Budget Folding Bike

[bonzobanana]

Did you buy that one? I'm trying to decide between the Greenway and a Decathlon bike, and there's very little information about the former on the internet, so I'd love a few words about your experience with it.

Which Decathlon bikes because the 2 sub £200 Hoptown's are terrible. Decathlon do some decent bikes but not normally unless you pay £300 or more. Also bear in mind their weight restrictions. If you check the manuals you will see 100kg is common which includes the weight of the bike too which in many cases brings the weight limit down to 85kg approx. Saying that I have no idea what the Greenway weight limit is but it has the additional seat tube welded section and certainly looks like a stronger frame. I've got a Bicycles4u Paris Explorer folding bike. I guess similar to the Greenway in component level and weight. That has a weight limit of 115kg for just the rider.

If I needed a folding bike for around £200 I'd have no hesitation buying the Greenway bike but would make sure I buy with my credit card incase there are any problems. I don't think there will be but just in case. I don't know of any folding bike anywhere close to that spec for the price.

 

[jgillich]

Which Decathlon bikes because the 2 sub £200 Hoptown's are terrible.

Most likely the Tilt 120, also known as the Hoptown 320, which is a sub £200 bike. But the reviews that I found aren't exactly calling it terrible, sure it's no Brompton, but it appears to be a decent option for the price.

I've sent Greenway a message to ask about the maximum weight, will post here when they respond. I'm over 100kg myself, so I'd definitely need it to support at least 110-115kg.

 

[bonzobanana]

Most likely the Tilt 120, also known as the Hoptown 320, which is a sub £200 bike. But the reviews that I found aren't exactly calling it terrible, sure it's no Brompton, but it appears to be a decent option for the price.

I've sent Greenway a message to ask about the maximum weight, will post here when they respond. I'm over 100kg myself, so I'd definitely need it to support at least 110-115kg.

You wouldn't be safe on the Decathlon then as they state 100kg including the weight of the bike. The Hoptown 320 has very low end components even the derailleur is sub Shimano, Sunrace or something. For your weight you won't want a freewheel on the bike. You'll need a cassette based drivetrain which is much stronger. That's not to say a freewheel won't work or hold your weight but maintenance will be much more often and if you drop the bike of a kerb while riding you may have to replace the rear axle as they can bend easily.

I'm temped to recommend the Oslo Explorer at bicycles4u. It has a weight limit of 115kg clearly stated which you could ride and abuse until down to 90kg and then you could pretty much upgrade to any bike you wanted. A higher quality bike would be one of the Carrera folding bikes at halfords but a bit more money.

I did email Greenway that exact same question sometime ago and got no answer. While the bikes are well equipped and great value I'm pretty sure its purely a low margin box shifting operation but hopefully you will be luckier than me.

Looking at the design though of the frame and the welds and reinforcing its looks very strong. Then you add in they have fitted double rim wheels. They clearly have designed the bike to strong at all costs I would say meaning no returns. If you look at the equivalent Tern or Dahon model which would be 3x as much the frame on those doesn't have the reinforcing and the wheels are much weaker single rim type although those bikes may shed about 1-1.5kg in weight compared to the Greenway.

 

[jgillich]

You wouldn't be safe on the Decathlon then as they state 100kg including the weight of the bike. The Hoptown 320 has very low end components even the derailleur is sub Shimano, Sunrace or something.

I couldn't find a weight limit on their website, but I also asked them about it (any source for the 100kg?). Aren't low end components to be expected though? I'd probably be more worried if they put high end components in a budget bike.

I'm temped to recommend the Oslo Explorer at bicycles4u

Unfortunately they ship to the UK only, I'm in Germany.

I did email Greenway that exact same question sometime ago and got no answer. While the bikes are well equipped and great value I'm pretty sure its purely a low margin box shifting operation but hopefully you will be luckier than me.

So far I got nothing, but we'll see. Really the only thing that could get me to buy a bike with no reviews is a responsive company.

 

[bonzobanana]

I couldn't find a weight limit on their website, but I also asked them about it (any source for the 100kg?). Aren't low end components to be expected though? I'd probably be more worried if they put high end components in a budget bike.


Unfortunately they ship to the UK only, I'm in Germany.


So far I got nothing, but we'll see. Really the only thing that could get me to buy a bike with no reviews is a responsive company.

