Folding bikes

philips56
philips56 Posts: 7
edited May 2018 in Commuting general
I'm new to cycling. I bought a bike because I started a job just a couple of miles from my house but I sold the bike because I live in a flat and I found it too heavy to lug up and down the stairs.

So I'm thinking about buying a folding bike because it'd be alot easier to get up and down stairs, but I''ve seen some pictures of folding bikes that have supposedly snapped in two. So that's making me think twice about buying one. Is that daft? Is it not really something worth worrying about? I've got my eye on the Carrerra Intercity Folding bike.

Comments

  • ricky_h-2
    ricky_h-2 Posts: 119
    Bikes that fold in the middle have a structural stress point on that joint. Having had one fail on me mid ride I would never use one again.
    My advice is to get a Brompton, you'll only buy once that way and they last. There's a thread on commuter chat discussing them in greater detail
  • figbat
    figbat Posts: 680
    Is weight or size the issue? A folder won't necessarily help you with weight, but will be less unwieldy. If it's weight then a decent road or hybrid bike should be easy enough to carry upstairs.
    Cube Reaction GTC Pro 29 for the lumpy stuff
    Cannondale Synapse alloy with 'guards for the winter roads
    Fuji Altamira 2.7 for the summer roads
    Trek 830 Mountain Track frame turned into a gravel bike - for anywhere & everywhere
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    A Brompton is bomb proof. I'd not choose it for weight though - my road bikes are much lighter but cumbersome getting up and down stairs.
  • TheGardenGnome
    TheGardenGnome Posts: 170
    Unless you're a heavy weight (i.e. weigh over 105kg), Bommies are the way to go, pointless to get anything else.

    They maintain their value
    The parts are standard and easy to get hold of
    Well built/sturdy
    Chick magnets (of the nerdy sort)
    Fold the bestest of any two wheeler
    Quick on the start

    Everyone is getting them now, join the trend.
  • philips56
    philips56 Posts: 7
    It's actually more the size of the bike that's the issue than the weight but I really couldn't justify spending £1000 on a Brompton when I can walk to work for free or drive for pennies in petrol.

    I will probably just try and find a second hand road bike or hybrid that's as light as possible. It will still be unwieldy but at least the reduction in weight will make a difference in carrying it up stairs.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    You can buy a Brompton keep it for years and not lose much money at all.
  • jakejhonson44
    jakejhonson44 Posts: 18
    I would suggest to buy the regular ones instead. Malfunctions are inevitable and it'd be a problem to blend with the crowd when that happens and in additional, you can find traditional bikes cheaper than folding bike prices.
  • ricky_h-2
    ricky_h-2 Posts: 119
    Brompton are expensive to buy up front but they last years. If you use the bus/tube/train/taxi at all, sub out the cost of those journeys when you can bike instead and total up how much you can save. It might get you further down the line than you think, mine has paid me back many times over.
    You can spread the cost of one over 12 months at certain vendors which helps
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,266
    single speed with flat top tube and learn to carry it on your right shoulder like CX racers do... super easy... much easier than a folding and less hassle. Foldings are really only good if you need to catch a train or a bus
    left the forum March 2023
  • TheGardenGnome
    TheGardenGnome Posts: 170
    Bought a Brompton for ~£1000.
    Resale value maybe £700.
    I lose £300 via depreciation or age, etc...
    I make that back easily in half a year by just using the bike because of fuel savings. So by the end of one year I have a £700 asset and made some savings...

    This is how I see it for my position, I don't know if it applies for you as much as it is your journey and money so you can judge best. No bike makes me smile apart from that clown bike though!
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    Yes once you have the folding bike you can find more uses for it than you think. Who needs the train when you can bike it ?
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    jakejhonson44 wrote:
    I would suggest to buy the regular ones instead. Malfunctions are inevitable and it'd be a problem to blend with the crowd when that happens and in additional, you can find traditional bikes cheaper than folding bike prices.

    Blend with the crowd ? Who wants to do that ?
  • philips56
    philips56 Posts: 7
    So I guess Bromptons aren't going to snap in two because of the way they fold?
  • jakejhonson44
    jakejhonson44 Posts: 18
    Fenix wrote:
    jakejhonson44 wrote:
    I would suggest to buy the regular ones instead. Malfunctions are inevitable and it'd be a problem to blend with the crowd when that happens and in additional, you can find traditional bikes cheaper than folding bike prices.

    Blend with the crowd ? Who wants to do that ?

    As I travel 23 miles a day, from home to work and vice versa, and passing the town with a huge number of crowd. There's no choice. I didn't want it but I have to deal with it.

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