What is a folding bike? Exactly – I had pretty much no idea either. I knew about Bromptons – skinny looking things you see in London. That’s about it. Then I read about the Bike Friday All-Packa on bikepacking.com and in my Adventure Cycling magazine. One cool bike. What a great idea!
Problem was, purchasing one of these bikes is a significant investment – a new Brompton** starts at $AUD 3,000, and an All-Packa (or the Diamond Llama) costs more than that. Both brands are highly customisable, and second-hand bikes few and far between. My thinking: I’m going to have to be pretty convinced this is a thing to invest that type of coin. Not to mention what Mrs CyclingGravel might think….. And I suppose the other question is: do I really need to spend that much to go bikepacking?
March 2025: If you want to get the full up-to-date summary of where CyclingGravel’s folding bike adventures are up to, check out the Folding Bikepacking page
Bikepacking on a folding bike?
Clearly, Bike Friday makes bikes for touring. And people do tour on Bromptons – I saw quite a few folk doing this for at least overnight on my Korean bikepacking trip. Looking a bit deeper Brompton Traveller and also the idiosyncratic Hobocyclist demonstrate how folding bike touring can be done – and these guys carry all the stuff to camp (not a CyclingGravel preference).
Hobocyclist inspired me: I could buy a cheap bike and give this a go. Although the second-hand market was an option, could I find a decent bike for less than $AUD 1,000 and see if this works? I figured with that kind of budget, worst case I sell it after a while or give it to a bike charity. So I started the research.
Finding an affordable folding bike
Researching folding bikes opened up a whole world of brands I had no idea existed. Just googling “best folding bikes” introduces you to Tern and Dahon – brands that specialise in folding bikes. I also found other bespoke brands too. Recommendations about what to look for started to come together:
- Some bikes have 6 or 7 gears. This may not cut it when touring – you need more than that. Speaking of, finding a gear-inch ratio website can really help understand what pedalling will be like compared to a normal 29 inch wheeled bike.
- 20 inch wheels have the advantage of being the BMX bike standard – opening up parts options.
- Nothing will fold quite like a Brompton.
A few articles (for example, NY Times), narrowed my interest in a Dahon Mariner – a bike that I found available in Australia for $AUD 850. Not bad. So I went for a look and a round-the-shop ride. I liked it, but was not convinced. Yes, it came with rack and fenders. But it had a lot of Dahon proprietary parts, had not great rim brakes, and the seat was awful. Nevertheless it did fit my budget.
Further research discovered the Polygon Urbano 5, on sale (including shipping) for $AUD 750. Featuring aluminium frame, Shimano drivetrain with 9 speed 11-34 cassette (and better low range gear ratios than the Mariner), Tektro hydraulic disc brakes, and a decent looking seat it seemed so much better than the Dahon. I’ve known a few folk who have bought Polygon gravel and mountain bikes and been really happy with them, and the few online videos about the bike seemed favourable. Whilst perhaps not famous for folding bikes, this Indonesian brand is getting a reputation for affordable and well-built bikes. So I bit the bullet, and a few days later a boxed bike arrived.
Polygon Urbano 5
So, here is my new Foldie. Initially I put a rear light mount and an old drink cage on, but otherwise this is it out of the box. Impressed with what seems a really nice build quality (although time will tell!) I’ve also been pleasantly surprised by how well it goes on my first short rides. What do I notice?
- While the seat height is identical to my other bikes, you do sit a bit more up-right due to the reach being shorter.
- The bike rides surprisingly like a normal bike. So far I have not noticed that the bike is particularly twitchy, though the steering is sharp.
- The bike is no slouch – you are not going to set land speed records but it can make a decent pace.
- Initial impressions is it climbs ok – but this needs to be put to the test.
But can it be a touring bike? Time to try some longer rides…
** Footnote: Brompton clearly thinks folding gravel bikes are a thing with the launch of the new G-Line. Awesome looking bike. But it also will be expensive – starting at £2,400.
CyclingGravel 