Which of these 2 folding bikes should I buy?

[reno999]

Hello there, was hoping to get some advice!

I'm quite keen on buying a folding bike (space issues at home mean a standard bike is out of the question) so that I can start cycling more. I'll be using it for park cycling and occassional countryside cycling, nothing particularly strenous. I've narrowed it down to the 2 below, both the same brand but 1 a level above the other

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/tilt-500-folding-bike-blue-id_8500544.html

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/tilt-120-folding-bike-grey-id_8500543.html

The "less good" one, the Tilt 120, is £180, the "better" one, the Tilt 500, is £270. I don't mind paying more if I'm getting value for money, but is the £180 one good or is it a lot worse than the £270 one? Any advice appreciated! Thank you

Thanks

 

[Cycleops]

The main difference between the two is the cheaper one has a steel frame whilst the better one is aluminium. You also get an extra gear.
If you check the one is 14.5 kg against 12.9.
You won't notice much difference on the road but you will when carrying it.
You'll find that even the better models from Tern, Dahon and even Brompton won't go much below 12kg.
One downside with cheaper bikes is they don't come with puncture proof tyres so you might want to swap them out depending on your experience.
Good luck with the cycling and welcome to the forum.
As an afterthought you can usually pick up folders cheap used as many seem to buy them and never or hardly ever use them, these are the ones to go for.
https://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/dahon-jack-full-size-folding-bike-wow/1343553351

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/323827602801

 

[reno999]

Thanks so much for your help

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

If I was buying new, I'd go for the cheaper Decathlon model and save my £90!
The cheaper one is also steel, which is a better material than aluminium for making bike frames from anyway. Aluminium frames are far more likely to suffer fatigue failures starting at invisible weld defects.
Compared to a full-size bike with 26" or 27" wheels, all those small wheel models give a much less comfortable more bumpy ride, and they are relatively heavy in relation to their size as folder frames cannot be optimised to be structurally efficient in their use of material. Apart from their ability to fold, they really have nothing to recommend them. I know someone who lives in a small bedsit who has a 26" MTB and a vintage 700c racing frame, so it's a question of what compromise you are willing to make in storage space vs practicality.

 

[vickster]

The second is a kilo and a half heavier. I’d always go as light as possible for a folder for portability