I have a Haibike with the Bosch drive (which I am quite happy with) and a couple of E Motion bikes with a Hub drives, but I am currently interested in something that I can put easily in the back of an SUV. I was thinking of the the Reise and Mueller Tinker, but it seems stupidly expensive for what it is. I also thought about the Tern Vektron, but would think that I would prefer the added torque of a CX as I am on the heavy side and the extra torque is always welcome on short, but steep hills. Additionally, the Nuvinci drive is somewhat intriguing, but not a requirement. I looked at your pages on folding bikes and was surprised by how many there are. Even the relatively inexpensive RAD Mini with the wide tires looked pretty decent. That said, having commonality of batteries between the Bosch drives would also seem to be somewhat of a desirable trait, though not a limiting factor. I would much appreciate your input. I don't mind paying for a quality ride, but the level of bang for the buck is certainly a factor. I suppose that I might/could just purchase a couple of Bosch CX Haibikes for about half the price of the Tinker per bike and pre-posistion them at a couple of my usual destinations. Thank you for your thoughts in advance.
COURT - Your thoughts on Selecting a Compact / Folding.
- Thread starter MOG
- Start date
Scruffy's Human
New Member
I was in the same predicament as I stated back in March, but did finally make a decision based upon three factors that I felt trumped the others.
The Nuvinci drive was not that important to me at first and as an operational matter probably still isn't. BUT, the lack of a dirty chain and gear cluster afforded by the Nuvinci belt drive is important to me. My vehicle is always "new car" clean and polished and I like to keep things that way. This of course could be somewhat mitigated by first stowing the Vektron or RAD in a travel bag.
The second and probably greatest factor for me, after riding the Vektron and the Tinker was a perceived significantly higher level of stability inherent with the Tinker, albeit at greater financial expense and a bit less portability. The Tinker rode like a much larger bike. (Keep in mind that I don't weigh just 150lbs).
The portability of either bike worked fine for travel in my instance, and as such lessened the need to fully fold. Note - I always replace the pedals with Quick Disconnet "Clip In" pedals which I prefer to standard type pedals.
Lastly, the extra torque and larger 500W battery of the Bosch CX drive on the Tinker was a factor as well for hilly area riding.
Recently, I rode around on a friends RAD for a day and had a great time. It was not as refined as the Tinker, but pretty darn good.
In the end I purchased the Tinker for the reasons mentioned above, but every time I think of the price differential, and the fun of the RAD, I give myself a small mental kick in the head.
The prices for the Vektron or the Tinker seem stupid at best, and probably are. These are not carbon fiber masterpieces after all, but simple little bikes that fold with an e-drive. RAD seems to be on to something and I may purchase a couple for my 20 something kids and friends to ride.
I hope this helps.
The Nuvinci drive was not that important to me at first and as an operational matter probably still isn't. BUT, the lack of a dirty chain and gear cluster afforded by the Nuvinci belt drive is important to me. My vehicle is always "new car" clean and polished and I like to keep things that way. This of course could be somewhat mitigated by first stowing the Vektron or RAD in a travel bag.
The second and probably greatest factor for me, after riding the Vektron and the Tinker was a perceived significantly higher level of stability inherent with the Tinker, albeit at greater financial expense and a bit less portability. The Tinker rode like a much larger bike. (Keep in mind that I don't weigh just 150lbs).
The portability of either bike worked fine for travel in my instance, and as such lessened the need to fully fold. Note - I always replace the pedals with Quick Disconnet "Clip In" pedals which I prefer to standard type pedals.
Lastly, the extra torque and larger 500W battery of the Bosch CX drive on the Tinker was a factor as well for hilly area riding.
Recently, I rode around on a friends RAD for a day and had a great time. It was not as refined as the Tinker, but pretty darn good.
In the end I purchased the Tinker for the reasons mentioned above, but every time I think of the price differential, and the fun of the RAD, I give myself a small mental kick in the head.
The prices for the Vektron or the Tinker seem stupid at best, and probably are. These are not carbon fiber masterpieces after all, but simple little bikes that fold with an e-drive. RAD seems to be on to something and I may purchase a couple for my 20 something kids and friends to ride.
I hope this helps.
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I'm looking at sturdy, versatile folders that I could take on a bus, Amtrak, and would carry my weight w/o stressing the frame too much... I don't think that there is anything out of the box that serves my needs. The Vectron is too expensive for what you get, and I'd rather have a powerful motor like a BBSHD than a hub, not for speed but for weight and hills. Looks like I will have to buy a folder and install a kit.
I looked at all the folders and like drive train of the Tinker. Belt drive, Vario transmission, hydraulic disc brakes and sturdy frame. But its still not going to fit into my car at 61 inches in length. The tern Vektron S10 is almost there. Just needs a belt drive. I have the Verge Si8 and I guess I am spoiled with the maintenance free aspect of it. At these prices, I am expected to get away from a chain.
Ruggb
New Member
I rented the Tern Vektron S10 for the past week. While it is very nice to ride, it is way too heavy and large while folded. I couldn't get it to fit in the trunk of my small sedan, only in the back seat (where it is visible). I like that it is possible to roll it when folded, but unfortunately, it can only be rolled forwards. If you try to roll it backwards one of the pedals will catch on the motor.
I watched several of Courts reviews before choosing the bike we purchased, sales, service, warranty repairs were the determining factor in our choice. Drive system, brakes, weight, and higher quality components were probably not so much the determining factor as good reviews were. It was hard to beat Rad when all was said and done, these are toys for us, not a way of life.
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