Originally Posted by
wesgreen
I would stay away from anything produced by Tern. Maybe do a little research on your own, so you don't have to take my word.
Terns have oodles of Dahon DNA and are made in some of the same factories. That might have been a mistake on Terns part given the renegade nature of their startup. The factory's loyalties might have been to their principal founder. But, as I understand it, these issues are in the process of resolution. A new customer might be missing out by holding onto opinions formed by the recent past. At the end of the day, there isn't anything that could happen to a Tern that couldn't also happen to a Dahon. I have extensive experience with Giant folders. A respected brand. Their Halfway folder was innovative in its time, and well reviewed, and I bought one in 2005. The seatpost failed after a month, despite my being well within the weight limit. It was replaced under warranty. The frame failed after 4 years and since Halfway's were no longer being made, it was replaced under warranty with an Expressway 1. I researched it even though I was essentially not "buying" it: retail >$600. Decent spec. Frame has failed after 4ish years. I am sure many others are experiencing the same thing, but I am not hearing of any recalls of Giant Expressway folders. Maybe not of interest to the o.p. but definitely of interest to myself is the performance envelope of the folder. The ergo's. Tern appears to have an edge in the Andros stem and Tern offers models with 2x8 and 2x9 drivetrains. Dahon has such a model but the frame looks very much like the frame of my failed Expressway and I no longer think that folder designs with multiple tubes and welds hold up over time. The classic Dahon (and Tern) design with the curved mono-tube appears to be the best (maybe) at dealing with the forces that cause frame failures in multitube frame designs. At the end of the day the manufacturers honor of their frame warranty is more important to me than any history of frame failure. Notwithstanding that, I am really torn as to whether to get another Expressway under warranty. It might be time to try another brand, if only for a chance to get better ergos and a more interesting drivetrain.