[Closed] Recommend me a folding bike...

We sell Dahons and Bromptons. I'll give you a quick comparison from my experiences.

Dahons are bigger, not proper bikes, but bigger and so more manageable to ride if not to move around. They're really rather light (around 11 kilos) and solidly built. The folding mechanism is secure and folding takes around 20 seconds once you're used to it. It is a slightly more involved fold than the Brompton but it makes the bike feel more secure.

The pump in the seat tube is a really nice touch and they are really nicely designed. It can be slightly more difficult to carry- there is a handle in the seat but it's a tad more cumbersome than a smaller Brompton.

Personally I like the Mu P8, it's the best balance of cost and lightweight-

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=38709

Bromptons on the other hand are a quicker fold- but when the Dahon only takes 20 seconds it's not the end of the world. The fold mechanism isn't particularly secure in my opinion, and the main issue is the needless complexity and exclusivity of Brompton components. Even things like the brake levers are specific to the bike, and this makes it a real pain if anything goes wrong, which it does. The gears are a faff. Not one of us in the shop likes Bromptons, we only sell them now because enough people ask for them.

We've worked on a few Airnimals too- lovely bikes, but the folding isn't simple (it involves tools) and if you're commuting every day that'll probably put it out of the question.

The Mezzos that I've used have been really very impressive over distance. Well worth a look, even though they look odd.

We've worked on a few Airnimals too- lovely bikes, but the folding isn't simple (it involves tools) and if you're commuting every day that'll probably put it out of the question.

?????? I've got an Airnimal Joey and have managed to fold it on many occasions, in the proper manner without any tools. It only takes half a minute to do the most basic, public transport friendly fold. However, It's not as small as many other folders when packed up but the 24inch wheels and contact points make it a more comfortable long distance commuter. You also need to sort out some way of holding the bits together when its folded. I use those rubber straps for securing saplings to stakes.

Yep, the Airnimal Joey is good but if your bus is a packed out most days one then you might want something that folds down a bit more compact like a Mezzo or one of the smaller wheeled Dahons.

Must have got confused then. They are nice though.

Mezzos are great. Really solid and dead easy to fold.

They are nice though

Especially my one with extra comfortable Mary Bars for the hill climbs. Note the aforementioned 'sapling straps' stored at each end of the, errrh, toptube.

The Nexus hub gear with 20T rear cog gets me up the 1 in 5s on my commute to work. And the seat tube locks the folded bike up when its lowered.

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Thanks for the responses, everyone.

I'll check out the Mezzos (weren't they the ones designed by Mr Whyte?).

Yep, Mezzo was from Mr Whyte.

Are you anywhere near Wiltshire? Stonehenge Cycles in Salisbury are well worth a look for a Mezzo.

Hummm...

I do like the look of that Joey. Would it fold up small enough for a bus, I wonder?

I'm in Gloucestershire, so not too far away. Would probably check out Avon Valley Cyclery (Bath) first, as they are closer and I'm told they have an excellent selection of folders...

do like the look of that Joey. Would it fold up small enough for a bus, I wonder?

When the bus is crowded then you can't tuck it out of the way like you can with a Brompton. You might also drag a few people off the bus with you if you get off at an early stop! Good for trains, car boots and quieter bus journeys though.

Yep, AVC are well worth a peek. Good people.

Kamel, does folding the Airnimal involve taking the wheels off? I searched but never found a video of its folding mechanism on the web...
Their Rhino model is even available with disc brakes and sliding dropouts, I go through normal brake pads like mad since I have a steep descent on my commute...

re brompton brake levers are specific to the bike
in my experience that is nonsense. I've modified various components and never had any probs including fitting V brakes and a granny ring.

I may be missing something.. but aren't they a bit gimmicky?!

Apologies in advance if I have offended anyone

Owned a cheap Dahon (Phillips Park Lite £330). Used to ride it through London and also a daily 18mile commute. No real probs on hills. If you have strong arms then carrying it around folded is not a problem. Love it and no-one wants to nick it (unlike a brompton).

Dahon is pretty serious about producing good bikes - every year they get a little bit better. My Boardwalk is over 6 years old now and it gets used and abused by the whole family. Only problem was the collapse of the spokes when teenage son thought that 20" wheels = BMX.

Get a proper Dahon, not one of the knockoffs which usually weigh a ton.

I've got an Airnimal Joey. Looks like:

[img] [/img]

I do between 20 and 50 miles a day on it, 4 or 5 days a week on largely rural roads and I think it's great!

I've tried a variety of folding bikes including a Dahon and Brompton as well as a Strida. The Brompton is great but expensive for what you get and I'm not sure I'd want to do any great distances on one, ditto the Strida - better value for money and perfect for knocking around London but not much more.

The Dahon was a MU XL which is the 2nd down from their top of the range - came with a Nexus hub and was relatively well specced but not cheap at nearly £800RRP. The main plus was that it folded quickly and simply though not particularly small it sat nicely on the train. I got mine through cycle2work and in the Evans sale so worked out cheaper which is just as well as after a couple of months of doing 10 miles+ a day it required constant fettling to keep it running smoothly. I'd not got much confidence it in lasting the winter so it was replaced with the Airnimal which is in my experience much better suited to doing longer distances.

[b]The plus points:[/b]

It's as close to a 'proper' bike as you'll get for a folder as the larger 24" wheels make a difference when you're doing decent mileage. It seems to be pretty well made - I've done 4500 miles in just over a year on mine with only a new headset, chain and a couple of Rohloff oil changes to keep it running smoothly. It's pretty light, even with the rear gear hub and bits are easily upgradable - on the smaller folding bikes a lot of components are custom and not so easily replaced.

To fold is really simple as said above - for the train it's '1st fold' - a case of whipping out the front wheel, undoing a couple of quick releases and pulling the seatpost up. It's about another 30 seconds to fold completely and stuff into it's bag for the back of the car etc. If you were going by bus then I can't see it being a problem carrying it on in it's bag and then unfolding at work. I'd recommend having a play with one if you can before buying one though as they don't fold down as small as a Dahon/Brompton etc...

[b]The minuses: [/b]

They're not cheap. The base level Joey is about £800 I think and goes up from there. I got mine second hand thankfully and it's worth keeping an eye on ctc / ebay as they do come up for sale occasionally. Whilst folding is easy, because of the wheel size it's not that small when fully folded. It's not the prettiest bike in the world but then most folding bikes are fugly! Can't think of much more wrong with it though...

If you're in or around London or Sussex/Kent borders then you're more than welcome to come and have a closer look.

I've also heard good things about Bike Fridays. Again they're more of a 'proper' bike than happens to fold, rather than a pure folding bike (if that makes any sense)...

Oh and:

Kamel, does folding the Airnimal involve taking the wheels off? I searched but never found a video of its folding mechanism on the web...

Yup. You pull the front wheel out and then the rear wheel pivots to sit in the front forks. The bag you get with it has a pocket for the wheel or, like me, you can just carrying a bungee cord with you to make sure it doesn;t fall over when stood on the train and just loop it through to the bike.

If you're in Gloucester, you might want to try out the 'folding bike shop' at Bath station (especially if you're going to Bath anyway). I've not been there myself but a friend from work got a half price mezzo there at the end of it's season, apparently they're very helpful...