Compared to other folding bikes it would be a total pain to try and take say onto a train and into a restaurant. Apart form the weight that you’d have to carry, the messy chain, dirty wheels etc, you’d end up with both hands tied up one for the frame and one for the front wheel.

Dahon, Brompton and others make much more practical folding bikes, ones which you really can take with you anywhere, some new models now have full sized wheels and can fold down without having to remove bits, others you can roll along. So sorry I think this bike is for a very narrow niche market – proper mountain bikers will have proper mountain bikes, and people who need a fully portable bike will choose a proper folding bike.

The bike is tough, looks really cool and gets plenty of attention wherever I ride it. The folding mechanism is quick, simple and really strong. They are still quite rare in the UK, but I got mine from the main distributor at http://www.montague-uk.com. They have the whole range of models, including the ‘boy’s own’ Paratrooper, in camo green, from the same stable as the Swissbike models.

So my advice is; don’t do the small-wheel hinged frame thing, go with a tried and tested full-size foldable bike that feels like a ‘real’ bike when you’re riding it.