Folding Bikes, options?

[PaulR]

Son is bike addict and has just ordered horribly expensive titanium Brompton, by contrast I am tempted to buy pair of decathalon by folders which will cost about a third of his Brompton , for the pair. Why? Whatever we choose will be occasional use only and will live on board but the cost of Brompton means my view of theft risk is that they are too attractive to the dishonest that to leave them visible and locked is high risk, son states his will not be left instead he says he will wheel it round shops and take it inside always, what a hassle hence my view that inexpensive less likely to be stolen if ok lock used and should it happen much smaller money loss

 

[fredrussell]

I suppose someone should say that if you buy a Brompton at least you are supporting a British company. Interestingly, Dahon have just won a court case wherein they were accused by Brompton of copying their fold design. Dahon won, but to my eye they probably shouldn’t have!

 

[Plum]

Another fan of Brompton!

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

 

[Momac]

I have two Bickerton folding bikes - which we use occasionally and fit nicely in my lazarette. Seem good quality.
http://www.bickertonportables.co.uk/bikes/junction/junction-1607-country/
No doubt Brompton are the make of choice - lighter and fold down much smaller - but much more expensive.

 

[Mikedefieslife]

Birdy fan here. Small wheeled bikes need suspension to smooth out the ride, especially on the types of roads cruisers are likely to face. That being said, the cost does make them prohibitive unless you plan to do some touring on them too.

 

[kalanka]

I too have a basic Strida. Have found it entirely satisfactory and perfectly stowable on a 34 foot boat. Not good for steep uphills but terrific for everything else.

In the Caribbean it attracted many shouts from local Rastas " Cool bike man!" You may regard this as a a disadvantage.....

 

[Yellow Ballad]

I suppose someone should say that if you buy a Brompton at least you are supporting a British company.

It'll probably get me shot but I don't really have any loyalty to any british manufacturers I would much prefer to buy a good quality product at my price point manufactured anywhere in the world from a small independent retailer rather then a large one.

But if it's a good product, British and you can afford it, great.

I must say internal geared hub is winning the spec list so far, derailleurs get knocked and bent so easily.

 

[Yellow Ballad]

Thanks to the Strida owners on their first hand advice. I think I'll rule it out, the quirkiness might actually attract a thief and if they're odd to ride the novelty might wear off quickly.

Cool though.

 

[GrahamD]

We have two Phillips folding bikes which we bought second hand on Gumtree. They cost about £80 each, and were in great condition. They are rebranded Dahon with 20" wheels and 3-speed Sturmey Archer gears and they have proved very successful. With only 3-speeds we sometimes spend a bit of time walking up hills looking at the view, but we have travelled far and wide on them, and they cope with rough surfaces quite well.

They fit inside our cockpit locker and at the price we paid for them we are a lot more relaxed about leaving them locked up than if we had shelled out for Bromptons.

A few weeks ago I was able to compare our bikes with an old 3 speed Brompton, which had 16" wheels. To be honest I couldn't find a big difference between the two makes when riding. The Brompton frame was a bit stiffer, but the bigger wheels of the Dahon made for a better ability to handle bumps etc. The Brompton is better engineered and does fold down a lot smaller, but in terms of bangs for bucks, our secondhand Dahons win hands down.

 

[Mikedefieslife]

I must say internal geared hub is winning the spec list so far, derailleurs get knocked and bent so easily.

IGH is heavy though, and backwards pedalling to activate the internal rear brake takes some getting used. Still, you've got to love the buttery smooth gear shifts.

To be fair, you can't go wrong with any decent Dahon, Terne, Brompton, or Birdy. It mostly just depends on priorities. e.g. smaller fold, better handling, longer distance touring, use of standard parts, theft appeal. etc..

 

[bedouin]

I must say internal geared hub is winning the spec list so far, derailleurs get knocked and bent so easily.

I have the Nexus 7 gear internal and it is brilliant. No dirty gears to knock or dirty your clothes - the changing is good and around town it is nice to be able to change gear while stationary.

 

[Mikedefieslife]

Afine 8 hub here. If only I could afford a Rohloff.