Here's a link to the Btwin main instruction book.

http://www.btwin.com/notices/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/notice_velo_A5V_EN_PE12.pdf

I think Greenway are a simple box shifter, low margin operation and you won't get much response. Why would you be worried about higher end components on a low cost bike. That sounds like a bargain to me. I'd rather have a decent cassette based drivetrain with Claris derailleur than some no brand freewheel and unknown brand derailleur. I understand it could make you suspicious but I'd personally take the risk. Maybe you feel that if they have put the money into the components the frame will be terrible but if you look at alibaba you will see the factory door price of folding bikes can be as low as $25 for a basic steel folding bike. There is a good margin for direct sellers of bikes here in Europe.

My Paris Explorer was only £190 new I think but bought mine secondhand for £30. The same spec on a bike from a top brand would be about £400-500 it has a high quality cassette based drivetrain with SRAM and microshift components. Not quite as good as the Greenway but much better than entry level freewheel based folding bikes.

No decent direct sellers of folding bikes in Germany?

 

[jgillich]

Thanks, I think I'm going to take my chances and order the Greenway. I looked through reviews for their other bikes and the few that exist are fairly positive.

Plus I found this bike that uses the same or a very similar frame, and according to the seller it supports 105-110kg. Enough for myself, just gotta loose some weight before I can actually carry heavy luggage for longer tours hah.

This makes me wonder, are frames all standardized to a degree that you can just replace any component in case it breaks? I haven't owned a bike in a few years and I never did any repairs myself, but it seems like repairs are completely doable without any replacement parts from the original manufacturer?

 

[chriswoody]

If your in Germany, there's a far bigger choice of budget folders here. I see them all the time on the train. Curtis is a popular make, that seem fairly robust and Pegasus is another. There's quite a few online retailers selling folders as well. I picked my Tern up from faltradxxs.de, for only €350. eBay Kleinanzeigen is also a really good place to pick up a decent second hand folder.

I jumped too quick with my first folder, a Dahon Vybe c7. It cost €300 and was a terrible excuse for a bike and far to unreliable. Spent a year regretting it before I flogged it on Kleinanzeigen and bought the Tern.

 

[jgillich]

If your in Germany, there's a far bigger choice of budget folders here. I see them all the time on the train. Curtis is a popular make, that seem fairly robust and Pegasus is another. There's quite a few online retailers selling folders as well. I picked my Tern up from faltradxxs.de, for only €350. eBay Kleinanzeigen is also a really good place to pick up a decent second hand folder.

I already looked through eBay Kleinanzeigen (and eBay itself) without much success. Bikes from brands such as Dahon or Tern sell for 300 Euros and more, which is already above my budget (would like to keep it below 250). The cheapest bike on faltradxxs is the Tern Link B7 for 440.

 

[jefmcg]

http://www.btwin.com/notices/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/notice_velo_A5V_EN_PE12.pdf

Wait, what?

You have be dissing a 2016/7 model of bike based on a 2012 brochure that doesn't even mention a weight limit on folding bikes - just generally on other bikes they sell. Do you work for Greenway?

I see your vague 2012 document, and raise you this specific 2012 document that is for an earlier model of the Tilt

(user load, not combine cyclist and bike weight. So the user and their luggage)

 

[bonzobanana]

Thanks, I think I'm going to take my chances and order the Greenway. I looked through reviews for their other bikes and the few that exist are fairly positive.

Plus I found this bike that uses the same or a very similar frame, and according to the seller it supports 105-110kg. Enough for myself, just gotta loose some weight before I can actually carry heavy luggage for longer tours hah.

This makes me wonder, are frames all standardized to a degree that you can just replace any component in case it breaks? I haven't owned a bike in a few years and I never did any repairs myself, but it seems like repairs are completely doable without any replacement parts from the original manufacturer?

The real manufacturer behind many brands

Wait, what?

You have be dissing a 2016/7 model of bike based on a 2012 brochure that doesn't even mention a weight limit on folding bikes - just generally on other bikes they sell. Do you work for Greenway?

I see your vague 2012 document, and raise you this specific 2012 document that is for an earlier model of the Tilt

View attachment 370570
(user load, not combine cyclist and bike weight. So the user and their luggage)

The manual I linked to was a general manual across a wide range of Btwin bikes including mountain bikes etc as supplied with many bikes including folding bikes. You then link to a far stronger folding bike at a higher price where you can see the frame has greater reinforcing and has its own specific manual as it is not a standard bike design and features an advanced tilting mechanism.

Why on earth would you call it a brochure its a manual just like you linked to. No of course I don't work for Greenway but it doesn't take much to work out that the bike has far higher quality components than a similarly priced Decathlon model and yes Decathlon bikes have lower weight limits even if you have found one model that breaks that rule. Dahon folding bikes often have a 95kg weight limit and thats true for almost all their bikes but there are exceptions like the Curl which has been designed to be stronger.

