The GIANT Halfway features 20 inch wheels, aluminium frame, single sided front and rear fork arms, 6 speed Shimano gears. After trying one in December 2000 at my local Giant dealer (Richards Bikes, Exeter, Devon).
I fell in love, and promptly bought one. Called the Halfway because it is intended to bridge the gap between a full folding bike (Brompton) and a full-sized bicycle.
The retail price is £475.00, which puts it firmly in price competition with Brompton. It does'nt fold anywhere near as well as my old Brompton, but is directly comparable with the Dahon Boardwalk 20 inch I own, and it will fit fairly comfortably on one side of the back seat of a car. Also note the beautiful hinge mechanism, a lovely piece of engineering, seen here as the oval on the main frame. I must admit, this is how I wanted my Brompton to look, (and ride), and I should congratulate the designer Mike Burrows and Giant for taking the plunge in what is a niche market. Note the reflective tires, which aren't that reassuring at all in the wet. The pedals too are a cost cutting measure, and I will swap for Brompton pedals or similiar asap. ( If you have any pedals for sale better than these, please email me.) The headset is far stronger than both the Brompton and the Dahon, folds easily and reassembles easily as long as you are careful with the cables. Black alloy wheels, six speed derallieur. While we're at the gears, I ought to mention the gear ratios, which are horribly low. Cycling at any more than 15-16mph on the flat is out, due to the low gearing, so I am hoping to fit a Sachs gear cluster that will improve matters.
Certainly the biggest flaw of an otherwise excellent design. How does it fold?
It comes with a bag, which seems huge after using Jane Henshaw's smart little Brompton bags, but there is quite a lot of excess in it. I put the bike next to a small car so you could see the scale of the folded package.
Altogether a reasonably good fold, which necessitates you tie the 2 wheels together with a velcro strap to keep the folded package all together. Not ideal for serious commuters.
If you have to have a bike which folds up and can be carried a fair way, I would steer you away from this one, but for occasional folds it's a good compromise. January 2001
Now I've fitted SMART rechargeable twin headlight kit, with the battery nestling nicely in the rear frame triangle, cost £50UKP. The lights are fantastic, and I would certainly recommend them. After many hours use I have not had to charge them once so far having used mainly the low wattage setting (1 light) as opposed to the full twin light setting.
This photo angle on the bike shows the absence of front or rear forks on this side of the bike, which saves time cleaning, and is just as stiff (if not stiffer) to ride than a Brompton or Dahon.
Also fitted now is the higher ratio Sachs hub, which means you can keep up a steady 15mph without pedalling like crazy in 6th gear (top). Bottom gear (1st) is also now improved, adding 2 teeth gives the bike very good climbing ability thanks to the low weight and more forward canted riding position than my old 'sit-up-and-beg' Brompton.
Mileage stands at a total of a rather low 55 miles, but they have been cycled pretty fast and pretty hard. I need the ability to jump off the odd kerb in the short 3-5 mile stints I do across Exeter, and the Halfway seems totally up to the job.
February 2001
Mileage now up to over 70 miles (ooh!), and some more things to comment on. The short wheelbase is more fun than the longer wheelbase on the Dahon, but does mean it feels slightly less surefooted and more 'flighty' to ride. It has an eagerness about it, compounded by the low gearing which means you can accelerate sharply, and loft the front wheel easily.
The new Sachs hub isn't quite lining up perfectly with the front sprocket, causing the chain to misalign at the front and try to run on the wheel chainguard rather than the sprocket.
December 2001
Mileage has shot up to 245 miles. I am using the bike every day to commute a 7.4 mile round trip - it's so much more enjoyable than driving to work and keeps you fit. So far the problems are:
1. If the chain loses lubrication it still tends to try and jump off the front sprocket - an annoying and potentially dangerous tendancy.
2. Saddle lost all ability to support, turning overly soft and unsupportive. Replaced with harder, thinner saddle from Selle Royale.
3. Tires have not improved with age, and remain uninspiring in the wet and give harsh feedback.
Maximum assisted top speed on the flat is 22mph peddaling like crazy. The low gearing means that anything over 16mph is freewheel territory, so if you like to cruise at anything above that (and believe me, this bike would do it thanks to it's low weight and high pressure tires - it eats mountain bikes on road) you'll have a problem to solve.
Otherwise I love it. Easy to clean, simple to own, ideal for carrying through the house if you don't have a garage, like what we don't.
I've owned the halfway for over two years and always find it a great ride. There are however a few snags... The gear ratio (as mentioned by many others) is too low. I had it swapped oout for a 48 tooth ring on the front (came with 44) and a 13 tooth on the rear (came with 14). I have the six speed version of which I use two gears - 5 and 6! It's great around town, but beware in the wet. The tires don't grip well at all.
It folds well, rides well, looks good - (little kids like to yell 'nice bike mate'). The rack is another downfall. Fitting pannier bags means they catch your feet slightly - annoying. I've also gone through two already that have snapped due to fatige.
Another major point - my frame snapped from my mark 1! It was replaced free under warrenty (thanks Giant and Reg Bradicks cycles, Cardiff). I'm now on mark two which I hope will last longer.
The chain jumping off has also caused me a few problems and greasy fingers. I fitted a chain retention device (by DMR). This sort of helped, but requires a lot of fiddling.
In summary: Great to ride, lots of fun, but beware - flashy looking design that breaks sometimes!
Owned for 2 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed May 2002.
Performance
Reliability
Parts Availability
Overall Value for Money
good balance straight on, as small wheel.
Never owned
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