Folding bikes

[Wayners]

What's the reason people buy folding bikes?
I've never seen anyone fold a bike to transport yet they seem popular.
It it the design and look that's appealing?
Just interested

 

[Az.]

It is pretty self explanatory. People buy folders to fold them for whatever reason they want. For easier storage, transportation etc.

There are many disadvantages of folding bikes, so option to fold a bike must be important to those who buy them.
...and no... look is not appealing at all. At least not to me.

 

[matthewslack]

My coffee table is supported by a folded Brompton at each corner. All different colours, obviously.

 

[flecc]

What's the reason people buy folding bikes?

These are often the people who buy a folding bike:

Caravanners for transport from the often remote sites they visit.

Yachting people for transport from ports and marinas.

Flat and maisonettes dwellers who have no garden space or shed to store a bike so have to store them into their home.

People who have little or no experience of cycling and do not realise how compromised the cycling experience can be on a folder.
.

 

[StuartsProjects]

I take my Bromptons, I have an electric and non-electric, shopping, on public transport etc.

It folds small and is easy to wheel around in shops etc, so its not left outside to be stolen.

If your a long way from home and have a breakdown etc, just catch a bus, train or call a Taxi.

I keep the non-electic in a corner by the front door, it does not get in the way and I can be out and riding the bike in about 20 seconds.

I doubt you can do any of the above with a non folder ...........

 

[Tony1951]

I have a Brompton which I bought some years ago when I went to buy a nut for the rear wheel of a sturmy archer equipped bike. I saw it in the bike shop window and bought it on the spot. It wasn't as much an impulse purchase as that sounds, because the bike I was fixing was a fake Brompton - a Merc, produced in China at first under some kind of license and then the parties fell out. I had originally wanted a Brompton before I bought the Merc, but when I went to the outlet near me who sold them he glibly informed me that I would have to wait about five months for him to be able to get his hands on one..... I suppose this would have been about 2004. I think they were struggling to keep up with demand at Brompton, and I saw this aluminium fake Brompton on Ebay at about half the price. I rode that fake about 4000 miles ( I had an odo on it) and then it was pretty worn out. The downtube broke at the top from hammering of the back subframe of the hinged rear end against the seat post clamp, and I resorted to drilling through the downtube and seat post and putting a bolt through because the clamp for the seat tube had broken off. This REALLY compromised the fold, but there was no other solution, given the alu construction. Can't really weld it as an amateur. I had hammered that bike mind. I went camping touring on it and rode it over speed bumps flat out on a regular basis (which was why the seat post clamp broke off).

The Brompton is a VASTLY better piece of engineering. Works better in every way than the fake, but I certainly got plenty of use out of the Chinese version.

I really like the Brompton folder, it is elegant, rides very well for a folder and it is incredibly versatile re storage, transport and functionality. I don't ride it where I am now living because of all the very steep hills in my current location, so I left it in storage in Newcastle. I tried riding it around here but I was mostly reduced to walking up hills with it. Plenty are 20%, so a three speed unless VERY much compromised by a low tooth count on the crank wheel is a no no for a man of my age and probably for most people really.

I have thought of converting it with a motor kit, but would not compromise the forks by grinding the dropouts which used to be needed when I was thinking about electrifying it. I think that there are other solutions now in front wheel motors with narrower axles. Not sure.

 

[kangooroo]

I have several folding bikes. One lives under the bunks in our caravan, another on my car's passenger seat and a third is in a remote cabin. When it requires maintenance it is carried home by car. I couldn't do any of this with a non-folder.

I have 2 full-size bikes used for rides from home and have no other means of transporting them. Without folders I would be limited to cycling from home in a remote area from the top of a 2 mile hill I couldn't pedal up!

 

[StuartsProjects]

I have thought of converting it with a motor kit, but would not compromise the forks by grinding the dropouts which used to be needed when I was thinking about electrifying it

No need to grind the dropouts, there are front hub motors and conversion kits that fit direct in either the standard steel forks or indeed the titanium versions.

I tried riding it around here but I was mostly reduced to walking up hills with it. Plenty are 20%, so a three speed unless VERY much compromised by a low tooth count on the crank wheel is a no no for a man of my age and probably for most people really.

I know the feeling.

There are heaps of gearing options for a Brompton, wide ratio hubs etc.

My non-electric Brompton had a standard 3 speed rear sturmey archer hub. I have picked up a a wide ratio rear hub (lower gearing) and am just about to build a rim onto it.

This wide ratio hub can take a 3 speed rear cog, and the shifters etc are not expensive. So it will end up being a 9 speed, with low gearing for hills, which is good as you get older.

