Folder vs road bike?

mkchu84

When I start my new job in September I'm going to have to start using the train for part of my commute. I've been trying to decide between getting a little folding bike or getting a second, cheapish, roady to leave at the train station. I'm not a fan of riding in a really upright position so at the moment i'm leaning towards getting a cheap roady.

Any opinions/advice?

prawny

A folder isn't going to get nicked! 8)

How far will you be riding either side of the train?

stuaff

mkchu84 wrote:

When I start my new job in September I'm going to have to start using the train for part of my commute. I've been trying to decide between getting a little folding bike or getting a second, cheapish, roady to leave at the train station. I'm not a fan of riding in a really upright position so at the moment i'm leaning towards getting a cheap roady.

Any opinions/advice?

Not all folders have an upright riding position (and drop conversions are an option for many of those anyway). My Dahons are both flat bar, but neither are exactly slow (apart from me being on them). You would in many respects get more for your money with a road bike though...

Aidy

I'd say it's pretty dependant on how far you have to ride either side of the train journey.

For shorter distances, I'd be inclined to go for a folder, as much as I hate the riding position.

Mikelyons

Hi

I would make a couple of points

Folders such as Dahon/Brompton can be relatively expensive (about £650 for the Brompton) but do hold their value.

I bought a Brompton secondhand for £400 3 years ago & sold it for a profit last year - so it only cost me for the normal maintenance items (tyres, chain, new sprockets)

For a short ride I found the Brompton to be a match for a road bike, especially in traffic.

You also save time with the Brompton if you can fold it up & bring it into your workplace instead of locking it up outside.

If you do go for a cheap roady- I would factor in the cost of a decent lock & chain if you're going to leave it overnight. I would also replace any quick-release fittings to ensure wheels & saddle do not 'disappear'

mcmullej

I had been commuting until today on my 'Sunday best'.

Commuting on a Spec Roubaix is a joy, but it was beginning to suffer a little excess wear and tear.

In anticipation of the winter being even harder on my pride and joy, I bought a new bike just for the purpose of commuting.

I looked at a lot of different options but in the end went for a Cadenza Solo.

It's a single speed, no-suss, folding mountain bike with slightly odd looking bull bars.

The folding process is not Brompton-esque. Needs alan-key and a few minutes.

The ride position is not bad at all. Nicely stretched-out. This morning was first time commuting on it. Doesn't really compare to the Roubaix, but it never was. All in all, very happy with my Solo... so far.

dilemna

For the journey you anticipate a Brompton is the only real option if you want to take the bike on a train. You certainly won't be allowed to take any other bike on during rush hour IME. Most train companies exclude bike carriage during peak hours but the Brompton is excluded. They fit neatly into luggage racks or between seats. They can be folded or unfolded in seconds without anything so much as a chainset sticking out to injure another commuter. They can sit quietly in the corner of an office or under your desk. Every one has a slightly different body geometry. You don't say what yours is but Bromptons carry a remarkably wide variety of body sizes and shapes. The Brompton is simply the best thing I have ever bought and will likely ever buy. It paid for itself in the first year in savings on parking costs. It continues to save me money. Plus I love riding it, just as much as my other non-folding road bikes.

The Rookie

Depends on the train station, go into Marylebone over the weekend and there are hundreds if not thousands of bikes waiting for the commuters to arrive on the Monday, they are on the platform side so 'less insecure' than they could be. Most are cheapish and cheerfulsih so as not to attract to much attention.

Simon

mkchu84

Thanks for all of the replies. I'll be commuting between Bristol & Cardiff with about a 4 mile ride either side of the train leg. Both stations have bike racks on the platform side of the barriers so I thought it would be a bit safer.

I've only got a budget of a bout £300 at the moment. In terms of folding bikes I was looking at the dahon speed d7 and on the normal bike side, i was thinking about the carrera subway zero single speed. I'd probably add drop bars to both if possible.

ex-pat scot

For a 4 mile ride, a folder would be ideal.

£300 won't get you the best of them though.

I'm a Brompton disciple.

Any chance of "doubling your budget" using Cycle-2-work scheme?

I got mine through Halfords scheme (you can if you know how), and it was a great deal.

Roougers

I had a 5 month stint over the winter of commuting about 3 or so miles in London and bought a Dahon Vitesse for about £230 in a sale with £100 or so off. Spot on with the resale value, I only lost about 30 quid when I sold it on Ebay when I moved back to Scotland which I reckon is good Value.

The only drawback with the Dahon was how chunky it was on the bus/tube, but it was superb on the train, and the ride was excellent even when I got caught in the snow!

mkchu84

I think I might take a tour of the LBSs on the weekend to have another look at some of the folders. I think I'm looking for a good ride rather than the smallest folded size possible. As long as I can take it on the train. Any other suggestions on the budget end of the folding market?

Roougers

I bought mine in Fudges, knew nothing about the place, but was very impressed with the knowledge on the Dahon range and foldy bikes in general, they serviced it for me FOC as well about a month or so before I sold it which was decent too. Mine served a purpose and never let me down.