Started a new job in the big city, knew I didn’t want to drive 1h each way. Considered many different options including locking a ratbike at the bus stop. Finally ended up deciding on the folding bike, as I felt uneasy about locking up a bike at the station and didn’t want to show up one day and not have a bike to get to work on.
Picked up this Decathlon Fold 120 used on fb marketplace, paid 60€ for it to a Georgian guy who spoke no English or French (I’m an American living in France)
The stock wheelset left a lot to be desired, with its crappy freewheel. I bought the 900 series replacement wheels, hoping they would fit (they did). These Continental Contact Urban tires had a good score on bicyclerollingresistance, I got them in the biggest size I could fit: 20” x 50c
In classic x-bike style, I threw my parts bin at it. XT Rear Derailleur, Shimano 600 crankset, Easton carbon flat bars, and a Suntour XC Pro thumby. It’s a 1×8 with a 42t narrow wide in front with a chain guard I found at my local co-op, and an 11-40 8sp cassette in the back.
Touch points include my fave ergon knockoffs from AliExpress, a pair of Sugino Maxy Cross pedals I pulled off an old Peugeot ATB, and an old French-made Lido leather saddle. I’ve got an extra tube and goop towel, and my blue lug reflector from my trip to Japan hanging from the saddle.
The stock v brakes were crappy stamped steel, so I replaced them with these generic XLC ones with some nicer pads (koolstop in front, jagwire in rear), however, the crankarm wouldn’t clear the noodle on the rear brake, so I bought this litepro travel agent knockoff to get a tighter bend, I just routed it around the pulley without using the ratio changing routing.
I’ve put about 200km on it now (10km/day, 3/4 days/week, been 4 or 5 weeks since I started) and I’ve been really enjoying it! The super short wheelbase is super fun, the short reach and high stack is very comfortable, and it’s just a quirky little bike. It is much more solid than I thought it would be, after I cleaned up all the hinge faces, it doesn’t creak at all when unfolded.
Fits perfectly under the bus I take, fits in the trunk of my little Yaris if I need it, it’s actually a great addition to my stable. If you don’t know what bike to get next… try a folding bike!
by senorhappytaco
2 Comments
Love this, I’ve considered a folding bike for train commuting for a long time. Glad to hear it’s working for you
Great to see a foldie! A old dahon is my upcoming project – yours is a great inspo!
Might pick up a decathlon as well, they are pretty cheap on my local marketplace and my SO “needs” a folding bike as well…
How happy are you with the folding mechanism? I read mixed reviews about these but yeah I know its not a Brompton 😉