Folding bike recommendations

hakko

Hello

Any recommendations for a folding bike? I'm looking for something like a Brompton with those roller wheels on the back, so when you fold it you can pull it along like a trolley. But Bromptons are expensive

The budget is £250 - £300.

Also why are Bromptons made of steel and not aluminium? Surely lighter the better?

Thanks in advance for replies!

Clever Pun

titanium brompton WTF....

I think dahon do a few of that type, I wouldn't expect it to be light at that price though

hakko

I saw that Brompton, but only the forks are Ti.

Yahraas

I would recemmend a brompton...but for me I wasn't concerned with weight. Afterall, they are so easy to fold you don't tend to carry them far.

Basic steel one, straight handlebar, 3 speed, decent saddle, in a nice bright colour.

Wizzbike.com in Brentford are an excellent place to buy.

biondino

Hakko, a friend of mine sells Bromptons - he's in the north-east but I'm sure in this modern world that doesn't prevent anything. I'll PM you the details in case he still has second-hand ones in stock. He specialises in folders so he'll have other brands too.

biondino

Gah - I have deleted the details I had. Google "Norman Fay Cycles" and give him a call - he's Norman Junior.

lizro

I would get a Bromptom - my husband has one and it is really good ( I want one!) - they are expensive but worth the money. Are you going to use it for work? If you are, you could try and get it through the Cycle to Work scheme, which sounds really good. I've just been to induction today as I have started a new job - this is with the NHS - and asked the HR person - who came to tell us all about the benefits of working with her organisation - about the 'cycle to work scheme 'and she has got back to me saying that it was 'mooted sometime ago but not considered viable for this organisation and, therefore, is not available.' which I think is appalling. But not all employers are this...narrow minded, hopefully!

ansbaradigeidfran

As for the steel vs. aluminium issue, steel is more rigid that aluminium. So in order to make an aluminium frame rigid enough, you may have to use so much more of the lighter aluminium that you'd be better off sticking to steel. All the more so with folding bicycles, as they don't have the usual 'diamond' frame.

£300 could get you some of the low-end bikes that dahon make, I remember my LBS quoting a 26" Dahon folder at £300, with some 20"s cheaper. Sadly, I wanted a full sisze folder with a mile high saddle for £150, so I went cheap and Chinese. It's heavy, but it folds and rolls.

hakko

Thanks for the replies and thankd Biondino.

I did see a Brompton for £250 2nd hand, but it went within hours.

I don't know why there aren't more folding bikes with the roller wheels. Do brompton have a patent on them?

hakko

Raleigh Parkway Lite?

Pluses:
*Aluminium frame
*Hub gears
*Just under £200

I like the hub gears, neat and tidy.

pintoo

I have a Dahon Jetstream P8. Pretty good, but over-specced and so heavy. Also has a downside in that the frame doesn't have the Dahon magnet-locks to hold it together when folded. However, a pretty nice bike. If I had my time again, I would probably go for the (much cheaper) Dahon Speed P8, partly because it's Cro-mo 4130 (my Jetstream's Alu). The Speed weighs less and has comparable components for half the price. If your employer does a cycle to work scheme, you can get it for about £250.

I think only the Bromptons and Mezzos have that ultra-foldable and roll-along feature, but the Dahons are good value. Another reasonable option is the Giant Halfway (the full fat version, not the "lite")

stuaff

pintoo wrote:

I have a Dahon Jetstream P8. Pretty good, but over-specced and so heavy. Also has a downside in that the frame doesn't have the Dahon magnet-locks to hold it together when folded. However, a pretty nice bike. If I had my time again, I would probably go for the (much cheaper) Dahon Speed P8, partly because it's Cro-mo 4130 (my Jetstream's Alu). The Speed weighs less and has comparable components for half the price. If your employer does a cycle to work scheme, you can get it for about £250.

I think only the Bromptons and Mezzos have that ultra-foldable and roll-along feature, but the Dahons are good value. Another reasonable option is the Giant Halfway (the full fat version, not the "lite")

Er, the Speed P8's nearly a kilo and a half heavier than the Jetstream P8. Comparable components, indeed, though.

There's always eBay, where I got both of mine.....