I have been a cycling enthusiast for a very long time—enjoying both the activity itself and the tinkering and maintenance involved. I’ve also ridden quite a variety of bikes over the years. 😉 It started with a tricycle at a very young age, moved on to Magneet bikes during my primary school years, a hybrid bike for several camping trips, and an experiment with an M5 recumbent, leading up to my current "fleet": a Trident Stowaway recumbent trike, a Surly Disc Trucker, and—for the past two years—a Pacto Thre3 folding bike.
And then you often hear the question: A folding bike? What is that all about?
After my initial experiences and doubts, I can confidently confirm: It's all about fun, being versatile, convenient, comfortable, and—again—fun!
The reason I started looking into folding bikes was my limited mobility these days. Walking has become problematic due to my bad back, but with a folding bike in the car trunk, I can still head into the city or explore new places. Initially, I looked for small folding bikes with small wheels that were easy to transport in the trunk. But then I thought: What if I want to do more with it? So, I expanded my search to include the more "serious" models—and that’s when you frequently hear the name Brompton come up.
The iconic image of the folding bike. Small and compact—except for the price tag! 😦
So, after a lot of searching, asking around on sites like Reddit, and watching YouTube videos, I ended up looking at Pacto folding bikes, eventually choosing the Pacto Thre3: https://www.pactobike.com/nl/collections/moove-03. It’s affordable, has 20-inch wheels, and comes equipped with a rack, mudguards, and lights. I haven't regretted it for a moment. In fact, I even bought my wife a Pacto Six so we could enjoy cycling together.
I use the folding bike for fun rides on various surfaces—tarmac, gravel, grass, mud, etc... and it handles them all quite well. Plus, the bike's compact size makes it ideal for mounting on a wheel-on indoor trainer so I can cycle or work out inside during bad weather. That’s something I really need, given my COPD.
All in all, I can say it again: A folding bike? It’s all about fun, comfort and convenience!
A impression of one of my rides on the Pacto Thre3: