Originally Posted by
Tourist in MSN
One more thing to consider if you are going to pursue a 20 inch folder like a Bike Friday. They lack the higher gears with a 20 inch wheel.
That is not correct. I've got pretty much the same gearing at the high & low end that I've got on my old Bridgestone touring bike. My newest NWT has 50-39-30 chainrings, with a 11-32 9 speed cassette. My older NWT has a SRAM internal rear hub shifter so it acts like a triple crankset. I biked up the Col du Tourmalet in the Pyrenees and Mont Ventoux, both with full panniers and a handlebar bag. I did a 1,600 ft climb in the Appalachians of Virginia this year, and I survived (too) many long climbs in extremely mountainous Colombia. Riding a Bike Friday feels scarcely any different from riding a bike with bigger wheels.