Surely you understand when looking at the weight capacity of bikes you would use the manual as supplied with the bike not choose some random manual of a completely different bike. As is the case with most manufacturer's many standard bikes get a generic manual but newer more radical designs often get their own manual. Why do I even need to explain this.

 

[jefmcg]

The manual I linked to was a general manual across a wide range of Btwin bikes including mountain bikes etc as supplied with many bikes including folding bikes.

And the advice on specific weights is given for specific bikes.

It says mountain bikes have a maximum load of 100kg. And trail bikes. And triban road bikes. It does not specify a weight for folders or for their city bikes.

 

[jamieb158]

we recently bought a couple of windward bikes for camping trips, picked them up second hand but as new condition. have to say lovely bikes, 6 speed, mudguards. my other half is not a great rider but had no trouble with a 4 mile ride with small hills http://www.force4.co.uk/force-4-windward-folding-bike.html#.WaXMGHWGPDc worth paying a little more, we did look at the decathlon folding bikes but single speed and didnt impress me in the store.

 

[bonzobanana]

And the advice on specific weights is given for specific bikes.

It says mountain bikes have a maximum load of 100kg. And trail bikes. And triban road bikes. It does not specify a weight for folders or for their city bikes.

From what I've seen the basic hoptown bikes are supplied with the standard manual plus a sheet for folding/unfolding so in which case what information would you use for the weight limit. Looking at the Decathlon site the only Hoptown with a weight limit clearly stated is the electric model but its the same 100kg maximum load not rider weight that would mean about 80kg rider capacity approx. It looks pretty strong too compared to some of their folding bikes.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/500-hop...hoptown-electric-folding-bike-id_8328552.html

I'd also add to it by saying the frequent recalls of Btwin bikes for frame failures is prettty much down to people assuming higher weight capacities. Only the larger frame rockrider bikes have failed in the recent recall likely because people tall enough to need the larger frames are much more likely to be over the 80-85kg weight limit. The 4 years of e-bikes they had to recall again likely had many people over the weight limit. With the low step over frame you are likely to attract a higher percentage of people who are less fit and overweight (yes I'm making an assumption here) but it feels to me there are a large number of people don't comply with weight limits. You can see on many Btwin frames like the rockriders they don't add the strengthening section by the seat post or a strengthening plate where the downtube meets the headtube.

I might add the Greenway folding bike looks identical to an earlier Hoptown model except again the Hoptown didn't have the strengthening section between downtube and seat tube.

Btwin seem to go for lighter weaker frames maybe to keep the bike low weight or simply to save money as extra welding will add to costs.

I don't think I'm being unfair pointing out the low weight limits of Decathlon bikes. It clearly can be life threatening if a frame fails especially aluminium which gives no warning. At around £300 or more they do some brilliant bikes for the money but you just need to make sure you comply with the weight limits of the bikes.

http://www.bike-eu.com/laws-regulations/nieuws/2017/5/decathlon-recalls-rockrider-mtbs-10130208

http://www.bike-eu.com/laws-regulations/nieuws/2017/3/decathlon-recalls-2012-2016-e-bikes-10129228

 

[bonzobanana]

Unfair? No. Wrong? Yes.
But you clearly have an axe to grind here, so we can leave it at that.

Unfair no but wrong yes and I have an axe to grind, do you even read back what you write. Your statement makes no sense at all. Surely if you believe I have an axe to grind it would be unfair and yet I've backed up all my statements with evidence and facts compared to pretty much nothing at all on the other side.

Unless you believe I have somehow hacked the decathlon site and put in lower weight restrictions in all their web pages and pdf documents then your response is clearly extremely weak and ridiculous to say the least.

The bias appears to be the defence of Decathlon despite the evidence. How much more evidence do I have to provide to show Decathlon bikes have weaker frames than competing bikes and that for someone around 100kg my warning about rider weight restrictions was fair.

Why does the internet have people that argue the most basic points. Decathlon states a weight restriction of about 80-85kg I repeat the same information and yet internet forum posters say no because of their own strange bias.

 

[bonzobanana]

I checked on the german Decathlon site and someone had asked the question about maximum load

https://www.decathlon.de/faltrad-klapprad-20-tilt-100-grau-id_8352595.html

As expected same as the standard manual for this model. 100kg minus the bike weight which isn't surprising as that is the manual supplied with it.