BIKETEST | FOLDING BIKES

DAN JOYCE Cycle editor Bike test COMPACT FOLDERS When it collapses to the size of a suitcase, you need never be without your bike. Dan Joyce tests a budget and a 2-speed Brompton

RAINS, BUSES, CAR BOOTS, boats, Kojak tyres, and the all-important front luggage suspension bumper where it butts against the aeroplanes, offices, cloakrooms, block, it costs £970. seat tube. There are two grades of suspension hallways, studio flats – folding bikes The German Birdy is even more premium available, standard or firm. Unless you’re very T go where others won’t fit or aren’t priced than the Brompton; standard models light, pick firm. If it’s too soft, the suspension freely allowed. The smaller they pack down, start at £2,069. However, manufacturer Riese bobs through each crank revolution, robbing a the more loopholes they’ll slip through. For und Müller also offers a couple of ‘model-T little energy and making the bike wallow. example, trains in the UK carry ‘compact, Ford’ versions: the World Birdy Comfort Tucking the rear wheel under is step one of fully-folding cycles with wheels up to 20" in (£1,439 with Nexus 8-speed hub, dynamo the folding procedure. Step two, once you’ve diameter… without restriction’. lights, and rear rack); and the £1,169 World ensured the left-hand crank points forward, Two of the best compacts are the Brompton Birdy Sport, which comes with 8-speed is to undo the frame hinge and, holding the and the Birdy. Both cost from around £1,000, gearing and in any colour you like as stem, lift the front end of the bike up and which is a lot more than an entry-level long as it’s black. (Note that in common with back; a catch the left-hand fork blade (rebadged or otherwise). Yet for long-term UK retailers, I’m transposing the name and hooks over the drive-side chain stay. Step usage, it’s money well spent. A compact calling this bike the Birdy World Sport.) three is to undo the seatpost quick release, folder enables you to integrate into lower the seatpost, then refasten the quick your everyday life so deeply that it may FRAME & FOLDING: BROMPTON release; the dropped seatpost locks the rear transform the way you think about transport. One of the reasons that the Brompton is so triangle into its folded position. Step four is Moreover, the initial cost will be recouped in compact is that it doesn’t simply fold in half. to undo the stem hinge and let the stem and saved bus fares/taxi fares/petrol. The rear triangle pivots behind the bottom handlebar drop down; a nodule on the stem In its 40-year history, the Brompton has bracket, enabling the rear wheel to tuck fits into a bracket on the fork crown, holding evolved from a bike-rail solution for the underneath the main frame tube. The bike the stem and bar in place. Finally, rotate the cognoscenti into a marketing-friendly, middle stays upright sitting on its haunches, so it can cranks backwards so that the right-hand pedal class icon. It now exists in a variety of à la be parked like this. In earlier models, there is next to the tyre, and then fold the left-hand carte formats. I picked a two-speed partly was nothing but your weight on the saddle because I’ve not used the Brompton derailleur stopping the rear end tucking under, which before, but also because it saves about 600g was an issue if you picked up the unfolded over the 3-speed, and low weight is a big deal bike (or bunny-hopped it…). Now there’s a for a bike you’ll often hold in one hand. With catch to hold the rear triangle in place. mudguards, flat S-type handlebar, Schwalbe The top of the rear triangle has a rubber

THE BIRDY RIDES LESS LIKE A FOLDER AND MORE LIKE A CONVENTIONAL BIKE… I’D NOT Above: The Brompton doesn’t need a kickstand HESITATE TO DO ALL-DAY RIDES ON IT because you can park it like this

64 CYCLE AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017 FOLDING BIKES | BIKETEST

B R O M P T O N S2L Still the benchmark for compact folding

B I R D Y W O R L D SPORT Better steering geometry and full suspension

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Clockwise from far left: Choose the firm suspension unless you’re slight. Two-speed gearing is fine in town. The . The essential luggage block