The real winning would be an IGH with belt drive. Ok you lose some efficiency, but it is a nice clean simple setup.

Unfortunately it costs mega bucks, and I can't have one on mine due to the way the back wheel folds under the bike.

If I was looking for a bike just to pop to the shops/supermarket. I would have gone for the Dahon Mu uno. Single speed belt drive. A nice light agile bike. The main compromise being the Dahon fold, and the extra work rate on any inclines.

 

[bedouin]

Afine 8 hub here. If only I could afford a Rohloff.

The real winning would be an IGH with belt drive. Ok you lose some efficiency, but it is a nice clean simple setup.

Unfortunately it costs mega bucks, and I can't have one on mine due to the way the back wheel folds under the bike.

If I was looking for a bike just to pop to the shops/supermarket. I would have gone for the Dahon Mu uno. Single speed belt drive. A nice light agile bike. The main compromise being the Dahon fold, and the extra work rate on any inclines.

Mine has a conventional chain, but covered with a flexible plastic cover that keeps it clean - very useful in a commuter bike.

 

[Joker]

I have a Montague full size folding bike, which is the d+g's b+ll+cks. The front wheel comes off and then you fold the frame. It takes at least 30 seconds to assemble. I carry it without any problem on a thirty footer.

https://www.montaguefoldingbikes.co.uk/collections/pavement-bikes

 

[SlowlyButSurely]

Another vote for the Brompton. If you want to do any serious cycling on a folding bike you will ultimately end up with one so you might as well save yourself a lot of trouble and money buy one in the first place.

 

[Yellow Ballad]

I'm still to pop to the LBS to have a look at the Bromptons but specing one on the website made me fall over, looking on eBay they're fetching more then I paid for my Cannondale road bike that was only a few years old when I bought it!

The folding bike will only really be used to visit places when I'm on the boat, run to the shops, attraction, train station to get home. I couldn't imagine I'll be cycling more then 20 miles in one trip. I would like to try belt drive but again, I think this will bump up the cost and with chain drive you're going to get spares pretty much anywhere.

The Terns and Dahons seems like they'll suit my needs but if I love it that much maybe i'll save my pennies for the Brompton .

 

[TonyMS]

We ride a collection of Birdys (ancient), Dahons and a Giant Halfway. We ride quite a lot of miles, and all the have required quite a lot of maintenance. Of these, I'd say the Birdys are best, but new or even newish prices are silly. We got ours for £300 each.

For a lightweight British bike, this looks interesting - http://www.ecosmobike.com/products/...ding-bicycle-bike-12kg-on-sale15-off-105.html. They only sell direct and through eBay, so I don't know how to try one.

Tony MS

 

[johnalison]

The folding bike will only really be used to visit places when I'm on the boat, run to the shops, attraction, train station to get home. I couldn't imagine I'll be cycling more then 20 miles in one trip. I would like to try belt drive but again, I think this will bump up the cost and with chain drive you're going to get spares pretty much anywhere.

That shows one of the problems with seeking advice here, since not everyone follows your example in describing their normal pattern of use. We are not all superfit and wanting to cycle 30 miles at racing speed, or wanting to confine ourselves to short shopping runs. I think that most of my usage is for those shopping jobs that are really once-a-day walks on foot, say half an hour each way, but I do like to get out into the countryside at times, even on ground that is a bit rough. I would advise anyone at a loss what to choose to buy a modest bike which is easy to stow for shopping, and consider hiring road bikes as and when needed for the epic trips. We have hired bikes anywhere from Guernesy to Swinoujscie and they are increasingly available, sometimes free in marinas.

 

[dunedin]

The small wheel size, as well as the price, put us off Brompton’s. Weight is a key factor. We weighed before purchase. And as ours often travel perched on a rubber dinghy low cost was a factor as quite likely to end up as fish food at some juncture.

Ended up with a Halfords branded Dahon made bike, which was excellent reduced to £200 - but no longer sold.

 

[dgadee]

I have a Dahon on board. Takes up a lot of space. Just bought two 2nd hand Bromptons. Dahon going home for Gumtree.