alf41

Hi!

I am looking to buy a folding bike. I will be taking it overseas, so I expect lots of airports, occasional trains, buses, and even a little hitchhiking. So I need something light.

However, I also see some heavy touring episodes in my trip, so I want something that I can sit on for hours, I am realistic that the mph won't be very good, but I am not in a rush.

Also, my budget is below $500, I may buy a used bike and replacing anything that looks worn. I am keeping an eye on craiglist on the regions I will be travelling first.

Is 16" a big difference with 20" in terms of comfort and performance? Will it be a lot harder to ride a 16" wheeler?

Any recommendation on brands and models? even if my budget for the bike is not huge, I want something that will not break down and let me down on the road. (I can afford a little more, but I don't want to deal with getting a $800 or $1000 bike stolen or lost).

Thanks for reading.


EDIT: I am 178 cm tall, 5'7".


alf

Transformer

I don't know what to suggest regarding your price and weight requirements, but I can comment with experience on both 16" and 20" wheeled folders.

16" wheels are not difficult to ride and they are much easier to stow for traveling. Both 16" and 20" can be harsh without some kind of suspension (if not designed into the bike, then achieved via seatpost (thudbuster), seat (Brooks Flyer) and/or tires (Big Apple). The trade-off is all the suspension elements add weight.

My previous folding bike was an inexpensive off-brand with 20" wheels, Big Apple tires and a Brooks Flyer. It was comfortable, big and heavy. My current folder is a Riese & Muller Frog with 16" wheels, Big Apple tires and full suspension. The Frog folds much smaller, is noticibly slower, only slightly lighter, very comfortable solid and reliable. The Frog has greater rolling resistance, but I don't know whether to blame the Nexus hub or the smaller wheels.

fietsbob

4 different sizes in 2 categories:
16'' 305, 349, the latter is higher psi, so easier rolling.
20", 406, 451, same scheme, the thinner tire , higher psi .

jur

The 16" wheels will be a bit slower, but not so much as to influence your buying decision. I think the harshness arguments are not really justified; the sort of tyres you have on the smaller wheels are pumped softer than say a road bike's 700c tyres, and this more than compensates. Add the long seatpost and steering mast typical with folders, and and harshness is effectively gone. What you can get, is high frequency jarring transmitted through the bike; good grips and saddle will make a big difference there, but tyres are still king.

You have more to choose from in the 20" range, but they have a slightly bigger folded size.

alf41

Thank you for the information, guys.

After some research it seems my budget is a bit too low for almost any new folding bike, I will either have to invest more money, get very lucky finding a used one real cheap, or settle for a non-folding once in Europe.

On a side note, I wish this could fold: https://www.whike.com/en/

kamtsa

If finding a folder is not urgent, you can watch craigslist and the likes. They do have very good deals once in a while.

You can check this thread to see what kind of deals come up once in a while.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...-of-Craigslist

alf41

Thanks kamtsa, I will keep an eye on that forum topic.

Also, doing some basic checks on my first stop, Paris, it seems that it is not impossible to find options worth checking out in person: https://paris.fr.craigslist.fr/bik/2650802204.html
https://paris.fr.craigslist.fr/bik/2657375538.html

I hope I find options like these in January.

jur

How about https://www.downtube.com/product541.html

alf41

Nice! I am about 170 lb, I intend to travel rather light, so I may be ok for almost any adult bikes capacity.

kamtsa

You can also rent folding bike in Paris https://www.bikeabouttours.com/_new/bike_rentals.htm and they have those automatic bike rental/drop stations in many places https://en.velib.paris.fr/

Choices, choices ... ;-)

Diode100

You need to give serious consideration to what you can and cant take on a plane, if that is what you're going to be doing a lot of, or you could end up spending a lot of money on bike tariffs.

chagzuki

I've found the difference in ride characteristics between 16" and 20" wheeled bikes to have as much to do with frame geometry as the wheels. Generally speaking smaller the wheels the longer the stem/handlepost which translates as more flex felt when pulling on the handlebar. Flex gets exponentially worse the longer the stem/handlepost is. This was probably the deciding factor in my keeping my 20" Dahon over the 16".

brakemeister

keep looking the used market and try to find a Curve SL ..either derrailleur or Nexus version ..both would be cool....
gonna be a little tuff to find a used one for 500 dlr.... as they are discontinued
regular price for this bike should have been around 1000 dlr maybe 1200 after the last price hike .... but closeout models were sold for 699 during last season ...
no I wont sell mine !
thor

alf41

Right.

I stumbled into this:
https://www.bikeaccess.net/bikeaccess...in%20suitcases

Is it a common practice for airlines to charge extra, even if I am within the allowed weight, just because it is a bike?

In the airport I would like to carry a single backpack (and a shoulder bag for laptop, a book, stuff I can take with me on the plane). I would probably get a 50-ish liter backpack, the widest I can find for the bike to actually fit (another point for the 16"), thinking it will be mostly filled with the bike, plus minimal clothing, tools, camping and medicine kit.

I am assuming I will print the airline rules regarding that and try to negotiate if airline staff tries to charge for it. What is your experience with airlines? Any I should avoid or prefer?

Thanks for your responses, everyone!

alf

alf41

The Curve is definitely one of the most interesting bikes I have seen on my research. The SL in particular is the tiniest one I have seen that looks comfortable, affordable and that has gears.

I will be in NY for a few days before flying to Europe buying other items like the backpack and a small gps, and actually seeing the city, since it would be a stop in my flight anyway, I might as well spend some time there. I have noticed there is a store called bfold that specializes in folding bikes (https://www.bfold.com). I may not buy from them unless I find a great deal that fits my backpack, but I will surely drop by to get advice and test drive everything they let me try.

alf

vik 

My experience with airlines and bikes has been totally random.

Some suggestions:
- If you can print out their baggage policies that would be a good idea.
- Get to the airport early while the plane hasn't been virtually loaded with everyone else's luggage and the check in folks will be in a better mood.
- If you can pick the check person most likely to give you a positive response.
- If you can avoid mentioning the word bicycle or sports gear that is best.
- Do whatever you can to keep things positive and polite. Once you start arguing and things get heated you are likely going to have issues.
- be prepared to pay extra for the bike.
- once it's clear that you aren't changing anyone's mind accept the situation gracefully. If you get super upset you'll only be ruining your own day.

To give you an example of the randomness:

- I flew twice with an airline prior to my bike tour. Each time I asked check in staff what the bike policy was and was told as long as it was one of my 2 luggage items it was free.
- showed up at the airport early and was charged $75 to fly with my bike despite only having two luggage items.
- on the flight home with same airline I had 2 bike boxes [couldn't find one big enough for my touring rig] and a big duffel bag. I was charged nothing despite having 3 large items and only being allowed 2 luggage items by the rules.