Update on the folding bikes. The Citizen bike arrived and I was pleasantly surprised. The build quality is pretty good for the price and the bike is very stable and has a nice ride. It fits perfectly in the trunk of the car. It takes 20 seconds to fold or unfold the bike once you get use to it. The only real negatives are the cheap plastic fold up pedals that flex with hard pedaling ( Many of the fold up bikes in this price range come with the plastic pedals. I just purchased a pair of all metal MKS folding pedals) and the cantilever brake levers could be better. They work well but they require a little more effort. I have an old pair of high quality Cane Creek levers that I will swap out, otherwise I would just leave them be. The drive train is the entry level Shimano Tourney, not the best but it works and is smooth. The bike weighs about 28lbs with small fenders and without the steel rack on the back (we removed it and took 2lbs off).
The bike could be a little faster (its not slow but with 20" wheels and the small crank it would be nice to not have to pedal as much, unless you leave it in 7th gear all the time). It has a 48T crank while some other brands have a 50-53T. The freewhell is a 14-32 7spd. I will drop in an 11 or 12-28 freewheel to add a little speed. You really only use gears 5,6 and 7 right now which is probably all you need unless you hit some hills.
It is a very nice commuter bike as long as you are not riding over 4-5 miles. The upgraded freewheel should improve on that. Right now its perfect for my son who has to bike about 3/4 mile from commuter school parking lot to the campus.
The Crane 7 that I posted earlier is a better buy, a little lighter, larger crank and it comes with fenders and a rack(which is a $22 option on the Citizen)and a water bottle. But the Citizen looks cooler which was more important to my 23 year old son.
