Just ordered myself a cheapie folder

HebdenBiker

http://www.bicycles4u.com/16-6.html

I'm expecting delivery of one of these bad boys on Friday. I don't ride my 15 mile each way hilly commute as often as I'd like, but I hate using my car, so the idea is that I'll go on the train and ride the folder the two miles from the station into work, and cycle the whole way once or twice a week (on my "proper" bike!)

Yes it's cheap, yes it will be nasty to ride, but it will only be for 2.5 miles a day, and given that the train fare is cheaper than the petrol and wear and tear costs from using my car, the bike will pay for itself pretty quickly.

Oh, and if it's in any way worth it, I'd love to mod the hell out of it too

Anyone had any experience of these?

rolf_f

Hmmmmm, good luck with that. I suspect that the couple of hundred extra for this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DAHON-VITESSE ... 4cfb37b61d
would have been the best couple of hundred quid you'd ever have spent - and never mind that you can get second hand ones for a lot less.

HebdenBiker

Rolf F wrote:

Hmmmmm, good luck with that. I suspect that the couple of hundred extra for this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DAHON-VITESSE ... 4cfb37b61d
would have been the best couple of hundred quid you'd ever have spent - and never mind that you can get second hand ones for a lot less.

Yes. But I didn't want to spend a "couple of hundred extra".

pangolin

You might end up having to if you expect it to do the 2.5 miles more than once or twice.

Sorry. Things are usually stupidly cheap for a reason.

roger_merriman

pangolin wrote:

You might end up having to if you expect it to do the 2.5 miles more than once or twice.

Sorry. Things are usually stupidly cheap for a reason.

normally weight, the parts look to be functional but heavy. for that sort of distance it will do.

loads of folks commute year around on battered supermarket specials when the summer lycra lot have retired to the turbos etc.

t4tomo

exactly, its cheap, it will be adequate for that sort of distance, a bit heavy and I suspect slightly cramped rding posiion, but then its £100 notes rather than 8-10 times that for a new Brompton

craker

Any chance of leaving a bike locked up at the station? or do you cycle both ends?

I've never ridden a folder - I used to leave a hack bike at the station for the 3-4 mile blat to work though Bristol, and it was good enough to take out lunchtimes into the hills.

pangolin

t4tomo wrote:

exactly, its cheap, it will be adequate for that sort of distance, a bit heavy and I suspect slightly cramped rding posiion, but then its £100 notes rather than 8-10 times that for a new Brompton

Says the guy with the Brompton.

I hope I'm wrong HebdenBiker and your folder is a bit heavy but otherwise fine. The only supermarket special I ever owned broke after several short trips just like the one you describe. It lasted less than 20 miles total.

t4tomo

pangolin wrote:

Says the guy with the Brompton.

Indeed, I bought it about 6 years ago as I have a bike train bike commute and they fold better than anything else on the market. I got it under the old cycle to work so it "cost" me a lot less and I could afford to spend more than £100.
Just because a Brommie was right for me doesn't mean its right for everyone. It is a cracking bit of kit though and I do thoroughly recommend them.

I doubt Hebdens £100 special will still be going strong in 6 years time, but it should meet his needs for the moment.

fnegroni

I bought that exact same bike, except mine is re-badged 'pyramid', from Amazon for less than £100.
There is only one thing fundamentally wrong with that bike, which you might not be able to get a mod for: the handle post latch is abysmal.
The one you bought might have a slightly better latch system, but it will still feel very disconnected.
I once looked into swapping it out for a Brompton handle post, and initial assesment seems to indicate it is possible.

But the frame geometry makes the riding position really upright and cramped.

Still, I managed to do a grand total of near 200 miles with it (most of which in Central London). Now though it is relegated to exceptional emergency use, with the brakes and other minor parts which need replacing but would cost more than the bike itself in time and money.

I still think these bikes have a place though: if you are just trying out a new method of inter-modal transport, a 16" compact folder this cheap might just enable you to assess whether it is feasible or not. But I would recommend replacing it for a decent folding bike before this one literally breaks from under you!

HebdenBiker

Aye - I realise the bike isn't going to be a plush ride, but I can't imagine it being completely unrideable. As long as it's rideable, it will enable me to leave my car at home every day. That's got to be worth it.

veronese68

It's better than the folder in my household. I've got one of these:

But having a cheap bike that you can fold up and stick on a train or in the back of a car is really useful at times. I've used it to do an 11 mile off road pub crawl before now. My mates complained that I was too fast on a mountain bike, so I used that and still beat the lot of them up Richmond Hill.

walkingbootweather

Got a Phillips Boardwalk (Raleigh and Dahon also made versions of this) with 20inch wheels in my stable. Bought for the Mrs really but I've ridden it more than she has. Folds up small enough to fit into a car boot and rides well enough that I have done runs of up to about 15 miles at a time on it. Still a bit large and heavy for taking on public transport though. A 16 inch wheel will probably mean a more compact fold but a less stable ride. Cheaper build is likely to mean that it won't last as long but if it gives you a taste for whether or not this means of transport works for you, and does you a turn until your able to get something even more appropriate (second hand Dahons and clones can represent good value), then good luck to you.

HebdenBiker

Edit: Maths fail.

To pay for itself, it needs to last for 175 miles

veronese68

HebdenBiker wrote:

Edit: Maths fail.

