Nah you're joking right. I'd probably fall off my bike if I saw that, I'd be that busy pointing and pissing myself laughing.
Folding bikes - Brompton, Dahon, Mezzo etc - recommendations and chat
- Thread starter editor
- Start date
Nah you're joking right. I'd probably fall off my bike if I saw that, I'd be that busy pointing and pissing myself laughing.
dynamicbaddog
run for your life
Folding bikes discussion and tips - Dahon, Brompton, Mezzo etc
Tell me all about folding bikes
I'm getting one this week
It's a Mezzo - I am picking it up sometime this week. I've never had one of these before. Does anyone else ride one of these? What are like to ride? I've seen them on the road, they look quite nifty, but I am slightly concerned as I'm not used to riding small bikes - are they safe to ride in heavy traffic?
and are they complicated to fold??
Tell me all about folding bikes
I'm getting one this week
It's a Mezzo - I am picking it up sometime this week. I've never had one of these before. Does anyone else ride one of these? What are like to ride? I've seen them on the road, they look quite nifty, but I am slightly concerned as I'm not used to riding small bikes - are they safe to ride in heavy traffic? and are they complicated to fold??Oswaldtwistle
Banned
I find my Dahon dead easy to fold -and I have co-ordination problems.
Biggest drawbacks are lack of storage capacity and being harder to secure because things come off (like the seat)
Biggest drawbacks are lack of storage capacity and being harder to secure because things come off (like the seat)
pogofish
Testicle Hairstyle
zenie
>^^<
I used to have one like that as a kid; One of the old style folding bikes which had a lever in the middle, you had to be careful that the lever was correctly secured
Yours looks a bit more like a Brompton baddog, they fold up properly!
braindancer
not for long
I had a ridgeback compact for a time... it was ghastly.
It had no gears and the tiniest wheels know to humanity - you could pedal your arse off and still not gain any momentum to speak of.
In addition, wherever I cycled people would shout things like "Oi! Tosser! Nice bike you wanker!".
I'm sure there are much better fold-up bikes about though - and it was good for doing bunny-hops.
It had no gears and the tiniest wheels know to humanity - you could pedal your arse off and still not gain any momentum to speak of.
In addition, wherever I cycled people would shout things like "Oi! Tosser! Nice bike you wanker!".
I'm sure there are much better fold-up bikes about though - and it was good for doing bunny-hops.
ill-informed
passive aggressive master
my mum has a Brompton folding bike which i borrowed for a while when i was getting the train to work. There was a few miles either side of the stations so a push bike was ideal but i used to piss everyone off as i struggled to get on with my mtb. So i found the folding bike excelent for taking on the train. It folded in a couple of seconds and was very easy to carry. The only downside was that it was harder to cycle then a mtb.
turing test
Nearly Toowrong
There is a company in the US Bike Friday that makes top end folding bikes. I have ridden one; the gearing was fine but the little wheels made it feel twitchy. The one I was on looked like this:
Check out the size of the front chainrings.
Check out the size of the front chainrings.
ymu
Niall Ferguson's deep-cover sock-puppet
There's some really good full-sized ones now. I'm saving up.
Big selection here: http://www.foldingbikes.co.uk/dahon_folding_bikes_26.htm
Big selection here: http://www.foldingbikes.co.uk/dahon_folding_bikes_26.htm
dynamicbaddog
run for your life
it's not a Brompton its a MezzoI
Yours looks a bit more like a Brompton baddog, they fold up properly!
I'm off to pick it up from the bike shop now, I plan to ride it back home. I'll post up a picture of it when I get it home
Wolveryeti
Detty Pig
They are good if your A to B involves a fair distance to go beyond your train/bus stop, and/or unreliable public transport. Mechanically they leave a lot to be desired. Slow, rickety... Basically I wouldn't be seen dead on one for any kind of trip within central London. 600 quid for a Brompton is also some kind of sick joke.
dynamicbaddog
run for your life
Well, I've been to collect it, the man in the shop gave me a demo of the folding/unfolding technique - it's not too difficult, but I'm going to need a bit of pratice before I get the knack of it
As for riding it - I thought it was good, it's quite nifty, just as fast as my usual bike.
There's a picture of it here
expect the one I choose was a different colour - mine is blue
As for riding it - I thought it was good, it's quite nifty, just as fast as my usual bike.
There's a picture of it here
expect the one I choose was a different colour - mine is blue
narcodollars
avoid eye contact.
narcodollars
avoid eye contact.
I suppose they're no different from folding scooters.
The subway in my area is crazy with them, everywhere you see one, since '99.
Like the scooters, you can fold the bikes and strap them onto some hiking or army backpack.
The subway in my area is crazy with them, everywhere you see one, since '99.
Like the scooters, you can fold the bikes and strap them onto some hiking or army backpack.
It's a Cannondale concept
http://www.cyclelicio.us/2007/08/cannondale-folding-bicycle.html
No detail on price or weight (actually, I think I read somewhere that the price was £2000+
http://www.cyclelicio.us/2007/08/cannondale-folding-bicycle.html
No detail on price or weight (actually, I think I read somewhere that the price was £2000+
cybertect
It's grim up north (London)
So, I'm buying a Brompton...
