Folding bikes

[martinriches]

I have had a Dahon speed 6 for about 3 years, cost about £230 .I have done a lot of miles on it and am very pleased with it. It is quite heavy but has 20'' wheels and good brakes.I have replaced the pedals apart from that no problems.

Martin

 

[trouville]

Re: Anybody tried a Strida? nm

/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Yes i had two of them interesting the first broke a plastic tube join the second lasted longer and looking like triangle with wheels helped to meet others

Not a succsses as when the carrier has any weight on it and i got off it tipped backwards so i couldent park it with shopping on to take a coffee without first unloading it!!

I thought they stopped makeing them in about 1988/9 ????

There was another problem if it wasent quite together it would wobble into a heap!! It was great fun i had two of them but my Dahon was by far the best!!!

Im sure the Bromptons more practical??? But they look so awful?? at least i think so??? I still have my Dahon with 3 speed hub gears which would castrate you if there wher a cross bar! on the dahon when they slip i just wobbel all over the palce or fall off if im climing a hill!!!!

Luckly its gear cable has broken and its stuck in top gear which dosent slip

Im really going to have to change the back wheel and chain for a single gear but then ive been saying that sinve 1994!!!

 

[Barry777]

Couldn't agree more.....the Brompton is a vg road bike - and far simpler to set up than a full size bike. I use it to cycle to work in London - 6 miles each way - on both road and canal towpath, and in emergencies it can be taken on bus/train when folded. It also stows on board easily when on extended cruising. Expensive, yes but I've got my money back in saving on fares.

 

[vyv_cox]

If you can fit wheels and saddles to a mountain bike faster than this guy this guy you can get a job in Ferrari's pit crew!

 

[aknight]

Another vote for Dahon. I on on my second Vitesse D2 (the first having been taken by thieving scum) and would not change it. I commute on it (five miles), but also use it to get to the boat (cycling it to the station, folding it up for the train from London to Southampton - which isn't always necessary depenidng on space and the train company's policy - and cycling on from Southapton Central to the marina).

Costs around £400 if you shop around and folds/unfolds in well under one minute. Not as light as a Brompton but that's reflected in the price. I prefer the 20" wheels to the 16" that you tend to see around on Bromptons, brings the riding experience a little bit closer to that you would have on a full-sized bike. I am NOT a fit cyclist, but have done the run from Portsmouth to Southampton via Lee and Bursledon a few times without difficulty, so these are pretty capable bikes if you are talking about using them on roads or on good tracks and of course they open up your mobility no end when you moor up at your destination.

If you do go for a 'branded' bike like Dahon or Brompton, be aware that they are hugely desirable to the criminal fraternity, with high resale values. Be sure to insure it (just a few quid per month) and consider datatagging it, as I have - Datatag sell home-fit kits via the web, just run a google search.

 

[Steve_N]

And another vote for Dahon here.. The market leader by a long way, and very well supported here in the UK by Cyclemotion.

We have a pair of Dahon SpeedPros living in the shed (sorry, forecabin) although these are towards the upper end of the market at about £800 each. Our other hobby is cycling though, so we can justify that expense. Well designed and expensively equipped bikes.

The Speedpro is almost as good as a full-blown racing bike, but there's a Dahon available at almost every price level. Oh and as a Dahon owner you'll have another forum to frequent: Dahon forum