Downtube Review

Downtube is a small US company set up by Yan Lyansky in 1996 selling bicycle components and other supplies. By 2003, Downtube had started its own line of folding bikes. Some of the design was instigated by Yan Lyansky and contracted out to a Chinese manufacturer as part of the supply chain. The aim was to supply good quality folding bikes at an aggressive pricing point. Traditionally, folding bikes have either been expensively high-end and out of many peoples reach, or cheap and tacky toys that wouldn't even stand a few weeks use by a young kid. In recent years companies like Dahon have managed to produce reasonable quality folding bikes at the lower-end pricing points but that's because they had larger economies of scale as the leading manufacturer in the folding bike segment. The question is could Downtube succeed as a smaller company and avoid being yet another cheap Chinese-sourced bike and a heavy folding monster?

I'd decided go for the Downtube as one of my introductions to the world of folding bikes. The FS is a full suspension bike that comes in 8 and 9 speed variants. The FS9 seemed the better option with the extra higher gear and appeared to be a relatively good looking bike. I was encouraged by favourable reviews on various blogs, and the £199 pricing point plus £25 delivery seemed to be competitive enough. The Downtube business model uses online channels such as its own website and eBay to sell the bikes direct to the consumer. The bike arrives boxed and either needs adjustment if you are bike savvy or a quick tuning from your local bike shop. This was always very clear in the sales information. Even though I'm far from being a bike mechanic, it was not difficult to adjust to unfold the bike, adjust the gearing and make the bike fairly usable out of the box.

The Downtube FS has a tall frame and can actually take people over 6 feet quite comfortably. Even though I'm exactly 6 feet (183cm) tall, I even use the longer non-telescopic seat-post on my Brompton at full stretch which is designed for people up to 6' 2". There is no doubt the Downtube could handle people up to 6' 4". The bike looked OK in the website and eBay listing photos but much nicer in reality. If anything the photos on the website or eBay do not actually do the bike justice. It's actually way undersold from a visual and graphical perspective; it's a cool looking bike in the flesh!

Photo of Downtube FS from their website.

The bike has a nice geometry and rode very nicely on its initial outing. The suspension definitely makes a difference off-road when I used it on canal towpaths but remained firm enough on normal roads. In fact when hitting drain recesses or rougher road patches it smoothed the ride out very nicely. The FS uses a non-standard Ju-Ju gearing system. The shift on these gears was perfectly OK and I'd probably equate it to a lower-end Shimano system.

The FS has very good brakes and good frame stiffness. The overall ride quality was quite close to that of a larger bike and equates with the ride of many high-end and more expensive folders. It would be better to see a mid-range gearing s and slightly better quality pedals and crank set to do the excellent frame more justice. I had to replace the pedals after a few weeks as they started developing loud clicking noises. I personally recommend the MKS-FD6 or MKS clip off pedals as they are very high quality and add to the ride quality when you are pedalling.

The fold is pretty standard with the frame folding in half, saddle coming down and handlebars dropping to the side. Operating the quick release hinges is responsive and easy and they appear to be durable and quite good quality. The fold is adequate rather than great as the bike does not lock together in any way and the folded footprint is not as small as some other 20" rivals. It is more than ample for normal stowing away, putting most car sor being allowed as a folding bike on peak hour commuting trains. I'd never recommend bringing many 20" wheel bikes on peak hour commuting buses or trains in major cities anyway.

The best thing about the Downtube FS long-term is its upgradeability. I added components which made a significant difference. Because the Downtube uses non-proprietary components, it is very easy to source and modify the bike to your needs. The addition of an improved saddle, MKS folding pedals, better grips and a new 9 speed Shimano Deore gearing system was relatively inexpensive. If you need the bike for normal riding on a budget its fine but if you become more demanding the upgrading takes the FS into the territory of some far more expensive folders without a huge outlay.

An upgraded Shimano Deore system with trigger shifters is very inexpensive and provides a very smooth shift.

Below the upgraded Downtube FS in its entirety with Bontrager seatpost rack, Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres (Almost bombproof!), and upgraded gear system.

The final picture below shows the new Bontrager grips and Deore trigger shifter.

Overall the Downtube FS 2007 is a very good bike at £199 Sterling. Unfortunately only the clearance bikes are now available in the UK and have limited stock. Downtube is a US company and for US buyers their range represent excellent 'bang for buck' in terms of value. A new agent reseller has been appointed in the UK (http://www.velochocolate.co.uk/) who not only sells the clearance bikes but can import any of the 2009 range from the US if so required. This does mean an increase on US prices because of high EU import duties and 17.5% VAT. However Downtube bikes still remain competitive especially the 8 Speed hub version of the Downtube FS, the Downtube Mini (which folds much smaller having 16" wheels) and the front suspension 8 speed hub bicycle in silver. See www.downtube.com for more details.

Downtubes are very good bikes. For US buyers they represent a high quality budget proposition. Clearance 2007 models if still available in the UK are an absolute bargain. It's a shame Downtube had to scale down sales operations in the UK market but entirely understandable given the exorbitant costs and taxes for importing into the EU for a smaller company. I still believe it's worth getting the UK reseller to import any new 2009 models in the hub speed version as they are especially still good value for money even after import duties. Hub geared bikes are very durable and have an extrmely smooth shift and the Downtube versions represent excellent value with 8 speed Sturmey Archer systems across the range as well as an option on the FS model. The Downtube FS itself is a very versatile bike with a great frame and only minor criticisms. The new hub-geared version represents a For the US market the Downtube FS and other bikes in the range represent an excellent proposition for the money.