tds101 

The older Tern models, SPECIFICALLY the X30, is prone to frame breakage issues. Buy it at your own risk. Stop debating, attempting to dispute, etc, the issue with us. A new Tern is fine, an older model,...PASS ON IT.
Have a nice day,...

BruceMetras

Speaking of rolling the dice, two seasoned folding bike enthusiasts on different continents writing simultaneously with the same basic advice posting within a minute of each other .. what are the odds?

rhenning

If you are willing to spend $1000 you could get a reconditioned Bike Friday or for a bit more probably a new one and have a warranty also. Then you would have a better bike. PEOPLE WHO TRY TO BUY A BIKE ON THE NET really need to get off their chair in the front of a key board and start riding bikes until they find one that says to them (not me or anyone else) this is the bike I want. You were the one who became gun shy about the Terns not me so I figured I could save you $100 and get you a bike that would serve your needs. Yes I do own 5 Dahons but in total I have about 30 folding bikes. A very early Pocket Rocket, 3 Raleigh 20s, 5 Dahons, a mix of European folders and 2 Bickertons which are the worst riding bike I have ever owned. I am 69 years old and have ridden a lot of different bikes in my life but have collected folders for almost 30 years which explains the Bickertons. Roger

Joe Remi

I need a Bickerton. Just for the laughs.

guym458

Joe Remi

Dude, you've been advised to the ends of the Earth on this thing. Fish or cut bait, it's your money.

rhenning

As the last poster said only you can decide what you want to buy. To put it into perspective I do not have $700 in all of my Dahons and the two Twentys I have. That includes the money spent on parts that needed replacement. You are way over thinking this or just trolling. Roger

tds101 

NO,...it's not a good deal. Are you a fool, who doesn't understand that EVERYONE is telling you it's a bike that's a safety risk? Do you actually understand?

Joe Remi

So what you're saying there's a chance..

tds101 

dahoneezz

Sentinel1

The hydromformed frame is a masterpiece. I've been riding these tern verges for 12 years. Never had a problem. Let me tell you something. Some riders are animals. They will ride a bike off the side of a mountain then complain the frame broke. OH REALLY. So long as you treat the bike with RESPECT. Its gonna last longer than you.

jdogg111

get a brand new origami swift for around 900, same as the famous zootr , with disks

tds101 

Tell that to the average EU (and other countries around the world) commuters that were seriously injured, and how Tern locked their forums and REFUSED to acknowledge any fault of their own, until it was FINALLY disclosed that it was their crappy welds that were breaking at various weld points. I own a Tern, and I'm quite fortunate that my bike wasn't a model that had the "crap weld" problem that various models of Tern folder had. Just because YOU haven't had an issue doesn't mean it's not an issue. Apparently, you're the problem, as you're here VICTIM BLAMING people who were injured because they're ANIMALS??? WTH is wrong with you??? You're unbelievable!!! That's a disgusting attitude that you have...

Sentinel1

A bike isn't going to break on one ride. Before you get on a bike you do this thing called a bike check. If you notice any damage. YOU DONT RIDE THE BIKE. Ive watched people on their bikes and I know why they have problems. Also remember that companies stipulate a weight limit for their models. And you will see overweight people with a tonne of luggage on their bike aswell

There's always a REASON. I've ridden Tern verges for 11 years. From THE X10 to the X11. Never had an issue. You treat the bike with respect. It will last and you check it over properly. There's no chance on the frame snapping in two on a ride. Not a chance.

But if you are some zombie like alot of these delivery riders I see. Who do no bike maintainance. Just take it for granted somethings going to keep moving and working to make that money to feed their 5 kids and extended family. Yes there could be issues. And there will be.

It's like the idiots I see out on the street on a daily with no helmet on. Theyve been riding for 20 years without an accident. Complacency creeps in. Then one day one of them gets clipped by a vehicle. And theyre brain damaged or dead.

I know of two people who died from head injuries riding their bikes without helmets. But they don't learn. Your head vs the ground. The grounds going to win everytime.

The hydroformed frame is the stiffest most solid frame I've ever ridden on. Tern sacrifice some weight to make sure the frame is as solid and stiff as possible. The X11 is built like a tank. They could have made the bike 2lbs lighter. But made sure that frame is the business. And it's joins. I've ridden it for 7 years. And it's as good as the first day. There's never even been any give in the handle bar stem. It's as solid as a folding bike weighing under 24lbs is ever going to get.

All bikes could break if they are abused and not checked. Bromptons have broken. 37lbs mountain bikes have broken. Especially when people do alot of off roading. Curb hopping and they are over the weight limit or close to it. There's always a REASON.

Jipe

Several Tern models of these years (the used one for which the discussion was started was from 2013), including the X30, had a manufacturing problem (and maybe a design problem) that was eventually recognized by Tern, there is no doubt and discuss anymore about that.

Not all broke but all may eventually break.

As often with folding bikes, some owner ride them very seldom and only for short distances, these didn't broke yet. They may break for instance when sold to a new owner who really ride the bike.

Sentinel1

Is over 150,000 miles enough riding Jipe? That's how many miles I have ridden the X11/X10/X18 Over the last 10 plus years. Its not the RIDING. Its weight abuse and letting the frame drop from a height run down stairs etc. That can compromise a frame. The way I ride. My X11 will last until the day I die. I've seen delivery riders and idiots jumping off 8 inch curbs. And they're heavy. Yes the bikes supposed to survive a nuclear fallout. They think. Because they spend over £500 on it.

