Folding bikes - yes or no

secretsam

You all know where I stand :evil:

But what about you?

t4tomo

Get over it

tardington

I like 'em!

They have a certain panache, and there are a lot of nice ladies riding them!

Plust teh practical! And Bromptons, mmm. How difficult is the foldyness btw?

John the Monkey

Don't like 'em personally - I wouldn't ride one normally, and would rather resent it if I had to get one once I start my inter-modal commute.

richk

I have no need for one. But if I did (say for commuting purposes), then I'd buy one tomorrow.

Drfabulous0

Great Idea, practical, but for me they are horrible to ride, hence I abstain.

DavidTQ

I wouldnt write them off without having tried one, but I have no need for a folding bike and I dont like the look of them...

rampax

I have two.
A Brompton - when I need to combine with train journeys
And a Dahon Jack, for better performance on my long commute, but with the bonus of being able to fold up and store in the server room.

The Brompton is a quality peice of engineering, much more than the Dahon, but I wouldnt use it for a long ride.
That said its just SO handy for multi modal transportation.

t4tomo

tardie wrote:

I like 'em!

They have a certain panache, and there are a lot of nice ladies riding them!

Plust teh practical! And Bromptons, mmm. How difficult is the foldyness btw?

Its quicker to fold / unfold than locking up bike at the railway staition.

jedster

I do 10 miles then train then 2 miles and I already had an old rigid mtb which was a great candidate for a singlespeed city bike so it made more sense to have a road bike for the long leg and use the old bike in town. If I had a 3 mile train 2 mile commute, I'd have got a brompton. They do seem to be quicker to fold than it takes to lock up a bike.

Clever Pun

I want to get one as they're fun to ride... Once I've got my bike shed sorted I'll be looking to expand my cycle empire mwhahaha

TheFoolio888

I was thinking about getting one of these to commute with for a while...

http://www.montaguebikes.co.uk/proddeta ... prod=para1

Decided against it in the end though due to being a bit pricey for the odd time that I might want to put it on the bus....namely Friday night after work

Anyone got any experience of them?

batch78

No no no was unfortunate enough to see adam hart davis riding one last night on tv which has possibly altered my perspective a little though!
http://www.adam-hart-davis.org/ then look in the 'Who am I' section. Why?

saveswalking

I've got a slight aversion to anything convertable e.g. tables/chairs/fairgrounds

well some convertable things - lofts are ok

sw

Crapaud

I've never ridden one, but wouldn't mind giving it a go; they look like fun!

rampax wrote:

I have two.
A Brompton - when I need to combine with train journeys
And a Dahon Jack, for better performance on my long commute, but with the bonus of being able to fold up and store in the server room.

The Brompton is a quality peice of engineering, much more than the Dahon, but I wouldnt use it for a long ride.
That said its just SO handy for multi modal transportation.

[curious] Why not? I've seen them (well 1) on audax rides

squired

My journey to work is a bit of a hassle. Trains are at bad times for walking (20 minute walk from the station) in the morning, and to get the one home in the evening I have to run the whole way in my work clothes.

If I walk and get the train I can be door-door in 55 minutes.
If I cycle the whole way I can be door-door (including changing from cycling gear into work gear) in an hour.
If I get the train and use my folding bike I can do door to door in 40-45 minutes, and am no longer tied to certain trains (instead I now get off at the station before, which is served far more frequently).

So, in the right situation I think they are a godsend. My bike is a Dahon Speed by the way. It feels fast and good when you ride it, although I don't think you are actually going anywhere near as fast as it feels.

secretsam

OK, will shut up now, have just been forced to get a topic locked 'cos I stirred things up, don't want this going the same way :oops:

Apols to you foldies if I've offended, they just don't do it for me, and some folks at Marylebone are a little inconsiderate in their use of them

rampax

I have ridden my Brommie on a 25 mile ride, (at my girlfreinds pace), and I had no problems.
There are several reason I wouldnt use it for a long ride (through choice):

1: I have 2 "proper" bikes
2: The back end of the Brommie can be a bit bouncy when you get a good rhythm going.
3: It can be too jolty on potholed roads, due to its small wheels
4: Not enough gears
5: Requires more effort to ride at a consistently high speed

At the end of the day, the bike is GREAT at what its designed for. After all, you wouldnt go mountain biking on your lightweight racer would you?
Its all about the right tool for the job in hand.
I would NEVER sell it.

Crapaud

rampax wrote:

I have ridden my Brommie on a 25 mile ride, (at my girlfreinds pace), and I had no problems.
There are several reason I wouldnt use it for a long ride (through choice):

1: I have 2 "proper" bikes
2: The back end of the Brommie can be a bit bouncy when you get a good rhythm going.
3: It can be too jolty on potholed roads, due to its small wheels
4: Not enough gears
5: Requires more effort to ride at a consistently high speed

At the end of the day, the bike is GREAT at what its designed for. After all, you wouldnt go mountain biking on your lightweight racer would you?
Its all about the right tool for the job in hand.
I would NEVER sell it.

Thanks. Makes sense.

Gavin Weeks

Mine doesn't fold so well

Professorlandslide

My folder handles like my raleigh burner used to, with the advantage of being able to sit down and do 30mph downhill in traffic . Comfy thanks to the addition of On-One Midge bars giving lots of riding positions.

And it fits under my desk at work, and my GF lets me keep it indoors :roll: I wouldnt ride a brompton though, how do you stop the back end folding under when you get air off speed bumps?

t4tomo

Professorlandslide wrote:

I wouldnt ride a brompton though, how do you stop the back end folding under when you get air off speed bumps?

It unfolds itself as you land. Not a problem. The suspension block even cushions the landing.