KittyNin

As the title says! I haven't ridden a bike for probably close to ten years, but this semester at college I'm finding myself with 10 minutes to get from one side of campus to the complete opposite side multiple times a day. Walking is too slow because it's just too far to make it on time, and driving is too slow because of idiot pedestrians standing in the road and the school being too stupid to realize that having 4x the number of commuting students as you do parking spaces is not feasible. So I feel a bike is the perfect solution, the catch being that it needs to fit in my car (a Scion IQ) so I can get the damn thing to school in the first place.

I've also wanted a bike to be able to take rides with my boyfriend, get more exercise and lose a bit of weight, and to take my dog for a good long run, so this is the perfect excuse to finally buy one!

So, since I did read the sticky on being new to folding bikes :

I am 5'9" and about 180lbs.
My budget is as cheap as possible! I am a student after all, lol.
Riding experience is that I used to ride a mountain bike all over a rural property quite a lot as a kind, but haven't ridden for a long time.
The bike will be used for riding between classes, riding around parks or downtown, so mostly sidewalk/pavement. Don't intend to do any mountain biking, BMXing, or riding this 50 miles a day or anything like that.

I'm looking at the Schwinn Loop and the Citizen Miami bikes. My problem is that I like both quite a lot, they are almost identical in price, and both have really good reviews. As far as I have been able to determine they are just about identical, except that the Schwinn is a lower step-though type and the Citizen comes in fun colors.

Has anyone used either of these, or even better, both of these? Anyone aware of any pros/cons I haven't uncovered myself?

Still Pedaling

I hate to burst your bubble on perhaps getting a new bike, but might I suggest looking through the local craigslist ads in your area. There are huge amounts of bikes stolen each year on college campuses, so why not get yourself a beater that nobody would waste their time stealing. Shiny new bikes don't last long in the kind of environment you will be riding in. You can always get yourself a newer bike for rides with your boyfriend, perhaps you could leave the bike at his house. Just MHO.

As far as choosing between the Loop and the Miami, I can't give you any info on either other than the Miami is an online order, and perhaps the Loop can be found at a local store for you to test ride.

Good luck, and welcome to our little neighborhood.

KittyNin

I have looked on Craigslist. As I stated, this bike needs to fit in my teeny tiny car. Like, not a sedan. Click the link, I provided it for a reason. There are no folding bikes anywhere near me, and since I live in a very 'hipster' city that means that bikes on craigslist are both way over-priced for being used and get snatched up incredibly quickly regardless. There are only ever kid's bikes, or bikes that need $250 worth of parts and the seller still wants $200 for the bike. That being said, even if a good bike did come along--It still wouldn't fit in my car! A 20" BMX bike does not fit in that car without being mostly disassembled. I do not live on campus, I commute from the little tiny apartment I share with my boyfriend off-campus, so the bike would only be there during daylight hours, locked up at the many bike racks since it is actually a very bike-friendly university.

BruceMetras

Have you considered a Kick Scooter

I've had the magnesium one for years and still use it for short hops up to a mile or more.. used to use it to run the dog .. should be easy to use cross campus.. will fit your car no problem .. lighter than any bike .. 2x+ faster than walking .. and probably faster than biking the university if you have to fold/ unfold and lock it up .. the Xootr has 8" wheels which roll pretty well ..

DVC45

I have ridden the Citizen and I was quite impressed with the ride. I find it quite heavy though. The Schwinn Loop looks ugly.

Maybe save a bit more and get a Tern from @thor or an Origami from @Pinigis.

tds101 

Just pass on the Schwinn Loop. I've seen it at my LBS, and when I'd enquired about it I was actually warned that it wasn't up to snuff. They had it on a fluke, now they don't even want to sell it. Lol!

Dynocoaster 

Do you have a Walmart locally? Check out the Genesis bike thread.

tds101 

The Genesis folding bike is a hobby bike - it needs too much work right out of the box.

How about a nice Retrospec SS folding bike, or the 7 speed model?

Robot Check

tk1971

You should look up the folded dimensions of the bikes you are considering and physically measure your cargo area with the back seats folded. I've seen the cargo area of an IQ. With the seats folded there should be no problem, but you wouldn't want to order / receive a bike, then find out it doesn't fit, right?

Forgot to ask... do you need gears? Can a simple single speed with a rear coaster brake get you where you need to go?

What about this? Keeping it simple should help negate the typical problems of getting a "cheap" bike. Just check the everything (including the spokes) before hopping off any curbs.

https://www.amazon.com/Mantis-Folding...cm_cr_dpwidget

DVC45

I forgot...