Sentinel1

Is over 150,000 miles enough riding Jipe? That's how many miles I have ridden the X11/X10/X18 Over the last 10 plus years. Its not the RIDING. Its weight abuse and letting the frame drop from a height run down stairs etc. That can compromise a frame. The way I ride. My X11 will last until the day I die. I've seen delivery riders and idiots jumping off 8 inch curbs. And they're heavy. Yes the bikes supposed to survive a nuclear fallout. They think. Because they spend over £500 on it.

Jipe

Tern, the bike manufacturer, officially recognized the manufacturing problem and issued a bike recall (there were explanations about that recall on the Tern website but theses pages were removed), they know their bike better than anybody else, there is nothing anymore to argue about that problem, its a fact.

StanSeven

Hey guys. These last two threads on Tern’s have gotten emotional with multiple personal insults. Let’s keep conversations civil.

Duragrouch

I have some info on this posted on another thread, gimme a minute... here it is...

(from another thread): Verge X30 (I was hoping to see a road triple, but not), is a SRAM 3x10 Dual Drive with 3-speed Internal Gear Hub (IGH) in series with full cassette and rear derailleur; In middle gear on the IGH, direct drive, no loss in efficiency. In low or high on the IGH, reduction and overdrive respectively, with resulting gear friction losses in efficiency, most critical in the high range because that is the speed range. The hub is also heavy. I'd expect it to be blown away by an X11 in top gear, UNLESS, the X30 has a lot taller top gear (I think it does) and the rider is capable of using it fully. But it will still be slower than a non-IGH race bike, if only for no other reason than the IGH. This is a fundamental problem on small wheelers, you need a pie-plate chainring or tiny cogs for race-high gears without an IGH or Schlumpf drive.

Additionally, IGH hubs, if ridden in rain, need annual maintenance with teardown and regrease ($100) which most bike shops are not qualified to do, and if neglected, the internals go bad quick with rust. I can post online reference info on this, just ask. This is not the case with an IGH like a Rohloff (hub alone costs 3X as much as my whole bike) because they have great seals and everything is lubed by liquid gear lube bath, and the lube is easily changed.

For the same reasons, I would avoid Bike Fridays with DualDrive system, a double or triple chainring system is better, in my opinion. Tons of BFs with DualDrive cheap on craigslist, the ones without go for more.

Sentinel1

The X30 is the fastest folding bike ever made. Even faster than the X11. But the X11 is the most comfortable fast bike thats how you put it. You can cruise on the X11 and own just about any hill. And you know the speed is there when you want it. Tbh there's not alot in it. The entire Tern Verge X RANGE are fast.
X10
X11
X18
X20
X30H.

Its a balance on gear ratios and moving weight. If we take that into consideration. The Tern Verge X20 in its original state. Will be the best option. The bike weighs 21lbs and has 20 gears.




The X11 has a range of 25 to 104 gear inches. The X30 has 28 to 121 gear inches. So it's truly like a mini road bike.

And you can knock 1 kg of weight off the X30 by putting the same rear wheel on it as the X10. So essentially making it into an X10 with road bike handle bars. Take even more weight off by changing out the FSA gossamer crankset for the sram force carbon set. You will Then have a 21lb mini folding road bike. With crazy acceleration. That's what my friend did to his.The X30 with the hub wheel and aluminium crankset weighs about 10.5KG. (23.1LBS). After the upgrades it weighed 9.5KG About 20.9 lbs. With a litepro 58 tooth chain ring. He is now getting 29 to 96 gear inches on a 1X10 system. And a bike that weighs 20.9lbs. The X11 has a bigger wheelset. But weighs 23.4lbs with pedals on. So it's that struggle between moving weight and gear inches.

X10
X20---Both are in the 21lb range but have less than 95 gear inches at the top end.

X10=28--91
X20=28--91

X11
X18
X30H--All weigh about 23lbs but have over 100 gear inches at the top end.

X11=25--104
X18=28--109
X30H=28--121

So the X30H is the closest to a full sized road bike in gear inches. Another way to get the X30H down to 21lbs without compromising the gear inches. Would be carbon parts for the Seatpost. Crankset and front fork. Then you would truly have a pocket rocket. A full sized road bike will always win over the long haul. But the reaction of roadies when they see the X30H blitz past them is priceless. On a ride once I overheard one of them say is that an electric bike

GeezyRider 

Wow! Averaging about 40 miles a day 7 days a week for 10 years is quite impressive. I haven't been able to do much more than that with my daily driver, a 2013 Nissan Versa that has 160,000 miles on the odometer. I salute you sir!

tds101 

That's a heck of a lot of embellishment for a bike with a flawed (ADMITTED by TERN!!!) design. I live 60+ miles away from my place of employment, and in the course of ten years I haven't traveled that distance in my vehicles. And all those excuses, victim blaming again and again... Such a frail ego.

Sentinel1

My bad that should have been 15,000 miles not 150,000. But that's per bike. So around 45,000 miles across 3 tern verges on average. The point was all my terns don't have even a crack in the frame. So I find it hard to believe a bike just snapped in two. Unless it was being abused. And the rider ignored structural damage in the frame. And kept riding until it completely broke. Sure there might have been some duds. Bad batches happen in many products in the commercial world. But in general the quality of Tern verges is of the highest quality.