The Cheap Folding Bike Thread

[jet-ski]

I've seen a few people puttering around on folders lately. More than a few. Well I took the plunge and ordered this baby.

http://www.this link is broken/Mode ... elID=55562

The Oyama Lexington - It basically looks like a cheap Dahon copy.

I am going to thrash the hell out of it and see if it breaks. There are not a lot of write ups about them on the net, but the $400 price tag (it's 10% off everything at c r c at the moment, AND free postage) for an 8 speed rear was pretty hard to pass up. I will use it for commuting to work, and I'm going to test it out for longer rides. I intend on macgyvering a rear rack for it. I may even use it for 'piggyback pickups' at the airport - take the xtracycle out with the Oyama on the back, swap the Oyama for baggage and let the picked up person ride the Oyama back to the house.

Anyway since there's nothing on the 'net about them yet, I thought I'd start a thread. Does anyone else have experiences with this, or other cheap folders? (HASA, Aldi, Probike etc)?

[jet-ski]

It was shipped on the 14/12/2010. Looking forward to the thrashing. I need yet another water bottle cage and forgot to order one.

[utopia]

saw some oyama brand folding bikes on ebay

[HappyHumber]

I haven't stopped to look too carefully at them, but I have seen similar sort of folders at the likes of Ray's Outdoor/Ranger Camping (or one of the two - I bet I'm not the only one who gets these franchises muddled up) I do recall cheaper Shimano & no-name componetry... but no prices, alas.

[HappyHumber]

http://www.this link is broken/Mode ... elID=55562
The Oyama Lexington - It basically looks like a cheap Dahon copy.

Any ideas why each wheel has two fairly distinct red spokes in the demo pics? The only thing I could think of is that they're a reference for something, like the valve stem or something silly like that but then I realised there's no valve stem on either wheel! Perhaps the valves are postioned behind the fork tubes or seat/chain stays for the purposes of the photo... but it still don't explain the red spokes...

Curious about that detail on yours, when it arrives Jetski..

[jet-ski]

Should be arriving soon, just looked at the tracking and it seems it has touched down in Perth.

I've seen the Anaconda ones... I think it was Anaconda. They had 6 speed clusters on the back of em but I wasn't really in the market for one then. They are probably all out of the same factory. They were a similar price if I remember rightly.

Funny how the models on ebay are totally different from the range at Wiggle and c r c. c r c are trying to clear theirs with the looks of it.

[bigfriendlyvegan]

Aldi have a Crane brand folding bike at the moment.

[hartleymartin]

Aldi have a Crane brand folding bike at the moment.

Dang! Just when I don't have any money to spare at the moment too!

I had planned on getting a couple of them to try and get my sister and mother into riding bicycles on the trails around Fairfield.

[jet-ski]

Austpost appear to have lost my bike, so it will be a while longer until the unboxing ... (

[colcam]

i have one of the Crane/Aldi ($169) folders and saw the one that Anaconda are selling for $399. I think they are the same bike, couldn't see any difference other than the stickers and a lot of the chrome on the Anaconda one's painted black, (and the ananconda one didn't have the rear rack)

significant price difference, if they're the same bike.

colcam

[jet-ski]

We don't have Aldi over here in WA so Ananconda have a captive market for their folder. I will check out the Anaconda bikes after I get my Oyama and compare too I wonder if they will let me ride one... heh.
*waits for the post office to call*

[CommuRider]

Aldi have a Crane brand folding bike at the moment.

Aldi North Strathfield have plenty of stock. Discounted to $99.

[jet-ski]

After calling the Aust post customer service people 4 times and messenger post twice, I finally got a call back this afternoon. My bike is sitting at their warehouse in Kewdale! Hopefully I will get my greasy little hands on it tomorrow!!!!

[hartleymartin]

After calling the Aust post customer service people 4 times and messenger post twice, I finally got a call back this afternoon. My bike is sitting at their warehouse in Kewdale! Hopefully I will get my greasy little hands on it tomorrow!!!!

Just in time for Christmas too!

[emc]

After calling the Aust post customer service people 4 times and messenger post twice, I finally got a call back this afternoon. My bike is sitting at their warehouse in Kewdale! Hopefully I will get my greasy little hands on it tomorrow!!!!

I hope you get your bike. I'm excited about it!

Has anyone out there had experience with xootr bikes?

Curious as the train line here is being extended and folding bikes would be a worthy enterprise in another year or two and although i would love a bike friday maybe i should look at something slightly cheaper.

[squeakywheel]

Ive been toying with the idea of buying an Aldi folding bike for a while. However, friends of mine bought and Aldi bike about 12-18months ago. They said that the size suits her fine at 5'5" but he is about 5'8" and it's too small for him. At 5'10" I'd have no hope. Can anyone confirm the sizing?

[adaml]

Any ideas why each wheel has two fairly distinct red spokes in the demo pics? The only thing I could think of is that they're a reference for something, like the valve stem or something silly like that but then I realised there's no valve stem on either wheel! Perhaps the valves are postioned behind the fork tubes or seat/chain stays for the purposes of the photo... but it still don't explain the red spokes...

