The article touched on it, and I agree, the biggest benefits for me are the portability and storability.

I can easily fit my folding bike into my car trunk, and very easily fit another one in the back seat. This enables you to drive to the start of a distant cycling route without having to deal with bike racks behind or on top of your car. So much less friction to you just going somewhere and cycling around.

And the small size means I can skip the common bike storage in my complex and store it in my apartment and it doesn't take up as much space as a full-sized bike. In my city, like most major cities, bike thievery is rampant. And if they can't steal your bike, they strip it of parts.

There are some drawbacks though. You can't really use them for hauling heavy loads, so forget bicycle touring or pulling a little trailer for kids or other things. They are also quite slow. And maybe some models have lots of gears, but the ones I checked out (in my admittedly limited search) did not, so they are not suited for very hilly routes.

I got mine used for $200 off FB Marketplace, it was in great condition and ready to ride. It is some generic brand that was sold in Walmarts a few years ago and I could not find any other information on it. I don't really care though. It got me out and cycling again!

> "You can't really use them for hauling heavy loads, so forget bicycle touring or pulling a little trailer for kids or other things"

Eh?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzRqKP0XmhQ - Brompton with Burley Travoy trailer while the guy moves house.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocMRuUBUFrU - Bromtpon with Cyclone trailer while grocery shopping.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvBA1K8oFmQ - Brompton with child trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOH3wEB0pS8 - with different child trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waW1wq07JsA - Brompton with child seat adapter in front of the rider.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV60S7ma4d4 - Brompton with child seat on the back.