Which fold up bike

There is a front luggage platform, with Brompton specific bags available at an additional cost. Front and rear lights come as standard, on the Brompton M6L bike, but you can choose between standard or lightweight Cateye Volt ones at the front. If you're after the best folding bike that's a bit faster and money is no object, the Tern Verge X11 is a superb option. With 22in wheels, it's more like a standard road bike and comes with a SRAM Force 1x drivetrain and wide-ratio cassette, making mole hills out of mountains.

The cassette gearing won't feel much different from that of a full-sized machine, nor will the braking with the much respected Shimano Deore, hydraulic disc power, borrowed from the brands mountain bike range, on board.

It's rare to see such high-end spec, which also includes hydraulic disc brakes, Kinetix Pro X wheels with Schwalbe Durano tires and a uniquely designed adjustable stem making it a very impressive folding bike, but the price does reflect all this! Folding neatly in half and at the stem, this B'Twin is a very competitively priced folding bike from sports giant Decathlon's house brand. As with anyone who has had the pleasure of riding a B'Twin bike, it's another impressive option at a really competitive price point, and pretty much every rider unable to find any fault.

The Tilt features seven gears, comes with fenders pre-installed and the highly adjustable saddle height allows for sharing across riders of different sizes. Obviously at this price point there are some compromises to be made of the finish spec of the bike, and it's likely that you will need to replace brake pads more often than other models. But coming with a lifetime warranty on the frame, stem, fork and handle bars, means it has life long value. It's one of the best folding bikes on the market especially if you are on a tighter bike budget that won't stretch to a Brompton M6L or Tern Verge X Origami Bicycle Company, from Richmond, Virginia, wins the 'best name for a folding bike brand' competition.

But there's much more to it than just a name. The steel frame and fork will give some riders strength reassurance, especially has it has a higher max rider weight of lbs kgs. Having disc brakes at this price point is really impressive, although these are cable pull over hydraulic, which are featured on the significantly pricier Tern Verge X So don't assume that their stopping power will automatically out perform standard rim braking options.

Over all it's a great package. Folding dimensions a bit larger than smaller sized wheel bikes, such as the Brompton Brompton M6L and it is one of the heaver folding bike on the market, but a great value for money option. It's tricky to know where to start with the Airnimal Joey as it's one of the best folding bikes for features and versatility. If you're new to the brand Airnimal, then it's probably best described as the ideal folding bike for people who don't actually want a folding bike.

The hard thing is deciding what sort of bike you do want and then making the selections from the Airnimal pick'n'mix in order to build it. The Joey is the brands most versatile model, and the best folding bike for riders who want a do all wheels.

You can select from several versions, from Joey Sport, which comes with 7 gears, a choice of wheels and rack and mudguards through to Joey Endurance plus, which comes with a Sram Rival groupset including a triple chainring, 11 speed cassette, dropped bars, carbon forks and a lightweight Hope thru axle wheelset.

Depending on your build package will depend on price and specification of components, which include a mix of Sram and Shimano, and all with disc brakes, with the Adventure Plus coming with hydraulic Shimano Deore disc brakes. The additional add ons seem to be endless, with everything from specific suitcases to even a case that convers in to a towable trailer - ideal for large scale adventures.

The larger wheel size means that it obviously doesn't fold down as small as a 16in-wheeled one, but if you want a bike that rides like a full-size road bike and takes up minimal space and can happily be rapidly be packed down for stowing away on a bus or plain or even at home this is the best folding bike for the job.

Originally launched via Kickstarter, the Hummingbird folding bike features a carbon frame, custom color options and is claimed to be the lightest folding bike in the world. The geared versions fall in-between the weight spectrum, and you can opt for either 4-speed Sturmey Archer internal hub gear with chain or belt drive. With the weight, or lack of it, being the unique selling point of the Hummingbird, you'll not be surprised to learn that bike is mostly made of carbon with titanium hardware.

It's an a beautiful package, but one that many folding bike users might feel is over spec'ed. If you're using it daily, and struggle lugging round the weightier options and have the means with which to make a purchase, this truly is one of the best folding bikes out there. The Mariner D8 is on of US brand Dahon's most popular folding bikes, and with it's all round performance, it's clear to see why.

The frame is made from the brand's Dalloy an aluminium alloy Sonus tubeset and it folds via Dahon's Lattice forged hinge with what it calls ViseGrip technology, which the brand say makes it a fast folder.

It also helps keep the over all weight reasonably low. It's far from the lightest folding bike, that award goes to the Hummingbird folding bike, but at The 20in wheels and V-brakes may be of no particular brand, but the Mariner D8 gets an eight-speed Shimano Altus drivetrain, a great reliable and durable brand, and a great find at this price point. It's one of the best folding bikes on the market as it does tick all the boxes of what to look for in a folder, but they're just rather small ticks.

In order to reach this competitive price point, you are making compromises all round, with non if the Dahon Mariner D8 features really excelling. It's not particularly exciting, thrilling or stand out from the crowd beautiful.

