KHS F-20r Review
About me: I’m an avid cyclist, I ride road, mountain and I commute to work on a bike. I’m 5′7″ and about 170lbs.
My commute: My commute varies from 30 miles to 8 miles roundtrip. I ride the streets of Whittier, Santa Fe Springs, Norwalk, South Gate and Downey. I also use the San Gabriel River Trail to ride to work. My commute is 99 % flat, just a few underpasses and a couple of small rollies.
The Bike:KHS F20-R Foldable road bike.
The Specs:
Frame: Crmo frame
Fork: 1-1/8″ blades
Headset: A-Head 1-1/8″
Rims: Silver anodized alloy
Hubs: Silver anodized alloy Q/R
Crankset:Truvativ 3-Piece 170mm crank, 53/39t chainwheel
Stem: Forged alloy 2-bolt
Rear Cassette: 9-speed
Seatpost: Alloy 26.0X410L
Shift Levers: Shimano Sora STI
Brakes: Tektro Dual Pivot
Color: Gray Mirror
Extras: Bell, Bullhorn handlebars, rear shock, kickstand
MSRP Price Range:$999.00
Bike Highlights: The F20-R is a super versatile, super fast, super fun bike. The strongest point of the bike is of course it’s capability to fold. Folding the bike is extremely easy, unlatch the frame lever and fold! That’s it! You can also detach the stem and remove the seatpost if necessary.
The bike weighs around 24 lbs, not bad for a foldable bike that has a rear shock and 3 piece 53/39 Crank. That’s right, the F20-R features KHS’ softail technology that adds a .5″ rear shock that takes the edge of the bumps allowing the rider’s back to become less fatigued. With a 53/39 Crank and a 9 speed cogset, the gearing allows the rider to go fast on the flats and easy on the knees on the way up a climb. You can install water bottle holders in two places, the frame and the stem. The bullhorn bars really enhance the look of the bike, the also allow the rider multiple hand positions.
Bike Lowlights:Pedals. A better choice would be clipless or clipless/platform pedals. This bike really begs to be ridden fast.
The Ride:With a shortbase and small diameter tires the F20-R does react quicker to steering input. Once I got used to it, I was able to flow thru traffic with ease. The rear shock really works as a vibration dampener, I never felt any bobbing or bottoming sensation. This bike can really move while riding on the big ring, I was able to reach 18-21 mph confortably in the draft. The bike does feel like a road bike, so some comfort is sacrificed but its all at the compromise of speed.
My opinion:
I’m a sucker for ’specialty bikes’, Why? simply because they are different. Really, who likes to ride the same bike that everyone else is riding? Sometimes different does not mean functional or efficient, this is totally the opposite in the case of the F20-R. The bike excels at being efficient, functional, pratical and fun. This bike is truly a ‘do it all bike’ in a small package. I often get asked what is the advantage of having a foldable bike, well, if you live in an apartment with limited space, if you drive a car and don’t want to invest on a bike rack, if you fly and would like to take your bike with you, if you have an RV or boat, if you ride the train… And I’m pretty sure there are plenty more.
I easily put over 100 miles on this bike, and truth being, it has become one of my favorite bikes.
Bottom Line:
The bike’s MSRP is $999, which is less than what some other foldables of this type go for. If you are in the market for a high performance folding bike, then look no further, the F20-R is for you.
For more information on this bike, visit www.khsbicycles.com
March 15th, 2007 at 6:52 am
I’ll admit. I can not take foldable bikes seriuos. For one thing they look so short. Is this thing really comfortable to ride on for more than 10 miles? I just have a hard time believing it. I’m not saying I don’t believe it. I’m just saying it’s hard to believe it. I’m in the market for a new commuter bike. But my commute is going to be about 70 miles round trip each day. Am I being a snob for not including foldable bikes in the candidates for the new bike? Or am I right to trust my gut and go with a more traditional hybrid?
What are the benefits of a foldable bike, other than portability? And is it more convient to fold or just through a non-folding bike on a car rack? Just curious…
March 30th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
I’ve ridden the bike 30 miles round trip. The bike is not as comfortable as as Hybrid, but it is more comfortable than a road bike. The main benefit of this bike is portability, I would go for an Urban Xtreme for a commute like yours.
April 25th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Sorry for the late reply here… didn’t notice any comments until now.
You really have to weigh your riding style when deciding whether you should get a folding bike.
When I bike/car commuted, I didn’t want to commit to riding 20 miles round trip each day. The folding bike gives me the flexibility to keep the bike in the trunk of my car. On the days I want shorter rides, I drive half way, open my trunk, take the bike out, unfold it, and ride. I don’t have to worry about the bike rack or taking the bike out of the garage in the morning and loading it on the bike rack. In addition, I have the freedom to take it on the bus (if the bike rack is full, it’s allowed in Los Angeles County) or accept a ride from a co-worker
The down side for you is definitely the distance. 35 miles one way is a bit long to ride a smaller wheel because you can’t maintain as good of a momentum on them. However, I want to emphasize that KHS folding bikes can handle the distance; we had a world cycle tourist who toured around Taiwan on a fully loaded F-20W (a prototype touring bike that is based on the similar frame as F-20R) without a hitch.
So what does this mean?
If you want to maintain 18-19mph on your 35 mile commute, it maybe difficult on this bike. However, if speed is not too big of a factor, then F-20R can give you additional multi-modal flexibility without the hassle of dealing with the bike racks.
Hope that helps.
May 1st, 2007 at 10:24 am
[…] KHS F-20r Review Meta […]
May 16th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
I ride a Citizen folding bike to work 3x a week and it’s fantastic. Granted, my ride is only 8 miles each way, but I’m happy with it.
March 21st, 2008 at 6:30 pm
[…] that my commute was 32 miles round trip. Since the Kona Smoke 2-9 had to be returned, I picked my KHS F20-R to be my weapon of choice for my long […]
May 25th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Hello,
I’m very intersted by the KHS F20R, and I would like to know if a tool is necessary to remove the handlepost. What is the system to remove the handlepost ?
Thank you for advance for your answer.
June 15th, 2008 at 4:53 am
Hi thanks for the great review. I wonder if you can help me out with the following questions:
1. What’s the dimension after folding “completely”?
2. Is it possible to put a rack given its rear suspension system?
3. Are the pedals foldable?
Many thanks
June 15th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Roques, sorry for the late reply. Then handlepost is remove via a quick release, just like the seatpost. Simply unlatch and pull the handlepost and you are ready to go!
Yon:
1.The approximate dimensions are: 28″X28″ with the saddle all the way inside.
2. I use seatpost rear rack, I wouldn’t recommend a standard rack
3. The stock pedals were not foldable
I do have to note that KHS no longer carries this bike, the low demand for high end folding bikes didn’t justify them bringing them over from Taiwan. However, hopefully the will be bringing the F20-T model which is very similar to the F20-R but the T comes with flat bars instead of bull horns.
June 16th, 2008 at 2:38 am
Thanks, Moe. Will probably buy one next time when i go to Taiwan.
July 4th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
The only folder that I have seen that rivals Bike Friday, but at a third of the cost. I like it. There are so many awesome bikes to choose from out there, and I am in search of a fun commuter and errand runner for around town. There is a lot of junk out there too. Anyway, I’m going from 25 year old boutique hand built steel to Chinese/Taiwan this time around because I can’t afford the boutique steel anymore. Searching hard for my next ride, and I’m glad I saw this to ponder. Also looking at a Trek 520. Thanks for the review. Do you know if the chain rings can be swapped out? I’ve never been a fan of the black — they get scrapped and just end up looking dirty.