Search found 11 matches: bicycles4u

Searched query: bicycles4u

by Bonzo Banana
7 Mar 2022, 2:24pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: ? 20” Wheel folding Bikes
Replies: 32
Views: 3238

Re: ? 20” Wheel folding Bikes

UpWrong wrote: 7 Mar 2022, 1:51pm I've owned a few 20" folders (Dahons and a Tern) and a Brompton.The one I've kept is a Raleigh Boardwalk Lite. This was made by Dahon and is one of their "re-bar" designs. This seems to give the most compliant ride.Sadly they no longer make this style of folder.
s-l1600.jpg
I watched a video of about 2 years ago where Dahon had bought their first factory in China and to be honest it was more of an assembly plant as most of the bike frames and forks were bought in. They did have some very small scale frame production though with small being hte key word. Like most brands Dahon buy from other factories. Sometimes designs of their own and sometimes designs of the factory itself.

I've got a Bickerton bike which is really a Dahon design but it came out of a Taiwanese factory I forget the name of. Flying Pigeon made some of the Dahon bikes sold in China and possibly exported. In Europe max.com of Bulgaria assemblies many Dahon bikes from kits from China. Possibly frames and forks made by fuji-ta.

Fuji-ta made a dual suspension folding bike which was rebranded to Dahon for western markets.

https://www.fuji-ta.com/portfolio/hanma8

I have no idea if that Raleigh is a genuine Dahon design or just a design from one of the factories used.

Fuji-ta is a huge designer and manufacturer of folding bikes probably by far the biggest folding bike factory in the world but you would never know it because its an OEM factory for many folding bikes. It's made many of the Halfords, Decathlon, Go Outdoors, Muddyfox models and I believe it was used for many Bicycles4u models before they went out of business and of course its been a big supplier to Dahon and probably Tern too. I think it has even made Brompton clones that are illegal to sell in many countries. It's own brand Battle you just don't see over here maybe that will change in the future as Chinese brands are getting more acceptable.

Dahon also operates as a trade house/broker to many factories. They did the Ford folding bikes which were from Meghna in Bangladesh.

Ultimately Dahon is like many US brands they do some design work but most of their product is made for them so logistics are complicated and prices quite high for their bikes.
by al_yrpal
5 Jun 2015, 4:49pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Folding bike
Replies: 16
Views: 3488

Re: Folding bike

I had a Milan Explore .http://bicycles4u.com/products/milan-explorer Great little bike with decent gears. It was an introduction to folders. It prompted me to get a Brompton at six times the price which is a bit lighter and folds smaller for travelling around on public transport. But, for the price, as an introduction, the Milan Explorer was great. If a Brompton is out of her price bracket I believe there is a huge range of pretty decent Dahons too.

Al
by Bonefishblues
14 Oct 2014, 1:34pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Folding Bicycle
Replies: 17
Views: 3779

Re: Folding Bicycle

al_yrpal wrote:Done... Only had mine a week but am delighted with it. http://bicycles4u.com/products/milan-explorer Particularly impressed with the ride with its 20" wheels it seems to float over poor surfaces. If I were on and off trains I think I would choose a Brompton because of its smaller folded size, but I am not, only the occasional bus or train ride. I will be trying a Brompton for a day soon when the weather gets better.

Al

That's an absolute bargain!
by al_yrpal
13 Oct 2014, 3:36pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Folding Bicycle
Replies: 17
Views: 3779

Re: Folding Bicycle

Done... Only had mine a week but am delighted with it. http://bicycles4u.com/products/milan-explorer Particularly impressed with the ride with its 20" wheels it seems to float over poor surfaces. If I were on and off trains I think I would choose a Brompton because of its smaller folded size, but I am not, only the occasional bus or train ride. I will be trying a Brompton for a day soon when the weather gets better.

