TheChosenOne

Just curious what are the fastest folding bikes. Not the folding part but the riding part.

pinholecam

Personally, I've found the mini velo style to be the most 'road bike' like.

The BF pocket rocket pro impresses me for its lean geometry and weight and perhaps I'd rate it as one of the fastest foldable bikes one can own.
Folding part of it isn't that good imo, almost like a 'breakable' bike than a true fold and carry/push around bike to me.

That said, it really boils down to the engine.
I certainly believe that once one gets past the usual stumbling blocks to speed on the bike side of things (fit, geometry, good stiffness, decent parts, decent wheels), the difference is slight and rider dependent.

tcs

This^.

Hypothetical, 'fan boy' musings aside, there are a few folding bike races in the world. The 'winning bike' is often sponsored by a company that hired a professional racer to power it. Well, duh. That said, one would probably want a light, stiff folding bike set up for aerodynamics and efficient transfer of power, something like this actual folding bike race winner.

1nterceptor

Flat or hilly course? What distance; short or far?

Rick Imby

The same rules apply in folders as they do in 700c bikes. The most important aspect of a bike with respect to speed is the tire, tube, and rim. The tire must be low rolling resistance, normally the narrow, high pressure tires 100-120 will have lower rolling resistance.

The tire/rim/tube weight is also the most important as they are rotating and moving forward.

Gearing is important. Many folding bikes are designed to be ridden with heavy wide tires and wheels so do not have the high gears needed to ride 20-24 mph.

Front chainrings need to be larger than most road bikes to compensate for the smaller wheels.

Since most folders have smaller wheels (20") either 406 or 451.

There does not seem to be a difference in rolling resistance of 20" vs 700c bikes if the tires are comparable. There is an advantage in drafting to the 20" wheel as the draft is better the closer you are to the rider in front of you. With 20" wheels you are closer and so is the guy behind you.

The negative is good high pressure 20" tires are not as easy to find as 700c and will often have to be special ordered.

Folding bike frames are often a little heavier due to hinges and binders and having to beef up the material around the hinge.

Often the more expensive folders will be lighter and faster. Usually if the bike comes with 451 wheels it is set up to be a fast road bike.

snafu22

Lios Nano ?

LIOS Bikes - LIOS Nano 2nd in London Nocturne Folding Bike Race! - LIOS Nano 2nd in London Nocturne Folding Bike Race!

reppans

Moulton

OneIsAllYouNeed

The answer is likely Brompton, Moulton, or Bike Friday. It's definitely not a Dahon Speed. I nicknamed my old Dahon "Power Rob" due to its power-robbing frame flex. Not very clever, but that's besides the point.

Depending on your situation, an S&S coupled full-size bike might be suitable, and could definitely be faster.

tds101 

A Xootr Swift is one of the fastest bikes,... It all comes down to gearing, terrain, and the ability of the rider.

https://www.xootr.com/swift-folding-bike-faqs.html

tudorowen1

Any folder is quick with the right engine..however if you have a cheap 6 speed folder with a 46 teeth chainwheel to a 14 to 28 freewheel no matter what you do you will never be very quick..All down to gearing ,weight,tyres,front profile..etc etc..Dahon P18 or Tern 24 speed or even a Dahon Uno will be fast..
One guy on here has a 24 speed Mezzo which can give a road bike a run for its money..No doubt some fit Brompton riders can..

profjmb

I would be surprised if any of the other brands mentioned can compete with Bike Fridays in the speed department:

Bike Friday Pocket Rocket Bicycle

shrooms

This one can

fietsbob

Bike Friday's Hyper-fold Tikit folds in just a few seconds , if that is the Fast you are seeking ... ..

rather than the speed you, the bundle of Bone and Muscle , can Make it Go ..






Mid 80s one of the RAAM* team's Competitors rode a Moulton..

* Race Across AMerica,, that year the start was From San Francisco..


A: anything you put under a rider like Chris Froome..


'...

fietsbob

I wait till you, Gather , do a controlled experiment bringing these Bikes together in same place ,

At the top of a Hill, do a roll down Test, and see which one gets to the bottom in the shortest time .

other than that, its just throwing out opinions ..






You who started the topic, want to subsidize travel costs for bringing a lot of bikes and owners to that Hill?

fietsbob

I saw a video on the web of a Home Made Pulse Jet engine , I think he built it around a small wheel folding - Shopping bike.

Abu Mahendra

Pacific Cycles Reach R20


Tyrell FSX

Weight: Under 9kg (<20lbs.)

Both easily on par with everything's that's been mentioned here, including the BF Pocket Rocket. They both look much better too.

I don't quite understand why a BF PR would be faster than, say, my own Dash Altena or other competent frame if they were both set up the same way with comparable or identical components, ridden by the same pair of legs. BF magic pixie dust?

TheChosenOne

What's the difference between Pocket Rocket and Pocket Rocket Pro?

chesky

Simple answer: Allen Sports Ultra X
It is not only the fastest but also the lightest folding bike with 20-inch wheels and carbon fiber frame. I'm surprised no one here mentioned the super bike.

BikeLite

see how much his knees are bent on allen bike.

prathmann

Based on the video, the riding position is very upright and would limit speed due to poor aerodynamics. Some bar-ends or modification of the stem or handlebars could improve this -just commenting on the bike as shown.

profjmb

Well you hear over and over (and I can testify) that a BF PR feels like a regular road bike, if a couple pounds heavy. Reading the reviews of some of the others mentioned, one doesn't get that impression. I have not heard that about the Dash Altena, but perhaps that's because I've never heard of it. Does it feel just like a regular road bike? Of course, it's logically possible that a bike that feels markedly different than a regular road bike could be just as fast. But I doubt it.

Abu Mahendra

Well, we heard over and over that Trump wouldn't win, right? Memes, hubris, belief in your own hype, bandwagon effect, etc...Look, I doubt any 20" wheel bike--PR or Altena--truly feels like a 700c road bike, most of all, because of the different inertia of the two wheel sizes. This 'rides like a road bike' owes something to confirmation bias, methinks. No question, $2,000 buys a lot of confirmation.

This is a stock Dash Altena. Same wheels, same components, same parts, why could it not be ridden as fast, with the same effort, as a BF PR? It certainly looks the part more than a PR. No super long steerer or seat tube the height of the Empire State Building, no funky stays or BB, no goose-neck stem. Just a classic diamond geometry. You know, like a regular, normal road bike. And let's face it, the PR is far from being a gracious bike, and its camel (or ostrich, take your pick) looks don't live up to its price tag. The Emperor's not wearing any special or unique clothes, bro. In any case, the thread is not about 'feelings' or how a bike feels or looks subjectively, but rather how fast it can go objectively.

Joe Remi

I think the discussion loses all meaning once you start including "folding bikes" that don't really fold. Any steel road bike can be retrofitted with couplers, then you compare all of those to determine fastest bike. For commonly available bicycles with at least some folding capability, I would think BF and Swift are the leading candidates.

Abu Mahendra

What bikes discussed here do not fold?



Fyi, the region where i live--where the bulk of humanity lives, the largest market for bicycles, the epicenter of bike manufacturing--it is much easier for me to find a Tyrell or a Pacific Cycles than a BF or a Swift. Where do you live?

profjmb

To Abu Mahendra: I guess neither of us is able to say definitively because neither has ridden the other bike. (I assume you have not ridden a Pocket Rocket.) But I do have a PR and several road bikes, and they're pretty similar in feel. Do you feel the same about your Dash Altena?