Folding Bike

How hilly is it?

coming outa work there is a small then its mostly up & down nothing to serious whY?

to be honest ive never ridden one but its crossed my mind if it would be suitable or not

You could rent a Brompton and see if it’s for you.

Check out the app and see if there’s anything nearby

https://www.halfords.com/bikes/folding-bikes/carrera-intercity-disc-9-speed-folding-bike-536878.html Gear inch range wide thanks to those 20" tyres.

I had looked at this exact bike and thought I wonder if it would be suitable.

I went the whole hog and got a Brompton, partly because it's just the best there is in folding bikes, the build quality will probably outlive me and partly where I was train commuting prior to Covid it folds up smaller than anything else.

There are cheaper and if size isn't critical and cost a factor then maybe I'd look at a 20" wheeled (B are 16") from eg: Decathlon, they don't sell crap generally and so for £250 or £350 you'll get a decent spec derailleur geared bike that should cope up and down hill.

How capable are they? I've found mine incredibly versatile; dropping car to garage? - throw bike in boot. Daughter driven to party and needs picking up later, ride over, drive home. I've not done a proper long ride on it, max about 25 miles but I could easily (cycling club mate did this year's Ride London in 5:40 on his Brompton, so about 17.5mph average).

The only things that take getting used to - small wheels on rough roads and potholes can be a bit heart in mouth at times, and the Brompton is quite front end twitchy - much better when it has my laptop, some papers, notebook, etc., in the front bag. As a result climbing out of the saddle is a bit trickier (so I don't in general, but makes steep hills a bit of a grind). Maybe a 20" wheel addresses some of that. And second I bought mine for commuting in work clothes through traffic so i want to sit up to see and be seen, not one of the 'sports bars' which means when a head wind blows you definitely know it!

Thats a good review and ive looked at them brompton but to be honest they are abit more expensive that i can afford unfortunately. I will how ever have a look at Decathlon see what they have id say my max budget would be £400. I did have a look at this it seems to have good reviews also on google it does https://www.halfords.com/bikes/folding-bikes/carrera-intercity-disc-9-speed-folding-bike-536878.html. My only concern would be fitment i believe they are universal and im not a skinny guy but i guess there fairly well made.

Speaking of Bromptons, one overtook me the other day. On the Brickworks climb. OK I'm old and slow but he was shifting. It must have been electric, right?

If it's not to go on a train can you not get a rack and use a normal bike?

My 20" wheeled Trek Navigator is much better to ride than the Brompton I had before. Mine does around 10km most days and it's great. Brompton are better folders especially if you need to wheel it around, but 20" wheels ride so much better.

If mine were to die I'd be replacing it with the Carrera above. The Brompton was a horrible sketchy thing.

I've had a Dahon and a Tern. They were both awful. Get the Brompton.

Actually, no, get a normal bike and put it on a bike rack. If you can't do that, get a Brompton.

FYI I bought my Bromptons 2nd hand and sold them for what I bought them for.

12 miles home on a Brompton. No thanks. And I owned one and rode the Dunwich dynamo on it. If you have no trouble with fitting an ordinary bike in the car, take that. Otherwise larger wheels like an airminal. I’m riding a drop bar decathlon which is fixed wheel. Not easy on serious hills. Rides a lot better than the Brompton. Cost sub £200 and now sporting a rack for my laptop. Would happily ride a flat 12 miles on this.

It must have been electric, right?

Not if it was a bloke I know..

He's just done the same tour as me (Edinburgh to London) and he's proper rapid up hills on it. Kept up with me on Devils Beeftub and blew me away over the slightly steeper Pennine pass we went over. Bloke's a machine.

12 miles home on a Brompton

I regularly ride the 13 mile commute on a Brompton (but I'll usually get the train home) but you won't get one for £400 unless it's shagged.

Concur with the Decathlon options in your price range. Friends of Mrs Dubs have just got a much cheaper random brand for a similar job (much less miles) for £150 and it's rubbish...

I've got that exact Halfords one and it is very good.

Actually looks ok too, unlike the Decathlon/Bromptons.

Fitted some cheap Zefal mudguards for about £15.

Regular spend 30-40 mins on it around London.

@specialisthoprocker I’ve been looking at that Halfords one. Glad to hear you’re getting on well with it. It had a cracking write up on road.cc.

Have you fitted a luggage block to the front mount on the headtube? I would want to use a bag on the front and read somewhere that it was spaced differently to the Brompton ones but can’t find where I read it! My current commuter has a pannier rack on it and I can’t bear to go back to carrying luggage on me.

I've got the cheaper red version of that Carrera (cable discs, cheaper bits) and I'm pretty impressed with how it rides, as a former Brompton owner. If the ergonomics are OK - and it's a pretty upright position - then you could ride a decent distance on it.

Luggage fixing / block I think is the older style Tern/Dahon one, they call it a "luggage truss". I'm pretty sure everything about it is older gen Tern to be honest.

Thanks @simon_g. It looks like the Tern luggage truss has a weight limit of 7kg so maybe I’m better off with a rear or front pannier as I use my commute bike to bring lunch hour food shopping home from work. What do you use to carry stuff on yours, if anything?

I just use a backpack when I saw how much the truss and a bag was!

I liked the block and bag for the Brompton, but it really needed that extra weight over the front wheel.

Yeah the truss is surprisingly pricey compared to the Brompton block! I’ve used a backpack before but I sometimes carry quite a bit and hate having all that weight up high, whereas I never notice it affecting the handling when it’s in a pannier, other than when setting off from junctions/traffic lights.

So slight downside and it’s put me off buying a folding bike is I exceed the weight limit for them so probably best I don’t get one.
Never mind

That Carrera does indeed get a great review. First time I've seen any emthusiasm for anything other than a Brompton!

https://road.cc/content/review/carrera-intercity-disc-9-speed-folding-bike-292787

singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/folding-bike-2/#post-12441132

Sorry for the delayed response! Nope never fitted a rack. Tend ti ride with a rucksack, although Decathlon had a funky courier bag that attaches to the handlebars that I quite like the look of.

That Carrera does indeed get a great review. First time I’ve seen any emthusiasm for anything other than a Brompton!

That Carrera looks incredibly similar to the Tern Link that I've just bought.
I had a Brompton previously and I thought it was horrendous to ride, the 16" wheels made it feel incredibly sketchy on our normal knackered roads. The 20" wheels on the Tern give it a much more stable feel, it's actually a very good ride.

Looking at the Carrera, I'd probably have bought one of those rather than the Tern if I'd known about them first. Luckily the Tern is through cycle to work so works out slightly cheaper than the Carrera. My wife is looking for a folding bike now fr part of her commute in which case I think the Carrera will be top of the list for her.

Bit of a thread revival...

Did anyone end up buying one of those Carrera Intercity 9 Disc folders from Halfords?

They are in their Easter Sale, half wondering about buying one for "communal family" use, to chuck in a car boot or easily take on a train for a rural or very quiet roads pootle.