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Thread: Folding bike advice.

  1. #1
    Master
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    Folding bike advice.

    My wife heads back to work in 4 weeks and has a 1.5 mile ish cycle to do each way. Buying good used bikes seems to be the best option as opposed to cheaper new ones. The two I am looking at are below. The doh an is around 6 years old but barely used and owned by a 70 year old so has had an easy life. Thoughts? Ask…. I know nothing about this market!

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dahon-Fol...-127635-2958-0

    Or this Apollo one one.

    https://www.halfords.com/bikes/foldi...ke-127104.html

    Stu

  2. #2
    Master
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    She'd probably walk it in the time it takes to get the bike out and assemble it 😂

  3. #3
    Is folding required? You introduce quite a lot of compromises compared to a normal bike.

    On the assumption it is, I see a lot of people commute on those Dahon ones and they seem to be fine. I've got a Brompton but obviously you'd be looking at more money for one of those.

    One factor to consider might be a cycle to work scheme if your employer participates in one. It's quite an efficient way to buy a new bikes if you're a 40% taxpayer.

  4. #4
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by gingerpaul View Post
    Is folding required? You introduce quite a lot of compromises compared to a normal bike.

    On the assumption it is, I see a lot of people commute on those Dahon ones and they seem to be fine. I've got a Brompton but obviously you'd be looking at more money for one of those.

    One factor to consider might be a cycle to work scheme if your employer participates in one. It's quite an efficient way to buy a new bikes if you're a 40% taxpayer.
    Unfortunately it needs to be foldable. Cycle to work scheme is a good shout. She will be dropping the nipper off at school and then cycling to work.

  5. #5
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    I bought a 1980s Dawes folding bike fully serviced from a local seller on 'Nextdoor' - it's a lovely little thing and rides well (only cost £55) - for such a short journey I certainly wouldn't buy a new one if you're happy with the used one.

    If you have to have a folding bike though, I would make sure it is easy to fold/unfold

  6. #6
    Master Christian's Avatar
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    My first folder was a Carrera Intercity from Halfords. This is the brand that sits above Apollo in their range. It was pretty poor to be honest. Didn’t feel solid, a pain to fold and carry and pretty cumbersome. Not very enjoyable. I’ve no direct experience of the Apollo but I reckon it would be similar.

    I then bought a Brompton. It was a revelation. Pleasant to ride, quick to fold and much less cumbersome. It actually made the journey fun.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by JonRA View Post
    I bought a 1980s Dawes folding bike fully serviced from a local seller on 'Nextdoor' - it's a lovely little thing and rides well (only cost £55) - for such a short journey I certainly wouldn't buy a new one if you're happy with the used one.

    If you have to have a folding bike though, I would make sure it is easy to fold/unfold
    Good to know. It looks easy to fold from the videos I have seen about it.

  8. #8
    Journeyman
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    If the need to fold is storage space at work make sure that whatever you go for will fit in to the space available.

    I have a Dahon that is great for folding and chucking in the back of a car so that I have a cycling option when staying away from home, but for me it wasn’t small enough (folded) for ease of storage on the train or under a desk in the office (when working in London), so I gave in and bought a Brompton.

    Both great bits of kit and I use both regularly, but I do miss full size wheels sometimes!

  9. #9
    Craftsman
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    Have a look at a Brompton first, they are a design classic, great fun to ride and they don't loose money!!!

  10. #10
    I started a post on folding bikes recently and purchased a Tern folding bike via employers cycle to work scheme. Tern was started by the family of Dahon.

    I considered the Apollo, Ammaco and Freespirit. I returned the Tern and purchased a Brompton B75.

    The Tern was quite heavy and quite big which I guess is expected when the wheel size is 20" (in comparison to Brompton at 16").

    The more I read about Brompton, the more I was convinced to buy a Brompton.

    I also considered a folding bike from Decathlon.

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