avole

@Winfried, I thought I’d pointed those things out. The fold is a nuisance, although folded size is pretty much the same. To be fair, you do get an awful lot for you money. The saddle going higher and all the adjustments you can make to the handlebars make it better suited to more rider body sizes and are improvements over the Brompton. Also, being able to turn the handlebars so you can have the brakes in the more normal horizontal position is a plus. You also get the rack, larger wheels on the rack, and mudguards as standard.

Have you compared the Dahon with the Neo? I wasn’t aware you could get the Neo here. As an aside, the only one of my bikes that could cope with the Parisien cobblestones when I was there was the Brompton.

@foldingdroid, Same as the Brompton, 16”. The tyres are fatter and taller on the Neo.

invisiblehand

Older Brompton clones -- I'm thinking of the Merc -- mimicked the older Brompton design which had a shorter wheelbase. (perhaps other differences ... but the wheelbase was easy to measure) Perhaps the Neo has the shorter wheelbase which creates some of the differences you experienced while comparing the two bikes.

fietsbob

FWIW the Brompton Company shipped me a replacement pedal , when I sent a close up picture of my pedal where it was stress cracking..

The company sent me a replacement folding pedal. N/C.. from England, (even though it was a 2nd hand bike)..


Remains to be said if the Clone companies do that level of customer service.





....

avole

I'd agree Brompton service is excellent - they fixed my rack for nothing. However, bear in mind you can buy three spare bikes for the cost of a Brompton ...

avole

Not really. As I mentioned, it was the adjustable handlebars, which are also wider, and the fact the seat adjusts higher that made the difference.

I'm not knocking the Brompton, by the way, mine has been with me through Europe, Asia and parts of Oz. However, that doesn't mean it is above criticism. I've always thought weight was the big problem, that and removing the rear wheel when you have a puncture. Riding position is less than perfect, but you expect that for the small commuter bikes, which is why the position on the Neo was a pleasant surprise. Still not perfect, but less wearing over >20km rides.

Bonzo Banana

Looks like a good low value option to me of the future. Needs some refinements here and there. I don't know what a European price would be after updating the design and components, being fully certified and allowing for the required margins and tax in most European countries. It wouldn't surprise me to see a 500 euro price approx. I have my doubts if the bike frame would have the long lifespan of a Brompton so could easily be a false economy for the frequent rider but I can see it's positives. I don't think it will have Brompton too worried for now. There are already a huge number of folding bike alternatives to Brompton that may not fold as well but offer other advantages in other areas.

I remember seeing a folding bike on alibaba which stated 110kg rider weight but when what appeared to be the same bike was sold on ebay uk it had reduced to 60kg made me wonder if the first value was a baseless claim compared to what actual testing and certification had shown was reasonable with a small margin on top, i.e. frame failure at 90kg on some samples after age accelerated testing. The Dahon Curl had comments that it was going to be very high rider weight before release but then was back down to 105kg inline with other non performance Dahon models on release. So I wouldn't assume its weight capacity is the same as Brompton unless it has been fully certified for export markets like Europe or the USA. Saying that if it is made in Taiwan that really is a big step up from mainland China with regard quality and certification normally but then the bike does look a bit crude in design and not every bike manufacturer in Taiwan is Giant or Merida quality.

Abu Mahendra

Boulton Sunday is a sect. Heresy, blasphemy and apostasy are actively monitored, not tolerated, and will evoke rebuke from the establishment.

Rick Imby

I am so irritated at the stupid thought process of so many companies. Dahon has to make their lug different than Brompton which is different from Tern and then Neo doesn't put one one.

The folding market is so small in some parts of the world at least the accessories should be interchangeable.

Frame mounted front bags are just so awesome I cannot imagine designers ignoring it.

These guys are not thinking of their customers--- Dahon has their own lug but they don't stock any gear that mounts to the lug in the USA? Really? GRRRRRR

dahoneezz

If only they could just agree on the bolt spacing.

p/s - do the bolts go through the head tube or are the bolts only up to the depth of the doubler plates? Also luggage are made by others, so I don't think they are loosing a lot of sleep over low bag sales.

avole

A short postscript. I cycled my Brompton 20 km yesterday. Hilly terrain, sure, 4°C, but I got off the bike feeling like I'd done 100km up the side of a Balinese volcano. So, I've ordered the parts to bring the Brompton up to the same spec as the Neo, as in adjustable handlebar height, wider bars and longer seat pillar.

ThorUSA

valet truss, individual fixing plate you can use with any bag, or use the Dahon front carrier, the Dahon front alloy basket, the Dahon front bag ... that would be 3 items from Dahon plus the plate which works with everything...


just sayin :-)

dahoneezz

If climbing is hard, shouldn't you be adjusting the gear ratios? Getting a smaller chainring, or bigger sprokets.

avole

No, because the problem is seating/handlebar position. I’ve been aware of it since I bought the bike. The Neo demonstrated what a difference a handful of centimetres can have over longer distances.

Rick Imby

Getting bikes to fit the way you want (or are used to) is always productive. I hope you like the new position on your Brommie.

Rick Imby

On my Dahon and on my Swift I installed bar ends and it completely cured my position issues, however both of them have adjustable height handlebars.

jhoneil

That is not an ugly bike at all. Definitely something to consider if the potential buyer is on a tight budget.

unclejemima

Is there anywhere in USA/Canada a guy can buy this?

foldingdroid

Here is another B look-alike...

facebook.com/pg/KojiBicyclePh/photos/







Koji Three speed folding bike
Sale Price: Php29,950
Original price: Php35,000
Speed: 3 speed, Sturmey Archer SRF3 Internal gear hub
Shifter:Sturmey Archer Thumb Tap Shifter
Weight: 13.03kg
Frame: Chromoly Steel
Fork: Chromoly Steel
Handle Bar: Steel
Stem: Chromoly Steel
Seat Post: Steel
Brake Lever: Z-Star(Taiwan)
Brakes: Z-star(taiwan)Side Pull Caliper Brakes
Wheels: 16inches
Rim: Double Wall Alloy Rim 349 rims
Gear: 47T(crank), 13T(Hub)
Seatpost Length: 50cm
Seatpost tube: 31.6mm

Winfried

Php35,000 = 687.050 USD

Obviously, it can't be sold in North America/Europe/Japan because it's just a Brompton rip-off.