Zajebisty

https://www.ternbicycles.com/us/bikes/473/link-d8

looking at getting one of these used .. are they decent bikes? do they hold up well over time? better than Dahon ?

eager to get my first folder

sweeks

I've been very happy with my Verge S11i, now 4 years and 5,500 miles old.
Since you are interested in a used Tern, you should be aware that in the early years of production there were several recalls of frames for defective welds at the frame latch. This raises the possibility that someone might be selling their bike because of concerns about frame integrity. You should definitely submit the serial number and the service tag code to Tern and ask if the frame was involved in a recall. See this page: https://www.ternbicycles.com/us/product-alerts
Another thing to keep in mind is that Tern's warranty applies *only* to the original purchaser.

I'd have no reservation at all buying a new Tern; it's just the things I mentioned above that you must consider if you buy one used from the time the recalled frames were made. For the Link, this period is from August, 2011, to April, 2012.

My Tern was affected by the recall, though it never had a structural problem. It's a great bike. I also own two Dahons (a 2003 Helios XL and a 2006 Mu XL) which were great bikes in their day. The Mu is my dedicated "winter" bike these days. The Helios was pretty flexible; the Tern is as solid as my Ti road bike; the Mu is somewhere in between.
Hope this helps.
Steve

northernlights

Never had a problem with my Link D8 bought new in 2014. Its a 2nd or 3rd gen can't remember which. It's a very solid bike. Dahon and Tern seem to be the biggest names in folding bikes. You see them in almost every bike shop that sells folding bikes. But I would stay away from the 1st gen Terns.

I think one reason why Terns are so popular is the modern styling. The Tern website and marketing is just really slick. The bikes look cool and ultra modern without having that typical goofy folding bike appearance. Perhaps, at least in the beginning the company focused too much on style and form and didn't pay enough attention to quality which resulted in a lot of recalls. Though by now they appear to have resolved most of the quality issues.

Bonzo Banana

Interesting that despite the history between Dahon and Tern the Tern bike features a Dahon Neo derailleur.

You've not mentioned the price paying but I wouldn't pay a premium for a Tern bike. Buying secondhand could mean worn components and other issues if the bike has had a hard life.

You can buy a Euromini Urbano for $350 if in the states which features better components overall, lifetime warranty on the frame with higher rider weight capacity. The full Tern retail price is $750 but you could buy 2 higher spec Euromini bikes for that and have change over. The Tern to me is worth between $150-250 s/hand based on its components, frame quality etc. If you like the Tern brand and that is worth a premium to you then perhaps pay more but I personally think the Urbano is a better bike.

tds101 

I agree that there's better options, brand new, out there.

Travel Folding Bicycle - Lightweight Carbon Folding Bike

https://www.downtube.com

https://www.euromini.bike

3 companies that are lower priced, better spec'd, and have solid customer service and support.

Zajebisty

those euro mini ones look cool

what about Origami??

tds101 

Origami AND Downtube are EXCELLENT! The owners of the companies are members of this forum. Search through the posts in this section to see more about them,...

Bonzo Banana

If considering the Euromini Urbano and Liberte there are actually some advantages to the Urbano despite its lower price. While not quite as light (2lbs heavier) it features a better Shimano cassette, more durable tyres, nutted wheel axles (an advantage to securing the wheels from theft), likely stronger heavier chainring and solid cartridge bottom bracket rather than hollow type. The Liberte focuses on making the bike slightly lighter and is less strong or durable in at least a few areas. If overall weight is critical to you then the Liberte might be still for you and its an impressive low weight especially for such a great price but personally I prefer the Urbano.

I don't like hollow type bottom brackets. I'm sure most are fine but as a heavy rider who likes to use mainly high gears they seem a liability, maybe its better now but it seems like I've read a lot of forum postings where hollow type bottom brackets have failed, if its not the smaller bearings, its the main bottom bracket tube cracking/breaking.

Still a $399 folding bike of less than 10kg in weight is very impressive, the Tern Link is 2kg heavier I think and the Liberte still offers a lifetime warranty on the frame compared to only five years for the much heavier Tern.

