Folding bicycles

[TooNice]

Not sure if this belongs to the Automotive forum, but everything posted there seems to be gas/electric powered.

I've been thinking of getting a Brompton, but I am not really sure if it is worth it. Here in central Tokyo, bicycle parking can be an issue. It's all fine going from A to B faster than on foot (or by train depending on the route), but that benefit is lost if you can't find the place to park (outside Tokyo you can leave then anywhere). This is where being able to fold it, put it in a bag and take it with you comes in handy. On the other hand, they aren't exactly cheap for 11-12km commute, and I am not even sure if I would bother commuting with them if the weather is bad.

The alternative is to get a cheap bicycles to commute between places with parking (there is one in the apartment so I only need to worry about the destination.. my last workplace did not have one) and if it does not get much use, the loss will be minimal and it should also be much easier to resell as I won't feel the need to ask a lot for it.

How does it compare though - a cheap-ish full size bicycles vs a high-end foldable bicycles in terms of comforts? One presumably needs to sacrifice the workmanship and parts to remain cheap, while the other would need to make some sacrifice to remain foldable/portable.

I'd like to hear from people who have used both kind of bicycles

[peterb]

Moved to sport and fitness as you might get a better response.

[merdat]

I would go for a Brompton type , incredibly light. I have an old Raleigh folding jobbie (used to use it when away sailing in the yacht) but it is quite heavy (mind you it's an antique now ) . Still use the thing though, good for taking on the bus. Beauty about the Brompton is that you could take it on the bus or train then park it under your desk or work station. Your bound to pick up one of these types of bike cheap in Tokyo.

[Flibb]

Any chance you can hire a Brompton to try it out? I have a Brompton (amongst several other bikes) and really rate it, its great fun hauling past unsuspecting lycra clad roadies (best to sneak up in them using a handy hill). I have a standard 6 speed, have pondered changing the gearing slightly, does sometimes feel like it lacks top end. Can be a bit twitchy until you get used to it, but very comfy to do reasonable mileage on. There are plenty of options out there to modify the setup, gearing etc, good community support as well. Also I picked my one up used on ebay a couple of years ago, I could easily sell it for what I paid (or a little more). Although a reasonable weight its probably worth laying your hand on one to see how heavy it is, or maybe its more of a awkward shape, but can be rolled semi folded.

[Lil-Diabo]

The brompton bikes look really nice, I've been to a cycling store to check it out, but it's just the cost that's keeping me from getting one

[ConnorLowe]

They're pretty sweet bikes - Just comes down to the price tag

[scaryjim]

Haven't really used a Brompton, but I've heard plenty of people say they're fine for shortish distances, but you wouldn't one as your main bike. The big advantage of the Brompton, of course, is that it's dead easy to take on public transport - so if you've got a moderate commute, you can bike to e.g. the train station, fold it up to take on the train, then unfold it at the other end to finish your commute on bike.

A company called bromptondock has started doing hire bromptons at automated locations (there's one just by Piccadilly Station in Manchester) for reasonable prices - if there's anything like that in Japan it'd be well worth giving one a couple of days and seeing how you got on with it. Otherwise I'd just buy the cheapest bike you can get hold of, personally - the premium on a Brompton is huge if you're just doing it so you don't have to hunt for bike parking...