Folding bike ? Not too expensive

part time waster

Hi. I am after a folding bike. Brompton are too expensive . I have looked on ebay at Dahon , Tern and a BMW mini folder , also a Btwin. Am I missing any other reasonable brands ?
For occasional use , didn't want a big heavy thing, around 20 inch wheel version , maybe 6 gears . It is for my wife to potter about on during holidays
Thanks.

kingrollo

part time waster wrote:

Hi. I am after a folding bike. Brompton are too expensive . I have looked on ebay at Dahon , Tern and a BMW mini folder , also a Btwin. Am I missing any other reasonable brands ?
For occasional use , didn't want a big heavy thing, around 20 inch wheel version , maybe 6 gears . It is for my wife to potter about on during holidays
Thanks.

I have the tern - it was on offer for a tad over £400 at evans. It saves me £22 a month in parking - so has already paid for itself.

Its a joy to ride - and folds really quickly. The fold isnt that small - not an issue for me as it is in and out of the car. If you want to hump it on public transport I would look for something smaller.

Dont go too cheap - a work colleague brought a £150 folder...and soon got fed up with weight, cumbersome fold , and rattles....

part time waster

Thanks. I have seen a Tern A7 at Go outdoors at 400. Seems decent. I don't need to take the folder on public transport. Just leave it under the stairs.

keef66

+1 on the advice not to go too cheap. Sister and BIL bought cheap folding BSOs for their caravan. They weigh a ton, take up almost as much room as a non folding bike, and are forever needing fixing / adjusting.

I've persuaded them to buy some decent hybrids with QR front wheels

abr1966

A few years ago I was looking at getting a folder....I agree that Bromptons are expensive, although I think they are good and durable.

I bought a Dahon Mu Uno.....its a single speed as at the time I was getting a train to work and had a mostly flat 6k commute to work and back.

Its a great ride, really smooth, frame is solid when folded out and just really very impressive overall. All my mates who rode it....usually back to their houses after a few beers were impressed and shocked how smooth it rides.

Sadly its been sat in the shed for a year as I moved jobs about 3 months after I got it.

The Dahons aren't as compact as the Bromptons when folded but there's not much in it and mine takes 20 to 30 seconds to fold up or down and is very straightforward..

I'd definitely recommend it!

cougie

Good thing with the Brompton is that it holds its value. If it's not working out youve not lost much

ugo.santalucia

abr1966 wrote:

The Dahons aren't as compact as the Bromptons when folded but there's not much in it and mine takes 20 to 30 seconds to fold up or down and is very straightforward..

Under 10 sec for a Brompton...