Kent Compact 16 Aluminum Folding Bike (16-Inch Wheels)

by Kent

Product Features

• Designed with 16-inch wheels
• Compact foldable frame designed with elegant clean lines
• Built of lightweight aluminum, it's one of the lightest in its class at 25-pounds
• Front and rear alloy v-brakes for powerful and reliable braking
• Rear rack to hold books or a bag, perfect for the college student

Product Description

Never has it been a better time to consider a folding bicycle. Rising gas prices are making it harder and harder to have a car these days. Folding bike to the rescue! These have long been an answer for campers and travelers of all kinds and our Compact 16 Aluminum Folding Bike is the newest solution in the space equation making it perfect for apartment dwellers, college students or anyone looking for a great bike with little space! A simple and easy 6 speed drivetrain is perfect for this handy compact bike. Safe braking is provided for with sure stopping linear pull brakes front and rear. Lightweight but strong alloy wheels in a terrain-taming 16-inch size provide a smooth and comfortable ride. This package is tough to beat, especially at this price. Now you can affordably take your fitness and transportation WITH you. Customer contact information at 1-800-451-KENT (5368) or www.kentbicycles.com

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 16 x 10 x 20 inches ; 32 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 32 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B001IDTKD6
• Item model number: 91688
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #124,530 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

84 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good with some disadvantages, April 8, 2009

By 

Ein Skeptiker - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kent Compact 16 Aluminum Folding Bike (16-Inch Wheels) (Sports)

The biggest advantage of this bike is of course that it is a folding bike, and because it has 16-inch wheels, it fits even in the trunk of a small car, which makes its transportation very easy and simple. The aluminum frame is light, and the general quality of the bike is pretty good. The all-terrain tires and the availability of lower gears make it suitable for riding on grass or some dirt roads as well, so a little mild off-roading is fine with this bike. However, the bike has some design flaws which somewhat limit its use. These include:

1. Slowness. Even though the bike has 6 speeds, the gear ratio is not high enough even in the highest gear. The peak speed I could reach on this bike is about 14 mph on flat ground, and that was by spinning like crazy. Better designed folding bikes have higher gear ratios. For this bike, the 6th gear has about 56 gear inches, which is not very high at all. Of course, the tires are not designed for high speeds either (relatively wide, low-pressure, all-terrain tires).

2. Crank arms are shorter than usual. Adult bikes usually have 170 mm long crank arms. But this bike, because of the low position of the bottom bracket, is only equipped with 140 mm long crank arms. This feels a bit strange and makes pedaling feel a bit harder than it should be. Better designed folding bikes have an elevated lower bracket position and therefore can use longer crank arms despite having 16-inch wheels.

3. Single-sided pedals. The bike has folding pedals, but strangely designed ones. Only one side of the pedal can be used because the other side is not flat enough. It is inconvenient to have to turn a pedal when you notice that it is upside down. Better designed folding bikes have two-sided folding pedals.

But of course, better designed folding bikes (like Dahon) are a lot more expensive. This bike is still a good buy, perfect for running errands in the city and for some leisurely riding. With patience, you can cover a long distance even with this bike; just don't try to join people with road bikes for weekend trips because this bike has about half the speed and half the range of a real road bike.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Value for a folding bike, October 13, 2009

By 

Kenton Lee - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kent Compact 16 Aluminum Folding Bike (16-Inch Wheels) (Sports)

I have owned this bike for a month now. This is my first folding bike, but I do have a lot of experience with biking in general. I bought this bike for 2 reasons: One is the ability to bring it on the subway and the other is that my 3rd grade son can ride it. The quality of the bike is quite impressive for $150. The parts and componentry are a few steps above low end quality. Mostly, the components, rims, and frame are alloy, not steel. The Microshift brand drive system - shifter and derailleurs are all well made. The crankset arms are alumninum while the spider is steel. The folding mechanism works, but will require a few times of practice to fold quickly. Carrying it is cumbersome, as the bike tends to inadvertantly unfold itself. You really need a bungie cord to hold it in the folded position. Also, it initially seemed natural to lift it on the chainring side, but then got greased by the chain. There is no handle once the bike is folded. Like most folding bikes, I would think the frame is less sturdy than a conventional diamond frame bicycle.

The bike weighs in at 25lbs with all original equipment. My son is short, so I install a shorter seatpost with a child seat when he rides. The folding pedals are difficult to use and heavy. I removed the rear rack, the kickstand, and replaced the pedals with conventional plastic ones. With these small modifications and the kid seat, I got the weight down to 22-23 lbs, which is equal to that of a good quality road bike. After lifting it some, you'll realize that even 22 lbs seems kind of heavy, so it really pays to lighten the weight. However, you shouldn't confuse light weight with quickness. This bike is quite slow. I'm on the top gear just about all the time, and people pass me. The reason is that the gear ratios are similar to a mountain bike, but the wheels are 16". So, for the same gear, the bike will be 16/26 = 0.62 of the speed of a typical mountain bike. Other reasons it is slow - the riding position is quite upright compared to a mountain or road bike, the tires are 40 psi, and the cranks are a bit shorter than the typical 170 mm. The smaller wheels also make the steering a tad twitchy compared to a conventional bike.

In conclusion, this bike is not designed for long-distance and speed. It works well for 2-3 mile commutes, where one needs to combine the commute by car or rail. It also accomodates short kids who desire the ability to shift gears. Because of this, it is a versatile, cleverly designed bicycle. For $160, it is high quality and a great value.

Dec 23, 2009 update:
I have taken this bike on the subway for a few months now. It works terrific, and I get a lot of compliments. Therefore, I have increased my rating to 5 stars. People cannot believe the price I paid for it. It sounded like they'll get their own. Folding it has gotten quite easy. I fold it without lowering the seat or the handlebar. The handlebar and seat mesh nicely together. Then I wrap the bungle cord around the frame (normally stored around the seatpost.) The whole process takes less than 1 minute. The fellow passenger I demonstrated this to was totally impressed. I carry the bike by using the back of the seat as the handle, when it is stowed. Also, it goes in the trunk of a Honda Accord very easily. The weakness of this bike is the lack of high gears and very short 140 mm crank arms. I have replaced the crankset with one that has 170 mm arms and 50 teeth. This turns out to be a good upgrade. Now, my speed is up ~20%, and its easier to pedal up hills. The pedals are closer to the ground,so I just have to be a bit more careful with I make turns. I recommend this upgrade as it addresses all the shortcomings of this bicycle.

Dec 2010 update:
The rear derailleur torn in half at the body while riding - this premature failure was due to a plastic derailleur body and would not have happened if it had an alumnimum body. Therefore, I downgraded my review to 3 stars.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid Built - love it, August 27, 2009

By 

ndrew73 "ndrew73" (NYCity) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kent Compact 16 Aluminum Folding Bike (16-Inch Wheels) (Sports)

My Dahon Vitesse was stolen from the station over the 4th July weekend.(don't use Cryptonite Cables - get any cheap U shaped steal horseshoe from BELL - that will hold longer - even that gets cut with the jaws-of-life type of tools)
First off, Foldable bikes even high end are NOT REAL BIKES. So treat them accordingly! They are SLOWWWW!
I bring my bike on the train every weekend after work. This bike is very cute - gets stares from commuters. It has 6 speeds (alhtough i only use 2 - high and low. The speed differential is ..stupid. However, it is actually lighter than most of the bikes here on Amazon, especially without the rack that i dont use.
If you need a foldable bike - dont get an expensive one - trust me.. market is bad - people are desperate... Me and my girlfriend love it. Ive had it for a month and it is (after 2 hours of finetuning and tightening) very solid.