Mar 07
#1 folding bikerDahon folding bikes Dahon folding bike, Dahon Formula S18, folding bike
Dahon Formula folding bike
Commuting to work on a folding bike is a joy when you’re riding a sharp looking bike that is also loaded with well-made components. Such a bike is even better when buying one doesn’t empty your bank account, too! The Dahon Formula S18 is the perfect blend of technology, quality components and lower cost.
You’ll be amazed at how well this bike rides, with it’s sturdy 20” wheels and solid frame design that we’ve come to know and love from Dahon. This is an excellent folding bike that you can incorporate into your morning commute with ease.
High Quality Components
What good is a commuter bike if you’re worried about cheap parts? With the Dahon Formula S18, you won’t have to worry about such things. This folding bike is loaded with high quality components all the way around. This bike comes equipped with front and read Sram DB BB5 disc brakes, and Schwalbe Kojak tires mounted on aluminum WTB rims. That’s one effective means of slowing down and stopping on a dime when you need to!
And don’t overlook the high quality components throughout the drive train. You get front and rear Shimano derailleurs and a double chain ring crank set, all built around a sturdy 7005 double-butted aluminum frame. The Dahon Formula S18 is built to go fast, and built to last. At about 25 lbs to Formula isn’t the lightest lightweight folding bike, but it’s not overly heavy either.
Bad Weather? No problem!
Don’t let the snow, sleet, or freezing rain impede your morning commute! The front and rear disc brakes perform excellent in bad weather, ensuring you’ll come to a complete stop no matter what sort of conditions you find yourself riding through on your way home from work.
And don’t let the bad weather slow down your pedaling! The Dahon Formula S18 comes with VP 529 non-slip pedals, ensuring that you’re able to keep rolling along in wet conditions.
Comfortable Riding
The Dahon Formula S18 comes with an adjustable stem, allowing you to dial in the height of the handle bars to suit your riding style, allowing for a more comfortable ride.
Add in the Dahon Comfort saddle and you’ll not only be riding a style, but you’ll probably be the most comfortable bike commuter on the bike path every morning. For a folding bike, the Formula S18 is fast and rides like a dream over a variety of urban conditions.
Low Cost, Big Ride
All these great features in a folding bike come at a higher price, right? Nope! The Dahon Formula S18 is high in performance, but low in cost. You’re getting a great bike for a price that won’t empty your bank account.
Bike companies usually skimp on components to trim costs, but Dahon did the opposite here, outfitting the Formula S18 with great parts all around, and yet still manages to keep this a low cost ride in the world of folding bikes.
The Dahon Formula S18 is an excellent folding bicycle for anyone looking to get into bike commuting who still wants a sleek looking ride.
Feb 22
#1 folding bikerTern Folding Bikes folding bike, Tern Bicycles, Tern folding bikes
When Josh Hon of Tern Bicycles offered to send me a preproduction Tern Link P7i folding bicycle to review, I was all over it. I had spent most of 2011 reading about the company; this would be my first chance to see what Tern Bicycles was working on all that time.
The Tern Link P7i folding bicycle is one of seven bikes in the 20-inch-wheeled Link family, which Tern describes as “transportation for the human race,” differentiating it from Tern’s racier Verge family of 20-inch-wheeled folding bicycles, which offers “performance to go.”
Link P7i Insight and Overview
Tern Link P7i Folding Bicycle
Visually, the shape of the frame distinguishes the two families. All Link model Tern folding bicycles are straight between the main hinge and the head tube; Verge bikes sport a continuous arched appearance from the rear dropouts all the way to the head tube.
Different alloys are used as well. The Tern Link P7i folding bicycle is built with 6061 aluminum, the same stuff that goes into crankarms, while the Verge family features 7005 aluminum, which is a little bit stronger, but harder to work during manufacturing.
Should you buy based on the frame material? Gosh, no. Base it on the test ride, and whether the bike is equipped for your needs. The Link P7i folding bicycle is rated for a maximum rider weight of 110 kg (240 lbs.), and, sadly for me, I can confirm that it’s more than capable of holding up under that entire load.
