Cycling UK Forum

You got a bargain with that Oyama, they are listed at £550. Definitely not a BSO.

AL

al_yrpal wrote:You got a bargain with that Oyama, they are listed at £550. Definitely not a BSO.

AL

Winstanley bikes were doing them for 149 including delivery. From what I've seen Oyama, along with Tern, do seem about the best Dahon clones.

Alan

Not sure whether I could fit a coffin on my Brompton 6 speed but I think it's a good bike nonetheless. Mrs M_W also has a Brompton and we have used them extensively in the UK, France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Germany and Denmark (on and off-road). I also use mine to commute 10 miles everyday. They fold very easily and fit nicely in trains, buses and taxis. We haven't used them for touring yet, just for day rides of up to 50 miles.

I can't remember how tall you are but I swapped my standard seatpost for the telescopic one, my inside leg is 33" and the standard seatpost wasn't quite long enough.

I haven't tried other folding bikes so I can't comment on their quality, ride or foldability. I did look at the Airnimal and Bike Friday and I decided that for me the fold was more important than a sporty ride.

I would suggest that for a Brompton, lower gearing is better. The range on both mine and Mrs M_W's is 29" to 88" with a 44T chainring. We both have Brooks saddles which are much nicer than the standard saddle.

Whether you stick with the folder you have or get another of whatever make, I think they are a great way to travel

al_yrpal wrote: I will get a 24 hour test drive from Evans at the appropriate point.

Al

I'd be interested in how you get on al. I know some folks find Brommies a bit twitchy but I love mine. I ended up getting it when I decided it might be a good idea to get one for my dad. Test rode one and fell in love with it. So I got one but my dad declined the offer.

fossala wrote:They ride better.

Both are fantastic bikes and good to ride but the Moulton is smooth. I took my Brompton on the Clay trail after work on my way home last week, never again. It just doesn't handle surfaces that rough well although rough roads are fine. Still if I could only have one it would be a Brompton.

I also own both. The advantages of the Brommie is it's small and quick fold. If you regularly travel by public transport with your bike or need to stow in a small space it's great. As a bike it's okay but there's no comparison to a Moulton,which IMO has a better ride than a large wheel bike. But although most Moulton's have separable frames, to collapse one down to a manageable size, you really have to take off wheels, saddle etc. it's a useful feature in an emergency but not something you'd want to on a regular basis. Still if I could only have one it would be the Moulton

I bought my Oyama used for £85 (which seems the average on ebay for Oyama) They're not as well known as Dahon or Bromptom. Having had look at the Bromptons close up they are a great design, super compact, but pricey. The frames are UK built, but the components are pretty standard.

Oyama spec was good, Nexus 3 speed, Alex rims, Tektro V brakes. Nice detailing in the stitched leather grips and saddle which is mirrored in the gold detailing on the frame.

I have read of some Brompton owners improving the steering feel by fitting a damper spring:

like
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/hebie-steering-stabilizer-for-bipod-stand-usage-hbp4-prod18782/

I've ridden Moultons for years, also have a Brompton, and have had to work on my father's Dahon Mu8 periodically. Small wheels might feel a bit twitchy to begin with, but after a while big wheels just seem heavy and unresponsive!

The spaceframe Moultons are IMHO in a class apart. My AM14 is a fast and versatile bike that just happens to split in the middle. I've done loaded touring on it and lots of miles on forestry tracks without problems. I must admit to emptying my building society account to buy my second hand one over 20 years ago but have never regretted buying it! It's not a folder, expect a couple of minutes to split it into car boot size, the parts are a bit awkward to manhandle and if you're going on a train keeping it in one piece is probably better unless you've got transit bags and no bike reservation! The current AM bikes are a serious investment but the Pashley built TSRs seem a good alternative. I've seriously thought of getting a TSR to complement the AM (and use in preference in winter and mucky weather).

I've had two Bromptons - originally a 1996 L5 (from new), now sold and replaced by a S6L. The newer machine is a much better beast, it has a fractionally longer wheelbase that seems to improve handling - it also seems to be much more solid in terms of build. I use it much more as short distance utility vehicle. I wouldn't go out and do 50 miles on it, whilst the AM would be my first choice of any of my bikes for such a distance. It's great for sitting under my desk at work, though.

I've not been particularly impressed with Dahon build quality - especially given that I've regularly needed to tinker with my father's! Both Dahon and Brompton use proprietary parts but Dahon seems to change designs every year, Brompton bits seems to work regardless of the model year. I've not ridden the Dahon long enough to make an informed comment on build quality.

Both Moultons and Dahons do seem to hold their resale values well, though I'm never going to sell the AM! I sold my old Brompton L5 for pretty much it's original 1996 price when I bought the S6L. So if you don't get on with it, it would be easy enough to sell it on at potentially little loss.

Sweep wrote:

al_yrpal wrote: I will get a 24 hour test drive from Evans at the appropriate point.

Al

I'd be interested in how you get on al. I know some folks find Brommies a bit twitchy but I love mine. I ended up getting it when I decided it might be a good idea to get one for my dad. Test rode one and fell in love with it. So I got one but my dad declined the offer.

Well, I finally got to ride a demo Brompton at Evans. I am well impressed. The ride is amazingly good despite the tiny wheels. It was the ML6. The gear range was perfect, which enables a real turn of speed. The weight was noticeably lower and this contributed to the sparkling ride as did the steel frame. Its light and folds easily to very compact proportions. I now fully understand why Brompton is king of the folders!

Al