FolderBeholder

We have 2 X EuroMini Urbanos. Had them for close to a year. We ride them nearly every day. They were our first folders and they've proven to be wonderful bikes, especially in light of the price-point. They're pretty quick, light, and perform above their pay-grade. In short...no regrets.

checoles

I've recently got the Link A7, the budget folder, just to use for casual commuting and a few mini tours here and there, and so far I'm fairly happy with it. Was a bit annoyed I didn't do my research first about the frame problems but it would seem that the bikes fine. Always had Dahons, had 5 in my lifetime. First time without one and its taking some getting used to.

On a plus, the folding mechanisms are good, and like Dahon, you can get every spring, clip and bolt as spares. Always a big plus. The paint looks brilliant, a budget bike with a lovely candy red finish.

Downside, there's a bit more flex in the handlebar/stem than I've ever had with the Dahons, but I've gotten used to that now so I suppose it isn't a huge problem.

Cheers, Che

FolderBeholder

The cockpit fits me quite well (5'7" on a good day)

Color me naive, but a "normal size frame" folder? Is that to say there is a standard size?

I like the way it rides, its sporty and responsive and occasionally (to my wife's dismay...and my orthopaedic surgeon's) I enjoy a few moments of hands-free riding.

Bonzo Banana

Liberte is 1.5" but Urbano is 2.0 so in theory the gearing for stock bikes is faster on the Urbano getting on 2mph faster at 130rpm cadence. Yes 130rpm cadence is very fast and not a realistic figure for normal cycling.

It's clear the Liberte is focused more on speed where as Urbano is slightly more aimed at comfort or general use. Both seem excellent value although not long ago the Urbano was available for $299. Frame is interesting too with both having 6066 frames which is different to the normal 6061 or 7005 offered. One of the best frame manufacturer's in the world 'Merida' seems to have offered 6066 in its higher end aluminium frames but can't seem to find much more about it.

I know I can see almost like a Euromini salesman as I'm quite positive about them but I'm over here in the UK where they aren't available and if they are the pricing is uncompetitive due to import fees. They just look like very good value for US citizens.

odiolalluvia

Lots of opinions in this forum about Tern. They had some quality issues early on, but I can say I've been selling the Link D8 here for years and have had nothing but good reports from customers.

Bonzo Banana

Even if you accept the frame quality issues are a thing of the past with Tern there is still the huge pricing issue. If the Tern was $280 new from an online discounter not $750 I'd still probably recommend paying the extra $70 to get the Urbano.

However as always only those competent to do their own bike servicing should consider direct sellers like Euromini because if you are going to need servicing and repairs done by your local bike dealer it often makes more sense to buy your bike locally. As some dealers have pointed out they can make more money from people buying from ebay and amazon and then paying full price for servicing, repairs and upgrades locally.

I have a fairly local dealer to me 'Ralph Coleman' in Taunton who offer lifetime servicing of the bikes bought there for the original purchaser. Yes no doubt they often have to replace parts which they make some money on but still it can be very cost effective if you have to rely on the dealer. Buying secondhand is no better than buying from a direct seller with all the same issues of paying for everything at the dealer. That's why it always amazes me when people buy bikes close to retail price secondhand. Saw a forum posting elsewhere when someone sold their £350 mountain bike for £280 after 6 months of owning it. A quick look showed the same bike could be bought online for £300 without any wear and tear and buying locally for £350 with all the support of the dealer is surely worth £70 anyway.

https://ralphcolman.co.uk/pages/service-types

odiolalluvia

750 seems to be a pretty good price for the bike. They have a cheaper version, the A7, but I don't recommend it.

dancier

I've looked at this bike many times and thought why the Neos rear mech, with a normal derailleur you'd be able to get some decent gear inches out of it with a few mods.

I like the way Tern publish there cockpit sizes, unlike most/all of the bikes recommended so far. With the D8 I can run the tape over my beater and see it's close.

Bonzo Banana

That's what I don't get, $750 vs $350 Urbano which is a higher spec and much lighter. $400 more for an inferior bike.