Folding bike

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
chalky
Posts: 59
Joined: 26 Feb 2007, 10:31am

Folding bike

Post by chalky »

I have a daughter who lives in a flat in Chester. Has no where to keep a conventional bike, but has a spare room (up a flight of stairs) where she could put a folding bike.
Which bike is easy to fold/unfold etc. Not too expensive. she will not be doing long touring miles, just local rides.
I have been cycling for over 65 years but have no experience of these.
thirdcrank
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Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: Folding bike

Post by thirdcrank »

"Not too expensive" may rule out the Bromptons which are easy to fold.

Have a look at this guide.

http://www.atob.org.uk/folding-bikes/fo ... -guide-uk/

Some Dahon's are relatively cheap and I see there's one which has been introduced by a family member branching out on his own. The "Tern"
borderghost
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Re: Folding bike

Post by borderghost »

I got my dahon speed d7 from halfords @£199. Great little bike that is a pleasure to ride. Folds to a nice small size in less than 30 seconds, frame is steel/chromoly but feels light enough to me, i live upstairs in a masoinette and find it easy to carry up and down the external stairway, although i hardly fold mine unless im putting it in the car as there is plenty of room at the top of the stairway to keep my 3 main used bikes.
Image
If you are after a budget folder just to see if a folding bike is suitable then this i terrain folding bso is the cheapest new folder in the uk http://www.tesco.com/direct/terrain-i-f ... 1-8194.prd
Image
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robgul
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Re: Folding bike

Post by robgul »

Decathlon has a Btwin folder that's pretty good value - fold is fairly simple too.

Rob
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borderghost
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Re: Folding bike

Post by borderghost »

I would be intrested in this decathlon folder but what could they mean by this ( OCCASIONALLY riding on roads and easy storage. ) does occasionally mean not up to daily use?.
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/bfold-300-fo ... 28465.html.

.
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al_yrpal
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Re: Folding bike

Post by al_yrpal »

I had a Milan Explore .http://bicycles4u.com/products/milan-explorer Great little bike with decent gears. It was an introduction to folders. It prompted me to get a Brompton at six times the price which is a bit lighter and folds smaller for travelling around on public transport. But, for the price, as an introduction, the Milan Explorer was great. If a Brompton is out of her price bracket I believe there is a huge range of pretty decent Dahons too.

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
cagsley
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Joined: 30 Jan 2010, 3:10pm

Re: Folding bike

Post by cagsley »

Hi,

I bought my wife a Tern link C7 for her half commute. Both she and I think it's great to ride and good quality but it is still a bit big when folded and quite heavy.

I Came across a 20yr old Brompton for £150 which after some minor repairs is on the road again. My wife hates it and says its twitchy and not as easy to ride as the other. I think it is a great thing and the weight and fold make travel on trains etc very easy. Finding any Brompton for less than £500 second hand is a rarity but I love the Bromptom. Wouldn't want to carry the Tern upstairs that's for sure. It only gets lifted in and out of the car but was only £300 new. i would advise carrying any prospective bike before riding it to make sure it is something your daughter is happy to do.
nez
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Joined: 19 Jun 2008, 12:11am

Re: Folding bike

Post by nez »

Bromptons may be less expensive than they appear. Mine was about £580 in the early nineties -abot £29 a year plus maintenance costs... I would guess never more than £1 a week all in.
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robgul
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Re: Folding bike

Post by robgul »

borderghost wrote:I would be intrested in this decathlon folder but what could they mean by this ( OCCASIONALLY riding on roads and easy storage. ) does occasionally mean not up to daily use?.
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/bfold-300-fo ... 28465.html.

.


Probably just ham-fisted translation from whatever they mean in French! - Decathlon's website has always been pretty poor, unlike their stores and IME their products. The man/homme in their Lyon store told me the folders were made by Dahon (as are quite a few other badged brands ... like Dawes and Raleigh folders)

Rob
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Cytech accredited mechanic . . . and woodworker
mistyr
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Joined: 2 Jun 2015, 3:36pm

Re: Folding bike

Post by mistyr »

I ride a Dahon SP8 around town and find it to be great for that purpose. The bike is about 13 kg, though, so could be too heavy for some people to move around when folded, although it's pretty easy to fold.
hexhome
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Location: Hexham, Northumberland

Re: Folding bike

Post by hexhome »

A Brompton may well work out the most cost effective. It's resale value will remain high as will it's longevity.
rmurphy195
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Re: Folding bike

Post by rmurphy195 »

I bought a Brompton last year. I wanted something that
[list=]In could fold up and put into the boot of my car (a small car with a small boot)
Had the oily bits on the inside when folded
Had a rack
Handlebars I could get down to as well as sit upright on
Had a good selection of gears[/list]

So I settled on the Brompton P6R, and find I am using it more than I had intended, in more situations than I had envisage.

I didn't go the one step further and have the hub dynamo lights fitted.

Costly compared to some of the cheapies, but ticked all the boxes and, hopefully, should need minimal looking after.

Pump included in a nice, thoughtful mounting as well!

One thing to be aware of, moving the handlebar position my compromise the folding, I assume this would be that same with most, if not all, such machines.

I hope this helps - Richard.
Brompton, Condor Heritage, creaky joints and thinning white (formerly grey) hair
""You know you're getting old when it's easier to ride a bike than to get on and off it" - quote from observant jogger !
Zanda
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Joined: 6 Jan 2007, 1:07pm

Re: Folding bike

Post by Zanda »

I was in a Decathlon store this afternoon and their Dahon-a-like caught my eye. It's Dahon's MU frame shape with Decathlon's own make of catch for the frame hinge and the handlepost. I thought the catches looked a bit flimsy.

My advice to any prospective buyer of a folding bike would be 'if you want a bike for a long, daily commute, choose one with full size wheels; but if this will be your second (or third) bike, go ahead'. Perhaps this is what Decathlon mean in their advice about "occasional" riding.

Incidentally, I consider Dahon's MU frame shape as a big improvement over the Vitesse one, because the curve gives you a 'folded package' handle that's further from the chainring. Photo of the MU is here: http://cyclingfortransport.com/reviews/ ... u-p8-2007/
hexhome
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Re: Folding bike

Post by hexhome »

Whilst large wheels may offer lower rolling resistance (guessing), the lack off certainly does not prevent long commutes. There will certainly be a time penalty, but it is not significant.
I would side with previous comments regarding Bromptons. They may seem expensive initially but their longevity, usefulness and resale value would appear to overcome that objection. Certainly mine gets used in ways I hadn't envisaged and has become my most valued bike.
orange
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Joined: 30 Oct 2008, 1:05pm

Re: Folding bike

Post by orange »

My girlfriend has a brompton she would recommend it. She can carry it from her house then down a small ramp no problem.
She also carries it up 2 flights of stairs to my flat reasonably well. She can lift in and out of her car very easily. She finds the fold/unfold exceptionally easy. She had an m6 originally but she wasn't a fan of the gear system so we sold that and she had my m3. We changed it to an alfine 8 with a 44 tooth chainring. We also put on some low riser bars which she much prefers to the m bars (as she is quite small) she finds this gives her much better control. Also added much better brake levers than the old ones she had this makes her braking much much better.
She loves it as we go mainly around quiet rural areas near to where we live. We have also taken it to Spain a few times. Again on quiet empty country roads/lanes. It's mainly used for rides of 1-3 hours pootling about. We did look at lots of other folders but for what she wanted non could quite match. Her next aim is to find a better saddle which is currently ongoing.
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