Got a question on "drive & cycle": If you take your folding bike to places such as shopping centre to shop/window shopping, where can you park your bike safely? You can't carry it around with the carrying case, can you? Do shopping centre has a storage renting service? So what is the practice in this case. Please share. Cheers

Need some advice on gears stuff. I have a 16 inch 8 speed (Shimano Sora) but am thinking to upgrade the group set to have more gear option. I have an old 9 speed XTR set but it kind of difficult to use this XTR set due to the 16" and the XTR smaller crank size - am I right? Alternatively I am looking to get road bike gears so I would greatly appreciate any suggestion (not something fancy/performance based). Cheers

My apology for the uncleared question. To restate, I am looking at to increase current 8 speeds to may be 18-20 speeds. I am considering 2 options; 1) to fit my bike with the old XTR group set; or 2) get a new road bike groupset/upgrade. there are obviously some issues related to XTR option #1. My objective is to have a more energy efficient ride (most efficient way of ride in response to the challenges of the terrain - up, flat or down). I do not have budget for high perfomance gears. many thanks

Thanks Etigge.
My bike is a Ori Eco 8. It has a 8 speed sora and Alivio shifter. I am not technically savvy. I have been riding MTB (currently XT, was XTR) and a road bike (105 group set) on-and-off for quite a few good years. Road bile comes to pic as with kids, I can no longer off to all those trails and gone for minimum a whole morning in weekend. Road bike is used for night ride on motor bile lane. So I am used to the multi speed and stiff feeling of XT/105. Currently I feel the C8 cranking is a bit 'soft'. BUT You are right as it need not to go overboard and too fancy. as long as the set-up is practical suited for a folding, I will be very happy.

A silly question : Where & how you ride your folding?

I've been cycling on-and-off with full size bike. I just have my first folding bike ride covering 20++ km on motor bike lane (16"). At the pit stop, I notice most of the guys have road bike crank installed, > 50 tooth. The casual conversation is centred on "how fast". On the ride, I tried follow those fast bikers but simply could not keep up ( my ave speed was 22km/h recorded by GPS), instead what I achieved is a faster credence vs riding full size bike. Thus, I arrived this premature conclusion: Folding is most suitable for urban 'jalan-jalan' and 'cari makan' purpose, or as a short distance commuter. For touring and speed, there are far better option available. I don't want the fellow riders to tembak me because of this. So would really like to know HOW and WHERE to you ride your folding. Keep up the ride

I am using 48T. SPEED is not what I intended to discuss nor I am speed crazy I am just curious to know how you use your folding, given it is a folding bike regardless your configuration. For example - as a 'road bike' for speed? as a 'touring' for distance? or anything? May be the best way to frame it is "how to you get the maximum fun' from your folding, which is of course, very individual. Bike it just a machine! Keep up the ride

Thank you so much for the sharing. I must confessed, as I read Samosaurus reply, I lost count the number of bikes he owned. Way to go! It seems both Etigge and Samoaurus and alike have lived a foldies lifestyle and have tons of fun. I do hope one day I can joint you and alike, to cari-cari and Jalan-jalan, and between cranking, learn some 'philosophy of cycling.' Keep up the ride

This post has been edited by Halia: Sep 17 2013, 01:28 AM

Any one can recommend a fun, inner city cycling route where the aim is to explore lorong-lorong, jalan-jalan kecil, or areas hard to reach by car? Of course, I have no intention to compete the road with the City Liner, taxi, truck, SUV alike like Chow Keat. If there a light traffic route in the inner city for exploration away from the hustler and bustler of traffic? Would like to hear from you all. Keep up the ride

Really interested to the mass joy ride in KL this weekend. I can't find the 'road map' of the route so where is the best point to start and end the ride then? Any suggestion?

Back track abit, since road closure will likely resulted traffic jam. Can anyone who will be traveling from Subang area to KL advice on best traveling plan to down town KL with a small kid (will be cycling with me in child carrier). The obvious choice seems to me is LRT at Kelana Jaya & then not sure where should I disembark. Thanks thanks

Thanks for Etigee & Budgee LRT advice, the Kl car free day's starting line just right at the foot of the Dang Wangi station. Overall traveled 1st time with folding bike in LRT, on this particular Sunday morning was easy even though with my little kid. The ride was brief and really, not able to made any connections with car the free day's meaning.

This post has been edited by Halia: Sep 23 2013, 10:10 AM

Aiya..... EXPOSED

On my way home, I saw a green shirt foldies and a lady cyclist on Federal Highway heading to Subang, who from the photo you posed, look kind of like you.

