My first foldie

Living in a city like Singapore, cycling is one of the best options for commuting specially that most of the roads are bike friendly. So on with my first purchase.

Here are the choices that I considered:

• Dahon
• Tern
• Brompton
• Vert
• Lamborghini
• Java

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.

V8 Model costs around 398SGD posted on their site (14/07/2014)

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.