Which Folding Bike

fnegroni

My current commuting routine sees me cycling the whole 16 miles door-to-door into central London from the outskirts almost every day (a 32 mile round trip).

On Monday morning and Friday evening I use a folding bike to ride from the office to Waterloo station, and then at the other end from the station to home. The total mileage is about 4 miles each way.

My folding bike is one of the cheapest on the market. I bought it for £90 on Amazon just over a year ago, but have only been using regularly for the past 3 months or so.

It has 6 derailer gears, 16 inch wheels, and a traditional Dahon-style folding mechanism.
The bike has been reliable but the parts are not really great in use.

The brakes are very soft and would need replacing: not just the pads, but the whole set of levers and v-brake arms.

The wheels are OK but the hubs are not the smoothest: particularly felt on uphills.
The gears are OK but could do with a smaller cog at the back: if upgrading to 7 speed, I will need a new shifter.

I already replaced the original appalling saddle with a BioFlex (worth £12), and the stock child-size pedals with some folding ones (£20)

The major problem though is the steering column: it is very wobbly, the hinge is not particularly sturdy and the latch mechanism is particularly cheap and nasty. I end up holding it together with a Velcro strap!

It is in obvious need of replacement, but what with?

A 16 inch Dahon will set me back around £500.

A 20 inch Dahon could be had for about £350 (including mudguards), but won't be as compact.

I am really attracted by the Brompton, in particular I have my eyes on the S6L.
The obvious problem there is the jump in price to the £800 region.

Second hand will save me very little judging by the latest ebay bids.

So, any advice?
Shall I spend a bit more money on the current bike? I initially thought there was no point, then I noticed, that the Brompton steering column seems to have the same bolt attachment as my folding bike: a direct replacement perhaps? How much would it cost to buy just the Brompton steering column?

Bottom line, I am trying to justify buying a Brompton when in reality a 20 inch Dahon will do the trick... but whenever I see a Brompton I can't help but feel compelled to have one!

woodford2barbican

Which folding bike.

Sorry I have nothing more to contribute.........

Jay dubbleU

Lot of people on here ride Bromptons - they seem to be fast and well built - looking on eBay they also seem to hold their value. Not sure if their parts would fit on another bike though

Pongo

I have a Dahon Speed 8. Much as I love it it is a crap fold, heavy, big, slow and greasy (if you don't grease the seat post it seizes up). Bike Fridays tikit is a great folder if you can get one.

iPete

You buy a Brompton for life don't you, so worth the expenditure!

It partly comes down to how busy your train is! The only folding bike for my train into Waterloo that wasn't going to f*ck everyone off is a Brompton, the fold is fantastic, simply genius and superbly constructed, it just works.

Go and test ride one though, the steering may seem a little wobbly, I guess thats what you get with 16inch wheels.

wgwarburton

Hi,
You can buy Brompton parts, but whether they'll fit I don't know. They say 80% of Brompton parts are specific, but it's possible you have a cheap copy.

I did manage to get a Brompton cheaply- I got very lucky. The fold is amazing, the bike is well built. I'd not hesitate to recommend it but they are expensive.

There doesn't seem to be anything that really competes, to be honest. If you want a "proper" folder it's the best available.

Sounds like money spent on your current ride would be wasted... hold out & get the Brommie. I doubt you'll regret it.

Cheers,
W.

(Is that what you wanted to hear?)

Aguila

I'd put a big recommendation in for the Mezzo, esp the 4 speed hub geared version I have. I would think that would be ideal for London, and very little maintenance. I narrowed my search down to that vs brompton. The brompton folds down a bit smaller but is awful to ride in comparison, it really feels like you should be in the circus! The Mezzo feels much more like a "normal bike".

iPete

Aguila wrote:

I'd put a big recommendation in for the Mezzo, esp the 4 speed hub geared version I have. I would think that would be ideal for London, and very little maintenance. I narrowed my search down to that vs brompton. The brompton folds down a bit smaller but is awful to ride in comparison, it really feels like you should be in the circus! The Mezzo feels much more like a "normal bike".

This is why I love my brompton, second to the fold, you feel like a big kid shooting around the city!

RyanB

I have both a Dahon Mu P8 and a Brompton.

Get the Brompton. I repeat: Get the Brompton.

The Mu is fine. It does the job, and actually rides better than the Brompton, but the size of the fold can become a pain on the train, and the hinges need tightening up every so often.

The Brompton is simply a really well made little bike that is permanently reliable. Spend the extra money. Its worth it.

phillipjohnson

+1 for the brompton... I do a 28 mile commute on mine (14 miles each way) and can't fault it. Plus if it starts raining I can just hop on the bus or train depending on how far along my journey I am.

One thing I just found out is that Brompton design all new features to be backward compatible so you're not left in a couple of years time wanting a new bike because they have added something to the current model... you can just buy the feature and stick it on your old Brompton.

They are on about some big "Project X" at the minute which they aren't saying too much about but they have promised backward compatibility... could be anything but my money would be on an electric assisted version.

wgwarburton

Hi,
Following up....

The only criticisms of the Brompton seem to be the price and the ride. I do agree that you should test ride one before buying but in my view/experience there's not much wrong with the handling at all- it's a little bit twitchy, I agree, and feels a bit funny compared to a normal bike but it's very maneuverable and surprisingly stable. You can ride no-hands, for example.
More significant is the riding position, which is very upright (I have "M" bars, so if you were to go for the "S" you'd have a bit more drop), it's hard work to push into a headwind, or maintain a brisk pace.
I don't know if any of the other folding bikes offer a better position, though. I suppose an Airnimal does, but it's not really a folder, more of a demountable.
I haven't seen any discussions on gearing. Mine has the old "Torpedo" three-speed and the ratios aren't ideal for me- the middle gear is too low and the top a bit too high, so I have to adapt my riding a bit to suit (I usually commute on a drop-bar fixed, BTW, so this isn't due to lack of gears). I guess the six-speed will mitigate this but, again, something to suss out on your test ride.
You can, of course, tailor your Brompton individually, if you're buying new, so you aren't limited to the "key" models. I'd give serious consideration to Firm suspension, if you're over 80Kg, and the longer seat post, if you are over a 33" inside leg. I'd also avoid adding anything you don't need (including gears, if you can get away without) as it will be easier to carry it folded if it's lighter. I'd love to try one of the the part-titanium "X" models, but they are seriously spendy!

Cheers,
W.

t4tomo

I have a part titanium S bars 3 speed. Its fantastic, and to be honest whilst the ride is a bit different to a full size - its decent when you get used to it.

fnegroni

Opted for a Dahon Mu P8: very pleased so far. I can fit my massive pannier bags (Altura 56 litre) and it comes with some good tyres as standard (Marathon Supreme). Plus it has all the gears I need.
I had a go on a Brompton and it was nice. But, gears didn't suit me. I am sure it's worth the money, especially if you customise it. I just don't have that kind of money now and I need a more 'disposable' sort of bike that I don't mind getting nicked or damaged in transport.
The Dahon Mu folds small enough for my needs, yet it rides like a proper bike so for that it got my votes.

Jay dubbleU

I have a Bike Friday - great ride but not a bike I'd recommend for commuting - bike is not designed for day to day folding more for packing into a car or onto an aircraft