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Litespeed Mtb, very nice

please, more detail on this dragon back - road/trail? where exactly the route is. Tempting

Quick question about upgrading. Giving your familiarity with Dahon & Tern brands, do yo know if any of their ranges (e.g., Tern Verge/Dahon Speed), regardless of the model, share the similar bike frame? For example, bike frame for both Tern Verge X20 & 10 is exactly the same but is set-up differently with different parts/gears. What I am trying to get at is to get a good bike frame and let's future take cares of upgrading needs, if there are. Thanks thanks

Those customer service experience needs not to be taken it too seriously. We have to accept the fact that bike shops tend to treat those 'regular shoppers'/member or kaki of the same riding community much better than 'new cyclist' or 'drop in' customers. This situation make worst when the bike shop put on their stereotype customer scanning that suppose to 'help' them to decide if you are 'genuine/serious' buyers. Look around the established bike shops in Klang Valley - the one in Tmn Megah, Uptown Damasara and TTDI. If one to be critical, you can said that they all have some kind of attitude! These bike shops over times have formed a close knit relation with their loyal customer/riding kaki. A 'new customer' may very well felt out of place and feel uncomfortable. My tip is that to established yourself and your authority, joint their ride and beat them in their game (try) then they will take note on you. Keep up the ride

Would any sifu here care to spend some precious time educate For those new to fb like me in breaking down the bike basic frame. It is obvious that different models shares similar frame. Take the example of Tern, it has P & D series - P9, P71, P24h, D8, D7i C7 (copy straight from the website). They all seems to use the same type of frame (Link, 6061-AL, patented OCL Joint and Double Truss technology) but differ in fork. From here on, can the experts willing to perform some hair splitting works to established the base frame (regardless of the models due to components), and the one level higher and so on? I am keep bulking on this frame thing because in Mtb, we only look and buy the best possible frame and then choose the components accordingly. So, still can't shake this off me. Thanks

Unshamefully, I can say that this is easily the best piece of insight. The way you slice the model line-ups is really helpful for one to choose the models available out there, beside knowing the different between 76mm and 100mm fork. 21 gun shots of salute

Since I am fortunate to get you here, can I just follow up few few more questions?
1) How easily to get parts for the foldies over here in Malaysia - seat post, handlebar, stem, etc? Are there a lot of choices available?
2) This could be something subjective; if one is to upgrade the components, what would be the most sensible sequent to follow in order to achieve a 'all-terrain' (not off road) and 'enjoyable' ride (not competitive ride) : e.g., gear set, wheel set, etc.

Of course, would love to hear from other fellow riders as well. Cheers

BIG thanks to @etigee & @andythology . If anything, it seems like a monumental task!! So time to absorb all those in . Cheers

Some sharing on number of speed/gearing. 100% personal non-technical opinion, nothing more, nothing less.

last weekend I rode on Guthrie with my 16" 8 speed Sora. As you already familiar, Guthrie offers an undulating ride with gradual ups and downs. I found that with 8 speeds, it was very manageable, personal fitness issue aside! Though I hope I have a bigger crank set (currently 48T) when I was down hill (what is the point going 'slow' after all the climbing hardwork :> ).

So my personal conclusion is 8 speed has no problem uphills. I am happy to stick with it.

Not familiar with the where is the best offer for UNO but from the forum, the base price is RM800. RM750 is probably one-off and 'gone'.

I started from bkt Jeletong and was my 1st time riding there. The road is 'packed' with cyclist.

My take on the weight of the bike. Over time I am now 'less sensitive' about the weight of the bike. For paved rood cycling, weight of the bike is not that a big let down when you on the ride, but not that a big issue too if you to 'load' and 'unload' it in MRT/Lif/car, etc as you probably do it 2-3 times over a quick succession of time. From my experience, 'smaller' wheel size bike is really handy for city commuting that especially part of your commuting is also involving using of public transportation.

Weight becomes an 'issue' when failed to separate the bike for its 'official' and 'recreational' use. Take an example of me, i am always struggling to combine a 'practical' and 'lean' bike that take me from A to B, but at the same time, I also want the bike to be 'mean' & 'fast' (personal capability aside). As you would have predicted, the end result is always endout with something that is more expensive that blew the budget. hard to do but try to be honest with the MAIN PURPOSE of the bike would be the good way to go (forget about 'what if i want to go for ........'). Cheers