[Closed] Recommend me a folding bike - budget upto £350.

Second hand brompton or a couple of rat bikes - one left at each end.

Used Mezzo. Brompton will be out of your price range for a good one.

Decathlon Bfold 7, hands down, nothing else comes close. £250!

They run on 20" wheels so larger than most, but still fold down to about the same size and weight as a brompton (bare in mind it has full mudguards, rack and heavy tyres on it, vs. a cheaper brompton has none of these things).

They are made by Dahon for decathlon (you'll recognize the shape and clamps from the Dahon range).

We had two on our euro trip this year, left them folded up in the back of the car and did a bunch of touring + city + bike polo + MTB on them.

Best part is apart from the weird narrow front hub (most folders have these) all the other parts are regular MTB/hybrid parts, so if you smash a derailleur, shifter, brake lever, caliper, chain, freewheel then its a cheap easy fix to get spare parts. Not so with the majority of folders.

And did I mention £250?
I do like the brompton concept, but £1000 for a folding bike with many mechanical flaws, really?

I do like the brompton concept, but £1000 for a folding bike with many mechanical flaws, really

I do like the brompton concept, but £1000 for a folding bike with many mechanical flaws, really?

Or a bit more than that for one with all the mechanical flaws fixed 😉

[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7552/15810808230_1706268a85_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7552/15810808230_1706268a85_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/q69wrU ]Rohloff Disc Bromptons[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/10954782@N00/ ]Ben Cooper[/url], on Flickr

Decathlon Bfold 7, hands down, nothing else comes close. £250!

Went for a saunter round Decathlon - an absolute steal at £189.99. Cheers.

That Decathlon looks good value for money but don't:

1. kid yourself it will fold as small as a Brompton
2. forget to check whether you can get spares for the folding parts unless you see it as disposable or lowish use

forget to check whether you can get spares for the folding parts unless you see it as disposable or lowish use

This. Getting spares for genuine Dahons is hard enough, never mind rebadged old designs they make for someone else. At least with a Brompton, a hinge clamp now is the same* as a hinge clamp from 10 years ago.

(*okay, pedants, there's a few cosmetic changes - it'll still work)

It's not anything like as small as a Brompton, rides better than one though. I'm sure I can get some sort of spare from somewhere it it's needed. I like a bodge.

how easy is it with something like the Dahon24Jack on a busy commute train, obviously not as small as a brompton, but much cheaper and nicer to ride

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yeah aware they dont fold quite as small as a brompton, but for most folk the actual folded size isn't the primary appeal, its merely 'it folds, therefore I can take it on a peak train'.

A pair of real life hairy biker dopplegangers came into my shop and bought a pair of them, must have been 19-22st sort of weight each, neither came back with any problems so they are more than strong enough.

Yes getting spares for those clamp things is sometimes slow, more of a problem with Euro distribution than anything else. The only time I've seen them damaged is when people don't understand how a QR lever works.

BC - modified bromptons are ace.

Mechanical flaws - personally fed up of replacing back ends when the bushs go, and then cannot be removed without killing the rear triangle. And those rear clamps, think they have updated them now, as well as the £5 pressed cranks, but I see a few a week that need attention in at least those areas*

*On the positive side, these issues are due to wear, so hows that they do get some proper miles on them, not just a 0.2 mile trundle to the train station.

Mechanical flaws - personally fed up of replacing back ends when the bushs go, and then cannot be removed without killing the rear triangle.

Impact driver shifts 95% of stuck rear pivot bolts. for the ones that are really, really stuck I use an angle grinder with a thin disc and slice through the plastic washer and pivot pin. Then new bushing kit and you're done, no damage to the rear triangle unless you're ham-fisted with the angle grinder.

I know slightly over budget but get a Dahon Vigor. So much better than the cheaper models as a lot sturdier and better made. A lot of the cheap folders flex like mad. My wife has one and I was riding it the other night whilst adjusting the gears and actually thought what a bloody good bike

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/67919/Dahon_Vigor_P9_Folding_2014_Bike

Check the train regulations. [url= http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/passengerscharter.aspx#153577 ]South West Trains[/url] state wheels must be SMALLER than 20". Brompton, Mezzo and a few others. Not the B'twin or Dahons.

We will carry compact fully folding bicycles with wheels of less than 20’’ in diameter on any train or replacement rail service provided they are folded and stowed as luggage

For £350, I'd go with Dahon.

I bought an earlier version of the bike below for my wife about 7 years ago (it was around £360 then). It's brilliant, and been really good. My own 'folder' cost £1000, and I think the Dahon is just as nice to ride, and seems well engineered by a company that's always specialised in this area.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dahon-vitesse-d8-2014/

If you can find one within budget, or up the budget a little, then without doubt go for a second hand brompton over a Dahon/Dahon-a-like. I have had both and the brompton is so much better. They fold smaller, stay folded and are easy to carry/stow, which, if you're doing it twice every day becomes very important. The Dahon is ok for a occasional use, but having to use it everyday eventually drove me to buy a Brompton. They always have bits sticking out that you bash your legs on when you try to carry them, then they unfold mid carry, and fall over when you put them down, the bromopton, while not perfect, is an awful lot better at what is always the worst part of the journey.