Folding bicycles: They are light, compact and fold in seconds. Folding bikes are the perfect solution for those who don’t have space at home to store their bike, or for those who want to combine the pedals with other means of transport. While  the bikes folding market offers a wide variety of models, you must take into account that not all the bikes are ready to use every day in the city.

Brompton
In the folding bikes market there are bikes and models for everyone:
The first thing to think about when buying a folding bike is in the use we are going to give to that specific bike. If we want to get on the bike every day to go to work or college, or if we going to take it with us on the bus or subway, we must find a light bike, compact, which quickly fold and easy to carry around. If, however, our idea is to buy a bike that is comfortable to carry on long journeys (in the car, on the plane …), there is another type of folding (and detachable) made precisely for this purpose: they are more robust and less compact and more “complicated” to bend (not specifically designed to fold and unfold the bike five times a day). Yes, prepare your pocket because these bikes are not cheap.
There is another small group of folding bikes (with wheels type “scooter”) that are more suitable for short distances. The ideal is to have as little as 16-inch wheel, and when they are smaller, we are in danger of falling into a curb or bump up easily with an obstacle or hole in the road, and there are more uncomfortable when circulating on side walks “.
Folding for city traffic:
The first  light folding bicycles been there for over 30 years now: from the late ’70s and early ’80s. Almost simultaneously, the brand appeared in the United States, Dahon and Brompton in Britain. The father of Dahon folding bike was the aeronautical engineer David hon (Dahon comes from the abbreviation of his name). They are made of aluminum, the  bicycle  wheels are between  16 to 20 inches, and they fold quickly and easy  for easy daily use. Today, this American brand sells more than 20 models: the cheapest are the ECO 2 and 3 and are around £ 300 Most expensive can reach 4000 pounds.

The Dahon brand is one of the most popular folding bikes:
Almost at once, but in London, Andrew Ritchie was concerned with designing a quality folding bike as compact as possible. He did it in his own bedroom with one hundred pounds, money that he got from ten friends. In the late ’80s, it began marketing the Brompton bicycle, a name taken from the neighbourhood church that Ritchie saw from his window. The British created his bike with the philosophy of not using components that were not functional, so that stresses simplicity in this bike. Once folded, the Brompton is very compact (measuring about 58 cm high, 54 cm long and 27 cm wide) and easy to carry using the frame or saddle as a handle (like carrying a small suitcase). The weight is about 12kilos plus luggage, and its folding is simple and fast: with a little practice it takes about 10 seconds. The price of this bike still retains the style of 30 years ago is between 800 and 1800 pounds.

The British bike Brompton famous for it’s simplicity
The Dutch brand beixo also offers a folding bike ready to ride every day. This is their model ‘beixo compact’, a bike light but also robust. Its main feature is that it has string: works with a cardan system. This folding weighs just over 14 kilos, has seven speeds and the wheels are 20 inches. Your price: from £ 600.

The beixo  has no chain
A folding bike ‘made in Spain’: This is the  Mora Bike, a bike designed by Josep Mora from Barcelona and folds in just eight seconds. Aside from its interesting design, manufacturers have also opted for its “green” is mostly made of stainless steel with no additives and no paintings. Its market price is around £ 700.

The folding bicycle ‘Mora bike’ has been well designed.
The company ‘Pacific Cycles’, located in Taiwan, sells a very novel folding model: If mode. This bike, designed by Mark Sanders (the same designer of Strida Bike), has won awards like  ‘Eurobike 2008’ or ‘IF Gold Award 2009’. With a weight of 14.7 kilos, this vehicle has a clean ergonomic design and has no greasy chains. Big wheels and fold the bike becomes a kind of stick you can move comfortably. Currently sold in the U.S. and Asia for a price exceeding $ 2,000. Is expected to come soon to Europe.

