Carrera intercity

[TrishE]

I haven't been on the forum for a while as since getting a car I seemed to stop cycling. I had a Dawes Ace folder that I very stupidly sold but still needing 20" wheels I opted for the Carrera this time after reading a good long term review on here. I collected it from Halfords Newark yesterday and cycled to Collingham station along NCN route 64. Weather was hot and had my dog bonnie with me too or I would have cycled to Lincoln station as I've done the route before. The step over height is higher than the Dawes and the seat isn't as comfy, and it doesn't fold as small but otherwise I'm very pleased with it lol. Bonnie loved it too and remembered how to run alongside nicely although I cycled slowly to make her walk as it was so hot. I live in a first floor flat so the folder is ideal. I've got a full size bike but it's too heavy and awkward to carry up and down the stairs

 

[u_i]

Per manufacturer the largest percentage of folding bikes in the world come from Battle Fuji-Ta, with just different brand names slapped onto them. I have difficulty finding a bike in their line-up with exactly the same features. This one, though, is pretty close. Very likely the Carrera comes from the portfolio of another such Chinese manufacturer.

 

[TrishE]

My Dawes Ace was a rebadged Dahon.

 

[bonzobanana]

Per manufacturer the largest percentage of folding bikes in the world come from Battle Fuji-Ta, with just different brand names slapped onto them. I have difficulty finding a bike in their line-up with exactly the same features. This one, though, is pretty close. Very likely the Carrera comes from the portfolio of another such Chinese manufacturer.

I'm pretty sure the Carrera Transit the 3 speed Nexus model was fuji-ta as was the very similar Muddyfox model based around the Nexus 7. As you say fuji-ta are huge with regard folding bikes.

 

[bonzobanana]

My Dawes Ace was a rebadged Dahon.

Dahon is a western brand that also buys from factories in Asia. I believe a year or so back they bought their first assembly plant in China but its mainly assembling bikes supplied by other factories. There is some small scale frame production there which I think is either steel frames or higher end aluminium but the videos on youtube show frame production to be very low scale, perhaps so Dahon can claim to be a manufacturer rather than just assembler.

The Dahon dual suspension model with 20" wheels that I forget the name of can be clearly seen on the fuji-ta site as one of their models.

I've got a bicycles4u paris model and that is fuji-ta. I'm pretty sure the earlier Decathlon folding bikes were fuji-ta but don't know about the more recent models.

 

[bonzobanana]

I haven't been on the forum for a while as since getting a car I seemed to stop cycling. I had a Dawes Ace folder that I very stupidly sold but still needing 20" wheels I opted for the Carrera this time after reading a good long term review on here. I collected it from Halfords Newark yesterday and cycled to Collingham station along NCN route 64. Weather was hot and had my dog bonnie with me too or I would have cycled to Lincoln station as I've done the route before. The step over height is higher than the Dawes and the seat isn't as comfy, and it doesn't fold as small but otherwise I'm very pleased with it lol. Bonnie loved it too and remembered how to run alongside nicely although I cycled slowly to make her walk as it was so hot. I live in a first floor flat so the folder is ideal. I've got a full size bike but it's too heavy and awkward to carry up and down the stairs

Halfords seem to be introducing its replacement now and running stock of the older model at the same time. I've no idea which is the better bike but the new one doesn't have a rack. Disc brakes also worry me on a folding bike though as so easy to bend when transporting.

 

[ExBrit]

Congratulations on seeing the error of your ways and rejoining the fold.
PS. Which one is Bonnie?

 

[TrishE]

Congratulations on seeing the error of your ways and rejoining the fold.
PS. Which one is Bonnie?

Bonnie the happy cycling dog. She's done camping trips and attended York cycle rally taking part in the family ride out too

 

[Drago]

Halfords seem to be introducing its replacement now and running stock of the older model at the same time. I've no idea which is the better bike but the new one doesn't have a rack. Disc brakes also worry me on a folding bike though as so easy to bend when transporting.

