this post was submitted on 27 Apr 2026
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I've never ridden a folding bike, other than the Blaupunkt ebikes we have in the shop. I don't commute by bike though, which I assume is the primary market for folding bikes.
A good, easy to fold, bike like a Brompton, is amazing.
Obviously storage and portability are the main benefits and that makes them perfect for commuting, but they're also an excellent mutli-modal transport component, especially in the UK.
I live in the middle of nowhere, so if I travel to a town or city I can park somewhere cheap outside any ULEZ type zones, or get public transport and then cycle around and, critically, avoid having to leave my bike somewhere (since bike thefts are off the charts in a lot of places), and you can put a Brompton under a table or at a coat check in most places. Or just carry it of course.
Plus I live in a small house - my shed is packed so bike storage is at a premium, but a well folded bike I can pretty much stow anywhere.
The only downside is that they are consumables. Even brompton hinges eventually wear out (the pins you can replace a few times but their repair procedure is to drill out and replace the pins etc. so eventually you run out of space!). And they're outrageously expensive, of course.