The IF Mode bicycle stands for not wearing greasy chains and for it’s ergonomic style.
Two other bikes ready for daily use are Mezzo and Tikit. The first, which is manufactured entirely in the UK, was created by the former Formula 1 engineer Jon Whyte in 2004. It is lightweight (his picture is aluminium), compact (it measures 69 cm x 31 cm x 63 cm) and easy to carry on the bus or in the subway. The manufacturer offers even bags and accessories that attach to the bike. The second mark, Tikit, comes from the other side of the Atlantic, U.S.. The company which markets it is ‘Bike Fridays’ and is characterized by being produced on a small scale and for its very rapid folding. The wheels are 16 inches and the bike in general is very manageable. Its price is not so: from £ 1,300.
Folding bikes for short distances
An example of this type of bike is the Folding A-Bike. Designed by the British Kalogroulis Clive Sinclair and Alex Sinclair Research, this model is very lightweight: weighs only 5.5 kilos. The reason is that it is made of aircraft grade aluminium and fibreglass poly-amide. Just do not hold on to a cyclist who exceed 85 kilos. Just ten seconds are needed to fold this bike. Their small wheels allow a bicycle to be lightweight and compact (measuring 67 cm x 30 cm x 16 cm). The A-Bike is one of the cheaper bikes in the market, it sells for around £ 130.

This folding bicycle is the A-Bike, and has kind skateboard wheels.
The Strida folding bike is another very popular. As told in another article, by the British Mark Sanders, the folding was inspired by a baby car shopping and once closed it resembles an “umbrella with wheels”. And is that when folded, the wheels are still operational, so you can carry it like a suitcase with wheels. This bicycle has not chain, but a timing belt. Although the original model is simple and does not shift, the fact is that the Strida wants to open up to other markets and is creating new bicycles with additional elements, such as speeds. The price of this little bike goes from 300 to 500 pounds.

Mobiky folding bicycle is produced in France
In the market there are also the folding French brand: Mobiky, marketed by the company ‘Genius’. this Folding bike is very compact (measuring just 61 x 34 x 81 centimetres) and this makes it a good alternative to carry anywhere. The height adjustable seat means it can be used by children as young as 8 years old, but does not support more than 80 kilos. Its folding is very fast, and you just have to pull the in the center to close it. It weighs just over 13 kilos and its price is over 700 pounds.
Folding designed for travel
The German Birdy  would be the equivalent  to a Mercedes car in bikes, but without polluting and able to Fold and carry around, This model was born in 1992 when its founders Markus Riese and Heiko Mueller presented it to the innovation contest Hessen with a new concept: a bike with a system in which the two fold points work both as suspension by two elastomer’s. Tucked in a garage, it took only 10 days (and occasional sleepless nights) to design the first prototype of this folding bicycle. The effort was rewarded: the first prize was for them. After this amazing experience, both designers were launched for folding bikes. And continued to cultivate success. In 2001 they won the recognition of the Good Design Award. Today, this German brand sells five different models with 18-inch wheels. It is characterized mainly by being a full-suspension bike, and can be carried around in a luggage box. The cheapest bike does not fall below $ 1,300 and the most expensive model is over £ 3000.

Birdy The German is considered the Mercedes of folding bicycles.

Halfway between folding bikes and conventional removable stand, it is the Moulton. Designed in 1962 by the expert in cars suspension systems, Alex Moulton (thinking of the famous head of Rover Mini), this English bike is compact and easy to carry around in the trunk of a car, on a plane or on a long train journey . Its wheels do not exceed 20 inches. Another model similar to this brand is the Airframe.

Airframe is a detachable bike, perfect for travelling

Two brands of this type of folding bicycles are the German and British Airnimal and Bernds. The first one has the peculiarity that they also sell folding tandems since 1997. These two-wheeled bikes are rigid and they have 20 inch tires, this bike can be fold in a vertical plane. As in the case of the Brompton bike, it stays in stand up position, but without being so compact. it is comfortable enough to use it everyday. This bike has a German transmission belt and a light suspension, and the price, for this model, does not fall below £ 1,200.
Airnimal, this small British company, in 2000 they launched its first folding under the name of Chameleon. Another of his folding models have also animal name: Rhino (Rhinoceros) known for offering from city folding bikes to sport, with 26-inch wheels (like those on mountain bikes), and to take off the front wheel. Their prices, according to the model range from 900 to 300 pounds.

These are the models of folding bicycles.
 Whitch folding bicycle are you getting?