Wanted: Folding bike

Neil Brown said:

Hello all, de-lurking for a bit, it's been a great summer of 15 mile commute, have worn out many
pairs of tyres - got quite a lot of train travel looming tho, and taking bikes on trains being a
minefield, am looking for a little folding bike, doesn't have to be anything flash as long as I
can turn it from 'transport' into 'luggage' - I'd like to not spend too much if poss.

The last issue of Velovision (10) had a folding bike buyer's guide you may wish to peruse. For
relatively low cost and small fold the Pashley Micro is okay: nowhere near as nice as the Brompton,
but nowhere near the cost either!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

Neil Brown said:

Hello all, de-lurking for a bit, it's been a great summer of 15 mile commute, have worn out many
pairs of tyres - got quite a lot of train travel looming tho, and taking bikes on trains being a
minefield, am looking for a little folding bike, doesn't have to be anything flash as long as I
can turn it from 'transport' into 'luggage' - I'd like to not spend too much if poss.

It really is horses for courses.

Unless you want to do regular long rides the best is a Brompton. They're a bit on the pricey side
but it will be money well spent. They pop up quite often 2nd hand in the cycling mags. Nothing beats
it for its 10 second fold and its size. I regularly use one for commuting. the train can be drawing
into the station before I've even started folding it.

If longer rides are the aim and you don't mind a longer fold time and a bulkier package, then the
Bike Friday or the Birdy are the best choices, the former particularly well suited to sportier rides
but then its a *lot* more expensive. It also really needs a bag, and takes about five minutes to
fold and bag.

I really does come down to your intended use. I use both a Brompton and a Bike Friday Pocket Rocket,
and both are brilliant rides but for different types of journey.

I think the Brommie was 'probably' the best buy I ever made where functionality was of prime
consideration.

John B

"Neil Brown" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello all, de-lurking for a bit, it's been a great summer of 15 mile commute, have worn out many
pairs of tyres - got quite a lot of train

travel

Quoted message said:

looming tho, and taking bikes on trains being a minefield, am looking for

a

Quoted message said:

little folding bike, doesn't have to be anything flash as long as I can

turn

Quoted message said:

it from 'transport' into 'luggage' - I'd like to not spend too much if

poss.

Quoted message said:

I bought a Brompton thinking it would be very useful now and again, but after a few months I was
using it for most errands, school runs (with trailer), and all commuting, and am now wondering why I
have a car.

Dranz

I got a Dahon Helios 8 about a month ago - it cost around 400 quid

The Helios-8 is aluminium framed and low-geared ( I live in Sheffield, so this is crucial ), folds
quickly and has 20" wheels. The 20" wheels theoreticaly give it a bit more gryoscopic stability than
16" folding bikes, but not having ridden one of those I couldn't tell you. I wieghs around 10kg, so
is fairly easy to lug around. And the brakes are rock solid 🙂

It doesn't fold up terribly small, though - folds to around 2/5 of it's length. I haven't tried
trains, but this is easily small enough to get in and out of lifts, up and down stairs, packed cars
etc without difficulty.

... but having said all that, I'd still maybe get a brompton if I was doing it again. It's smaller,
and it is the de facto king of folders ( although it weighs more and has less gears ) - they're more
expensive new, but to counter that you can pretty much find one or two on ebay on any given day.

Whatever you get, I hope you thoroughly enjoy it. I think folding bikes are cool 🙂

"Neil Brown" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello all, de-lurking for a bit, it's been a great summer of 15 mile commute, have worn out many
pairs of tyres - got quite a lot of train

travel

Quoted message said:

looming tho, and taking bikes on trains being a minefield, am looking for

a

Quoted message said:

little folding bike, doesn't have to be anything flash as long as I can

turn

Quoted message said:

it from 'transport' into 'luggage' - I'd like to not spend too much if

poss.

Quoted message said:

neily70 AT hotpop.com

Thanks

Neil

Stoatboy said:

The Helios-8 is aluminium framed and low-geared ( I live in Sheffield, so this is crucial ), folds
quickly and has 20" wheels. The 20" wheels theoreticaly give it a bit more gryoscopic stability
than 16" folding bikes, but not having ridden one of those I couldn't tell you.

IME the wheel size is less important than the general geometry. The Micro is twitchier than my
champion bird-spotting uncle JocK McTwitchy, where the Brompton can be ridden no-hands without too
much trouble.

Quoted message said:

It doesn't fold up terribly small, though - folds to around 2/5 of it's length. I haven't tried
trains, but this is easily small enough to get in and out of lifts, up and down stairs, packed
cars etc without difficulty.

For trains it would go in the luggage area, *if* someone hasn't beaten you to it. But a Brom will
fit between back-to-back train seats. If you don't need to optimise space then the Dahons give you a
good range and from what I've seen excellent value for money, but where you *are* short of space
(and commuter trains you often are) then that extra fold efficiency can be a real bonus.

Quoted message said:

... but having said all that, I'd still maybe get a brompton if I was doing it again. It's
smaller, and it is the de facto king of folders

It is the de-facto Prince of its particular corner of the folders market, at least, but Dahons will
ride better for less, and Birdys will ride better and fold almost as well, though for more money.
The new GoBike (reviewed in VeloVision 11) fits in somewhere between Birdy and Brompton. No regrets
about my Brom, but I want something that will give a quick and convenient fold: for Serious Trips
I'll use the recumbent tourer as I've got one, and somewhere to put it. If it was one bike to do
everything I'd probably have a Birdy, or if I wasn't that rich then the Dahons would at least be
carefully auditioned.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Stoatboy said:

The Helios-8 is aluminium framed and low-geared ( I live in Sheffield, so this is crucial ),
folds quickly and has 20" wheels. The 20" wheels theoreticaly give it a bit more gryoscopic
stability than 16" folding bikes, but not having ridden one of those I couldn't tell you.

IME the wheel size is less important than the general geometry. The Micro is twitchier than my
champion bird-spotting uncle JocK McTwitchy, where the Brompton can be ridden no-hands without too
much trouble.

By you maybe! But then I'm not a natural no-handed rider myself.

FWIW I found the Brompton twitchy when I first started riding it and I find it twitchy if I return
to the Brompton after a week or two on another bike---a recent touring holiday reminded me of this.
Of course it could be that the Brompton can't forgive me for the infidelity but after the first ride
we are best pals again.

Colin

Colin Blackburn wrote: [no hands Brom]

Quoted message said:

By you maybe! But then I'm not a natural no-handed rider myself.

I'm not great at it, and I won't ride the Brom more than a few meters no-handed (or anything else,
Muni excepted), but it can be done and there is the feeling that I'll need to take the bars back to
stop it veering off rather than to stop it jack-knifing, which is what a truly twitchy machine will
do. The Streetmachine, by contrast, makes it quite apparent to the rider that although one finger is
enough to control it completely, you will *not* let go!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

natural no-handed rider myself.

Quoted message said:

I'm not great at it, and I won't ride the Brom more than a few meters no-handed (or anything else,
Muni excepted), but it can be done and there is the feeling that I'll need to take the bars back
to stop it veering off rather than to stop it jack-knifing, which is what a truly twitchy machine
will do. The Streetmachine, by contrast, makes it quite apparent to the rider that although one
finger is enough to control it completely, you will *not* let go!

Many thanks for the good advice all! It looks like I may be saving up for a second hand Brom

Cheers and happy cycling

Neil