Brompton Folding Bicycle

Brompton's folding bicycle collapses into a package the size of a large briefcase in about 15 seconds. Watching someone do it for the first time is genuinely disorienting because the bike seems to swallow itself. Hinges at the main tube and the rear triangle, folding handlebars — the whole thing stands upright on its own when folded, small enough to slide under a desk or into a train luggage rack. The ride quality is surprisingly stable for a bike with 16-inch wheels, partly because the geometry is designed specifically for city riding rather than adapted from a full-size frame. I saw 3 of them locked up outside a coffee shop in Brooklyn over fall break and ended up talking to one of the owners. Who said he chose the Brompton over a full-size bike because his apartment has no storage and his commute involves 2 subway transfers. Carrying the bike onto the train rather than locking it outside solves the theft problem completely. Small wheels accelerate faster from stops, which matters more in city traffic than top speed. At $1,500 for the base model the price is steep, but the owner pointed out that it replaces a monthly transit pass for anything under 5 miles.