Downtube Nova Lightweight Folding Bike

I bought a Nova and although it took ages to arrive it wasn't Downtube's fault. I live in Hawaii and UPS dumps boxes in Honolulu to have them barged over to the other islands. What I want to say, besides I love my cute little bike, is that I was very impressed with the materials it was shipped in: all except a handful of plastic were put into the recycle bin. Thank you Yan for thinking of the environment.

I have had my Nova for a few months now. It is fantastic. I wanted a reasonably priced folder, but something with real parts. This was the perfect option. I travel a lot and it can come with me anywhere. It takes about 20 seconds to set up and I am off and running. When I first got it, I had a question on how to pull the latch out. Yan was able to help me immediately and all was well. The frame is nice and comfortable. It will be with me for a long, long time. One mistake I made was not to buy the travel bag. Do this. It's not a big deal but I have scratched up my fork and I can't help but thi ...Read More

I will make it short... It is a great bike. I have a road bike, a mountain bike, an A-Bike, and the Downtube. The downtube has quickly become my favorite. It lives in the trunk of my car, and has the unforeseen advantage of being useable by my 7 year old, as well as me. It feels like a bike, not a toy. I have jumped ramps, done wheelies, rode backwards sitting on the handlebar... yeah... it is a bike. If I was to complain, this is my list: - It is small and light enough...but not enough to easily fit in a suitcase - The gearing is too close together... top speed is not really fast. Otherwise, this bike is super... I love it.

I love my Downtube Nova! It has worked perfectly from the get-go and has been 100% trouble free. I've been riding it every day for the past month. I had originally bought it to take on a sailboat (which I did), but I realized that it fits really neatly in the front seat of my car, so I've used it when I was too lazy to put my bike rack on.

We needed a folder for my wife when traveling in our RV. She is not the bike enthusiast I am so the Nova seemed like a good value. It arrived in 2 days. After unboxing, I aired up tires and off I went. After a few minor adjustments to brakes and derailuer all was good. Folding was very very tight and I contacted Yan to see if some WD 40 would do the trick. He got right back to me and after a few squirts the hinge freed nicely and the fold is on the money. This is a great value bike with outstanding customer service. We hope for many miles of smiles.

Seems okay, bought it for going to and from the train station and my office. It arrived well packed and survived the cross county trip. I had it tuned up at a local bike shop after it arrived, it needed a lot of adjustments. The only frustration so far is that when trying to put fenders on it the threads I the front fork are not the standard size and I had to buy additional (bigger) hex screws than those that fit every other hole on the bike. Over all for the price I think this is a Good deal. I will review again when I have had it longer. Also communication with the owner was quick and helpful.

I can't understand how these guys do it. This is much nicer than the bikes at my local bike shop and it is less than half the price.

I might never own a 24 pound road bike, but I now own a 24 pound Nova Folder, It shifts nice. Brakes as well as any other bike I own. Looks pretty cool in yellow. I had to take a few minutes to understand the side latch, a little different from my Downtube 8FS..It has a hard rubber C shaped gasket that spreads, rather than be squeezed. Once I understood that, it was easy. On the other hand, the steerer tube hinge is easy to use and holds tight. The 14T top gear gives me about 14-15 mph at my fastest pedal rate. I'd like a little more speed so I'm going to try a 11-28T (free wheel) gear. One thing is true, This bike wants to be on smooth pavement. I have the tires up to the max and you feel every bump going faster. It will be much nicer when I ride with my wife. She gets the 8FS with full suspension, but she rides slow, so I'll be fine.,

Just have bought 8FS. It is my second bike from Downtube. Riding on bumpy surface I can feel a difference. It's worth it for me to have a full suspension bike. Although for my girlfriend Nova is better because of a lighter weight to carry.

I've had my nova bike for about 6 years now and have put many, many miles on it. We live part time on our sailboat, and I bought the bike for the boat so we could store it easily. It has been perfect and has stayed in wonderful shape even thought it is constantly exposed to salt air. When my family visits and rents bikes, I can keep up with them easily on my cute little nova even when they are on much bigger bikes. I'm a huge fan!

Love my Downtube folding bike. Only 4 stars because brakes and shifter were not not properly set as promised before shipment.

Love it. Light, steers like a dream. Pretty looking.