my bike, my silver bullet

the idea to get a foldie was held back, as it wouldn’t take us far to walk to a race site and we usually stick to a single location for photography. the hubs lamented recently on how he has to run alone, now that i have stop my running regime. i couldn’t join him in this run, i could cycle and explore the punggol waterway and beyond with him.

i was looking for a 8-speed foldie for less than $1k, and narrowed down to Tern Link D8. we paid a visit to my bike shop, which is the nearest bike shop that carries a wide range of foldies and offers free test rides. i requested for the range similar to the Link D8, and was given first a Bickerton 1808. Bickerton is a totally new brand to me, and the ones i’d researched on are from Dahon, Tern, Raleigh, Brompton, Bike Friday, to name a few.

other than the discomfort i felt from my fully stretched arm from the seatpost to the handlebar while riding on the Bickerton, the gear changing and ride was more smooth than the Link D8. the Bickerton, given the colours of the foldie, has an old school look which attracts me to it as well.

another 2 bikes, the Dahon Horize and a 9-speed Dahon. i did not give much thought on the Horize initially as it wasn’t in my researched list. the ride was sturdy, and gear changing was smooth without loud audible clanking sounds. the last ride narrowed down my options to the Link D8 and the Horize. when i learnt that Horize comes in silver too, i set my sights on it, and the price was definitely within my budget.

it took me a week for more research on the full specifications and colour options, before dropping by chapter2cycle for a price comparison. fyi – the Horize is a new 2014 model, and limited information is available on this bike, including the upgrade options and etc. i was hoping to find the matte black version though. the guy who served us said that they do not have the ability to request for the colours of a certain model. instead, the distributor will give them a range of colours available. no further bargaining was required, and i am a happy owner of the silver Horize.