Looking for a bike for college
 

hello, I am going to be going back to college next year and I am looking to get a folding bike thats a little easier to carry around around with me


I have had a few different folding bikes; a dahon speed p8, a tern node D8, and currently im riding on some sort of zizzo (I forgot the model) and while I've enjoyed the ride on all of them, theyre not overly pleasant to carry around when folded up since I'm pretty short and not very strong. I think having a bike with a tighter fold and 16" wheels would be better


This will be my primary method of transportation, as I have a sensory disability that makes it dangerous to drive a car. I live in Colorado and the hills can get pretty rough so having a decent gear range will help, and durability is important to me as well. I've been curious about internal gear hubs, they seem convenient on paper but im worried theyre not as great in real life as it seems


my budget is set around $1000-$2000, affordability isnt the biggest concern so long as i know I'm getting a quality product


currently I had my eyes set on a bike friday pakit, brompton, and started looking at the dahon curl i8, but it seems like every time I lurk on this forum i discover another brand, and I'm open to suggestions, or input on the bikes I've been looking at already


while they all seem to have good reviews, its always hard to say if people still love them a few years later as much as they loved them out of the box


thank you for your input

Carrying any folder presents some challenge. Within what is possible Pakit was mentioned in this forum as easier to carry than other bikes. In the case of Brompton, you can make it maneuverable like a travel suitcase, with an addition of a couple of roller wheels directed to the side. The Sidewinder kit to accomplish this was offered on Ebay by a seller named doublesdave. While he has not posted that offer there recently, it might be possible to get such a kit by messaging him or one might turn to DIY as described here. Even a 6sp Brompton is insufficient for a surrounding with serious hills - more investment or DIY is needed in going beyond what is available as stock.

I am 5'4" and not super strong either, so weight for carry really mattered to me. No matter how much you think you will just roll the bike, you end up carrying it up stairs, I found. Sometimes LOTS of stairs (like our public transit stations). I went with the Bike Friday pakiT. Because you can configure the bike exactly the way you want, you can determine the weight you will end up lifting and carrying. Just remember, less weight = more $, lol. My sweet spot was 19lbs, and the bike ended up a little over the top of your budget. If you can carry a few more pounds than I, you can end up much closer to $1400, around 22 lbs. The pakit comes with 8 speeds if you go with a rear derailleur (Brompton maxes out at 6). You can have it built up as a 10 speed if you want, which might be better in Colorado. You can get an internal hub if you want and a belt drive is an option as well. I went with the standard rear derailleur and chain because it's easier to fix flat tires and I don't mind shifting at all. BF service is fantastic and it's here in the US.
Consider also that you might be riding in snow in Colorado. I have no idea if one can put snow tires on a pakiT or a Brompton. If you call BF they can tell you.
Consider that bikes get stolen on campuses a lot - will you be able to take the bike inside everywhere you go or will you need to lock it up sometimes? A more expensive bike can be a target; be sure to purchase some form of bike theft insurance (maybe you can add a special rider to homeowner's insurance or renter insurance).
Feel free to reach out if you have any ? about the pakiT or BF in general, I'll be glad to share my experiences.

Oh...I should add...BF also has an electric motor kit for their pakiT in case those hills are just too much, lol.

Schwalbe studded tires are available in 16" size, 1.2" wide. I have been riding Brompton this winter putting just one such tire in front and all went well. It should be suitable for pakiT too unless somehow pakiT's fork allows only for narrow tires.

I have seen students taking folders into classrooms and I presume this is the goal for the folder here.

this is super helpful, thank you

i was looking at the 8 speed with the internal gear hub and belt drive, and as i built it the way i liked the price pushed to 2300, which i would still be willing to pay for the components i would be getting out of it

im still a little iffy on getting a hub instead of a derailleur. I want to be sure that if something goes wrong with it, it can be fixed, but the idea of having a bike without the chain grease sounds fantastic. I just have no personal experience with hubs

im not brave or resilient enough to ride in snow, so the bikes always get retired in winter time, no issues there

and yes, i will be taking my bike indoors with me, i would never leave a bike outside in general lmao

From what I've read, hubs are pretty reliable. The drawback, to me, is that changing a flat tire is quite a bit more trouble and you do need to carry some additional tools with you. Now, if you aren't going off the beaten path and can easily get to some form of transit (public or otherwise) if you get a rear flat, then you can just fold the bike and pop it in a car trunk or take it on a bus and fix the flat at home. As long as Uber or friends will answer your help call, the IGH flat issue isn't really a big drawback. And if you are riding around in a lot of crud the IGH is nice, stays clean compared to a rear derailleur. Make sure you calculate your weight carefully on the Bike Friday page but including the saddle and pedals you plan to use....add half a pound for misc. bolts and nuts. If the model comes out too heavy for you, then I would call them and talk to Steve or one of the other reps - there are lots of ways to reduce weight and best done at time of purchase rather than swapping parts after. If you do decide to order one, if you give them my registration, you will get some freebies and I'll get some, too. PM for info if you go that route. I've had my pakiT 2 years and stil love it madly; it is my "car" and gets me everywhere.
Oh, and I will add that being short makes the pakiT a better choice than a bike that has only one frame size =).

