# Folding bike suitable for 3 mile commute



## Gixxerman (26 Feb 2016)

I work in Lincoln city centre, and the commute from my home is about 18 miles.
I have always wanted to bike to work, but this is a little too far for a regular commute, mostly due to the time.
So I normally drive to work and park in the works car park.
This carpark has very limited spaces and is on a first come first served basis. Due to a reorganisation, we now have more employees at our site and getting a parking spot is extremely difficult and most days I have to park on a nearby street or pay the daily rate of £3.80. Even the nearby street spaces are proving hard to get now.
So this and the fact that I am sick of being stuck in traffic, has lead me to find an alternative.
There is a park and cycle scheme where I can park for free on the outskirts of the city, with a 3.2 mile very flat commute on cyclepaths.
So I have decided that this would be the best option. Plus I get some exercise and fresh air twice a day. I am actually really looking forward to it.
So I will need a folding bike. I have seen a Dahon Vybe C7A for £300 at Halfords.
I have also seen a Dahon Vitesse D3 on ebay for £270 (this is for a new bike).
Which should I choose? I might also like to use it for hill walking holidays too, so it may need to go up some hills too.
I am getting Halfords to build the C7A so I can have a look at it.


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## chris folder (26 Feb 2016)

Hi I have a dahon d8 done miles and miles on it had it 3 years its a great all rounder. The vybe is similar but slightly cheaper components if it rides like my dahon it will be a great bike


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## Milkfloat (27 Feb 2016)

If you want the best then you should look at a Brompton, however you would need to triple your current budget.


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## JaseO (27 Feb 2016)

Dahon's are decent folders that won't break the bank. I have been commuting on one for many years. You may also want to consider a rebadged Dahon such as the Dawes Jack or Kingpin. There are some good deals around have a look at the fudge cycles website.


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## alicat (27 Feb 2016)

Could you use a non-folding bike and leave it lock at the park'n'cycle scheme overnight? That's what I'd do.


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## MichaelW2 (27 Feb 2016)

Brommies are nice but only worthwhile if you need the extra compact fold.
I would go for a 3-speed aluminium frame 20" model, clean and efficient over 3 miles, eg Dahon Curve i3 20.
Derailleur folders are dirtier to manhandle unless the workings are inside the fold.
Look into a modern, small dynohub, to reduce faffing around at each end fitting or recharging lights


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## chriswoody (27 Feb 2016)

I bought a Dahon Vybe C7A in May 2014, for a similar size commute, figuring that it should be able to deal with that. It was an O.K. bike for the money, it rode reasonably well and folded well. Generally no major complaints for it's ride and day to day practicality. However I finally relented and bought a Tern last October as I was fed up with the unreliability of the Dahon.

It is essentially cheap for a reason and is noticeably built down to a price. The stock tyres are very thin and puncture prone, so were the first thing to be upgraded. The pedals lasted four months before the bearings collapsed and needed replacement. The spokes on the rear wheel are far to thin for the job and I ended up going through quite a few. (I only weigh 10 stone!) The brakes have nasty cheap plastic backing plates holding the main tension screw in and the front one failed leaving the brakes inoperable. Even the cheap, Deore Cantilevers that I replaced them with had a metal rear plate. This were the main items but all in all, quite a list for a commuter not doing massive mileage.

For only a fraction more I bought a Tern Link Uno, galaxies ahead in terms of quality and ride quality. However I did notice that the cheaper end of Tern's line up for this year does look remarkably cheap though and may not be that great quality either.


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## jay clock (28 Feb 2016)

I am about to sell my Dahon . 10 years old but in excellent condition. A really lovely ride - better than my Brompton, but the Brompton folds smaller for the train. And I don't need two folders. Will be in classifieds shortly


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## jay clock (28 Feb 2016)

@Gixxerman here is mine - if you are interested get in touch https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/for-sale-dahon-speed-p8-in-excellent-condition.196747/


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## Salar (29 Feb 2016)

JaseO said:


> Dahon's are decent folders that won't break the bank. I have been commuting on one for many years. You may also want to consider a rebadged Dahon such as the Dawes Jack or Kingpin. There are some good deals around have a look at the fudge cycles website.



