Topic: Foldies selection choice??

I bought my Dahon Mu P8 for 3 reaons...

• it is an 8-speeder,


• it has a pump in the seatpost


• it has a nice curve frame

I think most importantly is start with a budget. From there then can zoom into the available selections. For me, price is my main concern then brand and no. of speed

Most important is what you want to use the bike for.

If you want speed, then you want a light bike with gears

If you just want a casual ride, a budget bike should be ok

If you want to explore the island or commute, then a solid bike with gears is best

There are good models amongst Tern, Dahon and Brompton (probably more beyond that) 

There are also foldies available for $75 at Giant

So my suggestion:
Decide what you will do with the bike (short local rides, long adventures or racing)
Then decide your budget
Then find the best bike for the purpose within your budget

Check out the used bikes available in the Togo Parts marketplace

Have fun shopping!

Ooops: forgot to answer the survey properly:

I bought a Brompton because the material, steel, will last longer than me
Although it is a high-end price, if you look at the used ones for sale it does hold its value better than other brands, which also covers the brand question and etc. its design actually results with a fun bike to ride that is also comfortable.

From my experience I should say that brand doubles the price but doesn't obligatory guarantee the quality.  Material and country of production would certainly matter for me.

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http://blog.remind.com/17-tips-for-effective-note-taking - feedback is welcomed.

when I was a newbie

I bought a JAVA folding bike

why

1) it looked cool and blocky, like an 80s car
2) the parts seemed nice
3) it had disc brakes, wow

now

I think

1) ok, still cool but not exactly most modifications friendly

2) no bottle cage attachment

3) no holes for rack attachment

4) what the hell were they thinking for disc brakes. they squeal! 

I would be looking at upgradeability and ease of maintenance. A reliable brand helps as well, hence both my foldies are Tern (not saying the other brands ain't good, it's personal preference :p)

It would be good to have a feel of the bike as well before committing. Good thing I check out the bikes at the bike shop, didn't know different foldies have different folding style, so seeing and touching the physical thing is always better than just online research

I bought mine as it was the only one the shop had and because of peer pressure. Regret it now but I'm at least glad I can still happily use it. If it had disc brakes, I wouldn't have bought it. Yes, disc brakes on my MTB make sense. But not on my foldie because I want to cover crazy distances on the foldie and V-brakes are just so much more reliable and fuss-free.

It's a Langtu by the way. Supposedly made by the same people who make Dahons. It seems very well-made indeed but unfortunately, I neglected to think about resale value which it obviously will have none due to the unknown branding. In comparison, my MTB is a Cannondale, so it's ironic that I would forget about resale value. Ah well, too late now.

So yeah, if I do buy a foldie again in the future, it must:

- Be an established brand. This is the only thing my current foldie lacks. I will not be able to sell this bike in the future. Not unless Langtu becomes the next big thing which I doubt it will happen, even though a Langtu was recently reviewed on this site.

- Have rim-brakes.

- Be relatively lightweight to carry.

- Minimal proprietary components, i.e. it should have standard Shimano / SRAM road or MTB components. Mine has a mix of SRAM X-4 and some weird bits so I'll see how it goes.

- Not cost more than a thousand.

I not going to go brand bashing here, hence will be neutral on all brands. my opionion of , factors which makes a choice in foldie selection are:

1) weight
2) compactibility & foldability
3) Cost
4) brand