B'Twin Tilt

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MarkF

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
I've had a Bromptons, didn't like them, they looked weedy, and Dahon D7's, which I liked, they were bought primarily for me and my good lady to take on weekend breaks. But, although they were great, the places we went to usually had tons of bikes for hire, Paris, Dam, BCN etc So.....I sold mine, GL still uses her Dahon weekly. Now I've got the urge for another folder, but a folder with the niggly bits removed, the Tilt looks ideal but I can't find decent reviews apart from Decathlon sponsored or filtered ones.

Anybody owned one?
 

T4tomo

Guru
They are not as good as a Brompton.
 
I bought a red tilt which Surrey quays had on offer. The folding mechanism is properly brilliant. It makes folding and unfolding very quick and easy. Mine has an auto shift for the gears as well. When you hit 18 Kph it up shifts for you. That kind of reminds me of back to the future. 88 mph and boom.:smile:
 

shouldbeinbed

Rollin' along
Location
Manchester way
Search my username in the folder forum, I've mentioned them a few times in a bit of detail.

I tested them quite a bit a year ago looking for my new folder, my thoughts from 12 months ago : Funky looking bike, clever design, not a folder in the Brompton or even Dahon sense really, quite a chunky package all told but fast and fun to do. nice to ride, comfy place to be and the old numbering 2,3,7 etc lots of options, belts, CVT etc that were nice but I hope they've done something about the very alarming frame flex through the hinge under braking. The first time I braked on one, I climbed.straight off and told the sales staff it was broken it moved that much. All the store bikes were the same and apparently it had been designed to do that. I found I had to be a bit counterintuitive and never use the front brake in isolation as a slowing down manoeuvre as I do on every other bike I've ever had, feed in both brakes together and it felt better and more confidence inspiring. I'm still not sure if they were totally on the level on so much flex being designed in, it seemed quite odd to me to make a bike that frightened you under normal braking.

My other minor gripe was that the built in lighting, while cleverly designed and situated, seemed flimsy, easily removed and not really an only light answer.

I was tempted and preferred it all things considered to the Dahon & Tern types, but the Tilt 7 I wanted (funky colour scheme too, maybe not to everyones taste but I loved it) seemed permanently out of stock and on balance I am happy I scraped together a couple of hundred quid more and took the more conventional Brompton route in the end. I think on riding the Brompton now, I have got the better bike of the 2, even 3 v 7 speeds I was comparing.
 

jonny jeez

Legendary Member
I think all folders look a bit weedy...tilt included. It because of the vast seat post, stem combo making the bike look a little like a clowns ride.

That said, I do like the Brompton range, company and ethic.
 

shouldbeinbed

Rollin' along
Location
Manchester way
I think all folders look a bit weedy...tilt included. It because of the vast seat post, stem combo making the bike look a little like a clowns ride.

That said, I do like the Brompton range, company and ethic.
oooh look at that bike with its drop handlebars, how uncomfortable must they be hunched up like like that on it? They'll never have a good digestion bent over there and how can you balance on such skinny tyres and that seat is like a razor blade up your bum and yaddy yaddy....

If it works who cares what it looks like to the uninitiated.
 

jonny jeez

Legendary Member
oooh look at that bike with its drop handlebars, how uncomfortable must they be hunched up like like that on it? They'll never have a good digestion bent over there and how can you balance on such skinny tyres and that seat is like a razor blade up your bum and yaddy yaddy....

If it works who cares what it looks like to the uninitiated.
I didn't say it didn't work, I was referring to the op's initial comment about bromptons looking weedy. Which they do. They look weedy, top heavy, ungainly. And strangely beautiful.

I then went on to endorse bromptons range, ethic and company.

Odd you didn't feel the need to pull The op up on it.

Ps, my old MTB is proper fugly, and is one of the best bike I have ever owned., in my eyes she's beautiful.
 
OP
OP
MarkF

MarkF

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
Thanks for the replies, for me a Tilt would be better than a Brompton (which I have owned), if weight and folded size was an issue and I was a train/bus commuter, it'd be different.

Speed of folding, not having to faff about with a seat post height, in-built lights and belt drive are big potential benefits for me. However I have noted shouldbeinbed's comments about frame flex and so I will go to a store and try for test ride.

Brompton owners needn't take offence at my "weedy" comments, it's only the aesthetics but I never got on with mine because of them, I preferred the Dahon, on reflection the Brompton was overkill for our needs but I didn't know any better at the time, now I think I am pretty set on a Tilt, it's moved the game on IMO. (For those that just want a folder, not a Brompton).
 
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shouldbeinbed

Rollin' along
Location
Manchester way
I didn't say it didn't work, I was referring to the op's initial comment about bromptons looking weedy. Which they do. They look weedy, top heavy, ungainly. And strangely beautiful.

I then went on to endorse bromptons range, ethic and company.

Odd you didn't feel the need to pull The op up on it.

Ps, my old MTB is proper fugly, and is one of the best bike I have ever owned., in my eyes she's beautiful.

I didn't take exception to the weedy comment or I.would have griped about it to Mark too.
There is a difference between claiming they look weedy and making reference to a clowns bike tho.


I don't even think I'd go as far as strangely beautiful, they are an unconventional looking bike but not worthy of such casual dismissal as a clowns bike regardless of liking the ethos of the company. I was trying to highlight that I would have expected a more nuanced comment on Cyclechat than the sort of comment that comes our way as cyclists per-se from unenlightened pals, family and mouthy strangers on the street.

My battered Trek 800 that I rescued from a decade in someone's shed and have put back together from spare parts and sprayed up myself is never going to win me any prizes but runs like an absolute dream and is my current pride and joy too, particularly with the weather coming over us for the next few days.
 

jonny jeez

Legendary Member
I didn't take exception to the weedy comment or I.would have griped about it to Mark too.
There is a difference between claiming they look weedy and making reference to a clowns bike tho.


I don't even think I'd go as far as strangely beautiful, they are an unconventional looking bike but not worthy of such casual dismissal as a clowns bike regardless of liking the ethos of the company. I was trying to highlight that I would have expected a more nuanced comment on Cyclechat than the sort of comment that comes our way as cyclists per-se from unenlightened pals, family and mouthy strangers on the street.

My battered Trek 800 that I rescued from a decade in someone's shed and have put back together from spare parts and sprayed up myself is never going to win me any prizes but runs like an absolute dream and is my current pride and joy too, particularly with the weather coming over us for the next few days.

Fair enough.
 

seadragonpisces

Über Member
I think all folders look a bit weedy...tilt included. It because of the vast seat post, stem combo making the bike look a little like a clowns ride.

That said, I do like the Brompton range, company and ethic.

I would challenge anyone to call my Dahon Jetstream EX weedy, hence the reason why I kept it and not the Brompton. Each wants for different reason but since I dont need to use it on the tube I can do without the Brompton I owned, I always felt a bit limp-wristed when riding it (but then I did have the Barcelona Edition with gawdy colour scheme).

Brompton is a good bike though but didnt like the small wheels or the crappy gear trigger system, what a pain and cheap feeling.
 
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