View attachment 644898

I have the Disc 9, the one up from this with 9 speed Sora and hydro discs.

Discs are safe, they're protected inside the fold. Hellfrauds claim 13kg IIRC, but I weighed mine a little under 12.

No rack as standard, but I decided to get the best riding folder I could find that would take my weight and then add accessories if required, rather than the other way around and choose on the basis of accessories and get a less stellar ride.

In the end I chose to eschew mudguards after having ridden in the rain a few times - by the time it was wet enough to make them worthwhile I was soaked anyway so chose not to.

Found an excellent rear rack in Decathlon for something like £26.

I love the ID9. I was a bit stuck for choice trying to find a folder that would handle a 125kg rider, but struck gold thanks to Road.cc's review. Indeed, it was the first folder to score 9/10 on a Road.cc review and a few years on only one other has matched it, one of the Bromptons I think.

My only real beef is the magnetic bits that hold it in the folded position are a bit feeble and the f@#£er tries to unfold at the most inconvenient moment, such as when boarding a train. A velcro strap cured this for 99p, although it would have been nice if the designers could have thought of it themselves.

The ride experience is a different league to the original Intercity. The new frame and drive train make it a serious tool indeed, surprisingly fast and flighty. U_i made mention of a lot of folders coming from the same source. I have no evidence to prove it, but the design and construction of the frame lead me to suspect its a Tern with different finishing kit and paint.

 

[berlinonaut]

Per manufacturer the largest percentage of folding bikes in the world come from Battle Fuji-Ta, with just different brand names slapped onto them.

Dahon is a western brand that also buys from factories in Asia. I believe a year or so back they bought their first assembly plant in China but its mainly assembling bikes supplied by other factories.

U_i made mention of a lot of folders coming from the same source. I have no evidence to prove it, but the design and construction of the frame lead me to suspect its a Tern with different finishing kit and paint.

David Hon, the founder of Dahon, published an ebook about the folding bike market a couple of years ago. It is available for free on Dahon's webpage. While I am not a fan of Dahon and neither share every opinion of David Hon's book he created a classification of folding bike brands that I find convincing:

Different brands have different “supply chain strategies” behind the scenes that can fundamentally affect their products and services. A supply chain may be made up of three links, namely: design, production, and marketing. “Design” includes invention, engineering and product aesthetic design. It has to be a non-stop effort to improve, like anything. “Production” includes tooling, mass production and quality assurance. “Marketing” includes planning and execution of marketing/sales policies. Five different types of supply chains might be recognized (and nice to know):

1. International companies who manage all three links; design, manufacturing and marketing. This type has the most vertical integration and can theoretically supply the best products and services for the costs; but economy-of-scale and geo-economy can be serious challenges. (This type include: Di Blasi, Dahon, Brompton, Oyama, Giant, bike Friday, Ubike, Jango.)

2. Marketers with Designs. Marketers who do their own designs, place orders with original equipment manufacturers (OEM). Theoretically better than 1 above in division of labor. (Montague, Birdy, Raleigh, Tern, Allen Sport) Communication and shortage of over-lapping expertise can bring nagging problems.

3. All links independent. All three chain links are handled by different companies. This type can theoretically be a nice synergy between East and West and can produce good innovative products. But problems mentioned for 2 above can be exacerbated. (Birdy, Pacific, Ubike) 8

4. Importers from OEM. Western importers who buy from Asian OEM manufacturers with little designing from either party. Copying is the key. They survive by aggressive pricing and promotion.

5. OEM manufacturers, mostly from China, who offer Folding Bicycle with their own logos, and touting “factory direct” on the Internet and other mass outlets. While typically new to quality assurance and marketing protocols, they are most price competitive. (Find them in Alibaba and Aliexpress). Again, copying is the name of the game; legal entanglement is frequent.

