>>1392984Those (Dahon, Tern...etc) are, without fail, FOLDING bikes. They are designed first and foremost to be objects you can fold quickly, with their ability to be a real bicycle trailing far behind. The selling point is the folding mechanism, which is what you pay for.
It's also worth noting that lots of Chinese garbage folds, because there's nowhere else to keep your bike in China.
The $1k+ folding BIKES are a different design philosophy. There are only three companies that make this kind of bike. They're regular bikes that just incidentally fold: the focus is on the bike, not the folding mechanism.
Some folding BIKES are designed to be hard to completely fold, but you can still carry them with you (Bike Friday). The idea is you can fit it into a suitcase and check it on an airplane without paying special bike fees, not that you disassemble it every day. Of the three, it works best for touring.
The others meet in the middle to provide both great performance and fast folding so you can quickly hop on a train mid-ride (Brompton, Birdy). Birdy is great for comfort if you absolutely need suspension. Brompton is the best all rounder for commuting and the most foldable.