I'll second the Dawes Jack. I've had one for a few years now and it will do just what you want.


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## Gixxerman (8 Mar 2016)

Right an update. I have decided on the Dahon Vybe C7A. Halfrauds have one locally for £300 (reduced from £400). I have had a look at it and it seems a well built bit of kit and rides well. I will have to wait a few weeks for my firm to get me the vouchers.

In the meantime, I have decided to use my sisters unused Halfrauds Apollo double bouncer. It is not the best but it will do for the short journey. The park and cycle place has a covered bike storage place with Sheffield stands. It is in a very posh area (houses and marina) and is 24 hour security controlled and has a CCTV camera right above the bike storage. So I have left the bike there and fitted 2 locks. As it has quick release wheels, I have used a light-ish cable lock to lock the front wheel to the stand and another very heavy motorbike type cable lock to lock the bike frame and back wheel to the stand. The seat post is also quick release, so I have taken that out and will keep it in the car until I need it (my mate had one stolen once whilst parked outside a Halfrauds so I am taking no chances). I have also removed all the light mounts too. So if they want to knick the bike then they really will have to work for it and given the bike is worth less than £50 I don't think anyone will bother.

What I will need now though is some panniers / luggage for the folder. I will need to get my food for the day in (some cereal bars, fruit, yoghurt) and my gym gear (trainers, shorts, top and towel) and some waterproofs + usual spares + multi-tool. So 20 litres should be OK I think. So can anyone recommend any panniers / luggage for the folder?

I have a practice commute, and it took me about 20 minutes at a leisurely pace, so with the 30 minute drive to the park and cycle place + the 10 minute walk from the works bike shed it will be about 1 hour from home to desk. This is about what it currently takes to drive, but without the 40 minutes stuck in traffic. Nice ride in too down the side of a canal.


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## annedonnelly (8 Mar 2016)

Sounds like a much nicer commute - but 10 mins walk from the bike shed? You must work on a massive site!


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## Gixxerman (8 Mar 2016)

Sorry my mistake, I worded it badly. It is about a 5 min walk (it is a big site), but it takes about 10 mins in total - wait for security to open gate to get in, lock bike, sort myself out, wait for security to open gate again to get out, then walk. So it is about 10 mins from getting to the gate to plonking my arse on my seat. My sore arse as it is, as the saddle on my sisters bike is not the best. But it will only be for a few short weeks until I get the folder.


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## annedonnelly (8 Mar 2016)

Sounds like the bike will be safe anyway with all that security!


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## Gixxerman (9 Mar 2016)

annedonnelly said:


> Sounds like the bike will be safe anyway with all that security!


Hope so. I don't want to turn up one morning and find it isn't there.


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## chris folder (9 Mar 2016)

Hithe dahon should be fine if it rides like my dahon d8 its a all rounder.


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## Banjo (9 Mar 2016)

Any Dahon will be fine for your purpose if you are very tall check the seat post extends enough.
I have had a Dahon 7 speed for several years and its a great bike.

Ordinary panniers are ok if not too huge. The usual problem is your heels touching the pannier when pedalling mine have just barely enough room for my size 8 feet.


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## Gixxerman (11 Mar 2016)

As for a rack bag suitable for my needs, I have tracked an Avenir bag from Go Outdoors for £22.
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/avenir-cycling-rack-bag-p135188
It looks OK and is quite inexpensive.
Anyone have any experience with this bag?


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## chris folder (12 Mar 2016)

Hi I use a avenir bag but not that one there built well great bags that model is great for rack I have similar bag only draw back is undoing velcro all time to lift bag off mine straps under rack and one loop around seat post


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## Gixxerman (13 Mar 2016)

Tried the Avenir bag for size and it isn't going to be big enough. I could only get one trainer into the bag. They would fit with the side panniers out, but the bag sat too far forward and I would suffer heel strike. So I estimate that I need a 20L size bag that just fits on the rack.


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## Gixxerman (17 Mar 2016)

Well after much searching, I am still at a loss to find a suitable rack top bag. They are either less than or equal 12L or greater than or equal 30L. I want one about the 20L size, but they are proving elusive.


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## chris folder (17 Mar 2016)

Hi I no fair few rack bags between 16-24ltr do you want the bags info?


