Long time no see

It has been a while I did not post new articles on this blog and several things happned during this "hibernation".

First, my folding bike was stolen at Abbey Wood station in southeast London. No, not that Brompton one. It was my b'Twin bike which is now gone.

How did it happen? Well, it was my fault. I use a cheap lock as I thought the area was safe. Cheap locks are very easy to break or cut.

Lesson has been learnt.

Secondly, I got another folding bike, again I bought it from Decathlon. I haven't had proper time to ride but I will post a review in due course.

Until then enjoy the blog. Thank you.

Brompton S2L The Review

Why did you sell your road bike and change to a Brompton? You sold your soul.

Sorry, mate. It's beyond my control. My office moved which means it will take about the whole an hour and 45 minutes to cycle door-to-door. I do not want to spent 3,5 hours daily on the road to be honest. However I still love to cycle. It keeps me fit and the pleasure of cycling is second to none. With a Brompton I am still able to cycle on parts of my journey to the office.

Why Brompton? There are lots of other folding bikes out there...

It's pretty small when you fold it. You can tuck it nicely next to your seat in a train or tube. I have another folding bike and it is still BIG even when folded. But the killer feature is how quick it is to fold the bike. Less than 30 seconds. Yes, you hear me right. Less than 30 seconds so you have no reasons to miss your train.

Welcome to the fold

Relocation, relocation, relocation

Office jobs and other commitments made February a very busy month. Please forgive me for not posting any updates.

Well, no news is good news, as the saying goes. Talking about news, my office is in the process of relocating to another site, which is further west.

It means I have to cycle further as I live in the southeast. I reckon it will take about at least 1.45 door to door from my house to the new site in Oxford Circus.

I still want to cycle however the distance is killing me.

So, I come up with this plan: cycle to Abbey Wood, catch a train to Charing Cross and then cycle again to Oxford Circus.

The flaw with this plan is I can not get my road bike into the train during the rush hour. Southeast Train does not allow me to do so. Folding bike is OK but not road bike, it says.

I do have a folding bike. However, it is still relatively big even when it is folded.

So, shall I get a Brompton?

b'Twin folding bike: a rather comprehensive review

I posted my initial impression of the b'Twin folding bike I have been riding in the last month or so.

Now I want to share with you my overall opinion.

First of all, the bike has seven speed with 20 inch tyre. Having 20 inch means I don't have problems after riding a road bike.

The bike feels normal just like any other bikes. Two other people who tried the bike drew the same conclusion.

It is solid, comfortable and can handle any type of roads with ease.

I like the flat handlebar which makes the bike feels more sporty.

I have to say the ride quality is spot on. In fact I do not expect to be that good.

As I said before you need a little bit of practice to fold the bike. It takes about a minute to fold so not that good compared to Bromptons where you can fold them in less than 20 seconds.

It is also quite large once you fold it. Again, do not compare with the Bromptons.

As you can see from the picture, the folded bike still occupy almost the whole part of the boot.

At about 14.7 kg it is also relatively heavy. I am not sure whether it is practical to fold, carry, and unfold it for your journey in daily basis.

If you don't need to fold and unfold the bike that often, it is obviously a sensible choice. At £200 it is absolutely a good value for money.

Note: my green b'Twin folding bike is unfortunately no longer on sale. Decathlon now offers almost the same specs at £400. The different is the new model has better handle bars and seat.

Btwin folding bike. Is it any good?

My folding bike on a train from Greenwich to London Bridge.

For the last two weeks I have pedalled a folding bike. No, not that Brompton bike. Well, that cute bike is beyond my budget. At least for now. I plan to have one though and it means I have to start saving.

The one that I ride is Btwin, a brand by Decathlon. I got it last July for £200 after the store slashed the price from £300. It said the green colour bike that I purchased was no longer in production.

Right, enough the introduction. The ride is surprisingly reassuring. I do not have complaints because it feels right. Just do not forget to adjust your seat post and the handle bar.

Now come to one of the most important thing of a folding bike, the folding process. I have to tell you I need some time to master how to fold the bike. (Even the staff at Decathlon looks puzzled when he showed me how to fold...)

When you are familiar with the process it takes about a minute to fold. Yes I know, it is far cry from the Bromptons which require only 20 seconds to fold.

The bike also a little bit heavy, I think it is about 12 kg or so.

But it is still smaller than a road bike and you can bring with you on the train even on the rush hour.

So to wrap it up, I think it is fair enough to say that the bike is good if you are in tight budget and want to bike in some parts of your journey.