# Tern bikes



## itchybeard (1 Mar 2018)

Tern P9
Anyone feel this is an Ok folding bike. Due to purchase a second hand bike.


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## Cycleops (1 Mar 2018)

Tern is quite well regarded. What model is it and how much?


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## chriswoody (1 Mar 2018)

I've owned a Tern Link Uno for the last 2 and a bit years. Its a fantastic bike, I commute everyday on it and it's our go to bike for a quick nip to the shops and so forth. It's been ultra reliable no matter the weather and gets ridden in all conditions. 

The ride itself is really nice and surprisingly was noticeably stiffer than the Dahon I owned previously. The fold is easy to do and quick once you get used to it. Obviously not as small as a Brompton, but plenty small enough to fit into the boot of a VW Polo if you need it to!. I regularly carry mine up and down the stairs to the train platforms with no problems, it's quite easy to carry unfolded. The magnets that are supplied, are bugger all use at keeping it together when folded though. 

The finish of the bike has stood up really well to the last couple of years abuse as well and there are very few chips and marks on the frame. Standard kit supplied is a mix of high quality, like SKS guards and no name components like the chainset. The P9 appears to be a Verge, which is a step up again in quality from my Link and should be a lovely bike. 

One big warning with a secondhand bike is to check it's not one of the frames caught up in the recall a few years back. Both Links and Verge's manufactured in one factory, suffered from broken frames. After I purchased mine, I checked the frame number and found that it was within the range that was possibly part of the recall. I contacted Tern and they replied in days to reassure me that mine was not affected. I was happy to believe them at the time and two years and thousands of miles later there's been no issues.

Another issue is the weight limit. I am a relatively light, at about 65 kg. I have a colleague at work who is tall and stocky and weighs about 90 kilos. Fully dressed and carrying his work bag he exceeds the weight limit for his Tern Link D7. Just recently he's been having problems with the hinge pin and needed it replacing. We can't say for certainty that this was a weight issue, but it's worth keeping in mind.


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## doginabag (2 Mar 2018)

I had a P9 for a couple of years, from new.

Was a nice ride and fold was quick and easy, but was let down by poor quality fixings imo. The frame hinge bolt sheared after 6 months which couldn't be removed without damage to the frame, so a new frame was needed. Later one of the pedals sheared and took a lot of arguing to get Tern to replace it. All other general fixings suffered from corrosion despite being (allegedly) stainless steel. I suspect they are either a low grade stainless or plated mild steel fixings. I also had the bearings fail in the front axel by about 18 months.

So I would say if you are happy with the fold, then the frame and components are good enough, but the fixings that hold the lot together let it down. If I were to get another I would consider replacing all screws/bolts etc.

I paid ~£600 for mine and sold it two years later for £120 so not great resale value. But if you are looking to buy second hand that will work in your favour. Would definitely suggest viewing any bike first rather than buying blind.


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## Army of One (28 Jun 2018)

Hi.....new to the forum. I use a Tern P9 for commuting as it is allowed on trains folded. I have had it just under 4yrs. It was not part of the recall. Last week it snapped, the weld around the hinge joint failing. I bought this cycle because Evans told me I would be fine with it. I voiced concerns over any weight limit and was reassured I would be fine. I am 195cm tall and 118kg. Can't actually post a picture at the moment....


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## Drago (28 Jun 2018)

Do you know that your weight is responsible for the failure? I'm a similar weight and have never broken anything on a bike as a result.


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## Kell (28 Jun 2018)

I've had two Dahon's snap on me. Both full-size Matrix - one with the hinge and one with the lock jaw.

Do you have any documents that say you'd be fine from Evans? I only found out after mine snapped that the rider limit was 95kg. I was (and still am) pretty much bang on that limit, but add a bag etc and would go over it.


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## Army of One (28 Jun 2018)

Drago said:


> Do you know that your weight is responsible for the failure? I'm a similar weight and have never broken anything on a bike as a result.


I only bought it as assured by staff I was ok. I was up front with them from the start.....appears they weren't with me....


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## Army of One (28 Jun 2018)

Kell said:


> I've had two Dahon's snap on me. Both full-size Matrix - one with the hinge and one with the lock jaw.
> 
> Do you have any documents that say you'd be fine from Evans? I only found out after mine snapped that the rider limit was 95kg. I was (and still am) pretty much bang on that limit, but add a bag etc and would go over it.



Sadly no. Just what 3 different members of staff said to me when I was umming n aarghing about buying one. Treated well as not up n down kerbs, avoided where possible potholes n bumps....


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## PaulM (28 Jun 2018)

Army of One said:


> Hi.....new to the forum. I use a Tern P9 for commuting as it is allowed on trains folded. I have had it just under 4yrs. It was not part of the recall. Last week it snapped, the weld around the hinge joint failing. I bought this cycle because Evans told me I would be fine with it. I voiced concerns over any weight limit and was reassured I would be fine. I am 195cm tall and 118kg. Can't actually post a picture at the moment....


