Folding Bikes?

monquixote

I'm going to be moving office soon meaning I'll have to start getting the train in. 

The local train station is a bit too far to walk and it doesn't have a proper bike park (it's just an exposed railing) to that end I'm considering getting a folding bike so I can take it on the train with me.

Anyone got experience of what is and isn't worth having?

Obviously I'd like  Brompton, but they are crazy expensive!

BigMonka

Depends on your usage really. 
Is the train going to be busy at your commuting times?  If yes then you'll want something that folds up decently small
Are you going to need to carry it? If yes then a decently light one will be important

Basically a brompton is the king of the fold up as the folding mechanism is particularly good and they aren't the heaviest type of foldup. Dahon are good folders too, but again not cheap.
Or you can get a super cheap one from Tesco but that will only fold a bit (so they're still big when folded) and are heavy (in case you need to carry it up stairs at work to your office)

monquixote

BigMonka said:

Depends on your usage really. 
Is the train going to be busy at your commuting times?  If yes then you'll want something that folds up decently small
Are you going to need to carry it? If yes then a decently light one will be important

Basically a brompton is the king of the fold up as the folding mechanism is particularly good and they aren't the heaviest type of foldup. Dahon are good folders too, but again not cheap.
Or you can get a super cheap one from Tesco but that will only fold a bit (so they're still big when folded) and are heavy (in case you need to carry it up stairs at work to your office)

I will have to take it up the stairs at the station and take it on the train so small and light is good.

Veganic

I got a Tern C7 from ebay for £250.  As good as new.

It seems quite stable and comfortable and fun to ride but I'm not really big or heavy.
 I haven't put many miles in on it and I haven't used it on the train yet.  
They do seem quite big when folded.  More like taking a suitcase on your holidays than a bag to work.

DrJazzTap

My father has a Brompton and a Raleigh folding bike. the Brompton is a far superior bicycle. they have definitely shot up in value in the last few years though.iirc his was around £600-700 in 08, I think they are £1200 odd now.

He had a dahon one, which wasn't too bad. Better than the Raleigh.
 I think what sets the Brompton apart is that once the bike has been folded up the frame can be locked into place.  His is only a three speed strumy archer one which is relatively quick. but myself personally, if i was going to use it for commuting say seven miles to a train station id want something with faster gearing. oh and I've struggled to find innertubes for the Brompton.

Ravenous

I've got a very old model of Dahon Presto which is OK, and feels reasonably solid in use especially if you're light. (Not good for tall people though, the very long seat pin is barely high enough for an average height guy. 5 foot 8 or 5'9" is just about OK)

But - even though it's a small wheeler I'd say mine is very bulky for daily use when in its bag. Even with the (cheap) folding pedals it came with. But I very rarely take it on the train.

The larger-wheeled models of Dahon might  be even more bulky

I suspect the Brompton is really the only choice for a neat compact folder, unfortunately (and I think has longer seatposts for taller riders). Though I haven't looked at the Birdy, etc for years and have no idea if they've improved...

Iamnobody

We have a Raleigh one - I've used it a few times including on the train to London and the underground when I got there. It cost about £75 mint condition used.

I don't think I'd use it as daily transport. I think like most bikes you get what you pay for.

merlin

One of these.

axisus

My boss got one for free off of that recycling site. He didn't use it so he gave it to me. It was a total tank, you needed to be pumping iron to be able to lift it, so it rather defeated the point. I got my wife to take it to a car boot sale with instruction to not bring it back. She put it up for £5 and got haggled down to £3.

Just get a Brompton! They are ace.

BigMonka

I think @lloyd has got a brompton, he may be able to give a realistic owner's view?

menamestom

I have a Dahon, it's great but does not fold up small enough to take on a train.  It's very good for most applications (boot of a car etc) but I'd not want to lug it around.  Brompton's look a bit more awkward ride but are well engineered and made in the UK.  Expensive yes, but one would probably last a lifetime.

Reverend

xSkarloey

Brompton first last and always. Light enough to carry smallish distances. With practice can be folded in  mere seconds. 

The price has indeed shot up but they are superbly well made and they are in every sense a genuine investment. 

They hold their value very well so used bargains are few and far between. So buying on 0% credit or a work scheme might make sense. 


I used to have a model that was only a three speed but the gearing was superb and it was a very comfy ride. 


Literally they take ten minutes to get used to given the altered centre of gravity but then you're off. You even forget you're on an unconventional looking bike because rideability and utility trumps self consciousness. 


Re maintenance I used to buy kids' bikes tyres and tubes. Seemed okay. Got any questions post them here or PM. Will try to answer. Cheers. 

dchwhite

A mate tried a cheaper folder, but then got a Brompton on the travel to work loan - he finds it a big improvement.

Do you have to have a folder on your trains? We're lucky to have quite a few trains an hour on my route (Ely/ Cambridge) and so if you take a bit of care in which train you catch, you can take a full-size bike (as long as there's no rail replacement bus or anything...).

Big new multistorey cycle park at Cambridge station now though if you did go for a bike at each end.

NickBotfield

I'd echo everyone else.  I've got a Tern Link which rides very nicely and folds up reasonably small, but if you're going to take it on public transport Brompton is the only game in town.  The fold is so much more compact and they hold their value really well if you eventually sell it.

monquixote

Thanks for all the info chaps. 

Looks like the Brompton is the only one worth having.

It's an awful lot of cash to splurge on something when the alternative is just to buy any old beater bike and accept that sometimes it's going to be pissing wet when I get to it. 

xSkarloey

You are right. People do baulk at the price. 

I have a friend who has a shortish 10 min walk to a station and when he's got off the train still has  a longer journey to his eventual place of work. He can use a bus but it often gets caught in traffic. 

After he'd seen Brompton prices and wept a little, I suggested he get a couple of old bikes, one for each end of the journey. 

You pays your money and you takes your choice. If the Brompton would just be for a short hop one end you're probably best off buying used, cheap new and getting a decent lock.

Moe_Zambeek

A colleague bought a ridgeback folder for 50 quid. Good bike but not hugely compact and quite heavy...but it lives under a desk in the office and serves as the office mule if anyone needs to do a short hop, and doesn't want to take their expensive bike (of which there are many here). 

ThePrettyDamned

In Cambridge, most folk use old beaters as theft is so common. Obviously, good locks (use a big D lock and something else, like a cable) help a lot. 

Folders are less likely to be nicked as they go with you. 

Basically, if you get a folder I'd get a good one. And brace yourself for some shitty cycling, shitty driving and shitty pedestrians.  

dchwhite

^what tpd said. The condition of the roads in Cambridge is pretty poor as well, with Station Road particularly lunar. Any bike is likely to feel the effect, nice ones more expensively so.

EricTheWeary

There was something on the radio about commuting by bike. One of the guests explained that after having several bikes nicked from the station he bought a cheap one and painted it with pink stripes and that's never been taken. 

Oddly enough a friend of mine had an allotment where there had been break ins and the police gave him similar advice. There was a further break in but they didn't take his stuff. If you're passing an allotment in Wolverhampton and see a  burly skinhead with pink striped gardening tools that's Steve...

The point being that bikes are usually stolen for a quick resell and that if you make it unsellable ( no one's interested in serial numbers) it's less stealable.