Folding bike for under £350 recommendations

[summerdays]

Work have said they have a budget of £350 to buy me a folding bike to use to get between sites. The budget may have to include a pannier too (or I might buy that myself if it was worth my while to make the budget stretch that bit more). Not sure who would be responsible for the maintence, insurance etc we haven't gone into that yet.

I don't know anything about folding bikes, I've used a Brompton once to do about 1/2 mile on and found it wierd. It wouldn't be my main way of getting around, just on those days when I needed to combine it with getting a lift. However I may need to perhaps cycle 12 miles on it, up reasonable hills (Bristol).

I have mudguards on my current bikes so would like the same on this one - or maybe its less of a problem with the smaller wheels?

I'm 5'6", though I guess folders tend to come in one size?

Have you got any recommendations or equally don't touch with a barge pole comments? Obviously I will go looking too.

 

[Joe24]

Look at the Giant Halfway. That thing is amazing. Only seen pictures of it, but its amazing i think.
Here is the Giant website
Here is the same bike but from the other side, its the 'lite' version though.
The brakes are amazing i think.
You can get the 'Lite' version for under £350 and the normal version for under £300 i think. Not sure.
I think it looks good anyway
Not rode one though, so cant comment on ride.
Stay away from really cheap ones. I have a 'Sea Sure' folding bike and i had to upgrade alot of things on that. The new one they do now has suspension so will be even worse.

 

[Origamist]

You can pick up at 2007 DAHON MU P8 for £350 and they offer good vaule for money. The gear range will be OK for Bristol (32" - 93") and the steering is not as light as on a Brompton. The Handlepost is adjustable, so you should be able to dial in a comfortable riding position.

 

[summerdays]

Thanks for the comments... I like the colour of the Mu P8, I've been looking through the Dahon website today... but they almost offer too much of a range, for me to work out what is good... I was looking at their Dahon Vitesse D7HG which wiggle have for £359. But I'm not sure that the gears would be low enough, I have to say I'm not technically minded, so don't understand gears ratios etc.

I'm going to try and get a look at the Giant one at the weekend... I'm sure I've noticed one in my LBS or it could be the Dawes folding bike, but I didn't pay very much attention ... I always watch all the other customers when I'm waiting there.

 

[sheddy]

Back issues of A to B - http://www.atob.org.uk/back_numbers.html
but only subscribers can get free back issues

 

[Joe24]

I have never been impressed by the Dahons after i heard that a few people had things braking off them, including the handlebar post
Oh, if you see the Giant, is there any chance you can get some better pictures of it? Theres no good ones of both side on the internet.

 

[velocipede2288]

I have a Dahon Speed 7. A seven speed around £300. The gears are fine for most of the hills, and I live in South Wales. You can get up a good speed on the flat also.
I have put a few videos on the YouTube including rides on the Dahon and folding it.
But you can watch them on my web site.Just click on the top screen.

 

[summerdays]

On Friday I spoke to someone at traffic lights to ask them about their Giant Halfway... and he told me that a group of folding folk gather near the Industrial museum on the first Saturday of each month in the morning. So I turned up and had a go on a couple of bikes including the Giant Halfway, and met some real bike fanatics (with multiple bikes between them), who all had tinkered / modified their set up of their folder. An interesting morning, and the bikes rode over the sunken railway lines suprisingly well.

Asked about where people had bought their bikes, and the guy with the Halfway told me from the old Dave Bater shop when it had been run by a great guy, who loved bikes, that they ran in his blood etc, but that he had moved up north ... he went by the name of Mick!!!!! So Mickle were your ears burning then because he was glowing in his praise of you?

 

[ccj]

...after i heard that a few people had things braking off them, including the handlebar post
Oh, if you see the Giant, is there any chance you can get some better pictures of it? Theres no good ones of both side on the internet.

Dahon manufactures several hundred *thousand* bicycles, so as long as it's only a *few* people...........

A couple of pic's here:

http://www.foldingbikes.co.uk/giant.htm

 

[gpx001]

Hi I've a Dawes Kingpin, which has (to date) given me a couple of years good service. It lives in the back of my car and I use it when I am working away from home and despite the bashing it is performing well!

My wife has a Boardwalk Lite, which is another re-badged Dahon and it to is lasting well, although the general spec, etc is quite up to the Dawes standards - ie. Cheaper tyres, gear shifters, etc

Jason

 

[kamk1949]

me just surfin around lookin at folder bikes, and beginning to like the giant halfway, when i came across cycle chat

then i saw another website which pointed out that the mono-fork arrangement made dealing with punctures a bit of a doddle, so i thought would tack this on to the thread

i definitely think i will buy a giant halfway - but should i buy from the local guy who i know and trust, or should i save possibly £100 and buy on the net?

Kev

 

[mickle]

On Friday I spoke to someone at traffic lights to ask them about their Giant Halfway... and he told me that a group of folding folk gather near the Industrial museum on the first Saturday of each month in the morning. So I turned up and had a go on a couple of bikes including the Giant Halfway, and met some real bike fanatics (with multiple bikes between them), who all had tinkered / modified their set up of their folder. An interesting morning, and the bikes rode over the sunken railway lines suprisingly well.

Asked about where people had bought their bikes, and the guy with the Halfway told me from the old Dave Bater shop when it had been run by a great guy, who loved bikes, that they ran in his blood etc, but that he had moved up north ... he went by the name of Mick!!!!! So Mickle were your ears burning then because he was glowing in his praise of you?

HA! Nice one.

 

[mickle]

Hey Summerdays, we have some assorted Dahons and Dawes (rebadged Dahons) which are due to be transferred to our Reduntant Assets Liquidation Programme. We can do you one for cost if you like.

 

[summerdays]

But which one would you recommend? I've been too busy to go looking since that first burst of enthusism.

 

[lithos]

Hey Summerdays, we have some assorted Dahons and Dawes (rebadged Dahons) which are due to be transferred to our Reduntant Assets Liquidation Programme. We can do you one for cost if you like.

see you are based in York - still got some folding bikes available at cost ?