If you only have room for one bike, then you should probably make it a folding one. These versatile machines allow you to switch seamlessly between pedal power and public transport – you can ride to work in the morning sunshine, and if the weather turns rainy you can just pick up your bike and hop on the train. They take up far less space than a normal bike, too, meaning you can pop them in the hallway, under the stairs, or in the boot of your car. And as you can carry them into a cafe or office without thinking twice about it, they’re much less likely to get pinched.
But with tons of choice on the market, which is the best folding bike to buy? We’ve taken the time to ride and review most of the big names out there, and here you’ll find a handy buying guide which explains the features to look out for, followed by our pick of the best folding bikes on the market.
How to buy the best folding bike for you
Conventional bikes only need to do one thing well. Folding bikes need to do three. That makes designing a great folding bike a real engineering challenge for manufacturers, as they have to balance the requirements of an efficient folding mechanism, easy portability, and ride characteristics that echo their full size counterparts. You won’t be surprised to hear that not every folding bike manages to get the balance right.
There are upsides and downsides to almost every design decision. Compact folded packages are more convenient to carry, but bikes with very small wheels can be twitchy to ride. Light bikes are more efficient to ride and lug around, but tend to cost more. Multiple gears can make your progress uphill less taxing, but are hard to integrate into small wheels.
Which features should I look out for?
At the heart of every bike is its frame. This can be made from a range of materials including ultralight carbon fibre, middleweight aluminium, or the heaviest and most rugged option, steel.
Bolted to this are the wheels, which come in different sizes and affect both the ride and the folding characteristics of the bike – as a rule, bigger wheels roll more easily over bumps and imperfections in the road.
Most people will want to look for a model with gears, as these allow both faster and slower riders to pick a resistance level which suits their legs best. Without gears, hills may turn into an out-of-the-saddle struggle. With everything from minimalist single speed options all the way up to models with ten gears, there’s something for every budget and experience level.
It’s worth paying attention to the little details, too. Mud guards are a good addition – firstly because nothing can dampen your newfound enthusiasm for cycling like a soggy bottom, but also because they’ll allow you to wear smart work clothes for short rides without worrying about getting covered in grime.
Finally, it’s well worth looking out for puncture resistant tyres, as these will cut down the amount of time you spend laid up at the side of the road with flats. Some manufacturers may try to cut weight with lighter tyres, but these are a waste of time for a commuter bike. As it‘s generally trickier to remove the wheels on a folding bike, you want to avoid punctures as much as is humanly possible.
How much do I need to spend?
As folding bikes need to do more than their non-folding siblings it makes sense to invest a little extra. If you’ve not ridden a bike since childhood, £300 might seem like a lot of cash to drop. However this is the minimum you’ll need to spend to get a bike that’s both comfortable and durable. It’s also possible to spend many multiples of that amount if you so wish. Compare it to the cost of a travelcard or a gym membership over the course of several months, though, and it won't look so expensive after all.
There is also the cost of ongoing maintenance to consider. This is where more expensive machines can come into their own, as they'll often require less regular intervention to keep them running smoothly thanks to more durable components.
The best folding bikes to buy from £300
1. Brompton M3L: The best all-round folding bike
Price:£1050
A design classic, the Brompton is the very definition of refinement. Unusually for a premium bike it uses steel for its frame and structural parts, and while this is normally associated with more budget options, here it’s employed here to boost durability – it’s not unusual to see Bromptons going strong after over a decade of service. With every model meticulously constructed at the brand’s London factory, the quality control and after-sales service is simply second to none.
As each bike comes custom built, you can choose your preferred gearing, ride position and extras. Our personal favourite is the classic all steel M3L, which comes with a comfortable upright ‘M-type’ ride position, three speed internal gearing, and mudguards. Lower or higher handlebars are also available, alongside models with lighter single or two speed gearing, or a six speed hub option for more challenging rides. Riders after the lowest weight (and a far lighter wallet) can also select a superlight model, which switches in titanium parts.
Whichever you choose, however, the folding mechanism is smooth and easy to operate, and creates one of the smallest collapsed packages available – it’s really quite brilliant.
Buy the Brompton M3L from Evans Cycles
Key specs – Folded Size: 58 x 56 x 27cm; Wheel size: 16-inch; Weight: 11.6kg; Frame material: Steel; Gears: 3-speed internal; Extras: Rack and mud guards
2. Dahon Mu Uno: The best singlespeed folding bike
Price:£800
The Dahon Mu Uno is the very picture of simplicity: it uses a single-speed drivetrain twinned with a backpedal brake which means you simply push backwards on the pedals to slow down. This reduces both weight and maintenance, and also creates an uncluttered silhouette which is devoid of extraneous cables, brake calipers or levers.
Uniquely, the Mu Uno also uses a clean-running carbon belt drive instead of a conventional chain. This both lasts longer and won’t leave oily marks on your clothing. The 20-inch wheels are built with light yet strong components and shod with good quality puncture-resistant tyres, which makes for smooth rolling on the roads. The result is a folding bike with a serious turn of speed. Quality parts and sealed bearings mean it should rack up many miles before requiring any major servicing.
When you’re done pedalling the Dahon’s folding design is entirely functional, but as it uses a magnetic clasp it’s not as quick or secure as the mechanisms on the more expensive Brompton or Hummingbird bikes.
