So, I’m looking at a folder to use on my commute.
I’ve been hitting the street on a Langster & That is perfectly happy for the 18mile each way ride, however they won’t let it on the train I need to use for the other 46miles 🙁

I need recommendations for a FAST commuter…

Anyone got a Moulton TSR30? Is it almost as fast as a 700c singlespeed?

Yes, if not faster. Not a folder, though. Have a look at a Birdy with slick tyres…

Airnimal has larger wheel sizes, so will be reasonable quick.

Moultons aren’t folding bikes, no good for commuting by train.

How busy is the train?

Yes, Birdy’s are fast – make sure it has a sport stem (leans forward more).

Any chance you could stretch the definition to an Ibis Tranny with slicks? 🙂

Wheel size is nothing to do with speed – if it was, tractors would be faster than F1 cars 😉

(On Tarmac – other factors affect speed off-road)

Wheel size has nothing to do with speed?
Someone better tell all those guys who are **** off £thousands on 29ers…

HoratioHufnagel> It arrives at kingscross at 8am – standing room only (sometimes not even that. :/ )
ANYway, back to a moulton. Does ‘seperable’ not mean ‘folding’ then?

And good grief that Airnimal is an ugly moose.

Whilst the airnimal is fast and rides well. It’s not really a commutable folder. You might be better off with the Airnimal Joey which has the telescoping seat post. The fold is still not fantastically fast, and I could envisage either folding on the train or missing it completely.

Moultons ride beautifully, are a little heavy and definitely don’t fold. Even the separable is going to be a struggle.

You are fine ridinging 36 miles a day on a Langster. Fixed? If so then only one brake is required. If not, learn to 😉 . So here’s my suggestion…

Montague Boston pavement

can be run fixed or freewheel, folds fast, add drops for 36mi comfort. Probably a lot heavier than your langster, but you could just swap all the parts over.

You never saw that coming, eh? But first check, as some train companies specify WHEEL SIZE as well as “folding”. Not all folders are created equal for train companies.

Wheel size has nothing to do with speed?
Someone better tell all those guys who are **** off £thousands on 29ers…

You missed the rest of what I said, then 😉

And no, separable means you’ve got two reasonably big bits to carry about.

Having commuted for several years on a Dahon i’m a fan of them, depending on what you can get away with there is the Cadenza with 26″ wheels, although some train companies can be a bit arsey with the bigger wheels, and they can be a bit cumbersome if you join the train when it’s already half full,

http://www.dahon.com/bikes/2011/cadenza-p18

alternatively there is also the Vector, much more expensive but folds pretty small and is very nippy

http://www.dahon.com/bikes/2011/vector-x27h

Depending on where your based i’m currentlty selling my old Dahon Jack

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-dahon-jack-26-wheeled-folder

It arrives at kingscross at 8am – standing room only (sometimes not even that.

= Brompton.

Often train companies say something like “with wheels smaller than 20″” or specify a folded size. These usually restrict you to a Brompton. If the trains busy they are might stop you getting on.

The other alternative is a cheap looking hack that you leave at the station.

If you want fast and a small folder then I’d recommend one of the Dahons

Birdy wheels are 18″…

Tern seem to be winning ATM…. a verge X10 to be precise. (Dahon are not available in X10 guise)

I think the Terns are pretty similar to the Dahon’s, in fact if memory serves me Tern was set up by David Hon’s (Dahon founder obviously) son and ex-wife, he tried to sue them for stealing the design, happy families eh?

Animal?
mate had one of those, or similar anyway, older design with folding joint, bit like the dahon, looked proper quick, he stood on pedals to accelerate way from the lights and the thing snapped in half, managed to hurt his face and bollocks as both hit the road at the same time, holding the bars, feet clipped in, no bike in the middle!

Depends what you want and the budget.

I have a non-folding Pacific Reach scandium edition framed bike but if you want something light and quick but also a decent folder then one of the Terns or a Pacific IF Reach would be my suggestion.

I guess it depends if you just simply want a quick folder, or something with all the bells and whistles like a Tern Verge X20. You can pay a lot more for a Birdy, or Bike Friday, Moulton, Airnimal etc but even if I was super-loaded the Tern X20 would still be my choice, the bike is impressive, folds well and the spec is pretty awesome for the price.

The X30 Tern is pretty good too I would think but the X20 is still my favourite.

Bromptons are surprisingly rapid due to the skinny tyres and high pressure. I often find myself keeping up with roadies and overtaking hybrids. The strange handling very quickly becomes normal and very good fun.

Xootr swift is an option as well

http://www.avonvalleycyclery.co.uk/images/xootr_swift_blue.jpg?width=660&height=426

Or buy a 2nd hand Dahon Mu EX (if you can find one), hard to find but awesome awesome bike. Any old Dahon you can find with EX spec is top of the line and rare as hens teeth, ie, the Mu and Jetstream.

The 2010 Smithfield Nocturne was won by someone on a Mu EX

All the riders I’ve collared at kings cross (who have had a dahon) slated them for failing after 6-8 months of daily folding. I ‘think’ the tern & the new top of the range Dahon have a new design which is allegedly stronger and more reliable.
I’m inclined to give the Verge X10 a go & maybe singlespeed it. I could put the 10spd cassette on my AM bike 😀
Anyone know a Tern dealer near Chancery Lane Station?

No central hinge on Birdies and Mezzos to fail…

My Dahon popped open on me as the safety catch shot across the road, plus it creaked randomly, could never figure it out.

All the riders I’ve collared at kings cross (who have had a dahon) slated them for failing after 6-8 months of daily folding. I ‘think’ the tern & the new top of the range Dahon have a new design which is allegedly stronger and more reliable.
I’m inclined to give the Verge X10 a go & maybe singlespeed it. I could put the 10spd cassette on my AM bike
Anyone know a Tern dealer near Chancery Lane Station?

^^ this

I used to work for the UK distributor and retailer of Dahon and later Tern (its the same company basically owned by father = Dahon, and son = Tern), same sh*t, total warranty nightmare on bikes that fell to bits after a few weeks if not months!

*hint* all the previous UK distributors dropped Dahon one after another due to the same grief

actually the QC was terrible on the Tern we got in stock after the Dahons, could not actually sell them out the box…

the ONLY folding bike I would ever consider, its proven itself over 20 years, its British made by very passionate staff (and like Hope, etc. you can get all the spares easily) is Brompton

its made from steel for a reason, and although looks simple, is a brilliant example of industrial design and real world engineering

had the pleasure of riding a custom Brompton all over London and found it very very rapid especially in traffic, and easily over taking roadies and other riders on full sized bikes

the “fold” is second to none, you can easily pimp them out, they last for ages and will not sh*t themselves like a Dahon, Tern or Mezzo

people only brought Dahon and Tern because they were cheaper than Brompton, but sooned learned why; after months of warranty B.S. would get a full refund and heavy discount on a Brompton and we would not see them again for a long time 😉

Completely right – I got talked into being a Dahon dealer a couple of times. Each year they’d sort the design problems from the previous year by introducing all new models with shiny new design problems. I ended up machining my own hinge and catch parts – plastic is not a good thing to make safety-critical catches out of.

There’s a Brompton dock at Victoria Stn. No idea if there are others but would be worth looking into. Your own bike to the local station, where you leave it in a locker, and then Brompton in London.