Folding bike suitable for 3 mile commute

[Gixxerman]

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.

 

[chris folder]

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

 

[Milkfloat]

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

 

[JaseO]

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.

 

[alicat]

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

 

[MichaelW2]

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

 

[chriswoody]

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.

 

[jay clock]

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

 

[jay clock]

@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/

 

[Salar]

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.

 

[Gixxerman]

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.

 

[annedonnelly]

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

 

[Gixxerman]

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.

 

[annedonnelly]

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

 

[Gixxerman]

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.