Al
by al_yrpal
9 Oct 2014, 12:53pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Changing Gear system on Folding bike
Replies: 19
Views: 4161

Re: Changing Gear system on Folding bike

Went out on my cheap new folder this morning and did a 22 mile ride http://bicycles4u.com/collections/20-fo ... n-explorer It has a Shimano RevoShift twist grip gear system. Obviously cheap and cheerful but it actually works fine with positive shifts without your hands having to move off the bars. This is quite important on a bike with 20" wheels because the steering is more lively. Personally, I would try the Tern out with it and reserve judgment on whether there is any need to change it. As with any new bike, and BSOs in particular it pays to lift the back wheel off the ground somehow and tinker with the rear much to align the idler wheels accurately with an appropriate sprocket and make sure that the limit stops are correctly set. Then, any ensuing noises as a result of cable stretch can be accomodated by screwing the outer sleeve adjuster out a click at a time.
I had a look at some Tern bikes in Evans Cycles and was very impressed with the quality of the parts and finish.

Al
by al_yrpal
8 Oct 2014, 5:27pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: First bought a coffin, now a BSO folder!
Replies: 23
Views: 4083

First bought a coffin, now a BSO folder!

Following the discussion on how many bikes you should have I was discussing with my wife whether there were any things we secretly wanted and I admitted that I secretly wanted a folder because I like the idea of taking a bus or train and exploring towns, landscapes and cities by bike without the hassle of transporting a full size bike on public transport. To my surprise she was all for it, even when I mentioned that a decent folder costs anything from £400 to £1200.
I have looked at Terns and Bromptons in bike shops and been very impressed with the finish and attention to detail. They are both quality pieces of kit that have obviously had years of thoughtful development. But, I didn't want to buy a relatively expensive bike and then decide that I didn't really like folders and having to resell it at a massive loss. So I bought a BSO reasoning that I would loose only perhaps £50 on a a resale instead of hundreds. I mentally prepared myself for all the well known problems that BSOs offer.
I bought this http://bicycles4u.com/collections/20-fo ... n-explorer. It has 20" x 1.75 tyres, mudguards, 6 gears, a rack and propstand and folds similarly to a Dahon. But, it cost just £169. When it turned up I was quite impressed with the overall impression of it, and when I first rode it I was very impressed with the ride. At low speeds, because of the small wheels I think, there was a bit of instability at the front, but you can crack on with it in great comfort. The gearing is 66 inches to 33 inches. The Shimano Revoshift is a bit of a dog and I had to do quite a bit of twiddling to get it to work ok across the whole gear range. I have had to adjust the brakes and folding catches too. Probably, this sort of bike would suit someone with a boat or caravan. One particularly bad thing is that the weight is advertised as 12kg, but its actually 13.5.
I have risen it around the countryside, up some steep hills, which were a bit of a struggle, but have yet to take it on the bus. I am planning to take a bus ride to a town about 30 miles away and ride back. I havent yet decided the usefulness of a folder.
In the meantime I would be interested to know how the 16" wheels of a Brompton compare to a 20" Dahon or Tern and what people think of them? I am aware that there is a bit of cult surrounding Bromptons, but is it just because they are handmade in Britain? Evans have a Brompton test bike that you can try for 24 hours, so I may have go at that as a comparison after I have more experience of the Milan Explorer..
I am very wary of just buying any new and expensive bike without a bit of serious research first. I dont think I am interested in other larger bike types. I would also be interested to hear from people who have toured on folders.