Changing the front crank cog to whatever size suits you is easy enough and not expensive.

 

[Tony1951]

No need to grind the dropouts, there are front hub motors and conversion kits that fit direct in either the standard steel forks or indeed the titanium versions.



I know the feeling.

There are heaps of gearing options for a Brompton, wide ratio hubs etc.

My non-electric Brompton had a standard 3 speed rear sturmey archer hub. I have picked up a a wide ratio rear hub (lower gearing) and am just about to build a rim onto it.

This wide ratio hub can take a 3 speed rear cog, and the shifters etc are not expensive. So it will end up being a 9 speed, with low gearing for hills, which is good as you get older.

Changing the front crank cog to whatever size suits you is easy enough and not expensive.

Thanks for the info.

On that fake Brompton I mentioned in another post, I fitted a front derailleur and had two chainwheels. This greatly enhanced hill climbing from standard, but was still somewhat limited with the ordinary SA hub. I think most of that conversion could be put onto the actual Brompton. It depended on a particularly shaped bracket as I remember that had been precisely machined by an engineer. It is quite a while since I rode that old Merc, but it is still in a garage I have in town, buried under lots of spares and junk.

I think if a motor were fitted, I would not much need those extra gears though.

EDIT:

On the points you made elsewhere on transportability of folders - this is now a key point for me since I have just got rid of my old estate car and replaced it with a new hatchback. I was able to dump my full sized electric bike inside the estate with the rear seats down and it easily accommodated it. No way am I going to even try to fit my electric bike into my brand new, spotless hatchback, so the wee Brompton may be give some more use now if I am away from home, and who knows, maybe with electrification - though I am not that motivated to do that really.

 

[Az.]

I have several folding bikes.

(...)

I have 2 full-size bikes used for rides from home and have no other means of transporting them.

How many bikes do you have?

There are many ways to transport full size bike by car.

Without folders I would be limited to cycling from home in a remote area from the top of a 2 mile hill I couldn't pedal up!

That is exactly what e-bikes are for

 

[saneagle]

I have a Brompton which I bought some years ago when I went to buy a nut for the rear wheel of a sturmy archer equipped bike. I saw it in the bike shop window and bought it on the spot. It wasn't as much an impulse purchase as that sounds, because the bike I was fixing was a fake Brompton - a Merc, produced in China at first under some kind of license and then the parties fell out. I had originally wanted a Brompton before I bought the Merc, but when I went to the outlet near me who sold them he glibly informed me that I would have to wait about five months for him to be able to get his hands on one..... I suppose this would have been about 2004. I think they were struggling to keep up with demand at Brompton, and I saw this aluminium fake Brompton on Ebay at about half the price. I rode that fake about 4000 miles ( I had an odo on it) and then it was pretty worn out. The downtube broke at the top from hammering of the back subframe of the hinged rear end against the seat post clamp, and I resorted to drilling through the downtube and seat post and putting a bolt through because the clamp for the seat tube had broken off. This REALLY compromised the fold, but there was no other solution, given the alu construction. Can't really weld it as an amateur. I had hammered that bike mind. I went camping touring on it and rode it over speed bumps flat out on a regular basis (which was why the seat post clamp broke off).

The Brompton is a VASTLY better piece of engineering. Works better in every way than the fake, but I certainly got plenty of use out of the Chinese version.

I really like the Brompton folder, it is elegant, rides very well for a folder and it is incredibly versatile re storage, transport and functionality. I don't ride it where I am now living because of all the very steep hills in my current location, so I left it in storage in Newcastle. I tried riding it around here but I was mostly reduced to walking up hills with it. Plenty are 20%, so a three speed unless VERY much compromised by a low tooth count on the crank wheel is a no no for a man of my age and probably for most people really.

I have thought of converting it with a motor kit, but would not compromise the forks by grinding the dropouts which used to be needed when I was thinking about electrifying it. I think that there are other solutions now in front wheel motors with narrower axles. Not sure.

Bromton forks aare only £65 new, so you can buy a spare pair to file for a motor. It's not exactly a big deal, the original wheel still fits OK after filing.

The 3-speed gears work pretty well when you have a motor. Even the weakest motor can drag a 100kg rider up a 14% hill without pedalling because you get such high torque from the 16" wheel.

 

[guerney]

What's the reason people buy folding bikes?

My bikes must fold into buses, trains, taxis etc. - there's no way I'm going to ever be stuck somewhere with a heavy bike too hard to pedal miles home using muscle power. I know large taxis are often available in big cities to transport non-folding bikes, but even so.

