Brompton's folding patent has expired now so anyone can copy. Seems not many do anyway. Even the Dahon Curl which follows the compact fold design has improved on the design. Hence they can fold even more compact than the 'B' with an even bigger wheels. It's an exact 18 inch folder. They have also improved on the rear triangle fold where when attached, it is a rigid design rather than a damping system. So, that means you don't waste energy on the slight bobbing on the rear.

In Europe, UK specifically there's a company that makes the 'B' rear triangle. They enlarged the rear clearance for a normal 135mm hubs for the Rohloff systems. The triangle itself (custom made) cost something like 700+ pounds plus the Rohloff (14 speed) is about 2.5K Ringgit. Even if you opt for Shimano Alfine (11 speed) it's still about 1.5K Ringgit. IMO 'B' is all about money, that's why 'B' riders feels proud to ride one. It's a status symbol.

This post has been edited by etigge: Nov 30 2015, 10:06 AM

Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending Brompton here. I just hate the fact that its design is copied, so that's nothing clever about it, ie no improvement to the original concept. If it is something different, hey I'm interested!

Yes, pity the modified triangle is so expensive. Now, only if someone copies that rear triangle and offer that at a reasonable price.......

Guys,

Need advice on choosing my first foldies.

Been searching around, quite like the design and shape of Dahon Mu D8, but hoping can get one that is below 2k.

Any other option I should look at/consider?

The Mu is one of the more expensive models. It's the most popular dolphin models used by foldies. The new Trinx is also the similar dolphin model and it has all the necessary components for a foldie. 18 speed Shimano Sora drivetrain, 451 = 22 inch high profile wheelset. If you can accept Trinx, it should be a bargain. Available in Kimbell Jaya within your budget, give and take a hundred or two. Haggle for freebies, they usually oblige. Like water bottle cage, water bottle, rear lights etc. Anyway, you might as well visit Kimbell Jaya (ask for Jimmy) and see the wide range that he has stock there.

Hi, Any particular model from Trinx?

Hi all, been looking for the foldie, budget within RM1500. Saw this in the website but not sure if this is a good bargain, can anyone help to advice?

Used: RM1,400
http://bicyclebuysell.com/item/326965/java...6s-folding-bike

New: RM1,300
http://bicyclebuysell.com/item/321374/new-...ke-folding-bike

These 2 should be the sme model except the used one with upgrades right? Please advice.

I would like to advise you check your bike completely if u planning to purchase at kimbell jaya. I have bad experience with them. First, after i went back home I found out that there is some missing part from my dahon. The next day i went back there and they just take the missing part from the other dahon & put it in mine.
Second, i went there to mod my bike. But his boy scratched my bike 3 times! He just dont want to take the responsibility when i ask him regarding the big scratch. U as a employer/owner of the shop u are should responsible for ur staff wrongdoing. Just my 2cents. The best thing is, they try to cover the deep scratch using sticker. Wth

This post has been edited by hnr2802: Dec 1 2015, 10:04 PM

Dahon SUV D6 any good ? planning to buy one but below Rm 1k !! i've been comparing between Java Decaf and Dahon SUV but still can't decided which one to go for.......any advise/recommendation ? thks in advance......

my friend offer to sell his almost new XDS AFB820 to me @ 2k.

Is that a good folding bike for beignner?

@etigge, please help, thanks.

I really can't comment on new rider preferences. Usually we advised something , they turn out something else. Also I might be quite biased towards Dahon. Not that Tern is not good but the extra price is just not worth paying. Other than these two, I see rides tend to have the temptation to change later after riding in a group. But then selling off a used unit is never easy because they expect to loose 15% to 30% which I think most buyers won't go for it, so they stick to the bike. Also many new riders stays to one bike and Dahon are quite low spec-ed for their cheaper units and many won't want to pay for upgrading of the bikes. It's never cheap. Some calculate by the percentage of the bike cost.