I'll second the PakiT having owned a few 16-inch-wheel folders, including Brompton. Brompton is hard to beat for a quick, compact fold, but PakiT wins on ride, gear range and most importantly..WEIGHT. I think the belt drive PakiT would be great.

A College campus is Bike Theft Central .. so bear that in mind ... ..




:innocent:



..

Every u lock can be defeated and the lame insurance that supposedly comes with them is useless unless the broken lock is left at the scene (and it is often not). They don't pay off unless you have the busted lock for proof. A rider on a homeowner or renters policy isn't very expensive and can replace the entire bike pretty quickly. I never lock up my pakiT; I have a Dahon Mu Uno I use if I know I will need to leave the bike locked somewhere, but I also have my pakiT insured (bike theft happens on the street, inside apartments/houses, in offices, etc.).

i appreciate the concern, i know bikes get stolen frequently on campuses, but there is never a minute where i leave my bikes unattended. if i can't bring them on my person, i don't bring them, simple as that. that's what got me into folding bikes in the first place, before i simply preferred them for the ride

i won't be living on campus, I'll likely just be part time since i still have bills to pay at home, and have to keep my income steady. the main purpose of this bike is to get me to the train station then to campus, and back

all the details about bringing my bike inside and such will be sorted out before hand with my professors before the semesters start, and this has also been something i was able to sort out with my IEP in highschool. since im limited to bicycles and public transportation, this is basically my car

​at most I've just been told to put it in a bag if i bring it inside. the pakit has a backpack option on it that ill look into if necessary, but no, its never going to be out of my sight

ill definitely look into the insurance thing. youre right about the locks, i dont believe any lock is truly unbreakable and if somebody wants it bad enough, they'll find a way to break it

Not sute if u r going to mines, cu, csu, cc, afa, ft lewis...., but a folder will work on campus in general. That said, using it for other usage may be limiting

I don't know that I'd bother with the BF backpack; you have to remove the front wheel to use it. Instead, I highly recommend a simple cover you can slip over as it is very easy to carry by the frame. I use the Dahon Carry On cover, which I actually removed from the carry case that comes with it. it's just a nylon slip cover with a zipper across one end and a pull cord on the bottom. if you know anyone who can sew, it would be super easy to make one out of black ripstop nylon. i just wad it up in my sling bag when i don't need it, takes very little space. i just drop it over, and unzip enough to grab the frame through the top. it is clean, disguised, and slightly protected from scratches (but not very so i'm careful). Why carry a backpack which adds weight and requires you to remove the wheel? Just quick fold the pakit, drop the cover over the top, and done =). Leave your back for your bookbag/laptop backpack.

i appreciate the info, Im actually pretty good at sewing myself, so i may just go ahead and make my own

Usually you would need to conform with fire regulations, i.e. leave passages open. A natural place would be to put the bike out of the way in a corner of the classroom, preferably in your field of view,

​​​​​​​Ok part time off campus is doable I guess. But still, if you have removable pedals, take them off. Makes it harder for the thief to cycle away with your bike.

OP isn't going to lock up the bike, it is going to be taken inside to classes so n/p. I don't even have folding or removable pedals on my pakiT, because they weigh more than good lightweight fixed pedals. Never been an issue because the bike is always close enough that I can get to anyone who might mess with it. Just have to be careful when I carry it to position the pedals right so they don't scrape me.

Most folders I've ridden - and I've ridden a bunch - are not at all limiting. You sit on the saddle and grab the bars and pedal the pedals and the wheels turn. Easy peasy.

agreed, I actually really didn't like bikes until i tried my first folder. i actually prefer the smaller wheels and "twitchy" control on them, i just feel so much more agile, and not as locked in to the bike, if that makes sense. i used to ride 20 miles a day on my first dahon for work, i never considered it limiting at all

Agreed. I much prefer smaller wheels for city use, the bike is more nimble and accelerates from stoplights faster. And being shorter, I love the lower center of gravity.

That's easy for you to say, lol. When you're only a little over 5 feet tall and weigh 120 lbs or so, than 30 lbs is a fair amount to lift in an ungainly package. And some people are actually taking that bike up
stairs along with backpacks or other weighted objects. Not to mention some folks have back problems or other health issues that might interfere. So - weight is a non issue FOR YOU.

he/she young , bikes get stolen on campuses , so cheap has merit...

Smaller people are usually better with shorter reach - I found the reach on the brompton, regardless of handlebar, too far for me (my friends say I have t-rex arms, lol). I'm much more leg than torso. On a bike where you would probably be quite upright, I am riding at a 55 degree angle! OP mentions she is "pretty short" so for her, a smaller wheel bike with shorter reach might be fine. Also, she's considering a Bike Friday pakiT as well, which can easily be 10 pounds lighter than that brompton/dahon 20". Mine is just 19lbs and I didn't opt for the lightest components, more mid-range, to get that weight (which includes saddle/pedals, etc.). That's a massive difference in carrying weight.

I'm confused by your comments as you said "weight doesn't matter" in one post and now you seem to acknowledge that it does matter to the OP, which is what we should be talking about.