Sinner Mango Velomobile
Pashley PDQ
Speed Ross recumbent
Home made child's recumbent
Xtracycle
Bicycles4u folders
Holdsworth
Moulton
Islabikes Trailerbikes
English three speed
Bob Yak trailer
Dog Trailer
Also see:
Cycling HolidaysStudy Tour
Bicycle baskets
Front luggage racks
Pictures of delivery bicycles
Bicycles4u.com remarkably inexpensive folding bikes review
Identical bikes are also available from other sources, such as The Guardian and T2 direct ltd / technologyinthehome.com.
In July 2007 we went to the Netherlands on a short trip, house hunting in several cities. In the past we've often used the hire bikes available at railway stations in the Netherlands or we've taken our own bikes on the ferry. This time we were going to several different places over just a few days, so the cost of hire would add up, as would the cost of rail and ferry passes for our own bikes. As with the British railway network, the Dutch railways (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) allow carrying of a folding bike (vouwfiets) for free. As a result we decided to look around for relatively affordable folding bikes.
We attempted to buy some quite nice folding bicycles from a well-known manufacturer but they turned out not to be available in time. Looking about at various websites of people who sell imported Chinese folding bikes we found www.bicycles4u.com who had a 16" wheel bike for just £80 which was fully equipped, folded to a reasonable size and didn't weigh too much. They also sell a version with rear suspension but we decided we didn't like the weight penalty (weight is especially important for a folding bike which you're going to have to lift regularly) or larger folded size of that version. It wasn't possible for us to try the bike before buying but we decided that as we'd recoup over a quarter of the price of the bikes on our first journey it was worth the risk as in the worst case we'd be able to re-sell them and recoup most of the remainder of the cost after that first trip. I ordered the bikes by telephone on Wednesday and they arrived at our house in Cambridge by 8:30 on Thursday morning.
So, what did we
get ? Well, the bikes really are fully equipped. They
have (steel) mudguards, 6 derailleur gears, folding pedals, a luggage
rack, dynamo lights, a bell, kickstand, and
both front and pedal
reflectors. Along with the (optional) carrying bag they
seem to weigh a little over 13kg each. As you'll see in the photos,
they fold pretty small. A longer but narrower bundle than the market
leading Brompton. They're also a slightly more awkward shape
to carry
and they have the chain on the outside of the folded bike so you have
to take care what you could make dirty with it. This is a large part of
the reason why we bought the bags (two of which are curled into each
other and bungied onto the rack in the photos of the bikes).How about riding ? I had feared that the bikes would be under-geared, and they are a little. The ETRTO 305 size wheels, 48 tooth chainring and 14-28 freewheel offer a gear range of about 26" - 52". 52" is a little too low for a top gear, so a leisurely speed is required. However, the bikes are not for racing and this wasn't so much of a limitation as we had thought it might be. You can't ride really fast with this gear, though on occasion I've got it up to about 33 km/h on the flat, feet spinning with a cadence around 130. I guess I could say it's good for your "supplesse"...
The frame is quite stiff. The stem and handlebars stiffness seems about as compromised as you'd find it to be on any folding bike. I personally found the old Bickerton to be a terrifying ride and I rate these as being very much better than that. I suspect than on side by side comparison with a Brompton they might seem a little worse - but look at the price difference !
It's perhaps worth mentioning that there is a choice of colours.
The wheelbase is
quite short, so any luggage carried on the rack must be on the top and
not at the sides. You can't fit panniers and still be able to pedal.Given that the bikes arrived just a couple of days before we left, I found a couple of old handlebar bags to put on the front for light bulky items (e.g. waterproofs, which it turned out we needed rather a lot) and we bungied some luggage directly onto the racks.
I intend to make baskets to fit the rack tops but not interfere with folding which will make carrying luggage a little easier.
The bikes turned out to work very well for our
trip. We could mostly get away with not bothering to fold the bikes on
the trains and due to their small size they still fitted quite well
into the cycle compartment. When we were required to fold, it didn't
take very long to do that - a few seconds. Definitely under a minute
even before we'd got the hang of it.I found the best order for folding to be first to undo the catch on the handlebars and fold down beside the wheel, then fold the frame in two and then push the saddle down and fold the pedals. A velcro strap is provided to keep the package together when folded. It is also worth putting the dynamo into the "on" position so that it is less vulnerable.