Not too surprisingly, being the founder of Dahon, he ranks Dahon in the highest category. Still reality shows: The brand is pretty chaotic: Formally a US based company the main market seems to be Asia while Europe and the US suffer from a chaotic lineup and no support. Quality is somewhat debatable and it is unclear, to what amount the production is actually done by Dahon themselves or by third parties.

 

[Jameshow]

I have the Disc 9, the one up from this with 9 speed Sora and hydro discs.

Discs are safe, they're protected inside the fold. Hellfrauds claim 13kg IIRC, but I weighed mine a little under 12.

No rack as standard, but I decided to get the best riding folder I could find that would take my weight and then add accessories if required, rather than the other way around and choose on the basis of accessories and get a less stellar ride.

In the end I chose to eschew mudguards after having ridden in the rain a few times - by the time it was wet enough to make them worthwhile I was soaked anyway so chose not to.

Found an excellent rear rack in Decathlon for something like £26.

I love the ID9. I was a bit stuck for choice trying to find a folder that would handle a 125kg rider, but struck gold thanks to Road.cc's review. Indeed, it was the first folder to score 9/10 on a Road.cc review and a few years on only one other has matched it, one of the Bromptons I think.

My only real beef is the magnetic bits that hold it in the folded position are a bit feeble and the f@#£er tries to unfold at the most inconvenient moment, such as when boarding a train. A velcro strap cured this for 99p, although it would have been nice if the designers could have thought of it themselves.

The ride experience is a different league to the original Intercity. The new frame and drive train make it a serious tool indeed, surprisingly fast and flighty. U_i made mention of a lot of folders coming from the same source. I have no evidence to prove it, but the design and construction of the frame lead me to suspect its a Tern with different finishing kit and paint.

Last year I had two clients one with an intercity and the other with a tern, I rode both on occasions and there wasn't much difference between them. Both had a few minor issues but they were pretty much a match ride wise. The paint on the teen was a light blue which seemed to mark easier than the dark grey intercity.

 

[Drago]

I looked at the Tern, but another £150 for a similar bike with a poorer spec drive train and brakes seemed a bit of a poor show.

 

[bonzobanana]

It should be pointed out Tern are a brand that have their folding bikes made by other manufacturers. When there was that huge recall a few years ago where lots of Tern frames were failing. i seem to remember it was only one of the factories that supply Tern that had issues hence the frame number was important as some factories supplying Tern were good quality and fit for purpose. I remember a similar story where I think it was Trek that had multiple factories supplying the same model and in some markets the same bike could have been supplied by either factory. One was 6061 and the other was 7005 aluminium. Very different materials. Trek give some nonsense fake name for their aluminium so used that same name probably 'Alpha Silver Aluminium' so no obvious difference in the showroom although I guess the tubes and welds may have looked slightly different. Like many brands they change factories fairly regularly to get a better deal and remain competitive and profitable. The good thing about Halfords is they are a factory to retailer direct business and don't spend money on marketing, sponsorship or competitions etc and operate on a fairly small margin. Hence some very good bikes for not a lot of money but very little prestige just real value.

 

[Mike160304]

. . . . . . . The good thing about Halfords is they are a factory to retailer direct business and don't spend money on marketing, sponsorship or competitions etc and operate on a fairly small margin. Hence some very good bikes for not a lot of money but very little prestige just real value.

I really appreciate Halfords, "the people's bike maker". It is worthwhile to study the variants within a range, e.g. within Carrera Intercity, there is standard, Disc 8 and Disc 9. They say that the top end one, the Disc 9, is the best seller. Its higher price is misleading, it can be cheaper in the long run because very few people return the Disc 9, so they are rare on the secondhand market - therefore demand exceeds supply and the Disc 9 holds its price better.
Difficult to imagine the UK bike market without Halfords and I do hope that they survive long term with their high volume, low margin, good-value-for money philosophy.