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At the moment, I'm in the market for a foldable 20" bike, for commuting purposes. I've done my research, and have found two appealing models: Which of them would you recommend? How are they different? Any differences in terms of weight, ease-of-use, ease-of-tuning, stability, accessories, size, portability, durability, joy-of-use/misery-of-use (it's for my dad)? |
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I think the real difference is the weight: Schwinn 47 lbs, Citizen 32 lbs. That's substantial. If your dad is going to be carrying it much that 10 pound difference will really count. My impression is that the Schwinn is compromised to get the low stand-over height, and everything follows from there. That can be important if your dad has limited mobility, but if it's not essential don't buy a bike that adds 10 punds to get it. Realistically the rest doesn't add up to much - they're both bottom-of-the-range folding bikes that use cheap components and will probably not last very long (a thousand miles or so). I think you need to be clear what you want the bike for and what you expect from it. If your dad is too heavy or rides too much the bike will fall apart quite quickly. Both bikes will be heavy, unweildy luggage when folded. I would be concerned about the wheels on the Schwinn, the "6 spoke" pattern wheels look like a gimmick to me. they might go out of true easily and look hard to fix. But they look pretty. The Schwinn is 7 speed, the Citizen 6 speed, but that's pretty irrelevant as neither bike will cope well with hills or high speeds. The Schwinn comes with a bag, for the Citizen it's a $29 extra. If that's important to you, it adds 15% to the price of the Citizen. But I think the Citizen is a (slightly) better bike - they've focussed on a basic bike with basic components rather than paying extra for marketting bullet points ("sprung saddle", "pretty wheels"), so they can spend a tiny bit more on slightly better parts. |
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I'm late to this thread, sorry, but ...I've tested out all the folding bikes at my local bike shop, Dahon and schwinns mostly and ended up buying the Citizen Gotham Large frame. It's a 7 speed 22lb street cruiser, aluminum frame, with all the bells and whistles. I got the seat upgrade for $29 and makes a huge difference for long distance riding. All in I paid about $350. I've been riding it almost 2 years and I'm just bringing it in for a little tweaking now, no parts failures at all. Ill tell ya this, even with the bigger frame at 6' tall I find the bike to be barely just big enough. If your dad is taller than me I'd go with a Dahon, they're more money by 2-3x but their frames are bigger. My wife has the Miami model you mentioned, also a great bike! |
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I can't stress this enough: I have a Tern (offshoot of dahon) and my gf has owned an older citizen and a newer citizen cuz one got stolen. I take the train to work and carry my bike on with me and ride the rest of the way. Although citizen has excellent customer service, you definitely get what you pay for. The derailleur is total crap, the gearing is terrible except for the slightest hills and the fold is so sloppy, you'd be better off with a non foldie. Dahons/terns come with quality components, fold smoothly, quickly, an stay folded and my god are they lighter which is a huge deal. Plus, Terns hinges are super beefy and easy to use. Check out the Link D8 and I swear it'll fit ur every basic need from hauling gear, weekend cruises, and long 30 mile treks. Tires, brakes, gears, the Tern has it all. BUT if u absolutely have to only spend 200, the citizen is by far the better choice. Get the luggage rack and fenders. |
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