Anyone got any good suggestions please ?
Only a mile or two to ride on the way to work.
Flat, so don't need gears
Won't be carrying far so weight doesn't really matter, and nor does size as long as I can shove it into a "bag"
Decent quick folding mechanism though, otherwise I might as well walk
Thanks
oh, yeh, Mudguards too
I have a couple of bad suggestions. I owned a Brompton which was heavy and flexy. Every fitting was proprietry so they fleeced me for each replacement bit. Sold it and bought a Dahon which was a full-sized bike that folded in half. Or it did until it seized at the hinge.
My mate owns a Dahon Uno (singlespeed Brompton size) and he swore by it for a while but when I tried it (I am 3 st heavier) it was very flexy. Recently he has been cursing it. Spokes started snapping and the front wheel bearing started to go but they are not replaceable so had to replace the front wheel.
Oyama singlespeed from Rutland cycles looks a bargain, as does their Raliegh Boardwalk (lighter).
I like the Brompton, and the Mezzo and the Dahon Uno, but for a 1 mile commute you would be overbiked with the first two (yes it exists outside of mountain biking) and overspent with the last. If you want REALLY cheap, a simple Universal folder or other Raleigh 20 clone will suffice, but it will struggle to fit in a bag. To be honest, I'd go with the link above.
How about one of those 'A' bike things. Small wheel singlespeed thing that fold real tiny. Not cheap new but I'm sure ebay will produce some good results.
does it have to be a bike? You can get scooters that don't look like kids play things. If its only a mile it might be worth a punt.
Cheers
Not sure what an A bike is but I'll have a look
that cheapish link may be just the job though
Unless your commute is inside a smooth shopping centre, you don't want an 'A' bike, trust me, I test rode one around their car park. Novelty value, but a mile on real roads would be challenging.
Some of the small folders are built with truly dire components. You get what you pay for.
The Dahon uses a smaller OLD on its front wheel than most bikes - same as the Brompton I think.
I suggest go for a Dahon, but be prepared to carefully check the wheels. There used to be a good forum, but it has been wiped.
Or look at Tern - which is basically the Dahon team who have moved ship (family squabble)
Agree about the A-bike. Almost unusable.
I have a Dahon Curve with internal 3-speed hub (I think they do a singlespeed version) which I use 3 days a week for getting to and from train station/car...probably a couple of miles each day like you would want.
Great little bike and has never let me down. I bought mine for less than £250 on ebay...2nd hand but as new. I was comparing it to my brothers Brompton (M3L iirc) and, whilst I like the Bromptons ability to be towed on the little wheels on the rack, the actual release mechanism for the steerer and main tube was far quicker on the Dahon...the Brompton effectively just has big wingnuts.
Depends What you are looking at budget wise, the Giant Halfway is a pretty good option, comes with mudguards and pannier for £550.. alternatively there is the dahons which now have Raleigh stickers on them...
C+ were recommending a Dahon this month - at around £399 it seems a good punt to try it out, and recoverable if it doesn't suit.
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