How much would you expect to pay??!!

How close to your home/work would it need to be to get you to use it??

I have a motorbike anchor and chain out the front that I use to lock up. That may not be appropriate if you’re renting but lamp-posts might be just as good it you spend enough on the chain.

I’ve heard a lot of anti-folding comments above and I have to say this: They are light, and the small wheels make them very swift to accelerate, the gears are all you really need for city commuting (how many of you out there are on fixies or singles?) and they are no slower than a heavy MTB or hybrid (I found my Dahon was actually quicker). The reason I swapped was that I found the small wheels made me feel very unstable. I just prefer riding a full size bike, and I only folded the bike up to bring it in the house at the end of the day.

My Advice: Go try one out. I almost went with one of the Dahon 26″ the only thing that stopped me was the fact I didn’t need a folder.

I have a lengthy train journey to break up my ride, so see most aspects of the decision set on a daily basis. I’ve also used both Brompton and mountain bike on the commute, and each has pros and cons.

With a full size bike there is the hassle of storage and security. But they have a full range of gears for hilly routes and at least for hybrids and mountain bikes there is a lot of comfort with fat tyres and at least front suspension. Bluntly, a number of my clients don’t have anywhere to store a full size bike during the working day, so the prospect of leaving pretty expensive bikes nearby on the assumption that they might be there when I get back isn’t amusing to me.

So what I’m sacrificing with the Brompton is a little comfort, mainly on my shoulders as the rural roads here are in appalling condition. I would say that I don’t lose anything on speed, looking at my records I was doing about the same times on both the MTB and the Brompton. My top speeds on the Brompton are probably a little better but the MTB gives me better speeds uphill, and a little easier on the legs with the lower gear range.

In terms of pace in London I’m probably about halfway through the pack, I routinely pass hybrids and MTBs, and I’m routinely passed by road bikes and the odd hybrid.

On the train, actually getting on can be hit and miss with the MTB, The Brompton means I always get the train I’m planning on. Sometimes people will load up the bike areas and obstruct the gangway, but that’s not my style. The bike areas on the trains can take three full sized bikes, with opportunity spaces for up to four Bromptons by virtue of the layout.

The train is where the half-folds like Dahon and Giant are really inconvenient for others. The folded shape is awkward, they seem to take up much more space than a Brompton, so end up being folded in the gangway and still obstructing, They don’t seem to be stable, so need jammed in between other bikes to avoid them falling over. When I was looking at folders last year I did try a couple and really wasn’t all that keen, the fold seemed quite pronounced when I was riding, I felt as if the front and back of the bike weren’t actually all that joined up. Going from the half folder to the Brompton was enough to convince me which one I wanted.

My impression is that in trying to be a full size bike with a fold the compromise was too great and it didn’t live up to my expectation of either. I’ll acknowledge that it’s only been a couple of times, but I was left feeling more comfortable with the Brompton for reasonable distances. The cost issue is a big one, but if CycleScheme or similar is an option then it makes a big difference.

I will say that I do a longer ride on the way home if I’m on the MTB, although the main driver for that is the hills and the bridleways, I really wouldn’t fancy the state of my back and shoulders if I took the Brompton off-road.

It got stolen and now I live further a way, with more space, so I bought a hybrid one and facing a 12Km(8mi) commute in 35min I look back and I feel a folding wouldn’t have fit my bill this time.

Also, because it’s a hybrid bike I take larger routes, like Windsor or Rochester recently. But then again, enough saying that my wife owns a Dutch bike, not the most athlete orientated bike in the world, and she made it to Rochester just as well, so I guess everything is possible if you love your bike.