BIKE TEST TERN LINK B7

Dimensions ~620 in millimetres 575 and degrees

~73.5˚ 555 65 275 498

40 624 400 130 406 72.5˚ 170 285 42 37 1024 Tech Spec TERN LINK B7

Price: £550 (£585 with 52t chainring, with mudguards) square taper BB, Sizes: one (riders 7-speed 1.42-1.90m, <105kg) 14-28 freewheel. Folded size: Shimano Revoshift 34.5×80 ×70cm twistgrip shifter, (measured) Shimano Tourney Weight: 12.87kg derailleur. 7 ratios, (28.31lb) as shown 36-73in Frame & fork: Braking: Promax Biketest Aluminium frame TX117 V-brakes, with fittings for Tektro levers mudguard, rear Steering & Tern Link B7 rack, one bottle. Hi- seating: BioLogic ten steel fork with Ergo grips, mudguard fittings. 580×26mm flat The Brompton isn’t the only game in town for folders, Wheels: 47-406 bar, telescopic especially a budget. Dan Joyce tests a £550 Tern Impac StreetPac stem, folding tyres, 406×20 alu’ ‘handlepost’ with rims, 20/28 ×2 Q-Lock hinge, front/rear spoking. threadless headset. mall-wheeled points backward. Since Transmission: Velo Comfort folders go a Tern ‘handlepost’ (the Union folding saddle, 34×540mm Sanywhere: on bit between headset and pedals, 170mm alu’ seatpost. trains (for free), in offices stem) folds to the left, the 6061 alu’ chainset ternbicycles.com/uk (without reproach), and in handlebar of the cheaper tiny flats (without being models ends up between tripped over). The king of the wheels rather than compacts is the Brompton. resting alongside. trail, and wider, stodgier tyres. Above: Folding is a little Folding nevertheless Aside from those tyres, the B7’s only Yet it’s also expensive and awkward and unintuitive has an idiosyncratic ride. since you have to drop the takes only 10-20 seconds, obvious budget-related drawback Enter Tern. They make handlebar down first. and the folded package is its mediocre drivetrain: 7-speed premium folders too but holds together with strong Shimano Tourney with a screw-on 14-28 their range starts at under magnets. At 34.5×80×70cm, freewheel. The range isn’t much wider £500 with the Link A7. Above that are it won’t slide between train seat backs than that of a 3-speed hub, without the Link B, C, and D models. but will fit a luggage rack fine. Tern sell latter’s longevity or stationary-shifting They much the same, featuring a CarryOn Cover (£50) if you need it. convenience. It works – enough said. 20in wheels and chunky aluminium Unfolding the B7 is slower as you The basic V-brakes, on the other hand, frames. Folding is different, however: C need to gauge the seat height; there are are surprisingly effective. and Ds ‘N-fold’, which leaves the front no guides on the seatpost. Once aboard, The B7 doesn’t have Tern’s ‘Luggage wheel pointing forward; A and B fold in it rides well. It’s more stable than a Socket’ on the tube like the more half conventionally so the front wheel Brompton thanks to bigger wheels, more expensive Links, so you’ll need to invest in a big saddlebag or rack-plus-trunk- bag to avoid a sweaty back.

B’TWIN TILT 100 BROMPTON B75 £149.99 £745 Yes: £150! No mudguards The cheapest Brompton Verdict but has battery lights. This by some margin is a Less than half the price of a Brompton M6L steel singlespeed was 3-speed that uses some and more than half as good, the Link B7 won’t sold out at time of writing, older-style parts. You’ll inspire the same devotion but it gets the job due to the bike boom. want mudguards (£68/set). done. It rides well, without flex or shopping-

Other options decathlon.co.uk brompton.com trolley steering, and folds small enough.

62 cycle AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020