I've never seen anyone fold a bike to transport yet they seem popular.

Don't you see them on trains? I see Bromptons all the time. Sometimes twice in the same carriage, but not always folded. I've also seen a Giant Halfway - I reckon I must be the only Dahonated train passenger.

It it the design and look that's appealing?

For me it's necessity. I never have to leave my bike out locked: supermarkets, business premises etc. I take my folding bike in everywhere.

 

[StuartsProjects]

I think if a motor were fitted, I would not much need those extra gears though.

Exactly that.

The motor does really replace the need for lots of gears to cope with hills ................

 

[Woosh]

What's the reason people buy folding bikes?
I've never seen anyone fold a bike to transport yet they seem popular.
It it the design and look that's appealing?
Just interested

I use my converted Brompton to ride around town.
It's main advantage is lightweight compared to my other e-bikes, the motor adds 1.5kgs and 10AH battery under 2kgs. I can pick it up with one hand by the saddle and carry it up a few steps.
Try picking up and carrying any other electric bike by the saddle.

 

[Tony1951]

Bromton forks aare only £65 new, so you can buy a spare pair to file for a motor. It's not exactly a big deal, the original wheel still fits OK after filing.

The 3-speed gears work pretty well when you have a motor. Even the weakest motor can drag a 100kg rider up a 14% hill without pedalling because you get such high torque from the 16" wheel.

Thanks Saneagle. Great information as usual from you on these subjects. I have just been looking at Woosh's Brompton kits. I will be staying in the Lakes at Portinscale near Keswick for a week pretty soon, and will maybe take the non-electric Brompton with me in the boot. In my old estate car, I took the electric bike and rode it up some pretty serious hills around there - It did very well. Now I can't really fit that full size bike inside the new car, so the Brompton may get its tyres blown up and some greasy attention before I go. I won't be riding up those steep roads on it though, but there are plenty of valley bottom rides - and I can always get off and push the beggar if I have to.

 

[WheezyRider]

When I used to commute into London on the train, the folder used to save me a fortune in fairs in getting around the city. I don't use it so much these days, but it is always there as a backup. Particularly useful when I take the cars in for an MOT etc. I can take it in the back of the car then cycle off into town for a coffee and come back later. It also gets wheeled out on other occasions and I wouldn't want to be without one. It is not electrified. I thought about it once, but the front forks are 75 mm and it's not so easy to find a decent rear hub for 20" at 250W these days. The motors for Bromptons I think are for 75 mm forks, I meant to look into that with the Bosch power drill pack project a while back, but that's been shelved for now.

It's a 6 speed derailleur, so it has plenty of gears for hills. It is an alloy frame Dahon knock off, it was cheap but it does the job and is still going strong after many years.

What always impressed me was how responsive they are due to the small wheels and low weight. I could out accelerate almost anyone away from the lights. They would only catch up hundreds of yards later once they were able to get up to speed and take advantage of their higher gearing. You can also draft the "lycra crowd" so well as the frontal resistance of a folder is a lot smaller and your front wheel can place you much closer to the rider in front. You get pulled along with minimal effort

 

[guerney]

What always impressed me was how responsive they are due to the small wheels and low weight. I could out accelerate almost anyone away from the lights. They would only catch up hundreds of yards later once they were able to get up to speed and take advantage of their higher gearing. You can also draft the "lycra crowd" so well as the frontal resistance of a folder is a lot smaller and your front wheel can place you much closer to the rider in front. You get pulled along with minimal effort

Imagine all that with 720W extra of mid-motor power! People say it's unnecessary, but I say it's the most fun you can have on your own* .

*Only genuine Dahon folding frames need apply. Tern and other inferior craply designed and welded folding frames need not apply, at all.

 

[WheezyRider]

Another advantage with a folder is when you get to the office you can take it in with you and put it under your desk, rather than leave it outside where it can easily be stolen.

 

[Bonzo Banana]

Another advantage of folders which I don't think has been mentioned is some families are in small flats nowadays and have no storage outside so the bike has to come into the flat and the smaller you can make it the better. In the same situation there maybe only room for one bike but multiple people that want to ride a bike on occasion and of course a folding bike can adjust to fit any size person easily so everyone has access to a bicycle. They are small wheeled so typically are low geared so easier for hill climbing compared to many other bikes too but this will vary somewhat. I would say a 42T front chainring with a 32T largest cog with 20" wheels is relatively low geared at about 26 inches travelled with one crank rotation with 2" thick tyres.

 

[AndyBike]

All bicycles are folders.







It just depends if you're ever going to need to unfold them again.