Eg. Bike cost 1K, so upgradings should never go beyond half of it. Then gain, the cost to mod a dual chainring already exceeded that. So, many will go for the full spec-ed with a cheaper price. That's why I tend to recommend the Trinx now. Our use, we will never exceed beyond the hardiness of the bikes. Maybe they need more maintenance. But even if they get the 18 speed Trinx, they will try to change to better brands because of peer pressure among the riders. Look at Bromptons, look at the sales. Many riders ride far and long and Bromtons are never meant for that, so suffer lorr! Many 'B' riders also have other bikes for tougher terrains.

Also, many riders don't understand that, in my case, I go for the best groupset that I can afford, maybe even forced to afford. It might even cost three times the cost of the bike. But those components stays with me even when I change the bike. Like when I rode the Dahon EcoC7, it was modified to Shimano 27 speed and when I wanted to change to Dahon Speed, every part is transferred to the Speed , although old, it is still durable. Then the new components from the Speed goes to the Eco C7 and sold off.

As for Dahon SUV, that's the most basic unit from Dahon to counter the cheaper foldies. The frame is quite guaranteed but the components, you know lah! Pandai pandai loh! I also know many who buys a cheap foldie and when they get serious, they go for a higher end bike and the old one pass it to their spouse, sakit loh their spouse.

This post has been edited by etigge: Dec 3 2015, 09:13 AM

Thanks for the advice, what you said is true indeed. I wanted to try out the foldie but worry that i will be hangat hangat tahi ayam, therefore dont want to invest too much as selling second hand is tough and loosing money as well. haiiiiiiii, think i need to decide what bike to go for rather than asking here and there. to me, first priority is the bike outlook, again, thats very subjective, then i want the spec, but i dont want to put in too much money (>1500), again, what you pay is what you get, cheap thing not good, good thing not cheap, understand the theory as well. so.... will just go with the flow, what comes to me that attract me and within my budget will just buy then. Thanks for replying.

This post has been edited by world_traveler: Dec 2 2015, 07:18 PM

What I would also say is, stick to the popular brand and you have a good chance of recovering the price you paid. The higher your initial cost the more you will lose of course. Buyers will want something for nothing, so you just need to decide what is a fair price for you and stick to it.
So what should you get? I would go for higher end models but secondhand. If you are patient and able to wait, you will pick up one. Hard part is there will always be competition Decide what riding you will do as you may not need so many gears. Will a foldable bike do what you want to do?
As for upgrading, sifu is right. You can always swap the good parts back out before you sell and keep for next bike.

for me
new rm1k below bike is a good for startup.trinx ka2016 is a good model and great value for money

16speed gear are enough already.gearing can be upgrade later so does wheelset and other things.

after a while riding with groups or so on, u can decide which bike are u want, how many gear want to use and ofcoz, that time money must have lor..hihihi

train urself if wanna improve.maybe u can adopt ur current bike and no need upgrades!

my new project rebuild 2016

I'm looking forward to see it 😍😍😍

I've seen dahon qix in kimbell jaya. It doesn't really fold small but vertical folding is quite interesting. It takes a bit of time to learn to fold but I can see once you master it, it will be a fast fold. With the third roller, the bike can be push easily.
I'm more interested in dahon eezz due to its size. However just having 3 speed, I wonder would it be enough group riding. I'm not thinking of chasing road bike, just leisurely ride for fun ride around 30km or less.

Anyone heard of this lightweight electric/pedal (pedalec) foldable bike?

http://a-bike.co.uk/

It started off as a kickstarter campaign this year, and looks like it's ready for sale.

About 12 kg, but it comes with a battery, and folded dimension of 21cm x 40cm x 70cm.

Looks easy and small enough to carry onto the LRT even during peak hour.

Any thoughts?

Also any suggestions on where to get similar ones in KL?

Yes, I like the look of the Eezz too. The wheelbase looks a little short though, so might be a bit twitchy? 30kms? Hmmm

The size of the wheels will put me off riding it. Not too many places you can ride that safely. Maybe good for KLIA2, hahaha