snuga

Hi everyone!
I am new to the forum and hope to get some advice on picking a folding bike.
I'm 5'8" 150lbs and have a budget of under 300 (before shipping). I plan to use the bike about 15-20 miles a week for my commute (to and from train station). The roads I ride on are very hilly and not great for bikers so I need something that can handle those conditions. My biggest requirement is that it be geared and lightweight (I have a regular bike that I currently use for commuting and I have a hard time carrying it up/down stairs at the train station)

I haven't had any luck using craigslist and to be honest, I'm weary of buying a used bike since I am an amateur rider and wouldn't feel comfortable evaluating the condition or repair needs of a used bike. I wouldn't know if I am getting ripped off or not.

My first choice is the Downtube Nova and my second choice is the Euromini Via. I am having a hard time comparing these two since I am not very familiar with bike specifications. Which would be a better choice and why? Is there another bike I'm missing? I've looked at Origami and Citizen and think they would be too heavy. I would love a Dahon or similar obviously, but those are out of my price range

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!!

rishardh

I am new to folding bikes too but I have been riding big bikes for a while and work on them. From a gearing tech perspective I would spend a tad more and go with a 8 speed bike because the hubs that hold the spockets behind are better in my opinion. Because of this I would go with the Euromini Urbano which is listed as $350. The Downtube Nova frame looks interesting because it has the front derailleur holder if you want to double the no of gears in the future. That said I have no experience with any of them. I am just going by specs on their website.

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snuga

Thanks for the feedback! From what I've gathered stalking the forum it does look like the Nova has more upgrade capability than the Euromini bikes. That might be helpful down the road if I decide to go that route.

snuga

Thanks! I'm glad to hear that you have enjoyed the bikes. Can I ask what made you choose that bike over the seemingly endless amount of options out there?

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snuga

Thanks so much! All great things to consider

Doc_Wui

I have a Nova which I am happy with. Fun to ride. Don't feel a need to add front derailleur, but I did want higher gearing..

I believe Nova's front chain wheel is 46T. While the rear is not listed. I recall the smallest gear on the back was 14T. I took it off and replaced it with a DNP 38/11T, If you want to go a little faster, the Urbano or the Via would do with their 48T front and 11T rear.

Fenders are needed for rainy day commuting too, and they come on the Via.

I'd still pick the Nova today. It comes in Yellow.

Bonzo Banana

I remember reading somewhere a person who had bought a road bike with 16 gears was having a lot of problems with shifting then after much adjustment getting it right found his freehub had failed then on examining the bike discovered he didn't have a freehub at all it was a DNP 8 speed freewheel. He'd assumed being 16 speed the rear wheel had a freehub. I don't think DNP freewheels are particularly strong and probably better for light duty or light rider use. Getting a freehub based folding bike like the Urbano would be a stronger and more reliable solution for most people. It would also give you a wide choice of 8 speed cassettes to alter gearing ratio's/inches etc to your own requirements. The reason Shimano freewheels start with a smaller 14 or 13 tooth cog is because of the weaker ratcheting mechanism and smaller pawls compared to most freehubs. They are trying to limit the force applied to freewheel mechanism where as its common to have a small 11 tooth cog for a cassette as freehubs are much stronger. I'm sure you can get away with a 11t freewheel cog most of the time but it isn't ideal or good engineering.