My guess is that they do mark the valve, but that said valve has been photochopped out. Some places do this for some reason. I guess we'll find out once it arrives.

[jet-ski]

Yep it is a valve marking.

First impressions - the brake levers are short, 2 finger jobbies, not sure if I like them!

something is wrong with the seat ... it seems comfortable to sit on but it looks tilted somehow....it seems like it's not going to last too long!

and I'm def putting fatter tyres on it, looks wrong with the little skinny tyres and they transmit bumps too well...

The bike came fully assembled out of the box, just had to strip the cardboard off, adjust the rear derailleur and it's ready to go.

It seems quite rigid and responsive. The 'owners manual' is hilarious - the first page contains all kinds of advice about cycling in general. I will scan it and post it up when I put up pics.

[jet-ski]

In the box



Out of the box



unfolded



spoke detail



wonky seat...

[just4tehhalibut]

A few of the 20" tyres that I use (for recumbents, hey one folds!) and that c r c sells are
Schwalbe Kojak 20 x 1.35 slick, cheap at $18, 60-90psi.
Continental Sport Contact Reflex 20 x 1.125, higher inflation (105psi) and a neat reflective strip. Might be too narrow for you. Came with presta tube.
Schwalbe Big Apple Tyre - Kevlar Guard, 20 x 2.0, might be too big for your bike? Or at least your rim.
You might find better, just watch for psi and protection as well as size.

Anyhow, I'd tried looking at a cheap folder too, just to try out and if it doesn't work out then I have friends with tall kids who'd happily take it away. Tried last night before I saw this thread, the Oyama Manhattan at c r c but it came up as $215 extra in postal charge, you must have lucked a period when c r c went all competitive. Wiggle has some folders that they say at the Buy Now will only be $6 postage but at Checkout comes up as $144, which BTW is what I got as a quote from FedEx. I guess that I missed the cheap postage offers and they haven't updated their websites yet (or there's some step I'm missing?). Lucky you.

[x8pg2qr]

I got a 16” Dahon folder in China. 8 (or maybe 7?) Shimano derailer gears. Impressions were it was too small for a 170cm person. It was very very undergeared—max ratio was about… 60+ gear inches I think. The handlebars were really short horizontally (and was a T-shaped thing attached to the handlebar post). Fender broke. Rack was OK, but really low to the ground (i.e. needs a rack bag, not panniers).

It was also < AUD100. From memory, something like AUD60–70.

I was very fond of it. I probably should have given it to a child, or changed the front chainring to larger. But it would probably be tossing good $ after bad. From reading various forums about Dahon clones (Pigeon, Citizenbikes), undergearing seems to be common. Maybe there’s a different set of clones that don’t do it.

I believe Jur has a Downtube 16”—who do some of their own designs. It looks too small for him, but he likes it.

I got another Dahon locally (Mu P8), which was a much better bicycle than the China one, but at $600.

(edit: I’d think twice about getting another Dahon though. Mine is a good ride, and folds OK, but dealing with Dahon proprietary parts & the Australian distributor is tiresome.)

[jet-ski]

I rode it for 25ks last night, and my right hand went numb from the rough ride

I just put some 1.95 BMX tyres on it to see how it rides with them. They went on the rims fine and have just enough clearance. I'm only 160cm so it's not too small for me but anyone taller than me would probably feel cramped.

I don't find it's undergeared as it has a 52 tooth ring on the front and 11 on the back...I raced my SO on it last night, she was on a Giant CRX2, and I managed to get away... though I do ride significantly more than she does....

it does have the strange narrow handlebars which are a T-shaped bar - skittish handling too which makes it very hard to take a hand off the bar...

I have put my http://www.monkeylectric.com light on the back wheel - it looks pretty good on the 20" as it fills up the whole wheel at about 18kmh.

I think I was very lucky. I didn't pay any postage at all. Maybe their website malfunctioned? they also gave me a c r c water bottle and one of those little cloth bags.

[jet-ski]

just4tehhalibut - I just had a look at c r c and added a Oyama Manhattan to my cart, and it has postage quoted as $38.32 ? sounds like their shipping charges are far from transparent...

[Aushiker]

just4tehhalibut - I just had a look at c r c and added a Oyama Manhattan to my cart, and it has postage quoted as $38.32 ? sounds like their shipping charges are far from transparent...

Hi

Just for the fun of it I tried it as well and also got $38.32. I also tried a Dawes Ace Folder and that came in free shipping. just4tehhalibut maybe it is worth trying again? BTW Wiggle wanted to charge $144 on similar priced model.

Andrew

[just4tehhalibut]

I figured it out, I already had items in my basket including some Mavic wheels that I'd been wanting and that had suddenly dropped by $100. Remove that and clear the other items out and then restore everything but the wheelset and presto! free postage. Somehow a bike and those wheels means $215 postage, but buy both separately and they're free (depending on the rest of the basket), go figure.

What I'd really like is a Brompton but that won't be a cheap folder.