Stowabike 26" MTB V2 Folding Dual Suspension 18sp Gears Mountain Bike

I have had mine for 18 months now with no problems whatsoever. I have used it on/off road fairly extensively, and even on muddy bridal paths proved to be be tough and rugged. ISince I am in my 60`s, I have changed the handlebars to give a more upright position, and the saddle for a wider one, and can honestly say its the most comfortable bike I have ever owned, (and I use 2/3 times a week or more).I have taken it on holiday in the car and if you remove the handlebars and saddle and bungee them to the sides of the frame it folds up very small. The only criticism is the weight, Its very heavy (especially if you put mudguards, racks, panniers, lights etc on, as I have)-.but I figure thats a minor point as is the smelly tyres, which disappears after a couple of months.All in all an excellent bike, which will fit anyone between 5-6 feet tall easily, is easy to maintain, has good brakes,suspension and gearing, and is easy to store. You wont be disappointed (unless you want a lightweight model!)Update. - OVER 2 YEARS RIDING AND NO PROBLEMS. BIGGEST IMPROVEMENT I HAVE MADE IS TO CHANGE THE TYRES FOR SLICKS. THIS HAS ENABLED ME TO DROP 2 GEARS AND INCREASE MY MAX SPEED BY 7 MPH AS WELL AS LESSEN THE EFFORT CONSIDERABLY. IF YOU DONT DO MUCH OFF ROADING ITS WORTHWHILE SPENDING AROUND £30 FOR A COUPLE OF SMOOTH TYRES, AND SAVE THE KNOBBLY ONES FOR WINTER/OFF ROAD RIDING.

General Experience***********************This bike (as supplied) is unsuitable for anyone under about 5'8" tall (tips of toes), as the seat is too high (with lowest adjustment).The reason is that the seat post cannot be inserted any lower, as it touches the rear suspension unit.The accompanying manual's stated specification for the bike's seat height are widly inaccurate (650mm).The minimum height that I obtained with the seat post provided is about 900mm (OK for 6'-6'8" <snigger>) from floor to top of seat.As we needed something for a person under 5'6" tall then we needed a shorter seat post because the one provided is 300mm and is the reason the seat cannot be lowered anymore.After speaking to the supplier, all they could tell me was to return the product, as they would not supply a shorter seat post.So I obtained a shorter seat post from Halfords at my own expense and had them further reduce it to the minimum length possible, achieving the actual minimum seat height of 800mm - I cannot reduce it anymore. But this is sufficient for my purpose.The extra cost to me was £10.It is my opinion that the supplier should have immediately supplied a short and long seat post option with the bike itself, the bulk cost would be about £2 extra. Certainly, the manual's specification is misleading and I had assembled the bike before I found out the seat height values were outrageously wrong.PROS--------Easy to assemble.SturdyNice gearsNice shocksCONS---------Manual is poor.Shimano gears manual/leaflet arrived with 90% of it missing (just a torn scrap remained).Wheel rims are a little warped where the spokes have not been balanced correctly. Will get them balanced some time.There's no where really to mount rear facing lamps, as the tubular bars are too narrow. I've used one of the rear mudguard holes mounting instead.Finally... when folded its not really suitable for travelling on buses, it won't go in my car (anywhere - seat/boot) and I can only imagine it would be useful if I put it on the roof rack, but then I might as well use a bike attachment to the roof rack, then my box will also fit. When stored in the house, its stored fully unfolded, as its an awkward shape & size when folded, and added lights etc get broken by folding. So for me, the best option may have been to have bought a normal bike, unless I go out and buy a rangerover or similar (just for this "folding" bike - ha ha).

The bike shop I went to for advice almost persuaded me the minimum I needed to spend on a bike was £500 for a hard-tail 'starter MTB' - I wasn't convinced that I wouldn't simply have it instantly nicked and so I took the cheapskate option - this Stowabike. I reckoned that if I didn't like cycling £135 wasn't too much to lose and if I did like cycling I could buy a better bike and keep this one for travelling, since it folds up.Well it's amazing value for money. It arrived early, took less time than advertised to assemble (about 20 minutes to unpack and stick the various bits on) is far sturdier than I thought it would be and rides better than I expected. It's a bit heavier than alloy and non-folding bikes but I bought it to keep fit not break speed records so who cares? It's rigid on the road and supple on the bumps thanks to the effective suspension and adjusts easily to meet my size (I am 6' & 95 kg). I don't know how long it will last but the product seems very well made with details like the welding and paintwork appearing of high enough quality to last at least a year or two. Rear brake is feeble but front brake OK and it stops in the wet which many bikes don't.

Overall this bike did just what I needed it to do; it folds up small enough to fit in a small car (with the seats down). Aside from that there aren't many positives. It's quite heavy for what is supposed to be a portable bike and it does lack in quality. I've had to carry out more maintenance on this bike than any other I've owned but I have enjoyed being able to throw it in the car. I wouldn't be too put off by some of the negatives if you really value the fact it will fit in a car (don't have ambitions of it fitting in a boot or taking this thing on a train/bus easily, even when folded it's too large for that).