Folding bikes tested
We test two new folding bikes from Pacific Cycles against our current Best Buy. Which is best?
Modern folding bikes can be packed up and slipped in your boot without tools – and if you leave your car in a cheap, out-of-town car park and ride the rest of the way to work, you can save big.
Pacific Cycles has launched two new bikes – the Urban and Reach – and we tested them against our Issue 1,164 Best Buy: the Brompton S1E-X.
Easy folding, light weight and solid build were vital to fit the bikes in our Vauxhall Corsa’s boot. But we also wanted a good ride.
We rated each bike’s comfort and features, as well as the gears, brakes and pedals, over a two-mile inner-city test course – and the Urban was the most comfortable choice. It looks great, too, although it’s heavy.
The Reach is better equipped than the Brompton and a brilliant compromise, but it’s too big for the boot. So the light, simple-to-fold Brompton remains our top choice: you can put it in the boot and still have space for shopping.
Well equipped: Pacific Cycles iF Reach
Price: £1,299.99
Weight: 11.9kg
Contact: folding-bikes.com
Rating: ★★★★
The new Reach doesn’t look like a folding bike, although we thought it was the least attractive choice here. But it compensates with nine gears, plus suspension front and rear. It folds quickly, if not as small as the Brompton, and is more portable than the Urban, which makes a big difference when getting it into and out of the car. The 20-inch wheels give decent comfort in town, plus it’s well built. But it can’t match the cheaper, lighter Brompton.
Top comfort: Pacific Cycles iF Urban 700
Price: £1,199
Weight: 13.5kg
Contact: folding-bikes.com
Rating: ★★★
Full-size Urban is a great looker with its matt black paint, and although there’s no suspension, its 29-inch wheels smooth out potholes better than the other bikes. There are two gears, so hills are easier than on the single-speed Brompton, while the folding mechanism is as simple as the Reach’s. But the Urban is heavy to lift into the boot and was a tight fit in our hatch.
Still the best: Brompton S1E-X
Price: £1,200
Weight: 9kg
Contact: 020 8232 8484, brompton.co.uk
Rating: ★★★★★
The Brompton folds down the smallest of our bikes and weighs the least, too. But it has its limitations. There’s only one gear and you don’t really feel the effect of the basic rear suspension, so it’s a little uncomfortable over long journeys. But while the price has risen £60 since our last test, we’d still pick this bike for commuting, as it’s so easy to get in and out of the boot.