Al
by mfdaustrey
1 Feb 2014, 10:28am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Folding bikes - the real problem
Replies: 7
Views: 9058

Folding bikes - the real problem

I have got a caravan and decided we should take some bikes with us. We used to put 5 bikes on the car and take a trailer tent but now with only two of us, and getting older, I've been looking at some folders. I need some advice!
I don't want the usual "buy a Brompton", as I feel it's generally overkill. I don't want it folding really small for the tube but need a decent ride on campsites, county lanes and towpaths.
The added problem is that I am 6'5", problem with the caravan choice as well, inside leg 35/36". My present MTB has seat to pedal distance of 95cm. Most of the Dahon specifications match up to 6'4".
I've been looking at Dahons because of the details are available on their website but would appreciate any advice about order makes. If you want to advise a Brompton please give a model.
The comments I've found all seem to be several years old. What I would like is a good bike in the cheap range, but not rubbish. Again it is no use saying "don't buy cheap" because I don't know what cheap is. Everyday cheap is not the same as once a year cheap.
If I buy used how old can I go? Are old Dahons much better than say a new Ecosmo, bicycles4u etc.
Sorry for the long post but haven't seen this problem really addressed from a non-commuter point of view.
by Edwards
9 May 2012, 3:33pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: an affordable folding bike for the bus ?
Replies: 26
Views: 4254

Re: an affordable folding bike for the bus ?

I would not like to ride the one from Hawk around the block each day let alone more than a mile. All those joints are going to wear soon

Cheap folding bikes are generally quite heavy at about 13 kgs, so the more you pay the lighter they get to a point. So if you want really cheap you could do a lot worse than getting something from Bikes For U. I have no idea how good they are but for the money compared to Halfords and the like they look reasonable.
Obviously if you pay a lot more in relative terms you will get something a lot better. Remember in the £120 price range they are nearly all bad.
by skrx
31 Mar 2009, 10:45am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Folding Bikes
Replies: 54
Views: 5291

Re: Folding Bikes

gilesjuk wrote:Bikes and public transport are all part of an integrated alternative to the car and the train companies should stop wasting so much space on trains with coffee bars and other nonsense and get the basics correct, I can carry a flask if I want coffee!


The packed commuter trains in the south-east don't have coffee bars. The whole train is seats. Trains that do routes within Greater London don't even have first class seating, that's only for longer distances (e.g. to Reading, Brighton etc).
(Also, they must make a lot of money from restaurant cars on intercity trains, otherwise they wouldn't staff them all the time.)

If train companies had a bike carriage like they do in Germany then people could use a full size bike.


If the commuter trains in the south east had a bike carriage there'd be a big reduction in service: the train would have to wait in the station for longer for people to stow/retrieve their bikes. Lots of routes run trains as long as the platforms will allow (and short platforms are being lengthened where needed) so on these trains there'd be one less carriage for people.

In my experience, there's almost always room for a full-sized bike on a train within the south-east at off-peak times. Mostly because the service is very regular (better than Germany, in fact, although more expensive).
At peak times, it's unreasonable to expect to take a bike on an at-capacity service. Maybe they could sell bike tickets for the cost of 6+ person tickets, as that's about the space they take up :P

I don't often use long distance trains, or trains outside the south-east; I'd be surprised if the situation isn't different in other areas.


Has anyone got a cheap folding bike ? (Folding BSO?) Something like this:
Image Image
It's £120 (20" wheels). The one with 16" wheels is £100.

I thought about getting one for occasional use when I wouldn't want to have to lock a full-size bike somewhere. I haven't yet, I don't think I'd use it enough.
by glueman
5 Feb 2008, 10:34am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: What type of folding bike.
Replies: 35
Views: 6766

Re: Folding bike

Edwards wrote:Has anbody tried any of these.
http://www.bicycles4u.biz/index.php?bike=4
I have very little use for a folding bike on very short trips, but would find one useful on a few ocasions so tempted by the price.


That weighs over 34 lbs! Or a bit more than my Mercian with full transcontinental touring spec, racks, guards and lighting. I can hear the goddess Hernia calling. Perhaps it isn't tubular but solid steel?
by Edwards
5 Feb 2008, 10:14am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: What type of folding bike.
Replies: 35
Views: 6766

Folding bike

Has anbody tried any of these.
http://www.bicycles4u.biz/index.php?bike=4
I have very little use for a folding bike on very short trips, but would find one useful on a few ocasions so tempted by the price.