Top Ten Folders?

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Kell

Veteran
It is, as mentioned by others, entirely governed by necessity.

There's no doubt that my full-size Dahon was better to ride than the Brompton, but I couldn't fit that in the back of my convertible mini.

Also, some train companies will only accept bikes that 'double fold' - my train company was going to be one of those - so I tried to future-proof myself by going Brompton as it fitted all my requirements.

Now I love it. But it wasn't my default choice.
 

TheDoctor

Europe Endless
Moderator
Location
The TerrorVortex
Your needs and circumstances are likely more important than any notional 'quality'etc.
That! @Drago - Nail, Head, Hit.
Most decent folding bikes have their niche.
Airnimals are good if you want a pukka touring bike to go on a plane, and a lengthy fold/unfold process is acceptable.
Ritchey Break-Aways are good if you absolutely must have a proper road bike, and an hour to rebuild the bike is fine. Bromptons are good if it absolutely must fold very small, very quickly.
There is no 'best'.
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
Just bought a Tikit, a bit of a pain to fold and unfold but quite nice to ride. It has a Alfine 8 speed and discs which I've never seen on another Tikit. The idea is to take it on a train somewhere and cycle from there. I find the slow speed steering a bit twitchy and wondered if this can be cured with a longer stem. I'll leave it in UK.
 

Banjo

Fuelled with Jelly Babies
Location
South Wales
For the amount of use a folder gets with me, i couldn't justify spending over £1K and some of them are many thousands. So i bought a used Dahon and have been very happy with it.
Although i saw this on a deal site today..... £199 seems a great price
https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15903287/compass-fast-forward-folding-bike-15903287
If i were still looking for a folder, i'd have been very tempted. Not bad weight at under 12kg and has Claris 8 speed.
I had a Compass brand single speed folder with a hub brake on the back. It served me well with occasional use for 20 plus years . Still in use one of my sons uses it now. PS price shown in the link is £299 ?
 

Kell

Veteran
Just bought a Tikit, a bit of a pain to fold and unfold but quite nice to ride. It has a Alfine 8 speed and discs which I've never seen on another Tikit. The idea is to take it on a train somewhere and cycle from there. I find the slow speed steering a bit twitchy and wondered if this can be cured with a longer stem. I'll leave it in UK.

I didn't know the name, so I looked it up and almost all the articles seem to mention how quick it is to fold.

Is it the same Bike Friday Tikit that they're talking about?
 
Location
London
Just bought a Tikit, a bit of a pain to fold and unfold but quite nice to ride. It has a Alfine 8 speed and discs which I've never seen on another Tikit. The idea is to take it on a train somewhere and cycle from there. I find the slow speed steering a bit twitchy and wondered if this can be cured with a longer stem. I'll leave it in UK.
Don't discs put a lot of strain on forks?
Is that a particular issue with a folder?
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
I didn't know the name, so I looked it up and almost all the articles seem to mention how quick it is to fold.

Is it the same Bike Friday Tikit that they're talking about?
Don't discs put a lot of strain on forks?
Is that a particular issue with a folder?
I'm sure a lot is to do with my unfamiliarity. To pop the seat post which comes first you just need to give it a sharp tap, stupid here was pulling! The rest went okay. Unfolding can be a bit fraught as the clamp that holds the steering post is just a C section that sometimes needs positioning and as you unfold the frame the clamp is pulled by a cable that runs the length of the frame and tensions it as it goes straight (you can see it in the pic), rather fiddly. I think later versions may have an arrangement similar to a Brompton. Apart from that it rides quite well and the Alfine 8 hub works well.
As I said I've never seen another Tikit with discs. The paint is plain black on them so I suspect this is an after market fitment but they work superbly. Hopefully the fork will be up to the job.
489064

The Marathon Plus tyres are just about worn out so I'll be replacing them, maybe with some Kojaks unless anyone has a better recommendation.
It also has a Shimano hub dynamo which added to the Alfine hub makes it rather heavy but not significantly more than a Brompton I'd have thought.
 
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Kell

Veteran
I've got to be honest, for all the grief Marathon pluses get, I'd still favour them over anything else I've used for commuting.

