Does anyone have experience of folding bikes?
I know the drawbacks, but I want one to take with me to France. Makro have one on offer this week for £175 (including VAT).
It is alloy with a six speed Shimano gripshift gear change. It looks a good spec and a good price.
Any advice?
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Folding bikes have two main weaknesses:
The small wheels make them a bit skittish if the frame is too stiff or badly set up; and the folding bracket at the bottom of the handlebar stem can be very flexible. I'd recommend trying a few out before you part with money. The Brompton is the best, but it costs a lot.
I used one to commute for two years. It was fun and much quicker than the car for that part of the journey.
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No cycling thread for weeks and then two come along at once. Guess this one will be on its way to questions soon.
ChrisR summarises the major problems and, as he says the doyenne of folding bikes is the Brompton. Use one every day. Rides as well as any small wheel bike, folds to a small and secure package with the dirty bits inside and has an excellent luggage system. Downside is cost and arguably limited gearing. Try and ascertain the make of the jobbie in Makro, might do the job of hiding in the car and facilitating a trip down the Boulangerie. On the other hand it might be utter pants and fit only for one way trip to the dump via two years at the back of your shed. Price sounds a bit low for a Dahon, whose bikes are OK and oft rebadged as Phillips, Rudge etc. Shimano have a range for every price band, would not condemn anything unseen but mark of quality it is not.
Lots of advice at www.atob.org.uk and www.foldsoc.co.uk
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According to the blurb it's an Excel Folda Bike and it's British Made.
Did a thorough search via Google, but couldn't find anything with that name.
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Not one Ive ever heard of eieither. You could try the forum suggested by Artful Dodger in the cycling in London thread or the urban cyclist group at www.topica.com/lists/urbancyclist-uk/
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You may do even better by waiting until you get there then going to an Auchan or Carrefour. IIRC bikes seemed v cheap in France.
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You may do even better by waiting until you get there then going to an Auchan or Carrefour. IIRC bikes seemed v cheap in France.
I tried last time but never saw a folding bike. I want something to put in the car when I go away so that I don't have to use the car so much.
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Another vote for Brompton - never owned one but have tried several and seem to be the best built and most convenient to fold - you can raise applause from a crowd as you unfold your bike ready to go in seconds!
Expensive enough to only consider for serious/considerable use though.
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Expensive enough to only consider for serious/considerable use though.
Far too expensive for what I want.
The one in Makro looks good in Makro Mail. They aren't available until tomorrow when I'll go and take a look.
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In the way of our car industry Brompton is, after Pashley who have the contract for Post Office bikes, Britain's largest cycle manufacturer. About 30k units per annum IIRC. Raleigh and all the other famous names are now importers and distributors
Would be genuinely intersted in what this turns out to be (I assume its badge engineered). The only british made product that comes near to fitting the description is one of these www.bike-in-a-bag.com/TOURINGspec.htm . Available for well under list on the web.
Not the commuters bike of choice but probably fit for your purpose.
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I am just about to switch from an estate to a hatchback and was directed towards internet/e-bay. Choice of folding bikes: £80-120."Folding bike" and "folding bicycle" give different results. Main problem is not all folding bikes are genuine adult size: eg saddle too low, design weight only 75-80kg.
Don't buy unseen. Check saddle height for the tallest regulkar user. If buying used, ensure main hinges actually work without too much play (no pun intended).
The makro price is excellent: high street retail would be around £240.
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Had a folding bike some years ago.
Front wheel used to lift off ground going up hills as the saddle was just above the rear spindle. Very twitchy and unstable going down hill. On bumpy roads the various quick relase devices tended to loosen.
Sold it ASAP to someone in the Cheshire flatlands.
I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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I called in at Makro this morning and I wasn't impressed. It was very long, with the back wheel way past the saddle. The gears on the rear wheel were almost touching the floor, and it wasn't that light. The wheels also looked very small.
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Have 2 folding bikes as we use them in a boat as well as a car
Find that if you go for larger wheels ie 20 ins they ride much better Try compass24.com they have a good choice {sorry I dont know how to set up a link
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Those look quite good, some are rebadged/licenced /cloned Dahons, see www.atob.org.uk/Buyers'_Guide.html and www.dahon.co.uk/ .
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I'm now not sure that a small folding bike is for me.
I have been given an old folder by my cousin. It's in very good condition and has a transfer on it with the name Chelsea. It has mudguards and whitewall tyres with 20" wheels, and a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub.
As the paperboy is invariably late, I decided to get the Telegraph from the village stores so that I could read it over breakfast. Not a good idea: it would have been almost as quick to walk. The thing hardly moved, with a great deal of effort and in top gear. I had never realised there was an incline on the return journey.
I think a proper sized bike is needed as the tiny wheels require so much effort with so little progress. I'll probably buy one in France and leave it there.
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Robbie,
I had a couple of Dahon folding bikes for a few years, did not find them altogether satisfactory. Always felt a bit like a circus act with the tiny wheels and frame, and the well extended saddle to accomodate my height. Nothing like as stable as a conventional bike either, but they were rigid and folded quickly and neatly.
Whilst I was in U.S.A. saw a demonsration of a bike labeled as a Scwietser which has a full size conventional frame and normal sized wheels. Its ability to fold was the result of the main frame folding at the saddle and lower frame joint allowing the front frame handlebars and forks to fold over the rear, the front wheel is held in with easily undone wing nuts and the front brake caliper has a special caliper which enables the front wheel to be removed in seconds.
I contacted them from the U.K. and they advised me that Raleigh was marketing them here. I ordered two from a local bike shop and have been entirely satisfied, frankly you would not know it from a conventional bike if you did not know.
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