NOTE: IF YOU LIKE A PRODUCT, CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO VIEW PRICE & BUY IT (PAGE WILL OPEN IN A NEW TAB).5 Best Folding Bikes, Lightweight, Affordable, Portable for Everyday Life
A curated list of the best folding bikes and lightweight, portable folding bikes, featuring the top reviewed folding bike brands and affordable options under $200.
We spent quite a bit of time researching and drank a good amount of coffee trying to perfect this list. Although short, these products are some of the best models in their space. If you’re new to the world of folding bikes — perhaps looking for a lightweight, portable bike to take to work everyday — or are casually looking for a new folding bike to replace your current one…we think you’ll learn something about how to best shop for folding bikes in this post. When browsing for folding bikes, there are a few salient qualities/specs to consider. One, frame weight: we recommend looking for a folding bike with a lightweight, aluminum frame that’s somewhere between 20 and 35 pounds. Two, speeds/gears: if you’re looking for an everyday commuter bike to ride around a city environment, multiple speeds aren’t necessarily needed, but may help. What’s more important is tire pressure. According to popular online bicycling magazine, Bicycling.com, “road tires typically require 80 to 130 psi (pounds per square inch); mountain tires, 30 to 50 psi; and hybrid tires, 50 to 70 psi.” Three, design and ease of use: one of the most important parts of a folding bike is the design of the folding mechanism…go figure. We recommend looking for bikes that are designed with a simple, quick release lever. You can also look at the seller page and read reviews for the average storage time. Under 10 seconds is ideal. In our opinion, many of the specs like handle width, color, tread, etc. are up to you. If you’re happy with our reviews and overall list of the best affordable bikes for everyday use, let us know by leaving a high rating via the stars below.
Curated
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products considered
hours of work
cups of coffee
Qualities we looked for overall:
+ Easy-to-use and quick folding mechanism that takes under 10 seconds to fold and store.
+ Lightweight design, between 20 and 35 pounds (preferred).
+ 7 speed gears (preferred).
+ Lightweight, aluminum frame and structural tubing.
+ Stainless steel spokes, for strong support.
+ Built-in, adjustable saddle height.
+ High-pressure 65(+/- 10) psi tires.
+ Wheels suitable for everyday commuting in urban or city environments.
+ Designed with a kickstand (preferred).
+ Built with rear breaking mechanism.
+ Able to support rider weights of 200+ pounds.
+ Well reviewed by customers (i.e., when reviews available via company or seller website).
Qualities we tried to avoid overall:
– Regular, commuter or racing bikes (i.e., without folding mechanism).
– Frames over 30 pounds.
– Unable to support riders over 200 pounds.
– Tire psi of 100+.
– Plastic of PVC material framing and/or tubing.
– Products with a high number of bad reviews.
Editor’s Top 3 Rated Selections
5 Best Folding Bikes, Lightweight, Affordable, Portable for Everyday Life // In our opinion, these are a few of the best products we came across in our search, given the overall qualities that we were curating for in this collection. We focused on the following qualities when curating for this particular selection of products:
+ Easy-to-use and quick folding mechanism that takes under 10 seconds to fold and store.
+ Lightweight design, between 20 and 35 pounds (preferred).
+ 7 speed gears (preferred).
+ Lightweight, aluminum frame and structural tubing.
+ Stainless steel spokes, for strong support.
+ Built-in, adjustable saddle height.
+ High-pressure 65(+/- 10) psi tires.
+ Wheels suitable for everyday commuting in urban or city environments.
+ Designed with a kickstand (preferred).
+ Built with rear breaking mechanism.
+ Able to support rider weights of 200+ pounds.
*While we work to ensure the products we select possess these qualities, actual product packaging and materials may contain more and/or different information than that shown on our web site. Do not rely solely on the information provided here.
Details
Dahon, Speed Uno Folding Bike, in Black.
By: Dahon
What to know:
> Folding single-speed bike with rear coaster brake.
> Best for urban commuting on flat streets.
> Magnetic latching system holds bike together when folded.
> Lightweight chromoly frame weighs 24.2 pounds.
Editor's Note
According to our research, Dahon makes some of the best selling and top reviewed folding bikes on the market today (this post was written in January of 2017). The company was founded by Dr. David Hon in Taiwan, in the mid-to-late 1980’s. After partnering with younger brother, Henry Hon, the two start building out the design of their bikes in California. After filing some patents and bringing a few new innovative ideas to market…the rest is history. Dahon folding bikes soon became some of the most popular and well reviewed products in the folding bike space. Feel free to read about their product philosophy, here. This particular bike is lightweight, at 24 pounds, simple to use, and ideal for everyday commuting in urban/city environments. Additionally, given its cheap/affordable price tag, we think this bike is a solid overall pick.
Details
Best Selling, Schwinn Loop Folding Bike, in White.
By: Schwinn
What to know:
> Step through folding alloy frame is lightweight, easy to fold, easy to ride and easy to store.
> Smoothing rolling, 20 inch alloy tires best for everyday commuting.
