Decathlon Sports - £99.99 Btwin Folder

[quiksilver]

As the title says Decathlon Sorts are selling their entry level folder, the B fold, on special offer at the moment of £99.99 if you collect in store. Thought I would pick one up and give riding a folder a go.

[quiksilver]

I had a little ride round our estate on it yesterday afternoon and I have to say it felt odd, but then i usually ride a racer with 700c wheels and a different riding position. The quality seems pretty good for the price and you get a substantial carry bag with it and a rather poor front light, but for £99.99 I dont think I can complain. I bought the bike as a means of commuting during the winter months. I would normally ride my racer into work but often when the weather gets bad during the day I have to leave the bike at work and travel home by train. Now I will be able to fold the B' Fold and take it home with me for the next days commute.

[quiksilver]

Did a small commute this morning on the B'Fold. Rode to the local station, jumped on the train, got off one stop before my work and rode the rest of the way in. First impressions of riding the folder are that it feels rather odd, but I usually ride a full size fixed gear bike so I guess that is to be expected. There seems to be excessive play in the headset which manifests itself by a wobble under braking with the front brake. Will try stripping it down later and see whats going on? I am wondering if there is a bearing short or possibly they have used caged bearings instead of loose. The saddle is far too wide and soft also, so may whip off my racing saddle from the fixed gear and put that on instead.

[quiksilver]

Just stripped the headset to try to trace the wobble. It turned out to be crushed caged bearings, the cage was distorted and three bearings had fallen out. I managed to reshape it and refit the bearings into the cage, now re-assembled the wobble has gone. Hopefully the ride home will feel much better.

[Goosey]

And this is a new bike?!

[quiksilver]

Yep, but i am sure assembley mistakes happen on cheap and expensive bikes.

[quiksilver]

Replaced the damaged cage with loose bearings this morning.

[Nettled Shin]

The Decathlon website says it is 13.8kg. How do they make it so heavy?
Do you know what the rear dropout spacing is? Could the hub be upgraded at a later date?

I've recently found my sister's old Elswick folder from the early eighties. I was going to put new tyres and brakes on it to try it out, but with a new bike at this price, it doesn't make much sense.

[quiksilver]

The rear OLN is 120, it comes as single speed from Decathlon. I imagine the weight is down to the frame being made of steel.

[quiksilver]

I would say thatt the height range given is rather on the generous side. I am 1.73cms and i have the seatpost at maximum extension. If you are short in the leg you maybe ok?

[Audax67]

Looks rather nifty for slinging in the back of the car on trips into town. In the city it'd need a locking seatpost, though.

I wonder what price Decathlon are buying these for: in the UK it's £99.99, over here it's 149.99€, which converts back as ~£131. The end-user price is obviously chosen to be just under the nearest multiple of 50, but that they can be sold £30 cheaper in the UK means that even at £100 their margins are sufficient for profitability, whereas they're clouting us over the lug and lifting our wallets.

Re the weight, one of the reviewers on the French Decathlon site says "very light". Makes you wonder if he's been pedalling a steamroller.

...when was the last time you saw a steam-driven steamroller?

[quiksilver]

The usual price is £150 but they are on a promotion at the moment. Maybe they are a loss leader? I fitted the seat from my fixed gear to my B'Fold as I found the supplied seat too wide and spongy. I am used to a narrow, hard racing saddle, it feels better but my saddle is slightly thinner so my legs now feel slightly cramped when at the bottom of the pedal stroke. I was considering buying a Dahon Mu Uno at roughly £450, so if I need to spend some money on a few new items for the B'Fold I should still be quids in. And there is no guarantee that had I bought the Mu Uno I wouldn't wanted to have fiddled with the bits on that too and replace them..

[Audax67]

Gotcha. That figures.

Intersport here are offering a 6-speed with mudguards & HB bag for 200€.

[rjb]

Here's a cheap one on offer. Possibly a BSO - http://www.thisisitstores.co.uk/mall/pr ... sit/_42819

[quiksilver]

I managed to complete my first full commute (7 miles) into work this morning on the B'Fold and I have to say I am quite impressed with it. Of course having never ridden a folding bike before I have no yardstick to measure it against. Apart from the obvious differences to my normal ride I found it very enjoyable and the bike gave me plenty of confidence in its abilities. The gearing is quite low compared to what I normally ride so I found myself spinning out quite quick, but for someone who isnt used to riding fixed gear this probably wouldn't be a problem. Had a little bit of a wobbly moment when I took my hand off to signal a right turn but again I think this is down to me being not used to the bike itself yet. Hopefully the weather allows me to ride in again tomorrow too.