To pay for itself, it needs to last for 175 miles

That's alright, 70 days use. Should mangage that I'd have thought. If you really don't get on with it sell it on Fleabay, you'll take a hit, but that'll be covered by the use you've had out of it.

HebdenBiker

Veronese68 wrote:

HebdenBiker wrote:

Edit: Maths fail.

To pay for itself, it needs to last for 175 miles

That's alright, 70 days use.

Exactly. Every day I use the bike and train I save £2 in petrol. The total cost of the bike inc delivery and bag is £140. 140/2=70 days of use. However this doesn't include the savings I will make in brake, tyre and exhaust wear, and mileage depreciation. Or in fags. I have a habit of smoking in the car on the way to and from work. No opportunity to smoke on train/platform/bike = no fags.

walkingbootweather

HebdenBiker wrote:

Edit: Maths fail.

To pay for itself, it needs to last for 175 miles

In that case do the C2C on it. Will pay for itself on one trip

rolf_f

HebdenBiker wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

Hmmmmm, good luck with that. I suspect that the couple of hundred extra for this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DAHON-VITESSE ... 4cfb37b61d
would have been the best couple of hundred quid you'd ever have spent - and never mind that you can get second hand ones for a lot less.

Yes. But I didn't want to spend a "couple of hundred extra".

That's why I mentioned second hand for a lot less. Loads of Dahons listing on ebay at low prices (not too difficult to get one for under £200 on ebay). And given that the Dahon folding is a bit annoying and the bikes rather heavy to hoik on trains, getting something with an inevitably inferior folding mech that weighs more for barely less money doesn't sound like a great purchase. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Ultimately, as you say yourself it will pay for itself in a short time - but on that basis it wouldn't take much longer for something better quality to pay for itself that will last longer and be a more pleasant experience to own.

I was going to say that the resale value of the Dahon would also be worth factoring in but, tbh, people are so daft how they value second hand bikes that your folding BSO might not depreciate any more than a Dahon so it may work out a good deal after all.......

edit; nope, I was wrong. They are worth knack all! A Bicycles4u folder used five times sold for £62 - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20-Wheel-Fold ... 43abc1e28f
For some reason, they all seem to be listed as 'used 5 times'

rjsterry

I bought a secondhand Dahon Impulse from a colleague and paid £40 - I couldn't get her to accept more than this - as it had a jammed freewheel and a few other minor faults. All problems solved for less than £70 =

It does weigh rather a lot, but it is dead handy for those days when I don't feel like a full 17 miles, but don't want to PT it all the way. I've also found it pretty easy to maintain as it's all fairly low-tech.

BTW, I understand that Dahon make the Raleigh folders, which start at about £200, and I wouldn't be surprised if the B4U ones are made in the same factory as well.

HebdenBiker

Well, it's just arrived so I'll report back once I've built it. First impressions - nearly gave myself a hernia carrying it into the house

rolf_f

I've found for getting them up steps etc, it is easiest to hold them infront of you with the saddle resting against your chest. Any asymmetrical approach generally risks a broken spine! Makes you waddle a bit but I can live with that......

pangolin

Probably just leave it at the bottom of the steps. Use it instead of a ground anchor to lock other bikes to.

rjsterry

Rolf F wrote:

I've found for getting them up steps etc, it is easiest to hold them infront of you with the saddle resting against your chest. Any asymmetrical approach generally risks a broken spine! Makes you waddle a bit but I can live with that......

+1 Like you are playing the tuba.

stuaff

walkingbootweather wrote:

Got a Phillips Boardwalk (Raleigh and Dahon also made versions of this) with 20inch wheels in my stable. Bought for the Mrs really but I've ridden it more than she has. Folds up small enough to fit into a car boot and rides well enough that I have done runs of up to about 15 miles at a time on it. Still a bit large and heavy for taking on public transport though. A 16 inch wheel will probably mean a more compact fold but a less stable ride. Cheaper build is likely to mean that it won't last as long but if it gives you a taste for whether or not this means of transport works for you, and does you a turn until your able to get something even more appropriate (second hand Dahons and clones can represent good value), then good luck to you.

That's a Dahon. Other names are just rebadging.

HebdenBiker

I gave this bike a test flight down to the shops today. I live up a steep hill so had the opportunity to test it descending at speed, and also climbing.

Yes, the riding position is - ahem - very upright, but that's the nature of these bikes and I will be able to get used to it. The gear ratio is fine for my needs, the brakes work OK and the grip shift (never used one before) works great.

The problem is that there is some play in the handlebars/head tube/heatset assembly. The handlebars move a few millimetres independently of the forks. This makes the bike feel rickety and unsafe. I am going to use the bike anyway, and perservere with this problem, but I couldn't recommend anyone else gets one of these.

I expected cheap componentry that might need replacing straight away, but I didn't expect a fundamental flaw with the frame/forks/steerer, which basically makes the bike unfit for purpose. I would not sell it on. I will ride it until it fails then it will go to the great scrapyard in the sky.

Piece of junk!

fnegroni

I did tell you!

fnegroni wrote:

I bought that exact same bike, except mine is re-badged 'pyramid', from Amazon for less than £100.
There is only one thing fundamentally wrong with that bike, which you might not be able to get a mod for: the handle post latch is abysmal.
The one you bought might have a slightly better latch system, but it will still feel very disconnected.
I once looked into swapping it out for a Brompton handle post, and initial assesment seems to indicate it is possible.

If you can find a better hinge/latch combination, or indeed swap it for a Brompton handle post, it might last longer...