[randliu]

I've been looking at buying a folder, and the main draw to the Brompton is the size of the folded bike. The minimum price is about $1000 though, and the cheaper folding bikes, usually American or Taiwanese brands, only fold in the middle so are not nearly as portable. I looked around for a cheaper bike with the same fold as the Brompton, and found one made by a company called Flamingo Bikes, but haven't been able to find a source: http://www.flamingobike.com/products/products_show.php?pid=5... .

[jdietrich]

If you're going to be carrying your machine onto buses or trains regularly, the Brompton is in a whole other league compared to even the most compact of it's rivals. It's a proper bike with few major compromises (only the poor gear range really) but folds down to a very neat, compact package.

If you just need something that is easy to store, or to take as luggage on an aeroplane, a Dahon would be a better choice - they fold into a much larger and clumsier package than the Brompton, but are cheaper, lighter and faster. The Brompton is perfectly capable of covering long distances but is far from ideal, especially on poor roads or in hilly areas.

$1000 might seem a lot for a bicycle, but as an everyday mode of transport it is extremely good value. A good quality bicycle will last for decades, requiring only modest maintenance. New brake blocks every 1500 miles, new tyres every 3000 and a chain and rear sprocket after 6-8000 miles add up to a mere two cents per mile. Quality machines like the Brompton hold their value extremely well, with used machines barely depreciating at all after the initial drop from new.

The Brompton is absolutely the perfect means of travel in London, not least because even the top-of-the-range model costs less than an Annual Travelcard for public transport.