, one of the options.

The others are a just one size manufactured product,
as far as the frame goes..
then you adapt to the bike rather than the other way round.

I just got a Pocket Llama , discounted as the built to order customer
didn't like the color.
I'm swapping in favorite parts, now..

but, sorry, their reconditioned bikes don't export.. from CONUS.

Avon in the UK your nearest to Greece dealer?

the Friday Tikit is their 349 wheel bike, shares wheel sizes/ tire spares with Brompton.
seat folds , rather than telescopes,so your saddle adjustment remains fixed.

also offers size choices and component menu.

I got a 2nd hand Brompton last year, there I got a Schlumpf Mountain drive.
for 6 speeds
a mountain climbing range is the low reduction geared advantage.

AW3 , w15t cog the 54 on the crank has an effective low of 21.6t
when the planetary is kicked in .. 17~77 " gear range

Though their bikes are better choices, Bike Friday isn't a real option for this guy: the closest BF dealer is in Romania. I'd want a bike which is at least supported in my home country.

Advantages of the TR. Its larger and fatter wheels will make it much more comfortable riding in Greece. It is stabler, has a longer reach, has better gearing, and it can be customized somewhat more. It also may be easier and cheaper to replace, and in Greece your bike WILL be stolen.

Advantages of the Brompton. It's much easier to pack (the TR will be complex to pack). It will be easier to sneak onto trains and busses.

My vote is for the TR.

The Brommie is my everyday horse, and I've been able to ride Speed TRs on my organized folding bike rides. Overall, ride quality of the TR is better, and for long rides, the TR is vastly preferable, although I know people can and have toured on Bromptons. That's not to say the Brompton is bad though--the ride is still quite good.

If you need a folder that really folds and can get into almost anywhere, get the Brompton. If you need a better ride quality, get the TR.

Ilianto, whatever you will buy, it will be a compromise. This is always the case with folding bike.

You says that you plan "to take big trips with my folder after some training, as well as everyday commuting".

If big trips means let's say 20-30 miles or more per day and include steep hills, the Dahon is probably a better choice of the two (larger wheels and wider gear range). On the other hand, if everyday commuting includes folding and taking on/off a buss or train than the Brompton is a better choice (more compact and rollable fold).

In general the Brompton has better quality. It has many proprietary parts but they are available as spare parts (e.g. see the Brompton section at https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/ ). The Dahon is in general of lower quality and some of the propriety parts are hard to find but is a decent bike and provides in general a good cost/features ration ('value').

(the opinion above are based on my personal experience with a 6sp Brompton S and Dahon Mu P24).

Another solution is to have two bikes, one that is optimized for long rides and one for short distance and commute. Some of us do exactly that.

Hope it helps.

Kam

I've ridden both and both are great bikes. Dahon rides a little better because of bigger wheels, but the Brompton is no slouch either. Choose the Brompton if folded size and getting it in and out of transit is important to you. Actually prefer the front carrier system of the Brompton to the mini front racks of the Dahon TR. With the Brompton, the weight is fixed to the frame and not the fork. Does not turn and affect steering.

Russ
www.pathlesspedaled.com

my vote is for the TR also. i have a TR myself and of all my bikes, this one is the most stable, rides well, has all the gearings i need.

Thanks for all your input guys!!! Taking into account all these and the Greek realities I am leaning towards the Dahon. I would go for a Bike Friday but the luck of a representative here is a no-no as is the much higher price. The Brompton will need approximately 4 months to be ready and I prefer ride quality over a smaller package... Also, as the goal is to increase milage day after day, I believe the Dahon's greater gear range will come comfier. All in all I think I will go for the TR and at a later time I might go for a big bad tourer or a Moulton which looks like a piece of art...

It all depends what you want from the bike.... if you want something reliable that is going to last for years and a bike you can easily get spares for, then your best option is Brompton.

Thor is really helpful in regards to Dahon..... but typically you might struggle to get spares for a current model let alone anything more than a couple of years old..... Dahon aren’t good at supplying spares

Let me share my experience since I just went through something similar. I purchased a 2008 Dahon Curve SL from Thor (excellent service for those considering buying) and by a stroke of luck came up on a 20" folding bike Orion Malon King King from a police auction (never herd of the brand).

The Curve is a 16" aluminum frame folder and the Malon 20" is a heavy steel frame. Its all going to depend on your area of cycling. The smaller 16" wheels feel a lot more jittery (responsive) than 20" I also feel EVERY single bump with the Curve which makes you have to worry about one more thing while riding: cars, doors, people and now pot holes and small cracks that can be hazardous to avoid.

But the 16" folds incredibly nice so light too the Malon folds very cumbersome and heavy but eats up road cracks like a champ.

In your case the Brompton has a steel frame so it will probably ride better than the Curve in that respect. But while longer distances are possible they will probably be more comfortable with the Speed TR.

Try riding them both if you can or better yet get both!

I've got a brompton SL2-X and a Speed TR. I am slow anyway, but the TR is much slower. Its not that great for commuting on a train etc, but I don't think I would try major touring on a Brompton, even one designed for it - I think the TR has better luggage options, more consistent with full size tourers, and the gear range is fantastic. In fact, I'm thinking I must get out on it some more.

I have had a dahon Speed TR..Have a Brommie..S6L..and a Bike Friday New World Tourist..Forget the Dahon..cheap..poorly made..apart from the Sram 3x8 hub..I had nothing but trouble with mine..Sold it after 6 months..The NWT is not a compromise..They are truly wonderful bikes..You will get one on Ebay if you pay enough..Brommies are also wonderful..well built and best of all fun to ride..and I mean fun..bring a smile to your face..get a Brommie or a NWT..You can sell a Brommie in a few years time and get most of your money back..You will have to pay someone to take your Dahon away..

Or even try a Bike Friday Tikit..again ..wonderful ..Had one for 2 years..better ride than a Brommie..but do not fold as well..

No Bike Fridays on eBay or Greek bike shops unfortunately...

Well, I have wanted a NWT for a long time, and have a brommie. The speed TR is, as I have said, a slow trundler, but its not cheap or poorly made (but cheaper than a NWT significantly) - so long as you get a kosher model not a fake or made for a cheaper market and imported. If you can live with tortoise rather than hare, consider the TR

A short trip to Turkey may help https://www.bikefridayturkey.com/modeller.html and you can come back on the bike ;-)

Seriously, you can probably mail order it from a European dealer. I ordered my bike from BF USA over the phone.

As other said, for long rides, the NWT is probably a better choice than the TR (and Brompton) though is more expensive.

1-541-687-0487 (International) That is the number to place an order with Bike Friday outside the USA. Give them a call and see what they have ready made, used or what a new to your size bike would cost. Ask them about shipping first to make sure it is something you want to do.

The price of the Friday is too high for me at the time, so I am going with the 950€ Speed TR and hopefully a Moulton TSR 30 or better will follow it after some time... I believe that with some improvements the TR could become a trustworthy companion!