A common frustration in my part of the world is that transit does not run very often, and there are only 2 spots for bikes on the front of buses. There have been many times when I’ve had to wait an extra hour just to see if the next bus happens to have a spot for my bike.
Every time this happens, I promise myself that I’m going to someday spend the money to buy a folding bike (which can be taken on the bus if it’s folded).
In my head, riding a folding bike is a joyous experience, partly because of Dr Sharon riding a Brompton in Ted Lasso, but I’m curious what it’s actually like.
My dream folding bikes are any model of Brompton, a RadExpand 5, or a Tern Link D7i.
I’ve got a Brompton, it’s been great but there are a few tiny drawbacks.
Number one, it’s expensive. Mine cost $2750 AUD
Build quality is great but the bike is probably not for you if you’re over 180cm.
The 16 inch wheels feel a bit squirrely at high speed, and are the perfect width for getting stuck in tram tracks.
Carrying it folded is a bit awkward for anything over about 100m. It’s light for a bike but it doesn’t weigh nothing.
I put unidirectional casters on the back to replace the original hard plastic wheels to make it easier to push around in the supermarket when folded. These are loud and often catch on my heels when pedaling. If you’re going to do that I’d recommend the softer plastic or the modified seat rack with the extendable wheel thingy.
Wheeling it around the shops mostly folded with the seat post up can result in the bike unfolding itself at unexpected moments, best to wheel it with the handlebar bit unfolded instead, although this does make the steering a bit awkward at times.
The mudguard is plastic and can break easily.
Now the pros:
It folds up quite nicely with the chain sandwiched between the 2 halves of the bike so it doesn’t get grease on your pants or bag when sitting with it.
The hub gears can be changed from a standstill, which is great for taking off from the lights on moderate hills.
It fits into almost any space when folded. Car footwell. Train seats. Trams. Under your desk at work. You name it. You won’t be impinging on other passengers with it folded up beside you.
Brakes are good. Seat is comfortable.
You can fit a spare inner tube and toolkit inside the frame for emergencies. It also comes with a small bicycle pump which does the job in a pinch.
Those are my thoughts. Was it worth it? I think yes, even though I rarely use it for public transport these days it’s nice to throw in the car on a whim and take it with me so I can ride around at my destination. I use it more for fun than commuting
Wow thank you so much for all of this! I am a bit of a taller guy (193cm) so perhaps a Brompton isnt for me, but by god they are sexy bicycles haha
Look at the H handlebars. They add a few inches to the standard M. The bike won’t fold as tight, but you’ll be more comfortable.
I’m 182cm and got the M, but I think I’d be more comfortable in the H.
I’ve got the H handlebars, they dont protrude beyond the frame when folded. They are great and I couldn’t imagine riding with the M type. For me the main issue is seat post height. I think you can get an extender for it but I haven’t bothered cos its not my daily ride.
Oh yeah. I had to get the telescoping seat post. I needed just another inch. One benefit of the telescope one is that I have the second segment set so I just pull the first segment out as far as it goes and it’s at my desired height. No need to fiddle with adjustments.
I have Strida SX.
Pros:
- it is very good on the road, light frame, cool wheels;
- you can roll it like a suitcase;
- great fit for the city with a straight back;
- you can go to metro, bus or elevator with it without any problem;
- drive belt instead of chain: no way to stain pants by lubricant because there is no lubricant;
Cons:
- 18 inch wheels make any toad curb a problem;
- no way to lock the bike via locking to triangle (there is no monolithic triangle);
- any rain or street dirt is a huge problem: due to the low profile parts are filled by dirt very fast;
- maintenance cost: all the parts are original, last year I moved to the country that doesn’t have official Strida services and cannot even find a inner tube replacement here; also bike design is very complex, so there is no way to maintain it by yourself;
Limitstions: I rided even 50 kms per day with my Strida but cannot recommend it for rides longer than 10 km.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIaXT9h2FFk
This GCN video came to mind. It’s a fun watch, they do a “Top Gear” competition to compare bicycles in the context of commuting. Watch to find out if the folding bicycle defeats the other two contenders.
