Folding bikes - Brompton, Dahon, Mezzo etc - recommendations and chat

Hello.

Why is this a sticky? Folding bikes? Really?

Anyway, I want advice about buying a folding bike for Mrs Chap in case I can persuade her to part-commute and part-cycle.

So.... go on. Give me advice.

Let's leave budget to one side.

How long would the ride be? A paltry few miles from where Mrs Chap parks her car to where she works. Currently she parks as close as possible to where she works and that means she's stuck in traffic for ages. I've suggested she parks on the outskirts and rides the last yard or two. Or three.

Well if budget is not a primary consideration then there's little reason not to just splash the cash on a 3 speed brompton... Order it in advance and so get it in her fave colour. Loveability may help solidify the biking habit...

2 speed with ti rear triangle ftw

if the shop has to order it the lead out time can be a month or so but it's well worth it. and it's actually made in london, which is awesome. more people ought to make things in london.

[0]=39929]i'm not a fan of dahon and would only resort to them if the budget won't stretch to a basic brompton, even then i'd say to look for a second hand brompton. if the budget is there it's worth considering are the airnimal, less elegant folding mechanism but faster and more like a "proper" bicycle.

Fwiw I now ride my brompton and a "real" bike regularly and genuinely prefer the brompton... Or I've got habituated or something... I prefer the nippy steering...

This reminds me to drop a pic of my (pride and joy) Airnimal (if only for the looks on the LBS workers face when I show what I've done to my brakes )

i can't handle the tiny wheels- lanky fucker me

this bike in nude to show off the brazing is the nuts:

I've just got my mits on an old racer and the 'turning circle' is howdge compared to the Brompton.

Although I took the Brompton to the Lakes not long ago and rode it for miles up and down the hills in driving rain. That was hard work going up and I was out of my comfort zone doing proper speed on it on the way down.

yeah I can see that miles and miles of up and (fast) down on a brompton would be out of its comfort zone...and mine

and good point on leg length - I am blessed with small but perfectly formed leglings

VERY NICE indeed...for the poster above looking for one for his girlf...I would recommend the other more upright (m?) style of handlebars - that's what I have and it's a great compromise

Ok a_chap here's my experience

I bought a 3-speed Brompton 8 months ago, cycle on it 4 miles a day (at either end of a train journey into London, so no more tubes or walking)

I genuinely LOVE it. More and more each day. It is solid, brilliantly engineered, fast and has good gearing. You soon get used to the small wheels

It is my favourite thing I have ever bought

I know Editor loves Dahon, the only Dahon rider i hvae spoken to since I got my Brompton told me he wished he'd got a Brompton as his Dahon keeps going wrong

Mine was £950. It includes rear luggage rack (v handy) and Eazy wheels (2 extra tiny wheels, adding to the two standard tiny wheels which mean you can push it along very easily for example on train platforms etc)

I now use it nearly every weekend for going to the shops, library etc I love it

I also love my full size bike on weekends but could happily survive just w my Brompton

That's the type I've got but with the titanium bits.....although I've got 6 gears. Yes 6!

A woman in my work has the titanium frame. It is MUCH lighter! But I think she told me it is about a grand more expensive

Also (sorry) good idea at the time when you order (and you can pick and mix the spec you choose) to get the front luggage block put on (it is what a Brompton bag will clip onto) - esp in summer so she / you can avoid having rucksack or whatever on your back. £30 for the block iirc and well worth it

Plus I agree w Piers Gibbon get the more upright handlebars (I think they are called M type, not the flat ones in that pic (and NOT the well weird looking ones they also offer!)

feel the brompton lurve!

it's funny, but I am undeniably fond of that folded chunk of metal over there...

Piers (or others), any experience on what is the best front luggage to buy for a Brompton? C or S? I like the mini Ortlieb but they are only 7litre capacity

Any tips welcomed!

I wear a manly leather backpack instead ;-)

I use one of these: http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/brompton-t-bag. Can get a LOT in it and very sturdy, weatherproof etc. A bit big for carrying around by itself, but I only really use it on the bike. One downside is that I came off the bike not so long ago and the clip that attaches the bag to the frame has cracked. All still works ok, but I suspect it is going to break some time in the near future.

I got the C bag. It is utterly brilliant. £100 inc frame, 10% off, so £90 job done love it

I love my Brompton. I've got the C bag too and also a bag that goes on the (optional) rack I've got on the back. Yes, the standard handlebars which give a very upright riding position make it a veryy comfortable ride.

I slightly regret not going for the titanium frame though as it is quite heavy, but still, I've got the EZ wheels so can push it around, so I don't need to lift it that much anyway.

yeah I wish I had been able to afford the titanium version too as bromptons are pretty heavy for carrying...if I win the lottery I'd buy another one and have a spare here so friends could come round and cycle round with me

Downside about Bromptons - toerags can walk off the train with your folded up bike and you don't notice

noooooo!

Yes they are extremely portable..I think there is a market for an extremely lightweight chain thingy that just attaches bromptons to hand rails/radiators/desks - which of course would not stop an equipped thief but would stop opportunist toerags on public transport or a cafe or whatever. My personal preference would be for an almost invisible chain so that the thief gets rumbled by the noise/surprise and then gets dismembered by the crowd...

Yes. Very gutted. Busy, slow train and distracted me meant someone just got off the train with it. Am thinking the same Piers, would probably have meant I still owned a bike right now.