Buy the Dahon Mu Uno from Tredz
Key specs – Folded Size: 78 x 66 x 26cm; Wheel size: 20-inch; Weight: 9.9kg; Frame material: Aluminium; Gears: Single-speed; Extras: n/a
3. Hummingbird Single Speed: The best folding bike for speed and lightness
Price:£3,495
If only the stiffest, lightest folding bike in the world will do, then we have some bad news: you’re going to need some serious cash at your disposal. The Hummingbird is a no-expense-spared vision of the ultimate 6.9kg folding bike – handmade in the UK from carbon fibre, it’s laden with the kind of high-end components which will have any cyclist drooling with excitement.
Its feathery-light monocoque carbon mainframe is twinned to an aluminium rear swingarm, and the folding mechanism is ingenious. Simply tuck one half underneath the other, then pivot the handlebar downwards to set it flush against the side of the bike. The process is quick, and importantly both feels secure and is extremely convenient to carry. It is admittedly a little longer than a Brompton when folded, but it’s still thin enough to tuck comfortably behind a train seat.
Allow it to open its wings, however, and the Hummingbird’s low weight, high stiffness, and racy wheels make it one of the fastest rolling folding bikes money can buy. This version here runs on a simple single speed drive system, although a four speed hub gear model is also available, along with a option fitted with an e-assist motor. The only major sticking point is whether you can actually afford it.
Key specs – Folded Size: 85 x 55 x 20cm; Wheel size: 16-inch; Weight: 6.9kg; Frame material: Carbon fibre; Gears: Single-speed; Extras: n/a
4. Raleigh Stowaway: The best folding bike for budget conscious commuters
Price:£300
Despite being by far the cheapest option on our list, the Raleigh Stowaway makes a solid companion for short commutes or leisure use.
Its sizable 20-inch wheels are larger than on some folders, and the result is a confident ride, with wider tyres that are happy to tackle mixed terrain. The downside of the larger wheels is that the Stowaway’s weight and folded size are at the upper end of the scale. Thankfully, though, the broad range of seven gears means that getting it up and down hills won’t be too difficult regardless of the bike’s increased mass.
There are some things to bear in mind, however. For instance, while the saddle will keep your bum happy for shorter trips, longer journeys will have you wishing for a better quality saddle to cushion your posterior. And while it’s nice to see a rack and mudguards included as standard, the rest of the components are more basic – if you use it alot, you better be prepared to spend a significant chunk of the purchase price on its first service.
If you can forgive those minor flaws, then this is a lot of bike for not much money.
Key specs – Folded Size: 79 x 66 x 27cm; Wheel size: 20-inch; Weight: 13kg; Frame material: Aluminium; Gears: 7-speed; Extras: Rack and mud guards
5. Montague Paratrooper Pro: The best folding bike for full size off-road performance
Price:£1,200
The Paratrooper Pro is a folding bike that dares to be different: it uses full size 26-inch wheels which allow it to provide performance that’s almost indistinguishable from a conventional mountain bike. There’s even a suspension fork to take the edge off rougher terrain. This is paired with powerful disc brakes for enhanced control and a wide spread of gears which ensure you’ll never have to get off and push.
The flipside of this high-rolling, quick-stopping persona is that the bike doesn’t fold down to be nearly as small as the other alternatives listed here. It’s also a more involved process to fold it down as it requires removing the front wheel before doing so. The entire back half of the bike then swings around a central pivot to tuck into the space vacated by the wheel. It’s a design that makes the Montague better suited to taking on occasional trips, or for providing a big-bike ride for people with limited amounts of storage, as opposed to serving in situations where it needs to be regularly folded.
On the plus side the ride quality is excellent and the entire package is very robust. If you can put up with the extra size and prefer the idea of big, fast-rolling tyres, then its a great option.
Montague Paratrooper Pro Folding Mountain Bike + Free Montague Bike Bag & Frame Cover (20")
Key specs – Folded Size: 91 x 71 x 30cm; Wheel size: 26-inch; Weight: 13.2kg; Frame material: Aluminium; Gears: 27-speed; Extras: Rack and mud guards
6. Tern Verge X10: The best folding bike for high-speed commuting
Price:£1,700
The Verge X10 is a miniaturised racer with the ability to fold down in around ten seconds. By imitating many of the attributes common to non-folding racing bikes, this folding bike weighs just 9.6kg – and it’s designed to be seriously fast.
Best suited to aggressive, head down style riding, its hydroformed 7005 aluminium frame and fork are finished with deliciously smooth-looking welds, and roll on ultra quick Kinetix Pro X wheels. These use a minimalist number of spokes, deep aerodynamic rims, and are wrapped in slick Schwalbe tyres. But while they’re fast on the road, bear in mind that they’re not designed to venture away from the tarmac.
At the back of the bike, a quick-shifting Sram derailleur offers ten different gears, while up front a huge chainring means your legs won’t spin out even at warp speed. The low overall weight also makes the whole package easy to carry, although we’re not the biggest fans of the magnetic clasp based folding system.
Buy the Tern Verge X10 from Triton Cycles
Key specs – Folded Size: 38 x 79 x 72cm; Wheel size: 20-inch; Weight: 9.6kg; Frame material: Aluminium; Gears: 10-speed; Extras: n/a