I cycled to work for the best part of 20 years until about four or five years ago when I somehow turned into a bus-train-bus commuter and my trusty old Raleigh has spent much of its time languishing in the shed ever since. A non-cycling partner (I've tried but she really doesn't get it) and the arrival of a baby a couple of years ago seem to have resulted in my getting out on a bike even less.
Anyhow, over the last few months I found:
a) I've been really missing being on a bike.
b) I'm getting increasingly fed up when a bus with school kids crowded round the entrance but plenty of seats up top flies past my stop in the morning, especially when most of them get off two stops after mine
c) With the best will in the world, I didn't really fancy going back to a fourteen mile cycle commute into town, at least for now.
A folder seemed the obvious solution and the company I work for is quite keen on the Cycle to Work scheme, which makes it fairly affordable.
Narrowed my choices down to a Brompton or a Mezzo D9. The Brompton folds smaller (important with a small house and crowded trains) and has a Sturmey hub (more convenient for city cycling IMO). After a brief audition at my LBS, I was leaning toward the Brompton. Bonus points for being made in London (Brentford, actually) and, by all accounts, being decent employers and excellent on after-sales service.
I popped up to Velorution in W1 on Monday and hired a Brompton for 24 hours to see how it worked out for me. Rode back through the city and over Tower Bridge to the office.
Result: giddy fun! I haven't ridden a small-wheeler for any distance since a Raleigh RSW 16 I had when I was about 12, but that had 2" tyres. Quick off the lights and surprisingly nippy in traffic. The riding position gives better visibility than I'm used to with drop bars. Brakes were better than I'd expected from reports I'd read. The fold is brilliant.
Steering's a bit twitchy compared to what I'm used to (tricky when signalling) but I could get used to it. It fits neatly between the seat-backs of the train I travel on and also under my desk at work, which HR cleared as OK for me to do. We do have underground parking for bikes, but I'd be happier with it right by my feet.
The local branch of Evans (I know) on Tooley Street had one stock in almost exactly the configuration I was after (an M6R with Raw Laquer finish which is exceptionally). It missed out on the SON hub dynamo I was after, but also on an 8 week wait for a built-to-order bike and the best part of £200. A cheque from work was in my mitts by Thursday and I'm just waiting for that to clear before picking it up early next week.
* bounces up and down with anticipation *
I cycled to work for the best part of 20 years until about four or five years ago when I somehow turned into a bus-train-bus commuter and my trusty old Raleigh has spent much of its time languishing in the shed ever since. A non-cycling partner (I've tried but she really doesn't get it) and the arrival of a baby a couple of years ago seem to have resulted in my getting out on a bike even less.
Anyhow, over the last few months I found:
a) I've been really missing being on a bike.
b) I'm getting increasingly fed up when a bus with school kids crowded round the entrance but plenty of seats up top flies past my stop in the morning, especially when most of them get off two stops after mine
c) With the best will in the world, I didn't really fancy going back to a fourteen mile cycle commute into town, at least for now.
A folder seemed the obvious solution and the company I work for is quite keen on the Cycle to Work scheme, which makes it fairly affordable.
Narrowed my choices down to a Brompton or a Mezzo D9. The Brompton folds smaller (important with a small house and crowded trains) and has a Sturmey hub (more convenient for city cycling IMO). After a brief audition at my LBS, I was leaning toward the Brompton. Bonus points for being made in London (Brentford, actually) and, by all accounts, being decent employers and excellent on after-sales service.
I popped up to Velorution in W1 on Monday and hired a Brompton for 24 hours to see how it worked out for me. Rode back through the city and over Tower Bridge to the office.
Result: giddy fun!
I haven't ridden a small-wheeler for any distance since a Raleigh RSW 16 I had when I was about 12, but that had 2" tyres. Quick off the lights and surprisingly nippy in traffic. The riding position gives better visibility than I'm used to with drop bars. Brakes were better than I'd expected from reports I'd read. The fold is brilliant.Steering's a bit twitchy compared to what I'm used to (tricky when signalling) but I could get used to it. It fits neatly between the seat-backs of the train I travel on and also under my desk at work, which HR cleared as OK for me to do. We do have underground parking for bikes, but I'd be happier with it right by my feet.
The local branch of Evans (I know) on Tooley Street had one stock in almost exactly the configuration I was after (an M6R with Raw Laquer finish which is exceptionally
). It missed out on the SON hub dynamo I was after, but also on an 8 week wait for a built-to-order bike and the best part of £200. A cheque from work was in my mitts by Thursday and I'm just waiting for that to clear before picking it up early next week.* bounces up and down with anticipation *
oneflewover
Following "The Tigers"
I have one and have travelled all over on it (via trains). It is great to ride but in my (top of the Hill) part of Leeds I nearly run out of gears, if it was a head wind aswell I could well be walking.
It is still a bit of a rarity in these parts so can get women and children pointing and laughing.
You get admiring glances at stations and on trains when you fold, always makes me smile. And no removing pedals like on the Dahon.
It is still a bit of a rarity in these parts so can get women and children pointing and laughing.
You get admiring glances at stations and on trains when you fold, always makes me smile. And no removing pedals like on the Dahon.
reading OP = fail.
