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Does anyone make a less compact folding bike that uses larger tires? The Brompton at 16" is starting to get interesting and while the Kwiggle does look very nic

Does anyone make a less compact folding bike that uses larger tires? The Brompton at 16" is starting to get interesting and while the Kwiggle does look very nice for certain situations. But I think what I would want the most is something with more standard size bicycle wheels that can still fold to be a bit more compact for use on public transit.

Glide 5y ago
Tern makes a BYB bike model that looks decent for transit (https://www.ternbicycles.com/us/bikes/471/byb https://www.ternbicycles.com/us/bikes/471/byb). I personally own a Tern Verge and it's more enjoyable as a bike than my Brompton.
caranti 5y ago
I ride a Tern Link D8. It has 20" rims, usable gears, and a pannier rack. It rides really well for a folding bike and is half decent for transporting a couple of bags of stuff around. Most of the running gear is off-the-shelf Shimano which helps when sourcing spares. The trade-off is that it's quite big when it's folded and fairly awkward to carry. Unlike some folding bikes, it doesn't wheel when it's folded up so you have to lug around a fairly awkward metal lump when you're not riding it. And it rarely fits under seats on public transport - it can be quite awkward in places. I've also found it fairly tricky to lock. The narrow gaps between the spokes and the very small triangle in the frame make it hard to pass a serious lock through; I constantly worry about wrecking spokes when I try to lock it up. It lives indoors most of the time so it's not a serious drawback for me but might be something to think about based on your needs. Overall I've been happy with the good riding, luggage options, and replacement parts story. A good option if the drawbacks don't really hold you back in your day-to-day usage.
jdeisenberg 5y ago
Citizen Bike (https://www.citizenbike.com/catalog.asp?product_category_id=1 https://www.citizenbike.com/catalog.asp?product_category_id=...) has 20 inch wheels. Not ultra-compact, but the one I have is pretty good.
Doctor_Fegg 5y ago
Bike Friday (20in wheels) and Airnimal (24in) are both superb and feel close to a normal bike to ride. There’s also the Tern and Dahon ranges.
Melatonic 5y ago
For anyone looking I found two manufacturers that make folding bikes with full size components and wheels: Montague Changebike There is also a third that looks newer and I could not find any info on but looks promising from Finland: Fubi

Glide 5y ago

Tern makes a BYB bike model that looks decent for transit (https://www.ternbicycles.com/us/bikes/471/byb https://www.ternbicycles.com/us/bikes/471/byb). I personally own a Tern Verge and it's more enjoyable as a bike than my Brompton.

caranti 5y ago

I ride a Tern Link D8. It has 20" rims, usable gears, and a pannier rack. It rides really well for a folding bike and is half decent for transporting a couple of bags of stuff around. Most of the running gear is off-the-shelf Shimano which helps when sourcing spares. The trade-off is that it's quite big when it's folded and fairly awkward to carry. Unlike some folding bikes, it doesn't wheel when it's folded up so you have to lug around a fairly awkward metal lump when you're not riding it. And it rarely fits under seats on public transport - it can be quite awkward in places. I've also found it fairly tricky to lock. The narrow gaps between the spokes and the very small triangle in the frame make it hard to pass a serious lock through; I constantly worry about wrecking spokes when I try to lock it up. It lives indoors most of the time so it's not a serious drawback for me but might be something to think about based on your needs. Overall I've been happy with the good riding, luggage options, and replacement parts story. A good option if the drawbacks don't really hold you back in your day-to-day usage.

jdeisenberg 5y ago

Citizen Bike (https://www.citizenbike.com/catalog.asp?product_category_id=1 https://www.citizenbike.com/catalog.asp?product_category_id=...) has 20 inch wheels. Not ultra-compact, but the one I have is pretty good.

Doctor_Fegg 5y ago

Bike Friday (20in wheels) and Airnimal (24in) are both superb and feel close to a normal bike to ride. There’s also the Tern and Dahon ranges.

Melatonic 5y ago

For anyone looking I found two manufacturers that make folding bikes with full size components and wheels: Montague Changebike There is also a third that looks newer and I could not find any info on but looks promising from Finland: Fubi