> Integrated rear carrier.
> Shimano 7 speed rear derailleur and 7 speed twist shifter for smooth shifting.
Editor's Note
Schwinn is another super popular bike brand, making some of the best selling folding bikes for both smooth and rough terrain, and beginner and avid bikers. The company was founded in 1895 by Ignaz Schwinn and quickly rose to fame in the late 1890’s after their bikes won several bike races in the Chicago, USA area. Their bikes are still going strong today…we see one pretty much once a week on our walk to work. We selected this particular folding bike by Schwinn for a three primary reasons: it’s built with a 7 speed twist shifter for smooth shifting and versatile riding; folds easily with a quick and simple locking mechanism located at the center of the down tube; and, lastly, is designed with a carrier on the back for groceries, luggage, etc. (a rare and useful design feature).
Details
Camp, 7 Speed Folding Bike with Disc Brake, in White and Black.
By: Camp
What to know:
> 20 inch folding bike with alloy frame, shimano seven speed gears.
> Alloy disk brake, double wall alloy rim, sturdy rear cargo rack and fenders, with kickstand.
a few more curated collections, by The Bestlyy Editors
Continued, Part 2, 1 Favorite
5 Best Folding Bikes, Lightweight, Affordable, Portable for Everyday Life, Featuring Some of the Top Reviewed Folding Bike Brands like Dahon, Schwinn & Allen Sports.
Favorites
5 Best Folding Bikes, Lightweight, Affordable, Portable for Everyday Life // While combing through products, we found these gems. These are a few of our personal favorites — maybe we share the same taste. We focused on the following qualities when curating for this particular selection of products:
+ Easy-to-use and quick folding mechanism that takes under 10 seconds to fold and store.
+ Lightweight design, between 20 and 35 pounds (preferred).
+ 7 speed gears (preferred).
+ Lightweight, aluminum frame and structural tubing.
+ Stainless steel spokes, for strong support.
+ Built-in, adjustable saddle height.
+ High-pressure 65(+/- 10) psi tires.
+ Wheels suitable for everyday commuting in urban or city environments.
+ Designed with a kickstand (preferred).
+ Built with rear breaking mechanism.
+ Able to support rider weights of 200+ pounds.
*While we work to ensure the products we select possess these qualities, actual product packaging and materials may contain more and/or different information than that shown on our web site. Do not rely solely on the information provided here.
Details
Allen Sports, Aluminum, 7 Speed Folding Bicycle with Suspension, in White.
By: Allen Sports
What to know:
> 6061 aluminum frame and a patented four link front suspension.
> 7 speed provides a range of riding environments.
> 451 MM wheels deliver improved performance and handling.
> Patented wheel lock system secures the bicycle when folded and allows the bicycle to be rolled like a cart.
Editor's Note
This bike made its way on to our best of ‘Favorites’ list for one good reason: intelligent design. This folding bike features a patented frame release lever that is super easy to use and allows it to be folded and stored in about 8 seconds, according to the seller; it’s built with a 7 speed gear range, which means you can ride it on flat or hilly ground; and, lastly, the 451 mm wheels deliver improved performance and handling over the standard 20 or 16 inches found on most folding bicycles. If you’re interested in this bike, we recommend reviewing a few more of the folding bikes offered by Allen Sports. Many of their folding bikes feature a similar build style and come in a number of styles.
a few more curated collections, by The Bestlyy Editors
Continued, Part 3, 1 Budget Pick
5 Best Folding Bikes, Lightweight, Affordable, Portable for Everyday Life, Featuring Some of the Top Reviewed Folding Bike Brands like Dahon, Schwinn & Allen Sports.
Budget Picks
5 Best Folding Bikes, Lightweight, Affordable, Portable for Everyday Life // These are a few solid choices if you’re on a budget. We focused on the following qualities when curating for this particular selection of products:
+ Easy-to-use and quick folding mechanism that takes under 10 seconds to fold and store.
+ Lightweight design, between 20 and 35 pounds (preferred).
+ Lightweight, aluminum frame and structural tubing.
+ Stainless steel spokes, for strong support.
+ Built-in, adjustable saddle height.
+ High-pressure 65(+/- 10) psi tires.
+ Wheels suitable for everyday commuting in urban or city environments.
+ Designed with a kickstand (preferred).
+ Built with rear breaking mechanism.
+ Able to support rider weights of 200+ pounds.
*While we work to ensure the products we select possess these qualities, actual product packaging and materials may contain more and/or different information than that shown on our web site. Do not rely solely on the information provided here.
Details
Vilano, Urbana Single Speed Folding Bike, in Matte Black.
By: Vilano
What to know:
> Lightweight aluminum folding bike with coaster brake.
> Best for urban commutting in flat areas.
tags: best folding bikes, lightweight folding bikes, affordable folding bikes, portable folding bikes, bikes for everyday life, top reviewed folding bikes, dahon folding bikes, schwinn folding bikes, allen sports folding bikes, top folding bike, best folding bike
