Folding bike for under £100?

Al Deveron said:

Can anyone recommend a folding bike that's easily available in the UK for
under £100?

Halfords have a model available for 99 pounds.
I saw one in a Halfords store this evening.

John Hearns wrote on 02/10/2006 22:51 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Al Deveron said:

Can anyone recommend a folding bike that's easily available in the UK for
under £100?

Halfords have a model available for 99 pounds.
I saw one in a Halfords store this evening.

He asked for one you could recommend.

Seriously the one that gets good reviews for its price is the Compass
Marine single speed for £79 (three speed for about £120) but they don't
seem to be available on the website at the moment
http://www.compass24.com/cgi-bin/abnetshop.pl?basket=cusxqmsgcmfwqfslarvgjlegiljgvrxwlbgomenptrbev&wahl=Bicycles_Bicycles
is where they should be though.

--
Tony

"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using
his intelligence; he is just using his memory."
- Leonardo da Vinci

John Hearns said:

Al Deveron said:

Can anyone recommend a folding bike that's easily available in the UK for
under £100?

Halfords have a model available for 99 pounds.
I saw one in a Halfords store this evening.

It's a FBSO don't buy it.

Think about it a while. Folding mechanisms cost money to engineer
rather like suspension and disc brakes. Do not buy a cheap folding
bike it is a false economy.

FBSO -Folding Bike Shaped Object
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"

In article <[email hidden]>

Al Deveron said:

Can anyone recommend a folding bike that's easily available in the UK
for under £100?

Plenty of Raleigh/Hercules/BSA etc. with SA 3-speed on eBay for under
£50 - they ride well enough and will fit in a car boot, not light or
fast though.

Quoted message said:

Alternatively, does anyone supply a kit for converting a non-foldable
bike into a foldable one?

You can buy tube connectors to fit to a standard frame, but they're not
cheap. If you have the skills and equipment you can make and fit some
yourself, but paying a pro to do it is never going to be an economy
option.

in message <[email hidden]>, Al Deveron

(') said:

Can anyone recommend a folding bike that's easily available in the UK
for under £100?

Someone else has suggested you look for second hand bikes on eBay. Even
there, I think you would be wasting your time and money. Folding bikes
that are any use cost from £400 upwards, and hold their second-hand value
very well. The /cheapest/ second hand Brompton on eBay in recent weeks
went for £393.

You don't get something for nothing, and any bike which costs under £150
new is essentially scrap metal: too dangerous and/or unreliable to use.

Quoted message said:

Alternatively, does anyone supply a kit for converting a non-foldable
bike into a foldable one?

Yes, S&S couplings. But you won't get a bike with them much under a
thousand pounds. http://www.sandsmachine.com/

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
Just as defying the law of gravity through building aircraft requires
careful design and a lot of effort, so too does defying laws of
economics. It seems to be a deeply ingrained aspect of humanity to
forever strive to improve things, so unquestioning acceptance of a
free market system seems to me to be unnatural. ;; Charles Bryant

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Al Deveron

(') said:

Can anyone recommend a folding bike that's easily available in the UK
for under £100?

Someone else has suggested you look for second hand bikes on eBay. Even
there, I think you would be wasting your time and money. Folding bikes
that are any use cost from £400 upwards, and hold their second-hand value
very well. The /cheapest/ second hand Brompton on eBay in recent weeks
went for £393.

Rubbish. My old Dawes Kingpin clearly isn't as good as a Brompton in
some ways, but I definitely find it useful.

(This doesn't stop me lusting after the 1000 GBP Birdy the local
Bromptonmongers have, and if I was commuting by train regularly I
would almost certainly get a Brompton.)

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Al Deveron

(') said:

Can anyone recommend a folding bike that's easily available in the UK
for under £100?

Someone else has suggested you look for second hand bikes on eBay. Even
there, I think you would be wasting your time and money. Folding bikes
that are any use cost from £400 upwards

An old shopper style "fold in the middle" is easily available
s/h for 50 quid (plus cost of new chain, brake cable and tyres
to make is "nicer"😉, and could be the difference between
getting a bike in your small hatchback and not.

For "Integrated transport" e.g. 20 miles by car, last 2 by bike,
that's "of some use".

BugBear

Quoted message said:

An old shopper style "fold in the middle" is easily available
s/h for 50 quid (plus cost of new chain, brake cable and tyres
to make is "nicer"😉, and could be the difference between
getting a bike in your small hatchback and not.

Worth pointing out that quick release wheels make it a doddle to get my
bike (drop bar racer) in the back of small cars (e.g. Nissan Micra), as
long as I can put the rear seats down. Haven't tried it with a flat barred
bike, but slightly wider handlebars should be the only difference.

Mark Thompson said:

Quoted message said:

An old shopper style "fold in the middle" is easily available
s/h for 50 quid (plus cost of new chain, brake cable and tyres
to make is "nicer"😉, and could be the difference between
getting a bike in your small hatchback and not.

Worth pointing out that quick release wheels make it a doddle to get my
bike (drop bar racer) in the back of small cars (e.g. Nissan Micra), as
long as I can put the rear seats down. Haven't tried it with a flat barred
bike, but slightly wider handlebars should be the only difference.

Sounds reasonable, although anyone who can remove and replace
a rear wheel without getting oil/grease
on themselves has my admiration!

BugBear

in message <[email hidden]>, bugbear

('bugbear@trim_papermule.co.uk_trim') said:

Mark Thompson said:

Quoted message said:

An old shopper style "fold in the middle" is easily available
s/h for 50 quid (plus cost of new chain, brake cable and tyres
to make is "nicer"😉, and could be the difference between
getting a bike in your small hatchback and not.

Worth pointing out that quick release wheels make it a doddle to get my
bike (drop bar racer) in the back of small cars (e.g. Nissan Micra), as
long as I can put the rear seats down. Haven't tried it with a flat
barred bike, but slightly wider handlebars should be the only
difference.

Sounds reasonable, although anyone who can remove and replace
a rear wheel without getting oil/grease
on themselves has my admiration!

If your chain is reasonably clean it isn't a problem.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

The trouble with Simon is that he only opens his mouth to change feet.
;; of me, by a 'friend'