Hi Guys,

Just writing this post to see what views are on the folding bike products in the market at the moment. Main areas are whether Bromptom Bikes are as strong of a product as they seem at first and whether they have any competitors that challenge or exceed what Brompton offer.

Another field that I would like to hear about is the practicality in the urban jungle of city life, whether it be commuting to work or just as your general mode of transport.

Finally, any general extreme views on any folding bike products, whether it be the handling being poor, or the mechanisms just being simply superb and easy to use.

Hoping to get some good responses from everyone,

Cheers
Charlie Michael
Sports Product Design Technology, University of Brighton

almost exactly the same Q was asked a week or two ago on here – is there a Nobel Prize for folding bikes this year 😀

have a quick search (be warned, search function isn’t great)

Played the “buy a folding bike game” about a year ago.

Having looked at the folded packages, plus reports from an array of shops, the only one I really considered was the Brommie. Far and away the best fold/folded package. Some of the others looked like they’d be better to ride, but the folded package was pretty tragic. I ended up buying a mint s/hand S3L

Riding? Flat or downhill a hoot. Sucks uphill, mainly due to the horrible 3 speed hub and the lack of momentum from the wheels. Handling in heavy traffic is hilarious. It’s no slower on my commute than my previous bike (Condor fixie) was. Just different. Brakes are shocking. It’s a bit flexy when going for it, but then I only weigh 10stone, so it’s not too bad. Some of the components are pretty crap for the money.

You want to make a better folding bike? Copy the Bromton shape/fold, but add SLX or XT level 1×10 gearing with a road cassette and some hydro discs. Hell, just make a disc friendly fork, a disc/derailleur friendly swing arm and a disc 16″ wheelset and sell it as an upgrade kit.

Considered Dahon, Mezzo and cheapies that the likes of Decathlon sell under their own brands. Bought a Brompton for the quality of fold design, ease of carry, spares availability / dealer support (especially in London), and luggage options. No-one else comes close IMO – and the whole “made in britain” thing helps too.

They’re not brilliant to ride but nothing with 16″ wheels is.

“Better” for me would be the same but lighter and stiffer – but that’s more of a materials issue, and improving on steel (possibly with Ti extremities that they offer) is going to make the cost escalate.

More one what this forum things on folders here (lots of info.)

https://www.google.be/search?q=folding+bikes+site%3Asingletrackworld.com%2Fforum

Isn’t this the third thread on almost exactly the same subject this month??

Rachel

I’m guessing a lecturer has set this as a project topic 🙂

Riding a Brompton is nothing like riding a normal bike, but you adjust very quickly. Don’t compare one with a normal bike, compare it with not having a bike…

I used to ride a Dahon for work and it was a lot like a normal bike to ride, but it folded quite big.
I now have a Brompton for work, it’s horrible to ride but folds nice and small. However it takes longer to fold and unfold and is heavy to carry.
With the Dahon having bigger wheels when it’s folded it’s kind of easier to wheel about rather than carry and a lot faster to fold / unfold.
Both of these bikes are owned by work but if I was spending my own money on a folding bike I’d get a Dahon.

here’s the other thread

Birdy here – rides like a normal bike and is fast and fun.

Doesn’t fold as well as slightly bigger wheels plus monocoque frame without hinges, but rides an awful lot better than a brompton.

Basically as indicated above, at the moment all folders are a compromise between fold and performance.

Did a daily commute from Victoria to Kings Cross and back for around 3 years on a folder. I had a Dahon Jetstream for most of that time which rode brilliantly (to the extent that I also did a few much longer road rides on it at the weekend), but as others have said it was really bulky folded up and a bit of a pain to get onto crowded trains.

I tried Bromptons too, loved the fold, but as a big guy really struggled with them – too flexy and unstable by far.

20″ bikes like Dahon, Birdy, Bike Friday etc ride more like “proper” bikes but don’t have such a compact fold. Great if storage space is limited, for occasional commutes on uncrowded trains or for chucking in he boot of the car for weekends away.

Of the 16″ bikes, the Brompton is probably the only serious contender, and still the most compact fold, great for shorter commutes but not the best choice for longer rides (although some people do mental tours on them!).

Personally I don’t really get the point of the full size folders like the Airnimal or the 26″ Dahons other than as a handy loophole to get a bike onto a train at peak times. Most need you to remove bits anyway to get a proper fold, and even if not, the resulting package is far from compact. The disadvantages seem to outweigh the advantages and to me it’s just as easy to take a front wheel off a full size bike.