GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
Some say their biggest regret is that I did spend the extra to get Rhubarb painted the way she is.
What are the best folding bikes?
- Thread starter Alphaman92
- Start date
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GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
tbf the best value folder I've ever seen is my mate's wife's Raleigh 20 which cost £1 at a car boot sale.
Still a pos though.
Still a pos though.
I declare an interest as a Dahon MU p8 owner. I have seen this Btwin model up close and I don't rate it. The running gear and the fold on the Dahon are just......better. I'm not saying the Btwin is bad value for the money, because it looks ok, just that the MU is a better bike.A relabelled Dahon is the right answer. I bought it second-hand as an experiment but it has a few niggles (for example, the chain is a bit naked/unprotected/able-to-oil whatever it touches when folded and I think the hinges may corrode easily) - it works OK but I think hub gears make more sense.
As I was cycling home from market yesterday, I met a man from Nottingham who was riding a B'Twin folder to scout out cycle routes from the caravan site he was staying at, to check they had clearance for his wife's motorised wheelchair. I think he was on a http://www.decathlon.co.uk/tilt-700-folding-bike-grey-id_8300175.html - the handlebar folding catch had come loose, but he said they were going to replace it under its lifetime warranty. Besides that, it looked much neater and better thought-out than my folder - but fortunately not as neat as the black roadster I was riding
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Maybe on the fold - I'm sceptical of the hidden workings of the Btwin - but the Btwin's SRAM hub gears make much more sense than a Shimano derailleur on a small bike.
shouldbeinbed
Rollin' along
- Location
- Manchester way
burn the heretic
Flying Dodo
It'll soon be summer
I've got a Bickerton which I've been given, along with its carrying bag. Almost immaculate condition. At some point over the winter, I'm going to see if I can fit an 8 speed rear wheel onto it, and convert the floppy handlebars.
- Location
- The TerrorVortex
It may be difficult to find bars which are long enough. I must fettle my Bickerton - they were made within a few miles of me, so it'd be nice to ride it back to its birthplace.
Shortmember
Bickerton Cyclocross Racing Team groupie
Call me a masochist if you want but I've enjoyed riding my Bickerton for many years, and although it felt a little loose initially, after tightening up the steering head bearings, which seemed to be the main cause of the floppy feel of the bars, and using petrol to degrease the handlebar and clamp, the steadiness of the ride improved considerably. The bike still nods its head a little when climbing hills and braking hard, but never enough to make me feel unsafe. However, braking in wet weather can be a heart stopping experience, so I always ride in rainy conditions with the brakes just touching the rims and my feet at the ready just in case I need an extra bit of stopping power.
John the Monkey
Frivolous Cyclist
- Location
- Crewe
Unless you're somewhere dry, I guess. The running gear is so low to the ground that everything gets filthy in inclement weather, and wears quickly - hub gears are where it's at for year round small wheeled bikes.
Hey guys,
I'm new here and looking to find out what the best folding bikes are, I was looking at purchasing a bicycle a year or two ago but passed on it in the end. I've been reading reviews which seem to think that Dahon's are the best... I see a lot of Bromptons here in the UK and was wondering if they are equally as good?
Thanks
The right folding bike for you depends on what you are going to be doing with it and why you require it to fold. A compact fold is important if you want to mix riding with public transport, perhaps less important if you want to store folded at home or put it in a car boot. To get a better idea go to some dealers and take a look at some options, see how they fold, try carrying them around folded, take them on a test ride.
Flying Dodo
It'll soon be summer
In the garage just now, seeing the Brompton next to the Bickerton, I was idly wondering if you could somehow bolt the Brompton handlebar stem onto the Bickerton. All that steel might make it top heavy though...........
- Location
- The TerrorVortex
Not sure I'd take the Brommie apart to try and improve a Bickerton!
I mean, I like most bikes, but a Bickerton is so outdated now...it's not like you can make poo shiney, to coin a phrase.
I mean, I like most bikes, but a Bickerton is so outdated now...it's not like you can make poo shiney, to coin a phrase.
Flying Dodo
It'll soon be summer
LOL (as the kids say). It's just the quirky nature of the Bickerton appeals to me. Bromptons are just so........common, as in everywhere.
- Location
- The TerrorVortex
Bicks were fairly common in their day. They were an important evolutionary step in folding bike design, and I'd never decry them for that. My Bickerton is a hoot to ride. It's just that the Brommie is a better fold, a better integrated carrier, and a better bike.
In my opinion.
It's better for what I need. But what I need isn't what someone else needs. I'd have given anything to have an Airnimal, or a Ritchey Break-Away, or even a Dahon Jack when I went up Ventoux last November. But I needed a bike I could tour on, and take on Eurostar, and ride across Paris, and all the rest. A Brommie ticked all my boxes. It may not tick yours. And that's why there's no single best folding bike.
Tl;Dr. I like Bromptons. Not everyone does. And that's OK.
In my opinion.
It's better for what I need. But what I need isn't what someone else needs. I'd have given anything to have an Airnimal, or a Ritchey Break-Away, or even a Dahon Jack when I went up Ventoux last November. But I needed a bike I could tour on, and take on Eurostar, and ride across Paris, and all the rest. A Brommie ticked all my boxes. It may not tick yours. And that's why there's no single best folding bike.
Tl;Dr. I like Bromptons. Not everyone does. And that's OK.