Accessories for the Link P7i folding bike
The Link P7i folding bicycle is ready for all-weather, all-hours commuting right out of the box. You get a sturdy rear rack bolted to the frame at four points, fenders, a rear battery-powered light that nestles under the rack for protection against bumps and dings, and a headlight similarly sheltered from damage within the embrace of a double-clamp handlebar stem.
The headlight is powered by a BioLogic Joule II dynamo hub that generates useful light at walking speeds. And a standlight feature provides continuous lighting even when you’re stopped by a traffic signal. A dynamo hub means light on demand, whenever you need it—no worries about dead batteries.
I’d prefer the dynamo also powered the rear light, but I bet that Tern decided a battery-powered rear light on a folding bicycle would be more reliable than one with a long and fragile wire.
Link P7i = Easy fit and setup
You’ll love the Andros handlebar stem on the Link P7i. All you do is slide a switch on the stem’s top plate to one side and lift the rear of the plate. This unlocks both the height and the rotation of the handlebars. Use one hand to move the handlebars to the desired height and rotation and the other hand to push the top plate back down. The locking switch snaps back automatically.
If I worked in the shop, I’d use the stem to sell the entire bike—it’s that great a design. Check out the Tern Link P7i more here.
Jan 31
#1 folding bikerBrompton folding bikes Brompton bike, Brompton folding bike, folding bike, folding travel bike
Those of you that have read any of my other posts know that I have been trying to decide whether my trip around the world for charity would be easier if I was traveling with a folded bike. Full size bike or traveling with a folded bike… one more thought to consider.
I thought I had researched everything, it turns out there is an advantage to traveling with a folding bicycle that I hadn’t considered. As I unpacked my bike and started putting it together there was the obvious fact, I had to reassemble the bike. Of course I knew that had I been traveling with a folding bike I could have saved myself some time and effort. What I hadn’t thought of was something not as obvious.
Brompton folding bicycle travel
I put the kickstand in place, reattached the pedals, handlebars, mirror, racks, fenders, and seat. Front wheel on, I thought let me double check everything and then I should be ready to ride. The initial reassembly took me about 30-40 minutes, I had some problems. I could have been miles away had I been doing my travels with a folded bike.
When a travel folding bike finally dawned on me
I realize that something is loose in the front end of the bike, the brakes were rubbing and the front rack wasn’t completely level. I adjusted the brakes, leveled out the rack, but could not figure out what was wrong with the front end. All bolts were tight, I couldn’t find any parts in the shipping box that may have belonged to it, yet I knew something was wrong. I couldn’t ride, I would need to find a bicycle shop and I would need to find a ride there. Frustration is the best way to describe how I was feeling, I knew I should have been traveling with a folding bike.
Jump ahead to the next day, I find a bike shop, I find a ride. Now I have the joy of fitting this big bike in the back seat of a small car. We had to angle the bike and leave the handlebars sticking out the window. Good thing I am in Florida where it is warm. I hope at this point you are getting a very vivid picture of how much easier this would have been if I had been traveling with a folding bicycle.
Some folding bikes I’m considering
Off we go, 19 miles down the road, to find the bike shop. We barely made it before the shop closed. On a beautiful day when I could have been riding. If only I had that folding travel bike. I took my bike in and the owner looked at it and said well it looks like you might be missing a spacer, he then tells me that he hopes not because he is low on stock and might not have any to fit. He assured me that they are an easy part to lose, not reassuring for any future trips with a full size bike. All I can think is, it is time to start traveling with a folding bike. I now have visions of folding bicycles running through my head.
In all my research into the differences between my full size bike and traveling with a folded bike I had never considered the loss of parts. He checked the bike and it turned out something was just not seated properly. What did I learn, when traveling with a folded bike, no dis-assembly, and no lost parts.
At this point I’m pretty sure I’ll go with a Brompton folding bicycle for my touring adventures. We’ll see…
Jan 27
#1 folding bikerTern Folding Bikes folding bike, Tern Bicycles, Tern folding bikes
This Thanksgiving my room-mate, Peter, invited me to eat dinner with him and his family in Boston. We decided to take a bus the night before and I did the responsible thing, got off work early, caught the subway earlier than I needed to to make the bus with plenty of time.
