20" Lightweight Alloy Folding City Bicycle Bike, 12kg, Made with 7 SP SHIMANO Gears, Small fold up size - 20AF09

I bought this bicycle because i wanted to have the flexible possibility of a bicycle to reach the bus stops in London and Oxford but at the same time take the bicycle with me in the bus each time. One factor for the purchase was also that the bike had a lightweight frame and 12 kg is quite okay to lift it into the bus trunk and take it out from there on a regular basis.The extra delivery costs is about 10% of the overall price, which is quite high and I almost did not buy it because of this. Anyway, there was no better option given and finally I took it. The delivery by Parcelforce was in principle very fast and I was even contacted by SMS to let me know the arrival time (which turned out to be 2 hours earlier than the realistic arrival time). So unfortunately, I was at work and not any more present at the first delivery and after a phonecall, an informal letter and another total of 3 days of waiting time, the delivery was finally successful. Parcelforce refused to leave the package in front of the house (a London residential street, okay I get the point), or my suggested alternative to give it to a neighbour because my chosen option obviously did not reach the driver, or the driver refused to do it because the given address did not specify a person's name. Anyway, finally I decided to stay at home and wait for the delivery again (note: my boss did not really like that part...). So overall, delivery was a bit of a hassle for me, but finally I got it.So the bike arrived and enthusiastically I started unpacking it. Everything was easy and straightforward, no instructions required really. The bike looks wonderful! It is easy to fold and unfold. The mudguards are made of plastic, which makes them at least low-weight. The bike comes even including a stand. I then got stuck at the saddle quick lock screw, where I noted that the screw thread was broken and I was not able to tigthen the screw really. So I contacted the seller and he was very friendly, very responsive and after some exchange of details, I got a spare quick lock screw the next day! Wow! This was the most positive experience! Great seller and very good and fast service in case of a problem. Big plus here and this is why I give the 5 stars!So the saddle is firm and yesterday I made my first test ride. Everything fine! I really like how easy the bike rides, no problems at all. The gears switching is fine (there could be 1 or 2 higher gears when going up to speed, though, but I think these bikes are just not made for speed), breaks are very good. I think this is exactly the right thing for having a quite economical solution for commuters or people living in large cities.

I have been feeling lousy with a cold since this arrived and haven't ridden it yet so this review is based on a first few (reasonably well-informed) impressions.You may be like me, a cheapskate looking for a folder for occasional use and with no desire to spend too much. You are on the horns of a dilemma: looking at the folding bike market you know that £200 is a very, very competitive price for bike with this spec, but it is also too much to throw away on a complete dog.Who the hell are Ecosmo, we ask ourselves and why is a bike with an aluminium frame and fork and a competent parts list going for a song? Anything in the £200 price range from anyone else is a hi-ten steel lump, weighing upwards of 15 kg. You may also, like me, go onto Ecosmo's website and see a whole range of far less impressive looking bikes for sale and then fear that your prospective purchase is simply a well camouflaged heap of junk. The website is an above average Chinese-inspired affair with just enough information and even photos of their factory (and we'll take them at their word that it is theirs) to inspire confidence. They can't spell 'Kenda' (as in the natty black and red tyres with which this bike comes shod) and, as websites go, it's a bit clunky but at least they've got one.Maybe you've even done some further digging to see who these mysterious Ecosmo guys are and found out that many are referring to them as a Dahon sub division, a part of Dahon's brand engineering project to keep itself at the top of the folding bike tree globally. In order to corner the growing Chinese market and to fight off outfits like Tern in the West (an industrial family feud worthy of a soap opera, it seems) founder David Hon has licensed the company's technology to allow companies like Ecosmo to sell what are essentially re-badged Dahons at a lower price point that the parent company could allow itself to do.I was curious and so contacted Ecosmo directly. Were they a Dahon sub brand and was that a 33.9mm seat post, were my questions. The response came very quickly (and on a Sunday!) that in the UK they are their own brand, which I took to be a rather cryptic evasion of the point. And yes, it is a 33.9mm seat post.Impressed by their pre-purchase service and reasonably convinced that they are essentially a Dahon in Ecosmo's clothing I hit the 'Buy Now' button and crossed my fingers. Exciting isn't it?It arrived the next working day and so with trembling fingers I opened the sturdy box. It was well packaged with all the standard expanded foam wraps on the frame and fork and the hub nuts covered in black plastic discs and so on. It required putting together with tools and was ready to fly in a couple of minutes.First impressions: high quality welds and general build, good paint (pearlescent white in my case) and good finishing kit (generally). The seat post and saddle are not to my taste- I don't like sofas masquerading as saddles but it does have a cut out to relieve pressure in the right areas. The mudguards and rack are well attached and aligned with Allen bolts, not crappy screws or bolts. The hubs are 'Shun Feng' branded (I know, they're my fave brand too) and are nutted rather than QR. At least that makes them more tamper-proof when locked up outdoors (you get a dinky wee spanner for them) and despite the non-brand brand they look serviceable enough. The brakes are quite impressive and are, I suspect, Avid FR 5 clones, both levers and brakes. There is nothing cheap and flimsy about these and they remind me of some of the better quality units I've had on mountain bikes back in the day. I don't love Shimano grip shifters as they are bulky in the hand and can require awkward wrist contortions at times, but they are certainly livable and can be replaced with trigger shifters for very little cash whenever I can be bothered.So, in summary, for £200 (+ £20 p&p- the honesty of the separate costing of which I appreciate; i.e. you're not charged £225 with 'free postage') you get a very, very good deal. The machining under the folded stem might be slightly slicker on a Dahon (might, I don't know) and the clasp holding the bike together might be a little higher quality (again, I'm going on my first impression with no reference point) on a Dahon but beyond that it is a very convincing bike overall and not a cheap ill thought out 'bike shaped object' built down to a price, piled high and then sold cheap.If you want a folder that'll be fit for purpose even for regular use, aren't a label snob and love a bargain then look no further.

Love the bike. A good adult fit (I'm 5' 7"), folds to compact very nicely/easily. Looks great!Easy to complete assembly on delivery.Very light to ride (took a little practice to adjust to after a standard mountain bike, but now very comfortable).Inner tubes seams split after 1 use (i replaced with tougher bmx style inner tubes to insure strength, now works great).If not for having to replace inner tubes I would have given 5 stars.Even my son thinks it's cool (he's 22yo and 6' tall).Shame about the weak inner tubes, but was easy to remedy - just irritating when the rest is good quality, stylish, and solid built.

Well impressed with this bike, bought one for me and one for my wife. Set up the first bike and was really impressed with the ride quality. Forgot how to fold the handlebar but had the second bike to check, all good now. The size when folded up is very small, I have each bike in a bike bag and both bikes fit inside at the rear of our VW camper.I like the storage rack on the rear of the bike, very handy for a small bag. I can unload both bikes out of the bags, assemble both within a cpl of minutes and reassembly is approximately the same. Couldn't be happier. I researched foldup bikes for quite a while comparing sizes, prices and most importantly the reviews. This bike stood out and I'm pleased I chose this.