the left one forward. Third, lift the front end I DIDN’T FOLD THE BIRDY WHEN I DIDN’T off the ground, unclip the front wheel at its HAVE TO BOTHER. WITH THE BROMPTON, IT IS suspension elastomer, and then fold the wheel back on itself, rotating it around its NO BOTHER: YOU FOLD IT WITHOUT THINKING own suspension pivots. Fourth, unclip the rear wheel and tuck it under, similar to the Brompton. Fifth, lower the seatpost to lock the pedal. You can now pick up the bike by the Brompton would be a useful accessory. rear swing-arm in position. Finally, undo and saddle nose or main frame tube, or on smooth The frame has fittings for mudguards, which fold down the handlebar. surfaces roll it on its castors – something don’t affect the fold, and dedicated racks front The Birdy evidently holds the record for the that’s easier with the handlebar left unfolded. and rear. The front luggage system is excellent, fastest fold, at 4.9 seconds, but I’ve never Written down, this sounds fairly involved. with a choice of bags to fit the optional mount got anywhere near this and it always took In practice, it becomes second nature and on the tube. The Brompton rear rack is me longer to fold than the Brompton. It felt you’ll do it comfortably in 10-15 seconds. largely superfluous, mostly adding weight plus like more hassle too, perhaps due to a lack It takes about the same amount of time to some stability to the folded bike. There aren’t of familiarity. So I didn’t fold the Birdy when I unfold, despite the fact that the hinges aren’t any bottle mounts (but see page 24). didn’t have to bother. With the Brompton, it is self-locking. With a standard seatpost, I’m While the frame is a marvel of metallurgical no bother: you fold it without thinking. fortuitously the ideal height (1.77m) and can origami, there are a couple of things I’d I encountered a couple of snags folding the just raise it to its maximum extension. As the change about it. One is the fact that the rear Birdy. The handlebar wouldn’t fold flush, as the test bike had the longer ‘extended’ seatpost, mudguard sits on top the chain stay brace. grip overlapped the quick release lever. This I had to faff with saddle height like everyone Since this gets hosed with water, it eventually might be solved by: narrower rear dropouts; else, and I sorely missed the height markers of rusts away (unless you choose the ‘Superlight’ removing the kickstand (you’ll need a spacer the Birdy’s seatpost. titanium option). The second thing is the fork instead); and/or having Allen-headed wheel The speed of folding/unfolding is useful offset: there’s too much. More on that later. bolts instead of a quick release with a cam for commuting, where you’ll be doing it lever. You also need to take care to keep the multiple times on any mixed-mode journey. It FRAME & FOLDING: BIRDY rear derailleur out of the front wheel when also means you can avoid carrying the bike Unlike the Brompton, the Birdy is aluminium folding. There’s little space between them. more than you absolutely have to. Better to rather than steel and there’s no hinge in the When it’s folded, the Birdy isn’t any harder push it along the platform, or drag it on its main frame, so it can’t flex there. Stronger and to carry than the Brompton. It’s just bulkier. It castors, than heft it. At 11kg, the S2L is no heavier riders will appreciate this. Without a will easily fit an end-of-carriage luggage rack, heavyweight (in fact, it’s 1.4kg lighter than frame hinge, it can’t fold as compactly either, but getting it from one end of a busy train my old 3-speed Brompton), but it’s difficult to but the folding process is still ingenious. carriage to the other is awkward. I collided with walk any distance with – and I say that as a fit First, you need to put it into top gear knees, elbows, newspapers, and tempers. and healthy, average-sized bloke. Slightly built (otherwise the chain will fall off when you Unfolded, the Birdy benefits from elastomer owners will struggle. A shoulder strap for the fold the bike). Second, level the cranks with suspension front and rear – 30mm and

CYCLINGUK.ORG CYCLE 67 FOLDING BIKES | BIKETEST

Clockwise from far left: The Birdy’s ace card: a suspension fork with zero offset. Parallel-push brakes would be better. Eight-speed shifting. Medium suspension

