Another Lazy Bicyclist: Starting again - once again, this time with a folding bicycle - riding from home to office with a folding bicycle

25-Nov-2014
So, here I was - looking again to commute to office. But since now I live in a place which is 40km away from my office, the search this time was for a folding bicycle, capable of carrying my 90kg/6ft frame to 6up-n-6down kms on Weekdays to my bus stop...with doubts raging in my mind - would I be able to do that? Would my new bike be able to do that? Would it fit in my office bus (aisle space)? How about reliability for a daily "oh-no-it-is-7" chases? Not very important, but will it be able to go on my Sunday morning rounds ranging from 30 to 80kms?

The options I had were Tern Link7 - being sold by my LBS, and then (at a place not very close to my home) Dahon Vitesse. Looked like only these two models were available here in Faridabad / nearby. My preference was for Tern (If everything else remains the same) because my LBS stocked this model.

So, one fine day - a Sunday we - the whole family went ahead and bought the machine. Here’s my impression of the new machine - alongwith a report of my first day and other general rambling. The other bike I can compare my experience with is a btwin CMW5:

Brand - Tern, Link C7 - sold by Firefox
Gears - 7, range didn't seem to be that wide like my other regular bike (wide range…if that is a real term!), missing the 3x5/6/7, I think!
Light - surprisingly light. After bus, there is a walk of around 100m too to my office building. It weighs around 13 kg, and was kind of OK.
Felt kind of zippy - low turning radius...or was it only my perception? Doesn’t feel very stable like the other bike, also I need some training on braking - I’m used to use mostly the right one, but it causing the tires to slip – I need training.
Folding (and unfolding too) is easy, and can be done in under half a minute.
Was able to feel almost all the potholes...
While carrying it, the magnets don't really keep the folded halves together, so I had to tie a bungee-chord. I was (still am…) thinking about getting a bag, so that our Bus’ driver doesn’t grumble (about seat / floor getting dirty and whatever). He hasn’t (so far!) and was amused – advised me to ride carefully as big vehicles like his sometime are not able to see the cyclists especially on the left.
Was able to fit it in the bus as well - see the fotoos. But yes, it is the most spacious seat and I’m a little worried about the day they’ll send a small bus.
Wow, it fits in the luggage area of my small car too without folding the rear seat!
Could be used by all - my wife and 6yo too tried to ride it.
This morning ride was an Oh-no-I-may-be-late ride, panic mode on and I was able to haul myself to 6 kms in around 20 minutes, felt tired at the end of it. I had my laptop on my back as well. It took around 25 minutes in the evening, without any tired feeling...comparable to my other bicycle.
You need to keep pedaling; or it would stop almost in an instant - maybe due to small wheels.
I got it from Singla Cycle Works, Faridbad, HR. Its MRP is 29.5k (http://www.firefoxbikes.com/BikeDetails.aspx?BikeId=108 ), but Ankit gave me – as he puts it – a “cool deal” because I’m a member of his riders’ group (Audacity Riders, Faridabad).
Kind of attention grabber - number of catcalls/”Shabaash”/”Keep it up”/”Dhoom macha le…” during morning ride was 20+ – a school-bus even drove along with me with conductor asking me the name of this bike – "Pholding…haaainnnn"? For the first time of my life car-drivers seemed to be a kind of polite, curious maybe! However, the juvenile, male population of this part of my country has probably never been taken out to a circus, so their reactions were nothing short than a group-ecstasy!
At the office I didn’t ride it after de-boarding the bus because I didn’t want to be shooed away to the basement (parking), but the security guys at reception told me to hide it behind (under )his table as “it won’t look good”. Nobody rides a bicycle ( in this office ) and that there is no parking space marked for bicycles, but, he said that he will talk to his supervisor to find a place for it in the basement (…damm, that would kill 10 minutes every single day).
Back to bus - In the evening there were some cycle-jokes and requests that I should prove that it indeed is ride-able – I’ve been asked to give a demo tomorrow .My bus-mates ‘re really nice and had kept the most spacious seat vacated for me.
Evening ride was insignificant – except for a motor cycle rider came and asked the price. It was dark and I forgot to carry my helmet and lights, so a bit scary – I promise that I would always carry these in future.