Folding bike?

[richardaucock]

Hi all,

I'm new here, tentatively dipping in!

I'm a 32 year old car nut who enjoys cycling when I can, particularly training for triathlons. Recent move into a new flat has limited bike access tho: until I get a garage or similar, I'm thinking about getting a fold-up bike, for keeping the old fitness up.

Question is, what are they like? Are there any good ones out there that aren't Bromptons? A Brom would be cool, but they're painfully expensive. Can I get something decent spending a third of that?

Many thanks,
Richard.

[anonymous-user]

I had a Dahon in the Brompton style for a bike/train/bike commute & it was ok but cheaper for a reason. I splashed out on a Brompton after a while & it was 10 times better. A mate has a folding Dahon mtb, as heavy as a mini but more robust than small wheeled bikes...

[AnotherClarkey]

I have a Brompton which is great for commuting but I couldn't say in all honesty that it is a bike to ride for the sake of riding. If you just want a bike which can store in a reasonable space why not try one of the 26" wheel Dahons?



Or a Montague Boston?

[Gnarlybluesurf]

I have to agree. I have tried many of the Dahon's and then you realise that there is a reason why the Bromptons are more expensive. If you're not bothered about the fold being too tight then the Dahon's can be fine especially with the 20" wheels are a bit more comfortable than the 16"... But only a bit. They can also come fitted with a Shimano Alfine rear hub which is a nice way of getting a bullet proof rear cassette (with a more difficult tyre change!).

Personally though riding the bromptons is fantastic and they are really small when folded compared to the competitors. You only really appreciate this when you see the two side by side (see at website below):

Other options are the Mezzo's which get good reviews:

http://www.foldingbikes.biz/html/mezzo_d10.html

OR this if you are want a more racing orientated one:

http://www.foldingbikes.biz/html/dahon_speed_pro_t...


If you do go for a brompton then this guy does interesting modifications to it like e.g. fitting a new Shimano Alfine 11 hub or others if you so wanted...

http://www.kinetics.org.uk/html/rohloff2.shtml

Finally if you want to pay 1/3 of the brompton price but want a new bike then try the Decathlon ones... the are heavier but well made.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/folding-bikes-389545...


OR get on ebay... there are loads of fold ups on there with many having had little use....

Or Gumtree if you want a stolen one....

Edited by Gnarlybluesurf on Friday 24th December 11:33

[princeperch]

I have owned both a dahon and a brompton.

I still have the Brompton - can't really see me getting rid of it. It's a cracking bike. If you do get a new one, upgrade the tyres to some schwarbes and also upgrade the saddle to a brooks B17 champion. They dont cost much to upgrade when done from new...

[Andy OH]

What the others have said about the Dahon's is absolutely correct. If you need a folding bike there is only one brand you buy and that is Brompton.

I had a 26" wheeled Dahon for three days before I returned it thankfully for a full refund. If I decide to buy a folding bike it will be a Brompton.

[Uriel]

I know you're looking for cheap, but another option could be, rather than to get a folder to keep you going for the time being would be to just get a good bike now with S&S couplings so you can split the frame for easy storage.

They're not cheap and would be best done if you were to get a new frame built from somewhere like Bob Jackson/Mercian etc, rather than trying to have them retrofitted. But if you're serious about riding, and you must if you're entering triathlons, it may be the better bet. I mean, are you really going to be doing serious fitness training to compete in tris on a budget Brompton clone?

It would also mean that if you wanted to tour or travel with your bike to events or for riding holidays etc, you can get your bike in a regular case.

Or get one of a million decent budget bikes and spend £10 on one of these:http://www.unifit.co.uk/products/80126
And then find an out of the way wall in the flat.

Edited by Uriel on Saturday 25th December 17:31

[TonyAlpine]

I have just bought through Cyclescheme an Airnimal Joey Sport, very good build quality, rides extremely well (can't tell the difference between the Airnimal and my road bike in terms of comfort, the airnimal accelerates faster however) plus it folds up to a size where I can fit it in the boot of the 306 roadster. Doesn't fold as small as a Brompton but it's faster, rides better and doesn't make you look like a college professor.

[IntegraTypeR]

TonyAlpine said:

I have just bought through Cyclescheme an Airnimal Joey Sport, very good build quality, rides extremely well (can't tell the difference between the Airnimal and my road bike in terms of comfort, the airnimal accelerates faster however) plus it folds up to a size where I can fit it in the boot of the 306 roadster. Doesn't fold as small as a Brompton but it's faster, rides better and doesn't make you look like a college professor.

I also have a Joey Sport and think it's a fantastic bike. It's been my daily commuter for about a year (which includes a fairly busy train twice a day). It's nowhere near as small as a Brompton when folded but is compact enough, lots of fun to ride and is suprisingly quick

[smack]

Andy OH said:

What the others have said about the Dahon's is absolutely correct. If you need a folding bike there is only one brand you buy and that is Brompton.

I had a 26" wheeled Dahon for three days before I returned it thankfully for a full refund. If I decide to buy a folding bike it will be a Brompton.

Years ago I worked in the cycle industry.

Dahon. Looks good, made in the far east, but flawed design (folding them is a test), they are delicate, and getting parts in a PITA - you want to wait a month or more for a bracket?
Brompton. Costs more, British made, solid engineering (you can only fold them the right why, not the wrong way), but when they break, you can get the parts via a bike shop or Brompton themselves.