I'm sure Kojaks ride better, but I'm much happier to accept slightly slower, heavier tyres in exchange for zero punctures in 4 years and 8,500 miles of commuting.

I've had two 'flats' (not punctures) in that time - one was because the front brake wasn't tight enough and moved forward under heavy braking and rubbed through the sidewall, and the other was just last week when the valve on my inner tube went.
 

icowden

Veteran
Location
Surrey
As others have said - it depends what you want. That's why it's hard to compare.

Personally I think the Montague should be disqualified as a folder as you have to take the front wheel off. IF you are removing wheels, you can do that on any bike. Tern Joe is good for a full sized, but tern hinges need repairs roughly every couple of years. Brompton have a much better hinge design but the fold is slower than a Tern or Dahon...

Visit shops, try folding. Go for test drives. I tested about 5 different brands before settling on a Joe.
 

Tenkaykev

Guru
Location
Poole
As others have said - it depends what you want. That's why it's hard to compare.

Personally I think the Montague should be disqualified as a folder as you have to take the front wheel off. IF you are removing wheels, you can do that on any bike. Tern Joe is good for a full sized, but tern hinges need repairs roughly every couple of years. Brompton have a much better hinge design but the fold is slower than a Tern or Dahon...

Visit shops, try folding. Go for test drives. I tested about 5 different brands before settling on a Joe.

Having reached the grand age of 70 I'm no longer as strong or as agile as I once was. It usually takes me between 15 to 20 seconds to fold / unfold my Brompton.

Not as fast as this guy, but 5.19 seconds is the world record...


View: https://youtu.be/27F9WVj6lU4
 
And what about full size folders, such as the Montague? The ride is a different league to the diddy wheelers, but then you won't slip them unobtrusively in your pocket when you get on the bus.

Your needs and circumstances are likely more important than any notional 'quality'etc.
My full size 26" Dahon Cadenza has been my commuter workhorse for over 10 years. It rarely gets folded and for an Al frame is quite heavy but I selected it for the hub gears, disk brakes and eccentric bottom bracket.
Montague tend to be specced with fairly low end components for the price.
 
I've been reading this with interest as it looks likely I'll have a job in November (Finally...), but it is a steep 200m downhill and medium sized town away. I can commute for a while on my regular bike but especially in winter the hill will have to be negotiated by bus.

A folding bike will get me to the last bus stop before the drop via a more direct and faster route than the bus manages, and if I can carry it on the bus I have a fifteen minute bus ride followed by a riding for about eight minutes through the town instead of waiting for a bus connection and trundling around the town centre.

Also, I have a three day week so I'll be looking for freelance work teaching English and woodwork in our local area, so being able to carry a bike on public transport and then cycle the last few kilometres would make me much more mobile.

Looking at posts thus far I either have to get a bike that folds very small for the bus or a bike with larger and more comfortable wheels for riding.

Hmm... Dither, dither.

As an aside, it looks like Brompton luggage racks will only take Brompton bags. Is this the case?

[Edited for typos and clarity]
 
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chriscross1966

Über Member
Location
Swindon
I've been reading this with interest as it looks likely I'll have a job in November, but it is a 200m downhill and medium sized town away. I can commute for a while in my regular bike but especially in winter the hill will have to be negotiated by bus.

A folding bike will get me to the last bus stop before the drop via a more direct and faster route than the bus manages, and will mean riding for about eight minutes through the town instead of waiting for a bus connection and trundling around the town centre.

Also, I have a three day week so I'll be looking for freelance work teaching English and Woodwork in our local area, so being able to carry a bike on public transport and then cycle the last few kilometres would make me much more mobile.

Looking at posts thus far I either have to get a bike that folds very small for the bus or a bike with larger and more comfortable wheels for riding.

Hmm... Dither, dither.

As an aside, it looks like Brompton luggage racks will only take Brompton bags. Is this the case?
Lots of aftermarket options for brompton fitting luggage
 

12boy

Guru
Location
Casper WY USA
Andy, you can buy the frame only which clips onto the block on the headtube. Then you can attach a bag you like. Or you can build a setup yourself, as I did with plywood and glue for a couple of bags. Ugly as sin but have proven durable. More of a concern may be your weather. While studded snow tires are available, deep snow and Bromptons may not be your best bet.
 
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