Advice on new folding bike

fnegroni

I am going to need a new folding bike soon.

I have one but it is not suitable for commutes of over 10 miles. Perfectly happy to ride a 16" wheels folding bike with lots of flex in cenetral London at rush hour, but I am looking at hillier routes now and potentially 12 miles + each way.

I have a few in mind, and suddenly I looked at the Giant HalfWay which seems really nice with its monostay fork and rear triangle.

What are they like to ride?

My other option was a Dahon Mu XL Sport. How does the Giant Halfway compare?

thanks for any replies.

Sailorchick

My husband recently got a Dahon Expresso (folder with 26'' wheels) and loves it. His commute is just shy of 7 miles each way. No experience of the bikes you mentioned but his Dahon is quite nice.

fnegroni

Thanks. I looked into 26" folding bikes but I don't think they would be allowed at peak times on the trains in and out of London.
Must check though because a 26 inch folder would be a lot more comfortable on a long commute.
Mind you, a 16 inch folder has outstanding acceleration off the line in central London!

richred_uk

I've got a Dahon Espresso and I'm doing 16.2 miles each way on it right now but that really does seem to be about it's limit and I'm going to get a 'proper' roadie for doing the full commute on.

Where in London would you have to take it? I wouldn't recommend it at all for the tube or the central london overland stations - it folds in half rather than folding tiny like a Brompton type, and that's a bit too bulky to easily lug around (and certainly First Capital Connect don't officially allow it on their rush hour trains). I used to come into New Southgate with it with no problems, but I wouldn't want to come much further in than Finsbury Park.

fnegroni

Thanks for the advice.

I will commute on the Reading-Paddington line or the Reading-Waterloo line.
Then cycle from Richmond to Shephers Bush (about 6 miles).

Hopefully will never need to take a bike to central London again when the cycle hire scheme is introduced.

A 20 inch folding bike can take the journey, so it is more down to whether anyone had experience of the Giant halfway which seems unique in having a monostay fork and rear triangle.

Also, if you used the Dahon XL Sport or a similar one, do you have any tips on what to look out for?

rb1956

I commute on a Swift Folder, but I'm not sure how relevant my experience is, because I don't have a multi-mode journey, and very rarely fold it. However, my advice would be to buy a "20 inch" folder. On a decent frame, and with properly selected gears, a 20 inch rides just fine and I really don't think you need to bother with any of the larger-wheeled folders. My longest commute is 19km (about 12 miles) each way over hilly terrain, and I've never found myself wishing for bigger wheels for that journey, or even for 200km Audax rides. I also find the shorter overall length of the bike, compared to 26+ inch bikes, a real advantage in commuting, and in storage at home.

Actually folding my bike doesn't make a lot of sense in Sydney, even when I do take the train for a portion of the route. Cityrail allows any bike on their trains at any time, merely insisting that you buy a child's ticket for it between 6.00am and 9.00am or 3.30pm and 7.30pm on weekdays. There was talk of allowing folded bikes to travel free during peak hours, but nothing seems to have happened. The ferries don't charge for bikes, but you're more at the mercy of the "discretion" of the crew as to whether they'll let you on. Having a smaller bike helps here. The inter-city Countrylink trains are notoriously bike-hostile, so the less said about them the better.

richred_uk

There's a review of 5 folding bikes in this month's Cycle Active - they didn't really rate the Giant Halfway, but it might be worth having a read to see if their downsides would match yours.

stuaff

20" folders, provided you get the right one, are more than acceptable for long commutes and weekend riding. I've done 80+ mile days on my Jetstream without bother- slower than my road bikes, but it is somewhat heavier (and same for the Cadenza, btw). Swifts are a bit hard to come by in the UK, but they do get great right ups, including from one or two owners of my acquaintance.

fnegroni

Thanks for the replies.

I am now eying the Vitesse P18...

shouldbeinbed

I have an old shape Birdy Blue and have done thousands of miles on it over the years, I live on the edge of the pennines and it eats the miles hilly or flat. I had a Red before that. I tested a few different folders both times I bought and Birdies were the best and most comfortable riding bikes.

I've had panniers and a child trailer on the blue & I've regularly done long rides, charity do's, Manchester to Blackpool on it.

Its a decent fold, never had a problem on the train and IMO the best compromise between a good riding bike and a secent foled size.


The drawback, seems to be Riese and Muller are increasingly flaky on their supplies and customer service to the dealers.