It just does what it says, and sometimes that's all we really want. Still capable of folding in to a handy transportable package, electric folding bikes will provide a power assistance for any cyclists looking for a little help on their ride.

These are the best folding bikes for saving the legs, wanting to arrive at your destination without working up a sweat, or even as a car swop for a trip to the shops. As with all electric bikes, there is a huge difference between the models of batteries and motors, which in general is reflected in the price tag.

If you are considering a folding e-bike, then check out our page on the best electric bikes as it provides all you need to know about ebikes.

If you're interested to know how an electric bike works, you'll love our page on the anatomy of an e-bike motor. The really competitively priced Raleigh Evo Electric bike is one of the best folding bikes for riders looking for a little powered assistance and an alternative option over the car or public transport. The aluminum frame and a steel fork combo comes with an eight-speed Shimano Altus gear system, a Wh battery and a New TranzX F15 motor, which Raleigh say provides a range of around 31miles terrain, speed and rider weight depending.

The larger 20" wheels are fitted with Kenda 1. While it's unclear what brand v-brakes are fitted, the rest of the finishing kit features many Raleigh own branded parts, which from experience is good quality, reliable and durable. The down side, as with all electric folding bikes is the weight that a battery and motor add to the bike. At Raleigh Evo Electric Folding Bike is a great option for anyone wanting to a cycling commute without working up a sweat, perhaps wanting to replace the car for trips to the shops, or even undertake a little touring as long as to take the battery charger.

We really rated the no electric Tern Verge X11, so have complete confidence that the powered Tern Vektron will also be one of the best folding bikes on the market. This time the Vektron has slightly smaller inch wheels, although these are larger than some folding bike models, like the Brompton, which are teamed with Schwalbe Big Apple tyres, and should provide a really stable and comfortable ride feel.

The biggest deal with this electric folding bike is that it features a high-quality gold standard Bosch electric drivetrain, with a full charge can lasting between 30 and 60 miles depending on the level of electric assist. It's well worth reading our page on electric bikes, highlighted above, to understand why the battery and motor choice really make a difference on ride quality of e-bikes, but in summary: you get what you pay for.

And it has a Shimano Altus rear derailleur, which offers good quality for the price. Duncan was also able to test the Mariner on a mile ride. And he found it rode as comfortably as any of the other folding bikes we tested, with enough fit adjustability to accommodate for different longer-riding positions. But some people found doing this to be more cumbersome than it was worth. Like most of these bikes, the Mariner D8 was awkward to carry one-handed.

But for a inch wheeled bike, it was about as good as one could expect. Like our top pick , the eight-speed Tern Link D8 offers a great ride, smooth shifting, and a rear rack with a bungee, as well as a front frame-mounting point for an optional front bag. And it lets you change both the angle and height of the bars by lifting two quick-release levers and maneuvering the bars into place in one fell swoop.

If you are taller or fussy about either an upright or more-aggressive riding position, you can likely get the fit you prefer with ease. Duncan found this stem incredibly useful in getting a good fit. Raising and lowering the stem also adjusted the reach basically the distance of the handlebar from the rider.

Doing this gave him a longer and lower riding position when he was on a faster ride with friends on their road bikes, and it gave him a taller and shorter that is, more upright one for cruising around to grab coffee. Those tires alone retail for around twice what the tires on the Mariner D8 would cost.

We also liked the ergonomic handlebar grips, which have a softer feel than the similarly shaped grips on the Mariner D8. The Tern has a larger folded footprint than the Mariner the Link D8 is nearly 3 inches wider. With its exceptionally smart, compact, innovative fold, the Brompton S6L six-speed bike is a great pick for those seeking go-anywhere capability. The rear wheel rotates under, the front wheel tucks into the side, and the handlebars fall sideways and lock into place the typical fold-in-half frames of our other picks look clunky and huge by comparison.

The S6L that Amy tested—as well as the M6R that Duncan tested, and, in fact, every Brompton—folds in this way too, since the different models are variations built around the same frame design.

The folded Brompton stands 3. And the differences are even more dramatic when you compare the Brompton with the larger Tern models. If you want to tuck your bike under your desk or bring it into stores with narrow aisles, then smaller is, of course, definitely better.

For RVers and boaters, this bike is the easiest to squeeze into tight spaces where a inch wheeled bike may not fit. The other standout feature is the front luggage system, which allows you to clip a number of well-designed bags from Brompton and other makers to the front of the bike; the bags can even hang out there albeit a bit awkwardly when the bike is folded.

Finally, Brompton bikes are customizable. This means you can choose the frame material steel or a superlight combination of steel and titanium ; the handlebar shape and height three options; the first character in the model number represents the handlebar type ; the number of gears two or six; this is the second character ; the suspension type; the tire type; the saddle type and height; accessories such as the fenders, rack, front bags, and lights; and the paint color.