Awhile the folding bicycle isn’t the fastest or must comfortable, its convenience is compelling.
GCN is cool, thanks for the recommendation. At first I resented their content a bit because they’re so incredibly sporty and I think its important to focus on bikes as accessible non-sporty objects of transportation, but Ive also started riding Gran Fondos this year so I’m hypocritically a sporty cyclist lol
Hey, neat – my wife and I have a pair of those Dahon Classic III bikes, but I figured they were too old to be worth mentioning.
For what it’s worth, the thing really is as awkward to fold (and carry while folded) as they portray, it really is as slow as they portray, and it definitely would’ve been the worst at that hill climb if the guy had actually tried to ride it. You might think he was playing up the general crappiness for the camera, but nope – if anything, he was underselling it by failing to mention things like the crappy Sturmey-Archer 3-speed IGH (which admittedly is better than a single speed, but not by much).
That said, it has the important things going for it that it is, in fact, a functioning bicycle that you can take with you places other bicycles can’t go (e.g. airplane checked luggage without special packaging, disassembly, or paying extra for being oversize), and that it’s cheap (mine were only $50 each – the guy in the video paid so much because he apparently got a fancy marine-grade stainless steel one). I take mine with me and ride it when I travel, but I never, ever touch it at home when I have better bikes available.
Incidentally, I’ve also test-ridden a Brompton. The riding experience isn’t hugely different in terms of geometry or stability (they’ve both got 16" wheels and spindly seatposts and stems, after all), but it’s a nicer experience because the frame feels less flimsy and the (new) 3-speed IGH and brakes work better than poorly-maintained 30-year-old ones. It is also hugely better at “being a folding bike:” much faster to fold, much easier to move around while folded, and much smaller when folded/easier to store. Is it worth paying at least 23 times more than the Dahon ($1155 USD for the stripped base model Brompton vs $50 for a used Dahon), if you’re actually using it regularly for something like commuting? Hell yeah, and it’s not even close.
Also, LOL, GCN’s scoring system was terrible. The results were exactly backwards to what they should’ve been: the autoshift bike was objectively the best commuter.
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I recently got a Zizzo Liberté (US only?) and it’s definitely met my expectations! Really quality for the price, too.
I’m new to using a bike to get around, and customer service really helped me figure out the basics of adjusting the bike. The bike gets me around the city quickly.
I’ve also enjoyed transporting the bike in cars where there otherwise wouldn’t be space + bringing it inside places to prevent it getting stolen. I’m looking forward to bringing it on transit.
I recommend Shifter’s video on folding bikes for the experience of having one.
Oh that’s a really cool looking bike, and an incredible value too! So glad you’re having a good experience with it.
Thank you!! I also recommend this review of it. For reference, on the space it takes up when folded, imagine the size of a PC case. Not as small as a Brompton, but pretty doable.
I ride a Lectric XPremium. It’s a nice bike and I enjoy it a lot but at its size and weight, the fact that it folds is really pointless. Even folded, it’s very cumbersome to move around and it’s too big for the Amtrak train system in the U.S. Its great for the long rides that I like to go on but it’s not good for a commute if it involves changing modes of transportation.
Basically, I would just recommend paying attention to the weight when you do select a bike. Make sure it’s something you can lift relatively easily.
I have an ENGWE EP-2 Pro: For your purposes, I wouldn’t recommend it because it’d be not very fun to drag onto a bus/train at 75 lbs base weight.
I would not recommend the RadExpand 5 for similar reasons: I’m a fairly big dude, but even just tossing my bike in the back seat is kind of a pain in the ass, I would not really want to haul this on and off of busses all the time.
If you want a regular bike though, Brompton would probably be great! That Tern Link looks pretty sweet too though. For pedal powered bike, that has some really cool features!
If you want an ebike, you’d probably better off converting a Brompton or that Tern (or you could buy a lighter folding bike).
If you need to get around really quick, ebikes are amazing, but if you’re not pressed for time and have good public transport, I think you might be better off with a lighter traditional folding bike.