Well, they were wrong to tell you that and you were foolish to believe them. I currently have a Tern Link D8 and a Raleigh Boardwalk (rebadged Dahon). The Tern does look and feel over-engineered. However the Boardwalk uses a re-bar to provide supportt across the main frame hinge. Dahon have stopped using this design.


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## Army of One (28 Jun 2018)

PaulM said:


> Well, they were wrong to tell you that and you were foolish to believe them. I currently have a Tern Link D8 and a Raleigh Boardwalk (rebadged Dahon). The Tern does look and feel over-engineered. However the Boardwalk uses a re-bar to provide supportt across the main frame hinge. Dahon have stopped using this design.



I thought I had been thorough by asking numerous staff....i didn't check any site for weight limits as took the staffs word....i was more happy getting a Tern Joe full size folder but was steered towards the P9....


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## PaulM (29 Jun 2018)

Glad you weren't hurt anyway. Scary stuff. The Montague folding bikes might better suit someone of your physique.


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## Kell (2 Jul 2018)

I think it's harsh to say 'foolish' 

I was possibly foolish as weight limits didn't even occur to me, but I'd argue that @Army of One in this case did as much due diligence as is reasonable.

Back on topic, have you found anywhere that would suggest that there is an actual weight limit? I can't remember where I found out about mine, but the guys at Evans certainly never warned me - and were awful when it came to dealing with it. I ended up junking both bikes and haven't used Evans in four years.


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## doginabag (2 Jul 2018)

The advice you get from Evans will likely vary from store to store and employee to employee. Not every member of staff is going to be a bike nut and even less likely to have any real interest in folding bikes.

When I was looking at a Tern the Evans guy I spoke to at one store told me that terns aren't really made for folding! Occasional folding was ok apparently but if you are doing it more than a couple of time a week, ie commuting then you have to get a Brompton. Obviously I took that advice with a hefty pinch of salt, but the days of going into any specialist store and expecting all the staff to be experts themselves is long gone, save for some smaller independents imo.


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## Cycleops (2 Jul 2018)

doginabag said:


> The advice you get from Evans will likely vary from store to store and employee to employee. Not every member of staff is going to be a bike nut and even less likely to have any real interest in folding bikes.
> 
> When I was looking at a Tern the Evans guy I spoke to at one store told me that terns aren't really made for folding! Occasional folding was ok apparently but if you are doing it more than a couple of time a week, ie commuting then you have to get a Brompton. Obviously I took that advice with a hefty pinch of salt, but the days of going into any specialist store and expecting all the staff to be experts themselves is long gone, save for some smaller independents imo.


That last sentence is the most telling. Product knowledge at places like Evans and to a greater extent Halfords is poor due to inadequate staff training and high staff turnover. Of course you're not to know this.
I'd always choose a place like this;
https://fudgescyclesonline.com
Specialists in folders.


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## Kell (2 Jul 2018)

There's _some _truth in the amount of folding that a bike is subjected to. Some folders are designed to be folded for storage, but aren't expected to go through a hard life.

When I first got my Brompton, my journey went like this...

*Fold one/five: *
Take Brompton out of garage and put in back of car. It was normally folded from the night before, if not, fold it here. Drive daughter to childminder. Park car near station.

*Unfold one: *
Take bike out of car, ride to station.

*Fold two: *
Fold bike up to put on train.

*Unfold two:*
Take bike off train. Unfold it, and ride to work.

*Fold three:*
Arrive at work, fold bike up, take up to office.

*Unfold three:*
Take bike from office, unfold and ride to station.

*Fold four: *
Arrive at station, fold bike up for return train journey.

*Unfold four:*
Take bike off train. unfold it, ride to car.

*Fold five/one: *
Fold bike up to put in car.

Then drive home and remove from car to store in garage overnight.

That's at least four full fold/unfolds per each work day. I'm sure other people with multi-modal methods of commuting have similar stories.

It's better now as I don't have to drop my daughter off in the mornings, so can ride to the station, and I have a bike space at work. So it only gets folded to go on the train once and the start of the day and once at the end. But they go through some abuse.


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## Army of One (2 Jul 2018)

Thanks for the input. The staff at the now closed Crawley branch appeared to be very knowledgeable as I watched them speak to others. Confident in what the spoke about. That is why I bought what I did. In the nearly 4 years I had it I can say the amount of times it was folded didn't touch double figures. They have been helpful so far at the Gatwick branch and the chap I'm dealing with knows the chap who sold it to me. I only bought a folder as when the Gatwick express changed hands new company enforced the no non folding bikes in the late afternoon early evening rule even when trains where nowhere near full, hence hardly ever folding it.


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## Oldboots091 (7 Sep 2018)

Tern P24H fits my requirements perfectly.


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