Looking at one of these on a bike to work scheme. The Dahon Curve is £200 cheaper than the basic Brompton. Is this difference really worth it?
I work with a lot of "London Types" who insist that it has to be a Brompton even though they've never ridden the Dahon.
Help please!!
Ridden both, prefer the Brompton for its easy 'half' fold. Mean you can stand it up and tuck it in without folding it all the way and is easy to swing out again. My Dahon felt more solid but was a pain to put away. It's a personal thing, i'd try both first.
Have a ride of both? Pick the one you like best.
The Brompton will fold smaller, and might be a bit lighter. Having ridden and tried to fix the bloody things, I think they are overpriced and poorly specced with low quality components.
brompton, simple as - had mine for nearly 5 years now
I test rode, airnimals, , bike friday tickit, birdy, dahon, giant, etc folders.. before going for a B
folders are a compromise - brompton is the best compromise.
bromptons pack down smallest, stand up on their own when folded, dahon owners always seem to be bunging their bikes to trains, brompton luggage system works very well, when you have an issue, Brompton are very helpful and sort it out quickly..
being honest some bits of the B are a bit cheap...and have replaced quite a lot due to wear and breakage - but it is used everyday
also re dahon the 20" wheels ones ride nice (P8, speed pro etc are nice), 16" ones terrible
If space is an issue (such as getting it on a train, etc), nothing folds smaller or easier than a Brompton. Others may have a 'bigger' bike feel / ride, but they all seem such a faff to fold / unfold.
having a Brompton also means you can do the Brompton World Championship. Which is a right hoot!
having a Brompton also means you can do the Brompton World Championship. Which is a right hoot!
yep! great fun - 2010 entry day is 8th May
I had a Dahon Speed Pro. The fold isn't the best and it ends up a bit too big, but it was fun to ride and VERY fast. Easily as fast as the road bike which seems to suprise quite a lot of people when doing the traffic light starts! it used standards gears/brakes too so its easy-ish to fix or upgrade various bits.
if i was taking it on a train every day, i'd get a brompton though. i wanted mine to fold so i could carry it in the office hence size wasn't the most important thing.
Ive got a Dahon Speed (20inch) and have had it for 2 years now, it gets used everytime i go to work via the train into london from surrey. It has worked faultlessly up untill 2 weeks ago when the frame cracked around the seat tube, im currently awaiting a warranty replacement (5 year frame warranty).
The dahon rides much better than a brompton and is quicker and also feels better quality.
The Dahon has to be propped up a certain way on the train and on the correct side or else it will fall over when the train brakes heavily, the Brompton stands itself up nicely. The brompton also folds down alot smaller and is generally alot easier to carry/move around with which makes a BIG difference when on a busy commuter train. Mine can be a pain in the ass sometimes when the trains have had cancellations and are packed.
Ive also ridden a Mezzo and Birdy, preferred the Brompton and Dahon to these.
If i had the choice now i would go for a Brompton with sporty gears and the lower handle bars.
depends on the use. My dad just got a Dahon D7HG with 7 speed hub gear for about half what he could have got the most basic brompton for. It doesnt fold quite so small, but the spec is so much better than anything else about.
It made me smile a lot when i had a ride round the village - very zippy and twitchy!
Jeeze, when did Brompton's get so expensive??? They started at around £350 about 6-7 years ago. The cheapest is now £700, and I can't see any significant improvements. Still the same cheap crappy componentry.
I was offered a S/H one for £120 a few years ago. Wish I'd not turned it down. Could have souped it up for a nice pub bike. 
The brompton also folds down alot smaller and is generally alot easier to carry/move around with which makes a BIG difference when on a busy commuter train. Mine can be a pain in the ass sometimes when the trains have had cancellations and are packed.
sure does, I once had to hug my brompton all the way from waterloo to woking as train was so packed.
2010 entry day is 8th May
Thanks for the heads up. Date added to diary as I need to defend my first place 
Ive had to hold mine inbetween my legs once for an hour, generally it is fine and i never have a problem.
I couldnt go back to not have a folding bike now, the tube or bus is just not an option for me in London, i hate it.
Oh, and one more thing, when carried, Bromptons make an excellent weapon against pushy, rude, aggressive commuters. A curled Brompton making contact with 'rude city boy' shins, has got to hurt!!!!
bromptons also tend to fit nicely between yourself and a bar...
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