I'd like to try a folding bike but (1) bromptons around here are filthy expensive and cheaper options (that can be found around 1/20th the price of a brompton) are really low quality, and (2) none of them come with big gears that I'd need to get home, with sections that can reach 22%

maybe I'm missing something, but just put a smaller chainring on? or do you need something like MTB cassette amount of range?

given the tiny wheels, a chainring that would be "normal" on a 700c 1x gravel bike should be very easy for climbing on a folding bike.

If you don't know if you need a folding bike, you probably don't need a folding bike. It's kind of compromised as a bike, and if the (admittedly huge) utility of it folding isn't painfully necessary, it'd be hard to justify owning one.

Once you get to the point where a folder is unavoidable, you may as well get a good one, be it Bromptom, Dahon, or whoever. At that point it's definitely a buy-once-cry-once kind of purchase. As much as I love mine, I wouldn't recommend anyone buying one who isn't already really into cycling for transportation rather than sport and doesn't really need a folding bike.

And yeah, the low end of the market is pretty crap, much as it is for regular bikes.

I've the BTwin Ultra Compact by Decathlon and I'd recommend it as alternative to the popular Bromptons [1].

It cost less than half of the equivalent Bromptons bike that's featured in the article.

[1] BTwin Ultra Compact 1 Second Light:

https://road.cc/content/review/btwin-ultra-compact-1-second-...

> that can be found around 1/20th the price of a brompton

Where in the world are you finding a not-stolen bike for less than a hundred dollars!?

> none of them come with big gears that I'd need to get home, with sections that can reach 22%

Personally I'd recommend getting a bicycle with a motor.

Expensive? I bought mine for 1200 or so in 2006. Still use it daily. It is a steal.