40mm respectively. The rear is a bumper excellent front bags, the extra weight over the stable because it’s got more trail, so you can for the swing-arm, like the Brompton’s. The front wheel makes the steering less skittish, tackle descents and everyday manoeuvres front is part of an unusual-looking leading link although even without a front bag it’s not so with greater confidence. As the reach is fork. This tracks well and doesn’t dive during unusual that you can’t get used it. Yet I’m roomier, you’ll feel less perched on it if you’re braking. For my weight (65kg), the standard sure the handling could be much improved by taller than Mr Average. (The unusually high elastomers were fine. If I were to change reducing the fork’s offset to zero. (This might suits longer-legged riders too.) them, I’d fit the firm ones but soft is also an necessitate other design tweaks to prevent The simple elastomer suspension front and option. compromising the fold.) rear goes a long way to offsetting the issues The World Sport comes with a kickstand The S-bar provides a sportier riding position that small wheels have compared to large (whose rubber foot fell off) and mudguards than the M-bar I’m used to. I liked it. You ones. It removes the ‘chatter’ you get from with sturdy stays. They need to be strong as end up with more weight on your hands, so anything other than a billiard table smooth the folded bike rests on these mudguards. for comfort I’d recommend bar ends (up to road. That’s more comfortable, since the bike A low-rider front rack and a cantilevered rear about 80-90mm won’t interfere with the fold) absorbs small bumps before you do, and it rack are available as extras, although I’d fit or flared, ergonomic grips; Ergon GP3 grips improves the rolling performance, because a large Carradice SQR block and a Super C would address both issues. Schwalbe’s Kojak the wheels flow over bumps rather than being Saddlebag instead. As with the Brompton, tyres are a good match for the S-bar, helping buffeted or balked by them. there are no bottle mounts. these small wheels hold their speed better. I’d have no hesitation in doing all-day rides Nippy around town is one thing; if you’re on a Birdy, with or without luggage. Like any RIDE going further, the Brompton is seldom the bike with suspension you can’t lock out, it The Brompton has very quick steering due to best choice. While some owners tour on rides best if you sit and spin; riding it out of its tiny amount of trail. Some will characterise Bromptons, and I’ve done 50-mile rides on the saddle is like running on a trampoline. this as ‘nippy’, others ‘nervous’. With both mine, single-digit mileages are what this bike hands on the handlebar, the handling is okay. does best. Consequently, I think fewer gears COMPONENTS Signalling requires concentration, especially (and less weight to carry) is the better choice. Convoluted cable runs can affect the when you’re descending or the road surface The Birdy rides less like a folder and more braking performance of any folder that uses is rough. If you use one of Brompton’s like a conventional bike. The handling is mechanical callipers. Happily, the Brompton’s

OTHER OPTIONS

Airnimal Rhino Road Verge N8 £825 1 £2299 Unlike other Airnimals, 2 Folds quickly and simply to the Rhino has 20in wheels so 38×79×72cm and weighs 11kg, should go on UK trains without so easily train portable. Uses 1×8 arguments. Can pack small but Claris gearing, V-brakes, ‘first fold’ is bulky. Carbon fork, 3×9 and 20in wheels shod with 35-406 Tiagra gearing, Avid BB7s, RockShox Schwalbe Kojak tyres. Mudguards Monarch shock, 11.5kg. airnimal.eu included. ternbicycles.com/uk/

