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Folding Bikes

On many rail carriers folding bikes with wheel diameters ≤20” (~400mm) are allowed to be brought on board as regular hand luggage. If the folding bike is small enough, it might even be possible to bring it as a carry-on on a plane.

There are many different kinds of folding bikes with more or less intricate folding methods. Each folding bike has advantages and disadvantages depending on what the designers were trying to achieve, so the right folding bike for you depends on what you want it to be able to do. For example, smaller tyre sizes results in smaller dimensions when the bike is folded at the cost of road comfort, more intricate folding mechanisms are often much more expensive but result in a more compact folded size, and different choices for technology (cassette vs. hub gears, chain vs. belt drive, suspension vs. rigid) all have their own sets of tradeoffs.

I ended up buying a second-hand, 30 year old, non-electric Brompton and would buy a new one in a heartbeat if mine broke. It’s very well-built, I love how small it folds (it can basically fit anywhere on a train), it’s surprisingly comfortable to ride despite the wheel size (except on rocky gravel, in which case I stand and let my body absorb the bumps), and I’ve been able to find replacement parts and maintain the bike without any problem, despite it being so old.

I would still be interested in trying out a Vello, Tern BYB, and Birdy though. They’re all very interesting and bring different tradeoffs compared to a Brompton.

If you specifically want an electric folding bike, take a look at the Brompton, Dahon Ei4, Vello and options from Decathlon (BTWIN).

This YouTube playlist by Radelbande (German) is also quite helpful.

General

In general, folding bicycles with cassette gears often have the derailleurs quite low to the ground which you risk damaging on very rough terrain or if you hit a curb while riding parallel to one. It’s usually not a problem, but something to consider nonetheless.

Also, the larger the tyre, the faster you’ll be able to go and the better the bike will be able to handle rougher terrain, but the larger the folded size will be. The speed difference isn’t really that big when talking about non-marathon situations, and bikes with small wheels often compensate by adding suspension or making their frames more compliant, but this is still noticeable.

Most folding bikes are made out of aluminium to save on weight and price, at the cost of longevity. Aluminium bicycles often have a lifespan of 10-15 years and are more prone to fatigue cracks whereas well-protected steel frames (i.e. not left to rust in the elements) can last upwards of 50 years or more. Additionally, a cheaply-made aluminium frame is less compliant and therefore offers a rougher ride than a cheaply-made steel frame, but well-made modern aluminium frames don’t suffer from this as much.

I don’t really care about disc vs. rim brakes, but some people might. For folding bikes meant to be used around the city I think it’s not really necessary and adds extra weight for little benefit, but I can see the advantages if you live somewhere with steep hills, and especially if you go very fast on an electric bike. It is also nice not to have to worry about rim wear, but I used a 90’s mountain bike with rim brakes for my entire childhood through university and never had to replace a rim due to brake surface wear.

Brompton

Link: https://de.brompton.com/

Pros

Cons

Riese & Müller Birdy

Link: https://www.r-m.de/de/bikes/birdy/

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BTWIN Fold Light 1 Second

Link: https://www.decathlon.de/p/klapprad-16-zoll-ultrakompakt-fold-light-1-second-aluminium/_/R-p-306555

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Note

Decathlon (the company behind BTWIN) makes other models of folding bike including pretty cost-effective electric folding options. Often their folding bikes use simple folding methods so the bikes can’t get very small, but they use easily replaceable parts and it won’t feel like you need to sell a kidney to buy one.

Dahon Curl i8/Ei4

Link: https://dahon.com/bikes/curl-i8/

Link: https://www.bikepro.de/p/dahon-curl-ei4-16-racing-red

Pros

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Note

Dahon also makes plenty of inexpensive but good folding bikes that use the “classical” folding method (i.e. basically just a hinge clamp in the middle that folds the bike in half). They’re good and the price makes it a lot easier to just leave it locked up somewhere, but they don’t fold down all that small.

The Dahon Mariner D8 is one of their best-rated folding bikes.

Kwiggle

Link: https://www.kwigglebike.com/shop

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Tern BYB

Link: https://www.ternbicycles.com/de/bikes/471/byb

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Vello Bike

Link: https://vello.bike/

YouTube Channel (German) by someone who owns one: https://www.youtube.com/@martinsbike

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