I'm relatively new to cycling. I bought a folding bike from Tern, called the Tern Link D8, back in July 2023. So, it's been almost a year now.
My tern link D8, upgraded with a Shimano Claris crankset with Hollowtech II bottom bracket.
If you're familiar with the Tern brand, they divide their bicycle series into several categories. I know that the Link series is the affordable and low-spec one compared to their Verge series. To date, I think the Tern Verge X11 is still the most expensive one.
I bought Tern after some research. I already knew that I wanted a folding bike because I would combine riding it with mass transport. For an affordable folding bike, I had some options in my region (Jakarta, Indonesia). There were Dahon, Polygon, Element, London Taxi, Tern, and many more.
Polygon is manufactured in Indonesia, so it should be cheaper for me, as it's not imported. Apparently not. The price tag for a Polygon folding bike is more or less on par with the low-budget series from Dahon or Tern, or Fnhon (this one was not on my list since I don't have much time to build a custom folding bike).
So, since the price was more or less in the same range, I went for the features. The Tern Verge D9 was almost a must-buy. It has advanced features, hydraulic disc brakes, 22-inch wheels, a more aggressive riding position, etc. Same with Polygon Urbano 5...
But then I saw the Tern Link D8. It came with Big Apple Schwalbe wheels included. The sprocket, RD, and shifter are using Shimano Claris. Not bad at all.
My favorite feature of this Tern Link D8, and why it won me over, is the Andros Stem. It makes it easy to change the handlebar to adjust our riding style.
Andros Stem, adjustable Stem + Handlebar. Source image.
My only problem with this bike was the crankset and bottom bracket. IMO these parts were not high quality straight from the box. So, just a few months after riding it, I decided to upgrade them.
Initially, I wanted a Shimano Tiagra, but apparently, the FD is not compatible with the frame. We could make some adjustments, but I was looking for an easier solution. Shimano Claris it is. After all, the rear drivetrain was already using Claris anyway.
Not a fanatic, but Shimano is great.
Changing the crankset to a dual speed turned out to be a great decision. I could climb steep hills more easily with this setup (of course, duh!).
Riding the bike itself feels great. The OCL joint on the frame is so rigid, I couldn't tell if I was riding a foldie or a full bike. I really love folding bikes if they offer a great feeling like this.
I mentioned earlier that my motivation for riding a folding bike was to combine it with mass transportation...
Then came the problem: a 20-inch wheels folding bike is not too compact when folded. It still takes up a lot of space.
Okay, should I buy a Brompton?
I knew that I could afford it, but still, it's just too expensive.Then, looking for options, I did more research, getting in touch with the bicycle community in my town. They gave me this perspective: Brompnot.
Basically, it just means three-fold folding bikes that are not Brompton. Lol. So yeah, I took a look at these bikes, and the options in my region were limited to Element Pikes, 3sixty, and Aceoffix.
I ended up buying my friend's bike, the 3sixty.
At first glance, I wasn't really impressed by the 3sixty model. Some parts were plastic, shorter reach handlepost, meh tires, and so on.
So I decided to do some mini upgrades, changing the crankset, changing the handlebar for a more upright position, adding Brompton's fender (since the original fender was too short, it wouldn't stop the dirt from getting on your back), and changing the tires to Continental Contact Urban (best value for the money, IMO).
Upgraded parts from 3sixty
Since the upgrade, the 3sixty bike has always been my go-to bike to ride around the city. It's perfect for commuting, folds nicely, and is easy to put inside a car or bus, or train.
Even before the upgrade, the 3sixty bike was already a great ride. I particularly love the rear hub; they use 3-speed Sturmey-Archer, a really stable one. Not as good as Brompton's of course, but, it's a Brompnot anyway. I can live with that.
I love this bike!
And to conclude this ramble, I would like to say that folding bikes are great. Especially if your daily riding is just on flat urban streets. The smaller wheels make it easy to accelerate and maneuver in heavy traffic jams. And the best part, we can fold them and carry them easily.
P.S.
I still want to add a Brompton bike to my collection.