pennpaul

I'm considering using mass transit for my commute and possibly incorporating a bike in the mix. I want to buy a used folding bike but have no idea what size I need or if those sizes translate from manufacturer to manufacturer.

I ride a 58cm road bike and am in "Clydesdale" territory.

Are they all fairly universal and you just get a tall stem and seat post? Are those little tires going to hold my 250lbs and bag?

Thanks
Paul

Pinigis 

Have to checked with the transit company to see what their requirements and limitations are? If not, start there.

Small wheels are stronger that large wheels, that is not your problem. You need to look for a bike with a higher rated weight capacity, this may be hard to determine on the second-hand market. Simply adding a longer seat post may help, but make sure that the seat post is also rated for your weight.

willydstyle

Most companies will put the height and weight capacities of their bikes in the spec sheets. The common weight limits I've seen (in the US, not sure where you live) are 230 lbs, 260 lbs, and 300 lbs. At your weight I'd be looking at a Zizzo Forte and Origami Bull, because they both have 300 lb capacity and that would give you some leeway for luggage. If you ride a 58 cm road bike probably most folding bikes available in the US will work for you. Some bikes available in the Asian market are going to maybe be too small, but they won't work for your weight regardless.

Schwinnsta

A few things you should know about folding bikes - Manufactures inflate their height capacity by just considering the height of the seat to the pedal. They do not consider your physical ability to ride with a handlebar lower than the seat. You usually have to ask for reach and handlebar height. 20 inch folders that accept 50 mm tires ride more comfortably in bad road conditions, but are larger when folded than 16 inch folders. This makes a big difference for multimodal commuting on buses and trains.20 inch folders usually fit fine in cars.

Nyah

It's possible to get 50mm tires for 16" bicycles. Just as with the 20" bicycles though, you need to use a rim diameter that the wider tire is available for. The 305 size apparently accepts the 16" tire that comes in 50mm.

Schwinnsta

I know that, but the problem with is that they still don't ride well enough due to their smaller diameter. The last two times I made a trip over the handlebars was aboard my Brompton due to a pothole and a major obstacle that I thought I could ride over. The pothole was filled with water. It was raining. The obstacle incident was operator error. Also, you take harder jolts as your wheel diameter decreases. For me and my environment, urban bombs cape, 406x50 is the first size that works really well.

tcs

Here you go:

https://usa.dahon.com/collections/bi...ucts/dahon-hit

Pinigis 

The Bull is a little less expensive, has a 9-speed gear set vs. 6-speed, includes the rack and fenders, has disc brakes vs. vee brakes, and IMHO is better looking.

Reddleman

From the looks of things, the 6-speed Dahon HIT uses a freewheel hub 126mm wide. This will limit any opportunities later to upgrade it. The 9-speed Bull uses a cassette hub to a wider modern standard, meaning that it can be more easily maintained or upgraded. Combined with the fact that it comes with the rack and fenders to make it a useful form of transport rather than a toy or sporting goods, I would definitely chose the Bull over the HIT.

Ron Damon

Say No to proprietary, non-standard dimension parts.

invisiblehand

If you're commuting to DC, you can bring regular bikes into Metro now. Although a folding bike makes it much easier to fit and sit on a crowded train.