When I wrote my previous post where I was not opposed to a folder for a tour, I should point out that on my folder I am running a Sram Dual Drive rear hub. That allows me to have higher gears that are as high as on a full size bike with 700c wheels.
Typically we think of touring as needing lower gears than normal, but a Bike Friday with 20 inch wheels, some such bikes lack the higher gears that you might want on a bike tour. So, that should be assessed too.
Originally Posted by
staehpj1
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The folders I have ridden suffered badly from two problems. First the tall masts made the bike flex like crazy and second I was not able to get a cockpit position I liked on the ones I rode. I own a Dahon Helios and it is okay for short rides around town to run short errands but much more than that is a stretch especially if there is any climbing involved, When the road tilts up the flexy masts really become apparent.
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On folders I have ridden I didn't find the small wheels to be the problem so if they make a rigid frame that allowed a position you like it may work well.
I fully agree that they are flexy, and it took me quite a while to get used to that.
But eventually I got used to it. My folder is not a Bike Friday, so I can't say if my tall seatpost and extension, plus the tall extension on the fork steerer is more or less flexible, so, my experience might be quite different than the OP would have. And my folder has 24 inch wheels, not 20, so I can't comment on wheel size.
I have wondered what my folder would be like for a tour, so a couple years ago I brought my folder instead of a full size bike on a week long ACA fully supported trip in West Texas. The van hauled our gear, all we had to haul each day was our water, lunch and any change of clothes we might want during the day. Being West Texas, I brought a saddle bag that could carry extra water.
My goal here was to give my folder a test without a heavy load on it to see what I thought of it for full day long rides, day after day. And a 300 plus mile length week long trip sounded like a good way to test it. If there were shortcomings that I did not anticipate, with only a week long trip I felt that it would not cause significant regret.
And by the end of that trip I decided that as long as adding some panniers to it did not grossly upset the handling, that I would be perfectly content to tour on that bike.
In my case, I was able to get the fit to work for me. The reach is much shorter than on my other bikes, but in part I compensate for that with lower handlebar position.
The flexibility of the seat mast and steerer tube extension are clearly evident, but I got used to it. But if you could not get used to it, I am sure that it could impair your confidence in teh bike and curtail enjoyment of the tour.