Author Topic: Carerra Intercity 20in Folder - anyone tried/owned?  (Read 2836 times)

Carerra Intercity 20in Folder - anyone tried/owned?
« on: 02 July, 2021, 10:11:36 pm »
I'm thinking of getting a not-too-expensive folder to stick in the car boot (Skoda Fabia Estate) for basic pottering about and trips to town from convenient (free) parking places.

Doesn't need to have an amazing fold like a Brompton, it's mostly going to be stashed in the car rather than used on peak-time public transport, and I don't really want to spend much over £400. I have had a look online and the Carerra Intercity looks like a good candidate. (there is an interesting review on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD9XQ9By_X4)

Has anyone tried one of these? Worth it?

Re: Carerra Intercity 20in Folder - anyone tried/owned?
« Reply #1 on: 03 July, 2021, 08:59:06 am »
That fold looks very like the Dahon fold which works well.
If it has 20" wheels it should be suitable. I prefer 20" wheels having had a couple of upsetting incidents with 16" wheels dropping into potholes and heavy gravel and stopping dead.
Never knowingly under caffeinated

Re: Carerra Intercity 20in Folder - anyone tried/owned?
« Reply #2 on: 12 July, 2021, 09:30:19 am »
It looks very much like the current Montana, the Twist, https://www.alltricks.fr/F-187976-velo-ville_voyage_vtc/P-1466614-velo_de_ville_pliant_montana_twist_20___alu_6v_blanc, only cheaper and with a much better specced transmission. I would suspect that both bikes (or at least the frames and stems) are made by Tern or under licence using Tern designs and frame bits.

My Montana, https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=117168.0 , is pleasing me a lot. However I have made a few changes and the next one will be a halfway upgrade to the transmission spec of the Carrera (need those 8 speeds!).
Going from the beginning: very thin spacer needed in the headset to take out the slop (steerer cut too long, flush with the top of the headset)
 freewheel changed (13t sprocket in place of 14 to try to get a more satisfactory top gear),
 seat pillar extended (as luck would have it the id of the Nodo seat is spot on 25.4mm - od 30.4mm - so I just slipped in a proper clamp-type seat pillar held in by two screws threaded into the inner pillar) which means also a change of saddle and no more horrible plastic rails - this was a revolutionary mod for riding comfort and efficiency as the old pillar was just a tiny bit too short!
mtb handlebar extensions (which are probably a bit too long but they were in the scrap box), without them I felt the need for more length but now I have them I am finding a large number of occasions when I just stay on the normal bars
tyres changed to Mitas bmx competition tyres - worth at least 3km/h on the average over the original cheap and heavy Kendas (which are great on forest trails). I don't seem to have much problems of a "p" fairy type and I would agree with those suggesting Marathon Greenguard or similar, probably better for UK road conditions
folding pedals replaced by ordinary, very cheap plastic flats. On mine the folding platform started folding just a bit too far which meant that my feet were no longer flat and were sliding to the outside. With the bar-ends fitted and the bike folded the new pedals stick out about the same as the bars so there is no advantage to folding pedals for me. M520 pedals would be even narrower but they aren't appropriate for my regular use.

Having ridden a Brompton before the Montana I would say that there is a huge difference in road manners and feeling. The 20" wheeled bike feels and handles very nearly like a full-size road bike. (I am also a bit dubious about 16" wheels in potholes - my daughter spent 12months of misery with a knee injury after a pothole incident in Wantage, and the Brompton suffered a bit too, now repaired. I have gone a over t on a tree route on a trail and come up with nothing more than grazes and a bent brake lever -done as bad on a 26" wheel mtb).

If you want a folder go for it but check the seat pillar height first (and diameter in case you need to change it, the same diameter as a Tern, Dahon or Brommie helps as there are mods and options out there already, mine is something much smaller but also based on an older model). Folding gets quite quick with practice. Only weakness that I really find is carrying stuff, the rack is too close to heels. Cables get a bit in the way of a bar bag but it is doable. I am thinking of getting a Tern Spartan front panier rack for mine for touring.

edit I forgot to mention the hoseclip on the seat pillar to stop it slipping down. With my extended seat pillar I can't slip the pillar inside the frame when folding, but taking it out completely is no more difficult and the hose clip has the added advantage that the saddle is always at the same height. Disadvantage it needs a screwdriver before anyone else can ride it. I have a couple of centrepunch marks to align the hoseclip with, if ever I have to move it.