Here are the choices that I considered:
Since many of my friends already are foldie owners, most of my decision making are influenced by asking their advice and experience.
Some factors I considered for my decision:
Price
Price is always a great factor on making any purchasing decision.Aesthetics
I want a bike that looks slick and curvy, just my personal preference.Build Quality
I don't want to buy something very cheap but suffer after. At least something that will last for years.Parts Availability and Compatibility
As I plan to slowly upgrade any parts if I can, parts availability is a big plus. Having said that, the bike should be able to support these "upgrades".Brand Reputation
Known brands don't always have the upper end and most of the time will cost more but having the popular brand doesn't hurt either.So starts with my search. My friends own Terns, Bromptons, Tyrells and Lambo. Bromptons and Tyrells are out since both are pricey and out of my budget. Even used Bromptons are so expensive, I can buy 2 new Terns/Dahons for the same price. I was leaning more to Tern, Dahon, Java and Vert.
There are some other new brands like Hachiko and Aleoca which are selling cheap foldies but you get what you pay for. I've seen many of these foldies around and in comparison to top brands, the quality is far lesser. Although I won't count them out but for now, I won't be picking any of them up soon.
Vert is a relatively new brand but offering some descent bikes with reasonable price. V6 and V8 models looks beautiful but I heard "some" not so good reviews about this brand. Here is the V8 model from bicyclesg.com, one of the dealers here in Singapore.
Java is another up and coming brand which is offers quality foldies. Bikeactually.sg is a known distributor of Java here in Singapore. Here is Fit-16, a 618 SGD bike from Java:
This bike is one that made my list. Feature rich comfortable bike. Colorway is slick. Gray, black and red is beautiful. The "down side" for me is the disk brakes(I prefer clamp or v brakes) and the not so curvy frame.
So down with my last two options: Tern or Dahon.
We all know what's the history between this two companies. Tern(owned by Hon's wife and son) basically was a "spin off" from Dahon and Dahon suing Tern for patents etc. etc. So more of the bikes from these two companies are very similar in terms of design and looks.
They both offer a plethora of foldies to choose from. From starters, mid range and high ends. Problem I have now is, those bikes that I want, is in the mid to high range. Meaning it will cost more. So here are my options, buy a low end one, then gradually upgrade the parts. Or buy a used one then upgrade.
So I went into local sites, forums, craiglists to get a used one. One local site, togoparts.com has some good ads selling foldies and parts which I often check. Then finally, I found a post in craiglist Singapore. It is a used 2014 Mini Cooper folding bike. The price is 600 SGD. So I checked the specs of this bike, it's basically a Dahon Vybe frame(from the looks of it) then Mini upgraded the parts. The bike cost around 950 SGD brand new from the BMW site.
Here is the picture of the BMW Mini Cooper foldable bike:
This bike looks gorgeous. It comes with 2 colors, black and lime green. Lime green being a bit expensive for its additional add ons. The owner was selling the lime green version(though I prefer the black color).
Product specifications:
| Assembly | Description |
| Frame | AAA Series, aluminium 7005 patented Fusion Technology , lime green |
| Fork | Dahon Slipstream, aluminium U7 double-butt, lime green |
| Handling bar | Kinetix Comp double-butt. Aluminium, matt black |
| Stem | Aluminium, matt black, height-adjustable, 2 x quick release |
| Handlebar grip | Biologic ARX, screwed, black with grey lines |
| Brakes | Kinetix V-brakes, front and rear |
| Brake handle | Avid FR5 aluminium, matt black |
| Crank set | Kinetix Supra forged aluminium l=170 mm black, aluminium chain guard |
| Inner bearing | BSA chamber sealed tripartite |
| Chain | Taya Chain OCTO, Teflon coated, black |
| Pedals | Suntour foldable pedals |
| Derailleur | NEOS.2 for 8-speed, black |
| Gear stick | Sram Twist 8 gear change; turning grip shift incl. cable control |
| Sprocket cassette | Sram 8 gear change silver; 11-32 cog |
| Front hub | Kinetix Neutron 74mm, Aluminum black with hollow axle and SSP |
| Rear hub | Kinetix Comp. 8 gear change cassette black with hollow axle and SSP |
| Rims | Schürmann YAK 406 |
| Tires | Schwalbe KOJAK 35-406 Dahon special edition |
| Tube/hose | Schwalbe Unitube 20” AV6 (with car valve) |
| Spokes | Niro black, diameter = 2mm; brass nipples silver |
| Seat | Selle Royal Gel, black without logo |
| Seat post | Super-Oversize 580mm, patented head, Aluminum matt black with Scala |
| Seat bracket | Dahon “Turtleneck” with quick release, black |
| Passive lighting | Reflectors for spokes, frontline and backline (as accessory pack), and for reflectors based on DIN and road traffic regulations |
| Bicycle bell | Stop bell type Billy, black |
| Accessories | Transport bag in cover (installed under seat), folding bike BA Mini specified (different languages), BAs of component producers |
| Chain case | Not applicable, see also circular chain wheel disc close to Crank set |
| Others | Delivery installed already (non-inflated tyres in folded state), in special box with MINI Logo |
There are not so many reviews about this bike. I probably seen about 2 or 4 articles about it but that's it. So I went and test the bike. The comfort and ride is awesome. Sturdy and not stiff. Shifting is smooth. That Neos 2 Rear Derailleur and Teflon coated Taya chains are perfect. I'm sold. I bought it. Next. Upgrades.
