Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Lee Roy on September 27, 2010 at 8:48am

I have made short rides pretty loaded with my Dahon D7. The low
center of gravity keeps it pretty stable. Again, less than 5 miles.

djm said:

Anne said:

a folding bike will not hold up to loaded touring; 20" wheels, cheaper components, etc.

Ive done extensive loaded touring on 20" wheels (BF) and they have held up well.

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Permalink Reply by Allen Wrench on September 27, 2010 at 3:54pm

This is an oldish thread, so I'll write a too-long post. Sorry. By the way, Folders is also a group on the Chainlink.

I have used a bunch of folding bikes for about 10 years, and the tradeoff seems to be value for money on the one side, and commuting ease (read: foldability) vs good ride on the other. Almost all of them have a bunch of gearing and accessory options - choose well or have trouble changing things later.

Foldability: nothing touches a Brompton. It folds in a few seconds into a tiny, squarish package. Pretty good ride if you like an upright feel, too. Can be souped up to ride more like a regular bike, but it's kind of its own thing no matter what you do. No really wide gear ratios. Excellent for commuting. Pricy. I used to commute about 15 miles on one and it was fine. Don't buy any folder without trying one just to see what the fold is like. It can hold a huge amount of stuff in a front carrier and has a moderately useless rear rack option. Durable. There are cheap Asian copies, some good, but not here. There's a guy who makes price-no-object titanium Rohloff ones called Ultimate Folding Bike. I think Brompton is the best mix of ride and fold, but it's expensive.

Good ride: Riese und Mueller's Birdy is nice, light, aluminum, but pricy and hard to load with stuff. But, you can use a trailer and there are a couple of partially useful racks. It's fully suspended. You could ride it a long, long way.

Good ride: Bike Friday New World Tourist and similar models are solid, hold a lot on pannier racks, are zippy and comfortable for as long a ride as you want to take. Pricy. There are racing and touring versions. It can be custom sized. Hard to lock. Folding tandems and triples are available.

The Birdy can be disassembled into a smaller suitcase than the BF but both are transportable like that. Both are also a bit clunky when folded - bits dangle off or try to swing open (BF), or the package is oddly shaped and unwieldy (Birdy) but that's not their strength. BF NWT is better made than the Birdy for long-term kicking around I think. BF Tikit is also an unwieldy but quick folder - you could probably take it on a train easier than the NWT type. I wouldn't want to try to carry anything heavy attached to one but I've never owned one either so I might be wrong, and you can use a backpack.

Value: Dahon is harder to generalize about since they have so many different models but none of them fold as perfectly as a Brompton. The advantage here is, for some models, value for money. They have plenty of models that fold no larger than the BF, too. Their Mariner is a classic. I think you can usually find a Dahon that would work for most things. They also make large wheel folders. Their frames up until about 5 years ago had terrible problems with the hinges but the new ones seem OK. If a cheap one gets stolen you can get another easily.

Value: you can occasionally find one of the fancy ones really cheap used. Make sure it wasn't stolen by insisting on some proof of ownership. Rapid Transit has had some really nice folders for (relatively) dirt cheap prices recently too.

Old and odd folders are also interesting. For just putting a 3-speed in the car, look at Worksman (still made in NYC) or a 70's European curved main tube folder. They're cheap. Moulton and Raleigh made folding and disassemble-able things for shopping. Moultons aren't cheap. There are folding recumbents but not many. One is made by hand in Chicago but I don't remember who does it. Sorry. There are lots of nifty folding bikes that never get out of Japan, with things like belt drives. Strida makes an odd triangular folder series that most people say are only suitable for short infrequent trips but they are getting better, I guess. I've never ridden one. There are a bunch of inexpensive folders available on line but I don't know much about them either, and you can't ride them to check the quality or the weight first.

Ride anything you're considering seriously first. You'll like having a folding bike. Hope that helps.

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Permalink Reply by Kathy Schubert 'n Suzy Schnauzer on September 27, 2010 at 4:24pm

My first folding bike is a Bike Friday NWT which has ridden several places fully loaded including a 17 lb. dog. It has packed in a suitcase but I can't say it folds easily. It rides just fine. Many people have ridden Bike Fridays fully loaded for extremely long distances. Their newer models do fold more easily. But if you put lots of accessories on, it takes longer to take them off and pack it.
My everyday folding bikes are Dahon. I've recently lost faith in the company since acquiring their D7 which doesn't have a rear triangle for you to put your U-lock through. They also didn't stand behind a rear wheel which broke spokes at the age of only two months. and the D-7 is a higher step-over than either of my Dahon Boardwalks. But I still enjoy riding my 6 speed Boardwalk and have done 80 miles in a day, carrying the dog and my personal things.
to anybody who thinks you can't ride fast on 20" wheels - People who ride 700cm wheels fast can ride 20" wheels fast. People who ride large wheels slowly will ride 20" wheels slowly.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on September 28, 2010 at 1:26am

I've had a Dahon Speed (8 speeds, 20" wheels) for several years. I bought it primarily for bike/Metra combo trips. It took a little bit of practice to get the hang of folding it quickly and correctly for packing into the bag. For off-peak trips, it's much easier to carry on and off the train (unfolded, in regular riding configuration) than a full-sized bike. This is a fairly inexpensive, basic model - not one I'd suggest for loaded touring. For short trips, it's very useful.

I'd suggest test riding folders in 2 or 3 different wheel sizes. Also try folding each. Smaller wheel = more compact folded size. The trade-offs are ride stability and speed. Smaller wheels are more sensitive to pavement imperfections and grated bridges. Some designs are sturdier, designed for longer rides, but not as quick to fold. Think about what your primary use would be and let that help you determine which bike is the best fit for you (wheel size, number of speeds, how quick to fold, etc.).

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Permalink Reply by jennifer james on September 28, 2010 at 2:16am

I have a Friday new world tourist ( from the basement years ago at Rapid Transit) I rode fully loaded on a tour of Holland. We were mostly on the islands and in Friesland with my husband and small kids. We got an old Bobike kid seat we found in rural Holland on it when the trailer became a disaster for two kids.
It was terrific touring, easy to get onto trains or ferries (mostly unfolded) and rode very comfortably. My husband toured on a birdy he found at Maxwell st. of all places. He wasn't quite at comfortable a I was.. and I was pulling a trailer.
I don't use it for train commuting, mostly grocery and local commuting with and without a small child on the back up steep New England hills. I think that if you can only have one folder bike that must do multiple duties- packed touring, long rides and commuting my experience with my Friday is that it is very versatile and comfortable for all these uses.
It's really fun to be able to take a folder traveling on a plane. In Holland, Germany or other bike nirvana countries you can basically ride it out of the airport and into the center of town or right onto the train in places like France. My Friday is not the easiest fold out there or the smallest if you plan to use it primarily for a train or bus to road to work commute. Don't think it will fit under a desk but go well in a closet or really big cabinet.
Like everyone out there I'd suggest a good couple of rides on everything you are considering so that you have an idea of how the bike feels because of course that vs. what you need from the fold are very important to how useful any folding bike is to you long term.

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Permalink Reply by john89 on March 16, 2016 at 9:29pm

Folding bicecle is  designed to fold into a compact form, facilitating transport and storage. When folded, the bikes can be more easily carried into buildings and houses or on public transportation.The first time you ride your folding bike you may notice it's a little different than a regular bicycle, but not much. With smaller wheels the turning is a little more responsive. This makes it a bit easier to turn quickly if needed. 

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