CYCLINGUK.ORG CYCLE 69 BIKETEST | FOLDING BIKES

Tech Specs

Dimensions 650 in millimetres 605 and degrees 74 ˚ 530 41 230 415

35 640 410 112 349 73˚ 170 275 31 27 1040

BROMPTON S2L

PRICE: £970 as 170mm Brompton tested chainset, square SIZES: one size taper FAG bottom WEIGHT: 10.97kg bracket, Sram PC10 (as pictured) chain, 12-16t two- FOLDED SIZE: speed ‘cassette’. 58.5×56.5×27cm Brompton 2-speed Either will easily (claimed); shifter and derailleur. fit a train’s end- 67.5×61×29cm 2 ratios, 55-74in of-carriage rack (measured) BRAKING: Brompton FRAME & FORK: dual pivot callipers Steel frame, fork STEERING & and rear triangle, SEATING: Brompton WHAT DO YOU WANT? A FANTASTIC FOLDER with firm suspension foam grips, block. Fittings for S-type handlebar THAT RIDES OKAY OR A SMALL-WHEELER mudguards, rear (540×25.6mm), rack, front carrier. threaded headset. THAT RIDES REALLY WELL AND FOLDS OKAY? WHEELS: 32-349 Brompton saddle, Schwalbe Kojak 600×32mm tyres, 17×349 Brompton extended long-reach sidepulls are better than they were have them. The Birdy has Schwalbe Marathon aluminium rims, seatpost. in the past. They’re now dual pivots, fitted Racer tyres, which are a big improvement Brompton hubs, 28 EQUIPMENT: radial pg spokes (f), Brompton with decent Fibrax blocks, and the all-metal from the stodgy Impac Streetpacs that I 28×2 butted (rear) mudguards, front levers are less spongy. I had no problems criticised the World Sport for last time I tested : carrier block, pump, scrubbing off speed. The callipers lack quick one. The Brompton, meanwhile, has Schwalbe Brompton pedals integral bell. (left, folding), 54t brompton.com releases, so you need to deflate the tyre Kojak tyres because I asked for them. to get the wheel out or in, which is odd. You can choose between Kojaks, Schwalbe The Birdy uses V-brakes, which are more Marathons, and Brompton tyres when Dimensions 710 in millimetres 595 powerful – just as well given the higher you use Brompton’s online ‘bike builder’. and degrees 73˚ speeds you can comfortably reach on this 610 58 330 bike. The pads aren’t perpendicular to the SUMMARY 439 135 brake arms, particular at the rear, so watch It boils down to what you want most: a 0 575 425 355 73.5˚ for uneven pad wear. Parallel-push V-brakes fantastic folder that rides okay, or a small- 170 308 38 would be a solution but I’m not aware of wheeler that rides really well and folds 65 985 anywhere you can get them, other than eBay. okay. The Brompton is the better mixed-mode The Brompton’s two-speed gearing is fine commuter because of its more compact fold, BIRDY WORLD SPORT around town: you get one gear for starting whereas the Birdy’s superior ride makes it PRICE: £1,169 170mm 56t Sunrace off or climbing modest hills, and another the better choice for mixed-mode journeys SIZES: one size chainset, square for cruising along. Both are a little high, so you want to enjoy, such as touring and leisure WEIGHT: 11.4kg as taper bottom consider one of the gear reduction options riding. The Birdy is arguably more versatile pictured bracket, KMC X8 FOLDED SIZE: chain, Shimano (7% or 18%) at point of purchase. The shifter, too, being a more capable commuter than 80×62×34cm HG51 8-speed 11-30 which indicates the gear with a + or a –, turns the Brompton is a tourer. But versatility (claimed); cassette. Shimano the Brompton chain tensioner into a derailleur isn’t everything. The Brompton fills one 93×69×40cm Revoshift shifter, (measured) Shimano Claris by moving the top jockey wheel. It’s not as role exceptionally well: short-distance utility FRAME & FORK: derailleur. 8 ratios, slick as Shimano, especially shifting against transport that blends into the background Aluminium frame, 32-88in the spring (down), but it works okay. when you don’t need it as a bike. That’s all I swing-arm and BRAKING: Avid The Birdy uses an 8-speed twistgrip and a really need a folder for, so I’ll probably replace leading-link fork, Single Digit V-brakes with fittings for with Tektro levers Shimano Claris derailleur that’s unremarkable my 16-year-old Brompton with a newer one mudguards and STEERING & except for the long chain guide projecting from when the time comes. Your mileage, as ever, racks. Standard SEATING: Velo the bottom. This is for the loose chain to hang may vary. If you have the chance to test ride suspension grips, 31.8×540mm elastomers handlebar, Birdy on when the rear wheel tucks under. Claris and test fold both bikes, take it. WHEELS: 40-355 Sport 21° adjustable- will cope with a 32 , so it’s a shame Schwalbe Marathon height stem, an 11-30 cassette is fitted. Bottom gear is Racer tyres, Alex threadless headset. Crostini 1.1 18in Birdy saddle, a bit high for the day rides or tours this bike rims, 24 radial (f) 34.9×565mm is capable of. I’d be tempted to try an 11-34 and 32×2 (r) 2.0 aluminium seatpost. MORE REVIEWS cassette, using a longer B-screw to nudge Sapim spokes, Birdy EQUIPMENT: ON THE WEBSITE the derailleur away from this bigger cassette. front hub, Shimano SKS World Birdy We’re adding more bike Alivio rear hub mudguards, Small wheels need efficient tyres to roll reviews online. Visit bit.ly/ TRANSMISSION: kickstand, bell as well as big ones, and both these bikes cyclinguk-biketests VP-191 pedals, r-m.de/en-gb/

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