Folding Bikes

[featuretile]

It's great to get so much feedback!

NbyNW - Obviously the person at the bike store knew nothing about the Dahon Speed Pro TT (not Sport Pro - oops). All he did was change the height of the seat. This is not my LBS. No one carries them except this place about an hour away. I am 5'3", so I guess it might be possible to fit, but I hate to buy one without trying and the problem is that at this bike shop the price is full retail, and you can get one online for substantially less. I don't really want to use up all their time getting it adjusted and then not buy it there. Not sure where to go with that. I also found your saddle changing info a good thing for the MU SL, since again, they did not know. But, I'm still not in love with these bikes and they are not inexpensive.

I will still keep trolling Ebay and craigslist for used Bike Fridays.

roguedog - I looked up Xootr again. I had not considered them because they don't fold up as much. But when I looked again, they could be disassembled further if you went on a plane. The gearing is still to high, but you can add a front derailleur and faster tires. I put in some questions to them and will see what response I get and let you know. Does anyone have one of those? I really feel hesitant to just order one without trying it out.

[NbyNW]

Wow, that's unfortunate that the bike store was not more knowledgeable about the products they are selling! How do they expect to sell anything? Maybe you can wait until they are clearing out their inventory for next year and go back and try the bikes again.

Also understandable about wanting to find a bike you love for the right price and wanting to be fair to the retail store. Can be tricky with folders since they're regarded as a niche item.

If I lived closer to you I'd let you take mine out for a test ride.

Another good resource is www.gaerlan.com. They have some good articles on their website and I have bought parts from them. They're about 4 hours from you, so they may be worth a phone call. They may also have other brands, but it seems that Dahon is their focus.

[PscyclePath]

I found a used (ahem... "previously loved," according to the BF folks) Tikit through the network at the LBS, and it's done pretty good service for the three trips where I've used it. What I really liked was the ease and speed of folding it; what was frustrating was that another LBS around here had whittled one of the studs down on it a hair... that's also the stud that latches the frame together when you fold it ;-)

I was also very surprised at how well it rides. It currently curls up and sleeps under my desk at the office, for quick noon errands and random rides around the business park here...