Challenge Holborn - the lowest of the low

[sabcycling]

Hi guys, finally bit the bullet and bought the cheapest folding bike new on the market. Before you go mad, I did check Gumtree / eBay and couldn't find any better cheap used folders here in NI. A combination of things has led me to get back into cycling, not least the boringness of lockdown, the lack of daylight or excuses to get outdoors in the winter, staring at my screen as I WFH all day, only to sit on my personal laptop all evening... not getting enough exercise, having an increase in migraines (doctor told me that exercise can be more effective than most of their medication for that) and what have you..

So I'm back for 2021. Thought I'd share my experience with the bike as time goes on, as I reckon there's probably a lot of people like myself interested in a folding bike, but not interested in spending much money. I'm sure it catches their eyes the way it caught mine over the past few years. Let this serve as a bit of a regular live blog on how its holding up.

My expectations are low, that it will fall apart in a few months... But I'd like to get around a year of actual, decent use from it if that's not too much to ask for £130 and plastic 'disposable' components on a relatively heavy steel frame. IF I make good use of it, I'll be able to justify something like a Brompton through the cycle to work scheme... so time will tell.

It will live in the boot of my car, and will save me messing with an annoying, fiddly and horrible-to-fit-in-winter-with-icy-fingers cycle rack which I used last year on another cheap full size bike that ruined the back of my car...

Some issues so far... I can't seem to get it folded in half again... I've undone the little lock but the frame won't collapse... and I noticed the handlebars don't fold like the Halfords £275 folding bike do which might be a dealbreaker for some people (myself included if it won't fit in the boot). I will continue to update this and answer any questions you may have.

Enjoy some pictures of it brand new and shiny...

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Sometimes the fold just takes practice. Sure you’ll get there.

 

[AndyRM]

Can't really be beaten at that price.

I assume when you say "lowest of the low" you mean the saddle height?

 

[Drago]

I really do hipe it works out ok for you, but I can't see a single component on that machine that gives me the slightest glimmer of hope or joy.

 

[Randomnerd]

Isn’t Holborn the road they used for prisoners from the Tower, on the way to the gallows?
Get a Brompton as soon as you can.

 

[Banjo]

Some folders have a safety device so it cant fold in half while you are riding it you have to pull a collar back or some other action to allow it to fold. No idea if yours is like that just a possibility.

If not then try and get a bit of oil into the hinge and try again.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Challenge bikes are one level up from a real BSO, much like Apollo. It's unlikely to be very well set up, and future reliability and longevity may well depend on whether you can be bothered to give it a going over and make sure everything is properly adjusted and lubricated, or whether you just intend to ride it as it comes, even if it has not been well assembled.
I spot quite a number of their MTB's around, so they must sell reasonably well. A very new looking local one I see almost daily has back to front forks!
Put them in context they cost a day's wages for a skilled man or two days for an unskilled one. 50 or 60 years ago the price of a basic 3 speed was equivalent to a couple of weeks wages. In real terms bikes are cheaper at the low end than they used to be and the quality pared down to the absolute minimum that will function as a bike. If you maintain and use it sensibly, you might be pleasantly surprised.

 

[All uphill]

I agree with @SkipdiverJohn , no reason why that wouldn't give you good service for years if you keep on top of maintenance.

Enjoy it!

 

[fossyant]

If you look after it, it should keep going. Possibly keep an eye on those folding pedals as you don't want them snapping off.

 

[AuroraSaab]

What is it like to ride?

 

[sabcycling]

Hi guys, here's an update on Day 1 of use. I did 6.6 miles today - a fairly long cycle for me (a beginner) around my city, two bridges in one big loop, but mostly flat urban along a river cycle greenway. Ideal wee route really.

This was the single most miserable, difficult cycle I've been on since 'adult cycling' began for me in 2016. I'm far from you guys in the lycra, with the road bikes and the timing etc, for me, cycling is more about the mental health, the getting away from a screen and bumbling about the town with no particular place to go. I don't know if it's the fact it's been over a year since I've cycled, or the harsh cold weather, or the tiny 16" wheels on this folder, but I struggled today. My last bike was a £200 Halfords special, 700c, fairly bog standard, but aluminium alloy frame and your standard 21 speed el cheapo Shimano gears. It was fine though, good for my needs. But 5 years later and it needs readjusting and new brake components, and to be honest that easily totalled £50 in parts... not worth it for a rusty old Raleigh from Halfords. Hence buying this. Plus, I didn't want to scratch up my nice new car with having to wedge it in, without a wheel, nor to buy and have the hassle of a cycle carrier on the back, scratching the back of it. I hope I get used to the small wheels.

