1.     The intention of the table is to show, in ascending order of price, all the non-electric folding bicycles readily available from and fully supported in the UK by manufacturers, importers or dealers having a UK website which clearly states their UK address and telephone number.  No recommendation is given about the quality or suitability for purpose of any model.  For each bike in the table, the link is to the model itself (as far as possible) or to the manufacturer/importer/dealer website.  Most of the specifications are taken from the manufacturer's (UK) website (if available), or that of the importer(s), or a major dealer, or a catalogue website.  In some instances, usually only for lower-priced bikes, a very few or just a single dealer with a web presence has been found.  Note that the same bike may occasionally appear under the name of more than one manufacturer (e.g. Raleigh and Phillips, Mission and Oyama), and that some manufacturers (notably Dahon) make bikes for others to sell under their own name, usually in slightly modified form.

2.     The Price column is an attempt to indicate the approximate retail price (rounded to the nearest pound) for the base model, usually without any customisation, extras, "special offers", or discounts.  However, the price shown is unlikely to be what you would pay in practice for a variety of reasons, among which are:

• prices can differ between dealers, occasionally substantially, often depending on the level of service they give or on their turnover of particular models;
• some so-called "extras" or "upgrades" may be almost essential;
• some mail-order dealers charge carriage/delivery of varying amounts in addition to the indicated price;
• some dealers give discounts and/or "free gifts", like a carrying bag, lights or a cycle lock.

3.     The Gear type column shows "Der" for derailleur, "Hub" for hub; H+D for the combination.

4.     Many other column headings could have been used in the main table (frame material, bike weight, maximum load, accessories, and so on) but absence of consistent information means the information would be partial, and space would not allow.  The greater the customisation ability (and usually the cost), the less easily does a bike fit into this general table (e.g. Bike Friday, Brompton, the Moultons, SP).

5.     Table sort mechanism from http://kryogenix.org/code/browser/sorttable/ courtesy of Stuart Langridge. If it doesn't work at all it may be because you do not have Javascript enabled in your browser.  If you use Internet Explorer 7, you may receive a message when this webpage loads, and have to Allow Blocked Content to be able to sort the table.

6.     The main web research for the information below was carried out by John Gray during late May to mid June 2007; current availability and prices are checked roughly monthly.  Minor or major changes to models, specification, prices, names, availability, existence, and web links, can take place without notice and surprisingly rapidly.  Models which are apparently no longer available are removed.  It is essential that the reader does their own additional research to determine whether the information provided here still applies, and is appropriate for their requirements.  

7.    Please report any errors / omissions / suggestions to atob@onetel.com - we cannot keep the list up-to-date without regular feedback.