Given the price, there have to be a few snags. You could pay more than the entire bike price for just about any individual component on the bikes. We had a couple of minor faults. First, the bolts holding such things as mudguards and the rack in place are not fitted with nylock nuts so shook lose on my first test ride. This I solved by tightening them up and then running a little superglue into the threads. I've used this technique on many occasions. It is not as permanent as it sounds as the glue snaps instantly when you want to undo the bolts. Make sure you tighten everything up as well as possible on any new bicycle.
The front dynamo lamps were both broken in the boxes the bikes were sent in. I suggested to the company that it would be better to send them separately in the box (as were the pedals and bell) so that they are not exposed to being bumped in transit. I also told them that I had fixed the lights and that they needn't worry about the problem, but replacements still arrived through the post in a couple of days. That's very good customer service.
You shouldn't be surprised to learn that all components are relatively inexpensive, however they seem to be chosen quite sensibly. For instance, the wheel rims are alloy for good braking while the hubs are cheaper steel. They're not luxury items, but I've had town bikes with steel hubs which have lasted for many years of constant use and I expect these to last quite well too. The wheels are nearly perfectly true and don't seem to have moved in the use we've given the bikes. Such small wheels should be very strong with the 28 spokes they've each got.
The V style brakes use plastic brake levers (which feel quite sturdy) but the brakes themselves are pressed steel. On other cheap bikes I've seen nasty plastic at that point. They seem to adjust quite well and do not rub the wheels.
The gearing suffers from being a little low. One thing I'd like to replace is the chainset with a larger chainwheel. It should then be possible to get up to nearly a 60" gear just by fitting a 52 tooth chainring. The one fitted is a steel single chainring, so it would be easy to save some weight by replacing with an aluminium version. The bottom bracket is a normal square taper sort, not a BMX style single piece, so replacing these parts should be easy. Some similar folding bikes have much worse gearing problems which can't easily be fixed. For instance, one model I looked at sold in Halford has a single piece bottom bracket and a single even lower gear. The derailleur used is the cheapest Shimano, and as expected seems to work very well even indexing correctly.
Perhaps the worst individual part of this package is the saddle, which really is quite uncomfortable. I also found that the seat post was not quite long enough for me to be able to extend my legs properly. Given that it isn't a bike to be ridden at speed, I intend to solve both these issues at once by fitting a taller old style saddle with springs at the back. The slight suspension offered by such a saddle would also be welcome, but on the smooth Dutch cycle paths we mainly rode on I can say that we did not once wish we'd bought the heavier and more expensive bikes with rear suspension.
It seems that as with many bikes there is inadequate grease in the bearings. I intend to open up the wheel, bottom bracket and headset bearings in order that they can be greased as I suspect this will make all those parts run slightly smoother and last somewhat longer.
Conclusion
In my view, the Brompton sets the gold standard so far as usable small folding bikes are concerned. By buying these, do you get a Brompton on the cheap ? No. At the price you have to expect some compromises. However, I feel these bikes offer superb value for money. They did everything we asked of them on our short trip, even atracting a few admiring glances. Nothing really feels cheap except the saddle, which is easy and cheap to replace.
I can see that over time they'll easily recoup their purchase price in avoidance of rail ticket charges etc. Great value for money.
However, if you intend to commute year round by folding bike, you'll probably want something a bit better.
Update October 2007
A few months later and the bikes have been used a few more times. They're slower than full sized bikes, but they do just what they're supposed to do. I've had to remove and glue in the plastic liners for the frame tubes where the seatpost and handlebars slide up and down. I also found that White Lightning style clean chain lubricant works very well to lubricate the seatpost and handlebar stem so that they slide easily but you can still clamp them tightly.
The bikes have been used several more times, mainly for other trips involving trains. We have replaced the saddles.
And as for our house hunting trip ? We've looked around a lot of the Netherlands over the last few years and have decided to settle in Assen.
An afternoon's ride to Groningen
On the 11th of October 2008, I rode the bike to Groningen and came back on the train. In the past I've only ever ridden the bike for short distances and I was pleased with how well it worked for the 40 km ride. The video shows the ride:
You can also see the video on my blog.
We run cycling holidays from here to help others appreciate this wonderful part of the country. I also make bike baskets for all types of bikes.
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