Thread 2053967

Folding bikes seamlessly tie in with all transportation modes as they are specifically designed to be compact, stowable and therefore easily TRANSPORTABLE. Easily carried onto trains, planes, buses, trams and other automobiles.

There've been many attempts to create the perfect folder, some designs have come very close and have remained in production for decades. The world of folders spans incredible genius tier feats of engineering to terrible examples of dangerously ill conceived death trap folly.

Post yours here, or post examples that may be of interest for their engineering genius, aesthetic charm or worthiness of ridicule.

I want a folding bike but I'm poor :(

Also, what kind of distances should you expect to take these folding bikes? My usual commutes are around 20 miles and include a couple of hill climbs, all the videos I've seen of people using Bromptons only seem to be taking them on shorter 5 mile commutes. Realistically if I had one, would they even be appropriate for longer distances?

>>2053968
I've been bromptoning for a few years now and I wouldn't really recommend it if you have a hilly commute because the gear shifting is not great. The standard 3-speeds hub shifter doesn't like hills.
If you want to ride one on longer distances then consider
>mod the hub shifter away, replace it with a cassette and derailleur as plenty of people do
>change the saddle, KEEP THE TUBE
>if your area gets very windy then watch out for it because the combination of sitting fairly high up and upright with the frame being low to the ground, having small wheels and narrow handlebars makes Bromptons pretty twitchy
still luv mine
always 'ave
always will
simple as
The partial folding is too convenient.

>>2053968
There are many different folders, some more suited to short rides, others capable of lengthier treks. It also matters what parts are on the bike.

Bromptons are popular for a reason. They are well designed practical and comfortable bikes, and they can be set up how you want. But there are countless other brands that should be considered. And the good news is used folders can be found for not a lot of money.

Dahon made some crackers, and these seem to be everywhere, all the major bike manufacturers have versions that are worth looking at. The best approach is hunt online for cheap used examples, then, before you pull the trigger do some research. There will be plenty of information out there, bike forums are good sources where you'll find the pros and cons.

Think about wheelsize too, folders come with all sizes from 16'' to 26'', there may even be 700c folders.

Picrel is fun and has an ingenious folding mechanism, but is really not a great bike to ride very far.

>>2053975
Bromptons are popular because by paying the Brompton tax, you're demonstrating that you're not some poor loser who bikes to work because he has to, no you're a member of a rarefied club of Bromptonauts who spent %amount% (I bet you think that's a lot huh? well it is but it was totally worth it). Never mind that plenty of normal bikes cost more, those bikes are for "cyclists" (judgmental assholes who don't realize you don't need all that expensive stuff)

>>2053968
You'll sometimes hear Brompton people boasting about how wonderful the handling is on those little wheels but it's more like, "wow I didn't expect this thing to be usable at all", well it was %amount%, I should hope it would be usable (though in fact they don't get used much for anything).

There's really two use cases for Bromptons, one is the aforementioned upper middle class urbanist status symbol and the other is riding them. The second use case ostensibly overlaps with the first but actually this is not so. Because turns out lack of a British folding bike with a bunch of obnoxious proprietary parts is *usually* not the barrier to riding around in the city, in real life, for people who *actually* ride around in the city. That's why you will almost never see them being used for their supposed purpose and 99% of Brompton activity occurs on the internet, like posting YouTube comments about how all drivers are idiot assholes or how things would be so much better if we all just moved to Amsterdam.

People who really needed a folding bike usually ended up getting a Tern or a Dahon or a Bike Friday or something, anything really (now I will be called a "salty poorfag" by someone ignorant of what these things cost, aka someone who has a Brompton and doesn't know much about bikes, but why did I just repeat myself). Because even if a decently equipped Bike Friday costs a couple a thousand more than the Brompton, it's worth it to not have to say "Brompton" or be seen on a Brompton.

Cue "rent free", etc.

>>2053968
How folding are we talking?
If a 26-er that folds in half is good, then go on Aliexpress, find one of those frames for ~100 bucks, and source a local donor bike for your budget to transfer everything over. It'll be a full-on bike, no different from what you built it out of, just able to fit in your closet, in your car's trunk and allowed in places where only folding bikes are allowed. It's much bigger than a Brompton obviously, but compared to a regular bike, it adds a lot of practicality.
Make sure it's one that pivots around the seat tube, Paratrooper-style, not one that folds at the top tube, these break in half.

>>2053967 (OP)
>easily TRANSPORTABLE.

To keep the vehicle clean, I bought a 50 gallon plastic tub from Lowes, but you can find those sold at walmart.com and elsewhere. I put the folded bike into that and then put that into the vehicle. To make the container stronger on its upper lip, I also install the tub lid to make that upper edge stronger. Of course, I cut out the enter of the lid so that the folded bike goes through the opening. Be sure to wrap a towen on the side of the bike (to protect the paint) where it might rub on the plastic.

>>2053977
>Bike Friday
>foldable cargo bike
That's so dumb.
I need one right now.

do mini velos count?

>>2054116
I'd say not. They're small and compact, but they are otherwise no different from other bikes.
There's one possible exception, Moultons that don't fold but do split into two halves, which has the same effect.

>>2053973
>KEEP THE TUBE
whats so great about the seatpost?

>>2054176
It's very tall and needs to bump into the fender for the bike to fold correctly.

Literally have a 6 speed brompton on order. After a quick search I see a 12 speed on sale for only 100 euro more, from the same retailer. What do I do, should I exchange it?

I've seen some almost new foldable bikes for dirt cheap in my neighborhood. I'm considering buying one and throwing it in my cars trunk.
Will 3 gear planetary hub (shimano neus 3) with 20 inch wheels will be usable for casual riding? I'm not planning to ride more than 50-100km daily.

Do you get a lot of wind resistance on these due to the upright riding position or is the small frame and wheels kinda aerodynamic?

>>2055596
Not much wind resistance

>>2053967 (OP)
how rough is the ride for 16" wheels for shit tier 2nd world roads/pebble roads to ride for about 15km?

What upgrades would you recommend for the Brompton? Will probably get different grips first, stock ones are kinda shit, also the saddle ain't to my liking. Any recommendations for something on the lighter spectrum?
>>2057338
Post pick of roads?

>>2057432
roads like this