The one good thing I can say about Citizen is that they have excellent online marketing tools. Their reputation for quality products doesn’t quite follow suit. In fact, in the bicycle industry, Citizen folding bikes are not considered of good enough quality even at their lowest price. Their older rear suspension model had fundamentally flawed suspension designs that made the rider feel as if he/she were on a pogo stick. You’ll have test the newer models yourself to see if they have made any improvement. The Citizen Tokyo has gear ranges suited for children, not adults. Assembly issues have plagued these bikes for years. If you choose to buy one be prepare for some assembly problems.
That’s not the case with any Downtube model. We only used high quality parts to produce a satisfying ride for you for years to come. Check out the chart below to see how Downtube bikes compare to Citizen bikes. We think you’ll make the right choice.
| Model | Old Citizen w/Suspension | Citizen Alloy | Downtube 9 ($499) | Downtube Nova ($299) | Downtube 9FS ( $549 ) |
| Frame Material | Steel | Aluminium | Aluminium | Aluminium | Aluminium |
| Drivetrain | 6sp freewheel | 6sp freewheel | 9sp cassette | 7sp freewheel | 9sp cassette |
| Suspension | pogo stick design rear suspesnion | none | Zoom fork | none | Zoom fork and rear shock |
| Cranks | non-replaceable chainring | non-replaceable chainring | replaceable chainring | non-replaceable chainring | replaceable chainring |
| Fork | Steel | aluminium | all aluminium lowers suspension fork | Steel | all aluminium lowers suspension fork |
| Pedals | Plastic | Plastic | Aluminium | Plastic | Aluminium |
| Stem/handlebar | Steel | Steel | Aluminium | Aluminium | Aluminium |
| Replaceable rear derailleur hanger | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Crank | Steel | Steel | Aluminium | Aluminium | Aluminium |
| Frame protector (bar from below to protect frame) | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Use Standard Bike parts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 35 | 30 | 26.5 | 24.5 | 27.5 |