Downtube 2012 No Suspension Nova Bike !

I got one and it fits in the trunk of my Honda Civic Hybrid (back seat don't fold).
Just $299

Pinigis 

The Citizen is a better bike. You can also get an Origami Crane right now on Supports Authority for about $289 including shipping. The Crane is only a bit more expensive than the Miami and it is significantly lighter and comes with much better hinges and latches, the rack, fenders, and water bottle.

Singlespeed92

A couple years ago,I bought both a new Loop and new Miami ("pics or it didn't happen",so...)



I dug the frame design /built-in rack on the Schwinn,but being realistic,it was junk...I mean,horrible components that were flimsy/refused to work/be adjusted,brakes that didn't (brake),and worst of all,within (literally) 5-6 foldings,the folding mechanism would no longer work. I still dig the design of the frame,but my friend,please do NOT waste you money on it unless you have buttloads of parts lying around to swap everything out with (and plan to never fold/unfold it).

The Miami was as pleasant of a surprise as the Loop had been a let-down. A bit heavy and with lower end parts (note that both bikes shared some of the same components in name...where the Miami's worked fine and were easy to adjust,the Schwinn's did not-they didn't even feel like they were made from the same materials),but they always worked well on mine. It stopped well,hauled small-moderate loads well (I bought the optional rear rack when I ordered mine),shifted much better than I would have believed the level of components would,was comfy and always folded/unfolded quickly and easily.

IMO (and lets be honest,that's all it is,my opinions,and maybe my Schwinn was a "Friday evening special",who knows?),stay away from the Loop,it's junk (nothing to do with it being a dept store branded bike,my specific unit was junk regardless of where it came from),where-as the Citizen Miami was a very nice entry level folder (for roughly the same $). Bottom line is,I would never buy (or let a friend/loved one buy) a Schwinn Loop,but I would buy again and recommend the Citizen Miami for anyone looking to get into a decent entry level folder. Realize that either are just that,entry level folders Hope that helps

Note: I'm also 5'9",about 160lbs. I rode both all over town,used both to haul groceries or books from the library and such. The farthest that I rode the Schwinn was around 20 miles at a time-it was reasonably comfy after ditching that...torture device-thing shaped like a bicycle saddle...but I just didn't like it as much (as ANY of my other bikes,at the time I had several of differing genre's of riding styles from CX and mtn bikes to roadies and classics,I no longer have that kinda space ). I actually rode the Citizen for the entire Virginia Creeper Trail (rail trail) down and back up a couple of times,just over 67 miles total for each,without any changes at all,bone stock as delivered via UPS out of the box.

KittyNin

Thanks for the input everyone, looks like I will probably be buying a Citizen Miami! I will measure the car and check the dimensions, but since I keep the back seats folded down all the time anyway and have fit 4 car tires back there, I'm pretty sure it will fit just fine.

Singlespeed92

Awesome! Can't wait to see pics of it (all this memory dragging-out about it makes me wanna set back a little here and there...so the wife doesn't complain about "another bike",hahaha ....and buy another to keep in the Jeep so's I always have a bike with me

DVC45

Did you mean Sports Authority?
Origami Crane 7 Lightweight Aluminum Folding Bicycle - SportsAuthority.com
If so, I don't see it on their site. The Crane is listed at $308.

Pinigis 

Yes. They are having a sale now. Check it out.

shoelace16

I did some research before my recent purchase. Candidates were Citizen Tokyo (16" wheels, <32lbs, @$170), Citizen Miami (20" wheels, <34lbs, @$200), Crane 7 by Origami (20" wheels, <30lbs @$290) and some of the Dahons. Crane 7 was the winner mainly because it is lighter, has 20" wheels and good reviews.

I'm impressed with Crane 7 and glad that I spent extra $100. Having your purchase from Sports Authority is also not a bad idea in case you want to return your purchased items. Any of these will barely fit into your Scion, so I don't think size will matter.

atombikes

Wow those Citizen bikes weigh alot. Frame, fenders, and possibly rack are steel? Don't know the answer to my question, asking.

shoelace16

Yes, frame and fenders are steel. Not sure about their optional racks.

atombikes

Oh, OK so the 34lb Citizen Miami 20" weight does not include the rack. I assumed the 34lb included the rack. Thanks.

shoelace16

Actually, racks are included. That's why I said "<". I think Crane 7 weighs around 25-27.