Folding Bikes Review

A folding bicycle is a designed to allow you to fold your bike after you use it and to be able to transport it wherever you choose while in it’s compact form. This also helps with storage, allowing you to put your bike away in smaller areas. If you live in a smaller house or apartment this helps you conserve space by throwing you bicycle underneath your couch or laying up against the wall of your closet. These bikes can also be carried into public transportation, such as subways or buses, with greater ease.

There are various kinds of folding bicycles that are available due to their folding mechanism. Half or mid fold has the classical bicycle diamond frame that you would see in non-folding bicycles. The hinge points are located in areas that allow you to fold the bicycle in half. There are also clamps, which allow you to raise and lower your steering handlebars and your seat. These features allow you to adjust your bicycle to your height and size while maintaining the same size of the bicycle when in its folded, compact state. These bikes tend to have larger wheels for those who hold the ride of the bike in higher regard than the compactness of it. Once again, this bike looks most like a normal bike when in use. There is also something known as a triangle hinge, which allows the rear triangle and wheel to be folded down and flipped forward under the main body of the bike. This involves latches and quick releases which can speed up the process of folding. These bikes tend to come with smaller wheels than that of the half fold. This also means that the ride would be less smooth. Thirdly there is a break away, which is a bike that is partly folded and partly disassembled to fit in standard sized suitcases. This is most commonly used in air travel. The process takes a bit longer and would be inconvenient for public transportation however can fit well in a custom suitcase and makes longer travel arrangements more comfortable.

Folding bicycles are most commonly used for urban commuters. Whether you’re riding to work or need to mix commute and use a subway or bus. Most public transportation services allow for the use of folded bikes. Although you should make sure, as there are some who do not allow it. In most cases if you put your bicycle with some sort of bag or cover to protect it from the other passengers then you should be ok. When traveling with an airline, be ready to possibly incur extra costs for checking in your folded bike.

Models

Novara, Brompton, Dahon, Citizen, Birdy, Montague

Pricing

Folding bicycles seem to vary in price, with a typical price ranging from $180-$800