It's having me doubt whether I'll want to spend £800+ on a Brompton if it truly is the smaller wheels. I got some strange looks from people - some looked like it was funny to them, others genuinely curious about the folding bike. I was too busy dying / struggling to really do more than notice it.

At the worst part, I was on a fine line between being breathless, numb finger tips and trying not to throw up.. but I took it easy, tried to keep moving along and eventually stopped at a Tesco to grab a drink. After this, cycling was a bit easier. My legs, lungs and body sort of woke up and though I had to stop rather frequently, the stops were more pleasant, and it only took around a minute for my legs to rid themselves of the lactic buildup and I could move on, with a bit of a boost of energy for a reasonable stint, before stopping again - but I didn't feel as if I was dying, rather just that my stamina was crap! (something I know will improve if I keep at it)

For those of you wondering about the bike, it's not shiny anymore. It did fine, and the tiny wheels weren't so bad on going up / down kerbs as I feared. The gears were fine too, but not perfectly adjusted... going to 3/4 would result in a slip in the gears shortly after... something my last Halfords bike had.. maybe a consequence of being 'shipped' half built, or maybe just the budget components. I discovered one of the key lacking points on this - for a folding bike - is that the handlebars do not fold, so unlike how I had planned, I can't keep this permanently stowed in my car boot. Had the bars folded, I would have been able to. This MIGHT ruin ideas some of you have to easily stow it under a work desk etc, so keep that in mind if you plan on buying one of these.

I'm feeling better now, at home, after the cycle. I'm willing to spend tomorrow (day off woo!) facing it again. Taking it easy, but facing it again and trying to make this a regular practice, improving my health, improving my mental wellbeing, getting out. If I can do it now, in the midst of winter, in a lockdown, then I'll have shown myself that regardless of season, lockdown etc., I'll still have a productive way to spend my free time and improving my life.

Any tips / questions / feedback you guys have is welcome. I'll keep posting updates - hopefully not as long as this - but as long as someone finds it useful to read.

Here's my Strava route, the maiden voyage of the Holborn ;-)

https://www.strava.com/activities/4712482720

 

[sabcycling]

What is it like to ride?

It's not as different as I thought compared to a conventional bike. You notice the wheels are smaller, and it feels like you need to pedal more / harder to go the same distance. It takes more effort in the leg to get it going, to get those small wheels in motion I think.

Only six gears, they're fine. Hard to get up speed. All-in-all perfectly fine and pleasant really, especially at the price, for your typical inner city habitat., the odd gradient is fine, descents are fine.

It feels steady, it's easy enough to steer / keep going in a straight line.

It turns a little sharper / easier than the bigger wheeled bikes I've had.

It's hard to criticise, as it is a folder, and it was only £130. But it's a nice enough little cycle, I think the budget price will impact more in longevity.

I'm really, really curious now to try out a Brompton to see what difference all the money and design costs make. Of course, even they're folders, so that'll come with compromises compared to an £800 regular sized bike. Question being... will it be worth living with for its advantages - for me that's fitting in a boot, for others it might be being able to stow it under a work desk etc.

 

[AuroraSaab]

Thanks for the reply - that was a great write up. The ease of storage seems very appealing, but the tiny wheels look like such hard work.

 

[Rusty Rocket]

Interesting to hear how this goes. I’m in the same situation as you (minus the migraines), and bought the Carrera Intercity from Halfords a couple of days ago (it’s arrived but I haven’t been out yet).

My plan is to go out twice a week to start with and build up fitness and lose a couple of kg. Good luck.

 

[All uphill]

Thanks for the update.

Great that you have started cycling again. Take it steady and the fitness and fun will arrive soon.

Three tips - even the most basic shimano gears will change nicely if properly adjusted, £50 is not a lot to get more years of service out of an older bike, if you will use it, and please don't ride off kerbs!