We recommend reading this guide on the Brompton website to understand all the options available. Your best option, they say, is to preorder through a local dealer or sign up for the Brompton newsletter, which includes alerts when the website restocks. Although the unorthodox gearing arrangement on the Brompton provides a wide range of gears and a compact fold, the shifting itself takes some getting used to. So it may take a ride or two for that to come naturally, without your having to think about it.

It can be made up for by shifting the outer cogs to split that difference, but it does mean two shifts may be needed to find that perfect gear. You can drop into the easiest gear in the internal hub while coasting up to a red light, though, something we find really useful while riding in city traffic. A Brompton is not as light as you might expect, given its smaller size.

But the ride was somewhat stiff, mostly due to the high-pressure, low-volume tires—we noticed every little bump, including the seams in the sidewalk. One of the biggest factors in the Brompton ride quality is the wheelbase being as long as—or even longer than—most full-size bicycles. This, along with a well-balanced geometry, creates a very stable ride and sure handling, even at higher speeds, despite the small wheel size.

Some of the other folding bikes we tested and rejected had much shorter wheelbases, which made it seem like we were riding a bike for kids and not just a small-wheeled bicycle. Finally, unlike our other picks and despite all those great accessories , Bromptons have no kickstand option. Instead, you have to flip the back tire into a half-fold position if you want to stop the bike and have it still stand up. We hope to update the guide with electric options in the future, especially from the companies that make our top picks.

In our tests it offered a comfortable ride, thanks to its integrated rear suspension. This was one of the most comfortable bikes to ride, much like the Tern Link D8 , which has a very similar geometry and the same adjustable stem. Also, the BYB is still about an inch wider when folded than the Mariner.

The wider folds of both Tern bikes are attributed to the handles ending up on the outside when the bikes are folded. The BYB is still nowhere near as compact or as comfortable to carry folded as the Brompton with its inch wheels.

So we think most people looking for a inch wheeled folding bike would be better off spending less on either the D8 or the Mariner. It has a front-bag bracket, is extremely stiff and stable, and comes with many component upgrades. And when folded it stands upright on the small, luggage-style wheels attached to the rear rack, so it has a smaller footprint.

Our only other issue with the BYB, apart from the price, is that its rack is built only for panniers. We prefer the rear racks on our less expensive picks because they have a flat top, so you can strap random things on top if need be. Originally our budget pick, the Tern Link B7 rides great, and it folds and unfolds quickly in the same manner as our top pick, the Dahon Mariner D8.

Unfortunately, Tern has stopped selling this model in the US. We wanted to love the Bike Friday Pakit , which is available for order with a custom-made frame. It has a unique fold sort of a cross between those of the Brompton and the Birdy, with the rear tire rotating under. And with the front tire and the handlebar mast removed, you can pack it into an oversize backpack and bring it almost anywhere, even on a plane.

And the fenders Amy ordered kept rubbing on the front tire and getting caught on curbs. The company told us that an update on that was coming. Out of the box, the Schwinn Adapt 1 needed a lot of adjustment. The handlebars were loose in the frame, which was a serious safety concern, so Amy paid her bike expert to make sure the bike was set up safely for her.

Unfortunately, this bike has an extremely short wheelbase 3 to 4 inches shorter than our picks. However, with sporadic distribution and sales in the UK, its designs are some way ahead of its dealer network.

The Hummingbird is the brainchild of designer Petre Cranciun, who came up with it as a solution to the problem of other folding bikes being too heavy for some riders to carry around. The full carbon frame is built by Prodrive, better known for its work in motorsport building race cars for Aston Martin, Subaru and Volkswagen. This not only leaves it very light but also very expensive.

However, the Hummingbird does a lot to justify its price tag. For one thing, it weighs just 7. Easy on your arm and great on the road, its handling is also very nippy, while the fold is excellent too. Leaving no need for a chain tensioner, this not only cuts weight but looks clean and reduces possible maintenance issues. Read our full review here.

Airnimal aims to offer something a bit different in the world of folding bikes, being aimed at all cyclists rather than just commuters. Perhaps the best way to think of them is as a collapsible rather than folding bike. Breaking down into a larger folded package than other bikes here, this is still only the work of a minute or two - and the time invested pays dividends in terms of ride quality.

Easily the sort of thing you could happily spend all day riding, their large inch wheels, conventional geometry, and wide range of gears make them almost indistinguishable from a conventional machine.

With three models in the range, the road bike-esque Chameleon, the off-road Rhino, and the commute or tour-ready Joey, you can find our full review of the last of these here. Read our full review: Airnimal Joey Elite Drop.

If you plan to simply ride this folding bike a kilometre or so to the station and back daily, you'd probably be better suited to a cheaper option. Alternatively, if you have grander plans, a better-equipped and more expensive choice could be a wiser investment.

On that note, where will you be riding your new folding bike? Do you work and commute somewhere mostly flat? Or do you need to navigate steeper streets?