I am thinking of getting a folding bike and i didnt realise the choice out there and after narrowing it down.Now the question is would you go for a 16 or 20 inch wheel..Thanks
Folding bike
- Thread starter UKHunk
- Start date
High Eddie,
Personally I would use the biggest diameter wheel you can. It reduces rolling resistance and so is easier to ride over gravel paths etc.
Personally I would use the biggest diameter wheel you can. It reduces rolling resistance and so is easier to ride over gravel paths etc.
It's something I've been looking at too, but given up on as decided the 20" wheels aren't big enough for what I want to do. and to go any larger is very very expensive by comparison. To put it into real terms, my 6 yr old daughters' mountain bike has 20" wheels and i need to keep up with her. For non off road use though you should find the 20" enough just don't expect sparkling performance. There is a huge differnce in price and quality and weight. so go for what best suits your needs
We bought folding bikes a few years ago and it really is a case of "you pay your money and you take your choice". We bought Dahon folders with 20" wheels. They were quite expensive but have light alloy frames, good brakes and gears, comfortable saddles, etc. I would also recommend that you go to a specialist bike shop rather than somewhere like Halfords - folders are a more specialised product.
Mike
Mike
Hi Eddie
I agree it depends what you want it for. If you are just nipping from the site to the shop for milk / papers then perhaps the main issue isn't rolling resistance etc. But if you want performance then you perhaps need to look at the Brompton...we know people do serious touring, eg Lands End / John O'Groats on Bromptons with wheels which are about 349mm I think. Alternatively there is the Bike Friday (406mm or 451mm) range. We have done Audax riding on our Twosday folding Tandem from Bike Friday but felt that as we are not young wippets anything more than the 160km (just over 100 miles) we have done in a day (about ten hours) would have been too much for us. There is also the Airnimal range which have 520mm or 507mm wheels depending on model. Bike Friday are available in the uk from Avon Valley Cycles in Bath as well as some others...see Bike Friday website. Airnimal are company in Cambridge but I bought mine locally (S.Cheshire). Spa Cycles in Harrogate are a major dealer for Airnimal. Bromptons are available in lots of places.
Hope you find the perfect folder for you.
Denise
I agree it depends what you want it for. If you are just nipping from the site to the shop for milk / papers then perhaps the main issue isn't rolling resistance etc. But if you want performance then you perhaps need to look at the Brompton...we know people do serious touring, eg Lands End / John O'Groats on Bromptons with wheels which are about 349mm I think. Alternatively there is the Bike Friday (406mm or 451mm) range. We have done Audax riding on our Twosday folding Tandem from Bike Friday but felt that as we are not young wippets anything more than the 160km (just over 100 miles) we have done in a day (about ten hours) would have been too much for us. There is also the Airnimal range which have 520mm or 507mm wheels depending on model. Bike Friday are available in the uk from Avon Valley Cycles in Bath as well as some others...see Bike Friday website. Airnimal are company in Cambridge but I bought mine locally (S.Cheshire). Spa Cycles in Harrogate are a major dealer for Airnimal. Bromptons are available in lots of places.
Hope you find the perfect folder for you.
Denise
Because of walking problems I decided to buy a folding bike to give me more mobility. I tried a few and bought a Brompton. They are very expensive but the folding mechinism is ingenious. Although the wheels are only 16 inches I can easily keep up with my family cycling full size bikes. The big issue with folding bikes and small wheels is their stability. I found the Brompton to be significantly more stable than other bikes even though they had larger wheels and this is a major consideration especially if you are going to be riding alongside any traffic.
Hi!
Like Mike, I bought Dahon Folding bikes for me and swmbo.
Just a couple of points - if you want to go on rough tracks, mountain bike style ensure what you buy is up to it. Dahon recommends that we lift our bikes up kerbs rather than ride them - its the joints of the folding mechanisms that are not up to rough and tumble. Dahon do produce specialised folding mountain bikes.
Our bikes are basic seven geared bikes - we should have bought bikes with 21 gears as a mountain bike, any hills and we have to get off!
Folding bikes are also not necessarily light weight, if you are considering taking them on an aircraft check the weights.
Folding bikes are a boon once you've got them, they are easy to take on trains so you can extend your range, train out cycle back.
Hope you get sorted!
Steve
Like Mike, I bought Dahon Folding bikes for me and swmbo.
Just a couple of points - if you want to go on rough tracks, mountain bike style ensure what you buy is up to it. Dahon recommends that we lift our bikes up kerbs rather than ride them - its the joints of the folding mechanisms that are not up to rough and tumble. Dahon do produce specialised folding mountain bikes.
Our bikes are basic seven geared bikes - we should have bought bikes with 21 gears as a mountain bike, any hills and we have to get off!
Folding bikes are also not necessarily light weight, if you are considering taking them on an aircraft check the weights.
Folding bikes are a boon once you've got them, they are easy to take on trains so you can extend your range, train out cycle back.
Hope you get sorted!
Steve
I would suggest you think for a minute if you actually need "folding" bikes. Clearly they bring attributes but overall space saving is not necessarily one of them.
I say this because we for years had two good Dawes Kingpins but found that taking the wheels off conventional bikes took little or no more storage room.
With the funds needed for good quality folders you can get much more capable, lighter weight conventional bikes. Forget those with fat tyres and suspension and think weight, weight weight.
Yes it takes a minute or two to drop in the wheels but that's about it and with wheels removed they take up surprisingly little space.
We changed now some 14 odd years ago and have not questioned that excellent decision ever since.
I say this because we for years had two good Dawes Kingpins but found that taking the wheels off conventional bikes took little or no more storage room.
With the funds needed for good quality folders you can get much more capable, lighter weight conventional bikes. Forget those with fat tyres and suspension and think weight, weight weight.
Yes it takes a minute or two to drop in the wheels but that's about it and with wheels removed they take up surprisingly little space.
We changed now some 14 odd years ago and have not questioned that excellent decision ever since.
Again, its horses for courses. Folding bikes have their place. Some people wouldn't dream of putting any bike inside their caravan. I certainly wouldn't, but then I am very 'van' proud (LOL) and not everyone is as particular as me. Having owned 'folding' as well as touring bicycles (I use to have a mountain bike but thundering down steep tracks, which is what they are meant for, holds no attraction for me any more), I think the average caravaner would be better with a folding bike with 'road' tyres. I don't understand the modern facination with cheap mountain bikes with nobbly tyres which are enough to put anyone off cycling for life. I'm no expert, of course as I only cycle two or three thousand mile a year. I think everyone has to do what they think is best for them.
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