Riding the Tern Link P9
Peter took the more daring route, jumping on his Tern foldup bike and blasting through 90 Manhattan blocks in under 15 minutes. We barely made the bus but Peter had a big goofy grin on his face— nothing like a mad dash on a folding bike in new york city to get your blood pumping!
Foldup bikes are really portable
The bus came and I looked over at Pete — “dude where are you going to stash the bike?”— he raised his eyebrows, compressing his folding bike to the size of a suitcase in a few deft movements and placing it underneath with the luggage. He always seems just a little smug when he shows off his folding bike, but I’m always impressed. You could never take a normal bike on a bus like that.
Lately, I’ve been thinking more and more of getting a foldup bike. I work just far enough away from my apartment that its too far to walk but too close to pay for the subway without resenting yourself, just a bit more each day. In the past I didn’t even consider biking to work because there isn’t a place big enough to store a bike at my work and I don’t like the idea of locking my bike outside for the day, but after seeing Peter with his foldup bike my mind opened to a whole new world of fold-up-bike related possibilities:
No room in the storage room? No problem! Just fold it up and push it under the desk!!
Don’t feel like biking home at the end of the day? Nothing is easier than taking a foldup bike on the train!
About time I bought my folding bike in new york city
OCL Hinge on Tern Link P9
Peter works at NYCeWheels, a NYC store that sells foldup bikes, and I asked him about what I should get. He launched off on a detailed inventory of specific makes and models— “So… which one folds up the smallest?” “The Brompton Folding Bike, just get the Brompton.”
It’s Thanksgiving now and I haven’t got a folding bike yet, but Christmas is fast approaching and hopefully by then I’ll be able to get a handle on the situation—send enough hints to my friends and family and I’m thinking I might just find a bike, neatly folded underneath the Christmas tree.
Jan 21
#1 folding bikerTern Folding Bikes folding bike, folding travel bike, Tern Bicycles, Tern folding bike
Last week I borrowed my roommate’s Tern Link P9 folding bike and joined him and his father for a 14 mile joy ride around the suburbs of Boston. My roommate, Anthony, and his father are both bike enthusiasts and at first I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the father son duo. I had never ridden a folding bike before and was thinking that it might be hard to keep up with a normal road bike, but nope, the Tern folding bike goes just about as fast as you can peddle it!
Link P9 folding bicycle in Boston
The smaller wheels are great for city riding!
Interestingly, the smaller wheels seemed to offer a few advantages for city riding. I was definitely able to accelerate a bit faster on the Link P9 than on traditional road-bikes I had tried out in the past. I mentioned this to Anthony, demonstrating with a spurt of speed and a failed attempt at a wheely. My friend explained that, on a folding bike, the smaller circumference of the wheels allows for greater torque, and therefore allows you to accelerate a bit faster.
I didn’t exactly understand the physics of his explanation, but I did understand that super awesome extra spurt of speed I got whenever I put my weight into the peddle! Totally awesome!
Can folding bikes handle rough terrain?
During the bike ride we took the Link P9 all over the city and through many different types of terrain. The folding bike performed great on bike paths, roads, sidewalks, (anything paved), but on more “off-road” terrain it began to struggle. At one point, we detoured onto a dirt bike path, and although I was able to keep up with Anthony and his dad, I had to work twice as hard to maintain speed on the squishy surface. Later, when I tried riding over a wet lawn, it was almost impossible to keep going. Folding bikes are not substitutes for mountain bikes, nor are they meant for off road terrain, although I had a great time trying anyway!!
The Link P9 turns on a dime!
The smaller wheels on the Tern Link P9 had other advantages as well. Not only could I go just as fast as the other bikes (and accelerate faster) but I could also turn more easily! Smaller wheels= greater turn radius= more folding bike awesomeness! “They don’t call it the TERN folding bike for nothing!” I yelled to my friend who looked at me like I was an idiot.
Older Entries Newer Entries
RSS
