Desperately Seeking Folding Bikes

Brompton Bikes are beautiful

I’m not too sure how smart it is to be asking pasty, unhealthy, concert-goers about these sorts of things, but I figure hipster kids love being outdoors too.

I’m thinking about purchasing a folding bike for myself, but I wanted to know if anyone had any recommendations as to brand and model type. I want something pretty lightweight, in a size that would fit someone under 5′3″, and costs under 1,000 dollars. If it’s cute looking and happens to have a chain guard (because I’m a wimp), even better.

I’m also taking recommendations for your favorite bike shop in Manhattan below 14th Street, or on the East side. These would be the most likely places I would shop.

Thanks bike geeks.

13 Responses to Desperately Seeking Folding Bikes

  1. 1. spencer | 8:39 pm on July 23rd, 2005

    this is so cool because there is no chain, so no grease, no mess. but pricey.

    http://www.ixibike.com/index2.htm

  2. 2. Tricia | 12:17 pm on July 24th, 2005

    I want a foldy bike too!
    let me know what you find. i am currently using a bike favored by 8 year olds.

  3. 3. wassanova@gmail.com | 1:41 pm on July 24th, 2005

    there’s someone at my office selling her folding bike. i’m 5′5” and we’re about the same height. you want me to ask her about it?

  4. 4. Marquis | 2:44 pm on July 24th, 2005

    The best brand fold-up bikes are Brompton’s. I dunno if you can get them in the US…you get them in the Uk for about 300…

  5. 5. laura | 5:18 pm on July 24th, 2005

    yeah, the picture of the bike i have above is Brompton. they run about 700 USD here at the dealers that carry them. and that’s for the C type. hear anything about Dahon? or Giant’s Halway?

  6. 6. Anonymous | 8:25 pm on July 24th, 2005

    http://kordulak.blogspot.com

    Here’s My friends Blog Spot. He just got his bike jacked, but has some good information and some sites to go to on bikes to have. Read and enjoy. And don’t let that bike out of your sight.

  7. 7. Anonymous | 9:14 am on July 25th, 2005

    Dahon’s is the best. They have models that fold into a small enough size that you can fit it into a backpack. I’ve put one of those together and it’s really easy to use.

  8. 8. jtang | 10:44 am on July 25th, 2005

    I have the Dahon Piccolo. It’s a great bike.
    http://www.dahon.com/piccolod3.htm

    Mine is an older model…I’ve used over 4 years and trekked EVERYwhere on it. I got it at Metro Bikes.
    http://www.metrobicycles.com

  9. 9. Jesse | 1:06 pm on July 25th, 2005

    I personally think that the traditional folding bikes look a little funny-queer, but I’ve been circling this new Puma folding bike, and I think it looks substantially cooler and more functional than its gawky bird cousins:

    http://www.coolhunting.com/archives/2005/03/first_glimpse_t.php

  10. 10. JK | 3:25 am on July 26th, 2005

    Dude, can I just ask, why? You can buy a cheap bike for like a tenner and even if it gets stolen 30 times you’ll still be under the amount it would cost to buy a folding bike. Also, folding bikes have smaller wheels which mean more pedaling. Not that I want to discourage.

    I recently bought a regular bike that I ride around St. Andrews. It gets my jeans greasy but I don’t mind.

  11. 11. laura | 6:48 am on July 26th, 2005

    i don’t have room for a full-sized bike in my teeny apartment… and i live in walk-up. you do the math.

  12. 12. Mike | 1:13 pm on November 10th, 2005

    Smaller wheels do NOT mean more pedalling (they adjust the gearing). Some folding bikes (Brompton, Dahon, Giant) are really great. The exact model you need depends on your requirements. I think Dahon are the best value for money and have some models that fold small and are very light.

    Look at http://www.dahon.com or http://drmike.bravehost.com/

  13. 13. Larry Lagarde | 12:05 pm on January 10th, 2007

    How about a 23 lb folding bike made of rustfree magnesium with 6 speeds?

    http://ridethisbike.com/products/23_lb-folding_bike.htm

Leave a Reply