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## jefmcg (17 Mar 2016)

The mezzo commuter bag is brilliant, unfortunately it interlocks with the mezzo rack, so not useful for your purposes.

Have you thought of using a backpack?


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## 12boy (17 Mar 2016)

You might check out the accessories page on the XOOTR Swift site. You will find a "crossrack bike rack" that is suitable for up to 25 lbs. and weighs 1 1/2 lbs. the also sell a matching bag but claim just about anything including grocery sacks can be hung from it. Costs about $50 stateside.


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## Gixxerman (17 Mar 2016)

chris folder said:


> Hi I no fair few rack bags between 16-24ltr do you want the bags info?


Yes please.


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## chris folder (17 Mar 2016)

Hi 1. Top eak mtxdxp , 2.ortlieb pack pak , 3.axiom columbus dlx. Theres 3 to look at I no more if want?


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## Gixxerman (18 Mar 2016)

Thanks Chris.
Your links lead me to find what might be more suited to what I need.
I found the Paddywagon on the Axiom website. It looks just what the doctor ordered. SJS Cycles do it for £50. Just emailed them to see if they think that it will fit the Dahon. Hope so, as it has all the room that I should need.


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## jefmcg (18 Mar 2016)

It's a really pity there aren't more rack bags designed for folding bikes. You've got acre of room above the rear wheel, so there is really no need to have something hanging over the wheels or sticking out sideways. A tall bag that would be a hazard on a road bike, and raise the centre of gravity, would actually lower the centre of gravity on a folder.

Still, the paddywagon looks ok to me, barring heel strike.

(this is what I mean, using up that negative space that is on all small wheeled folders)


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## Gixxerman (19 Mar 2016)

Well I have got the bike.
I had to bodge one of my rear light mounts to fit the right hand side rack stay by using some old inner tube as padding to make the stay a bit thicker.
After I got the lights monuted I had a quick 3 mile or so test ride.
My initial impression was that it was a decent ride. What surprised me was how low the gearing is and I was topping out in top gear easily.
There are a couple of small issues.
1) There was an arful rattle from the back of the bike, I eventually traced this to the rear mudguard. I thought that it was the stay mount. But even when the stay mount was removed from the mudguard (held on by 2 screws) the rattle was still evident when you tapped the mudguard. After much investigation I found that source of the problem. It was the rubber mud flap. This is attached to the bottom of the mudguard by 2 plastic pop-rivets and metal washers on the inside of the mudguard. Trouble was that the washers were not a tight fit to the pop-rivets and they rattled against the mudguard. It was a simple fix. I removed the rivets (by pushing in the centre pin). I then made some rubber washers out of some old inner tube and put these between the mudguard and the metal washers. Attached the stay again and all was silient. Good as the bloody rattle was driving me crazy.
2) The free hub seems to clunk every so often and seems to be when you apply power. Maybe it will settle down with use.
3) The rear wheel seems a bit noisy when spinning. It spins freely enough but it has a slight grating noise. I might check that it is adequately greased.
4) The bungee cord supplied with the bike is crap. I tried a few experimental packing options which meant that I streched the cord a fair bit. However, it now will not return to its original length and is now too long to stay on the mounts without having something on the rack to take up the slack.


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## chris folder (19 Mar 2016)

Hi found a bag you like then. My Dahon D8 Bungee Cord I Never Use It. I Bought A Mixed Pack Of Bungee Cords In a Tube Different sizes holdfords should have tighten all bolts etc up before you had bike or did u put it together yourself? How meny gears you got? My dahon has 8 I never use 7,8


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## Gixxerman (19 Mar 2016)

The offending attachments were not bolts, they were pop-rivets, so Halfords had no reason to check them. The issue is really a bit of poor quality design. It just needed a minor modification. I could have replaced the pop-rivets with nuts and bolts, which is probably someting the manufacturer might consider. Halfords gave it a look over, but as it is a folder, they didn't build it as it came already built. All they had to do was unfold it and check it over. It has 7 gears. But so far I have only used the top 2, and top gear is too low for me and I'm spinning at 90+ rpm most of the time. I might consider changing the cassette at some point to up the gearing.


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