Glad I found your review. Your more thorough demonstration of unfolding the bike was just what I needed....especially the part where you said the handlebar post needed to be fully extended....now I know why my magnets wouldn't meet. No other reviewer on RU-vid mentions that.....even guys that work for Zizzo! I am not an elite cyclist....I don't know anything about all those pricey folders. I bought the Liberté for 3 reasons....the price, the foldability and the weight. I am nearly 67 years old and live in a second floor apartment and I can eirher carry this up my stairs with little effort or leave it in my car. I did change out the seat right off with a wide gel seat because I guarantee my butt is wider than yours. 😄 Anyway, thanks for the video....it may have been longer than some, but it was definitely educational. 👍
VERY nice video, thank you for filming it, for narrating it, and for your good editing. Your honesty and forthrightness throughout are very welcome. I myself am on Day 2 of having my ZiZZO Liberte here in the desert (Tucson). Much of my riding will be on pretty flat city streets without much hill climbing, so I like the swap mod you made with the 60-tooth chain ring for the stock 48-tooth. I'll look into that myself, to get 25% extra revs w/ each of the 8 back gears for each crank. Nice mod. I've never used straight handle bars before, such as are stock on the ZiZZo bikes and so many others in recent decades, and will look into curved drop-bars. That mod may require an adapter -- I'll visit a bike shop and see what kind of parts are current these days... I'm accustomed to maintaining ONLY my 1976 Team USA Raleigh, which I've had since grad school in '86, and have used ever since as a commuting bike and replaced many worn parts over the decades (it's a large-frame 27-inch, which fits my 6' 3" frame very well). The lightness of the ZiZZO alloy frame is a revelation, after years of riding nothing but good, old-school, strong steel-frame bikes of Reynold's double-butted steel tubing, lugged (not welded), tubing. The only frame part that ever broke on the Raleigh was one rear drop-out, & easy to re-braze a new one into place. I've not yet been spoiled (?) by disc-brakes, so I can't criticize the Liberte for not having them. Maybe if I ride my friend's Brompton I'll be spoiled by them, but I'll resist the urge to ride it, even though she invites me to compare the bikes this way. I may submit after all... . The people at ZiZZO have been VERY good to me, they're a kind and knowledgeable crew. They are even giving $100 off the Liberte, so in two days after ordering I rec'd the bike with free shipping and a total outlay of $379 dollars, for a great folding bike, my first ever, and first new bike in 40 years. And the brakes are better than those on my Raleigh. In fact, they're TOO good: not only does the Liberte really GO, it really stops, too. I've only got some 20 miles on the Liberte in 2 1/2 days, but some things are obvious and really stand out, especially with 10s of thousands of miles experience and riding of the old-school Raleigh, over about 40 years. I would have thought the Liberte a bargain at twice the price (but don't tell the management there... ). ;-) Ride safe! And thanks again for your great video review. --Joe / in Tucson ARIZONA
We have three different folders: Zizzo Via, Schwinn Loop, and Brompton M6L. The Schwinn has been relegated to serving as a stationary bike for rainy days. The Zizzo and Brompton are in active use. The Zizzo is an outstanding bike for it's price point. It's also gets more compliments in public, consistent with this review - it's stylish and stands out among folders.
@@ibikeunfolded would you recommend getting a used Dahon/Tern or a new Zizzo for the same price point. Uses will be recreational riding mainly on tarmac and maybe occasional trail riding, upto an hour of riding.
Hi Brian. I know you work hard on these videos and I appreciate your content. This video, in particular, was really helpful. I’ve been torturing myself on a daily basis going over bike reviews and top 5 lists to try to choose a bicycle. I live in a townhouse with limited space and really wanted a folding bike. If I had my way I would love to get a Brompton bicycle but it’s beyond my financial reach right now. I finally decided to get a Zizzo Forte which arrived on Friday. JSo it’s been almost a week and I’m really enjoying the bike. I’m getting back into biking after not riding a bike for nearly 30 years. I was really happy to hear this review as it validated the choice I made to get a Zizzo. I’m confident a Brompton bike is in my future but for now, the Zizzo is working out really well. Thank you. -Will
I'm the same, but I ride daily through Citibike ( heavy bikes, I will fly when riding Zizzo or Dahon haha ) in Manhattan. I need a light bike to carry on the bus and ride in Manhattan. Zizzo Liberte and Dahon VybeD7 seem the best options, with close prices and quality. Dahon I guess also has a couple of models cheaper than Vybe D7, but I didn't find good reviews. I'm inclined to Liberte after the great review Brian did!
Another fine review, Brian. Just the kind of evaluation we have come to expect: fair, not over-hyped, and from a real "user" perspective, not someone who has ridden all of 13 miles, and declares a bike good or bad. Keep 'em coming--can't wait for a Tern evaluation. All the best...
The comment about extending the handle bar fully when folding and showing why this is important saved me so much frustration and kept me from ruining my new liberte. I had really struggled with not getting the two magnets to meet. Thank you
A very well-done review of the Zizzo Liberte! I've owned a refurbished Liberte for just over one year. Zero problems and a super-fun bike to ride. For most rides I prefer this over my old ten-speed road bike. The quick-release wheels ease road-side puncture repair. This bike fits easily in the baggage area of a Cessna 150.
@@ibikeunfoldedI was close to buying a Dahon Vybe D7 (comes with fenders ) and I will buy it if a dealer at eBay accepts my offer I did early morning yesterday, but I also discovered Zizzo Liberte yesterday ( Zizzo is offering a $100 discount to Liberte right now, that's very attractive ) read a nice review and will watch your video now ( great intro, curious about your camera setup, I bike daily to my work in Manhattan through Citibike, and I should have been recording videos, kind of week highlight of some crazy situations lol the folding is to take a bus and use the bike to ride in Manhattan to my work ( just 11 minutes path ) you saying that's compact sounds good to carry on the bus :)
I have a Liberte, and I'm totally hooked on folding bikes now. I added a few accessories, and it still cost me less than $500 total once done. I dig your idea of getting separate wheels for off-road tires. Thanks for doing this video.
I don't know if Zizzo of California is a sponsor, however, based on your video, I purchased a Liberte. I ride this bike at the beach, on streets and up in the hills. I have been really impressed with the quality of the bike and the excellent support services from the company. This is a really excellent product, and so much fun to ride. No problems at all and just a fun, reliable bike. Thank you !
He doesn't have an affiliate link from Zizzo. I ordered my Liberte and looking forward to receiving it! Zizzo customer support was excellent while Dahon is terrible!
Ty so much for this review. My son is headed to college and this really helped us make an educated decision on which way to go on our foldable bike selection
I just bought a new Hyundai Santa Cruz and me and my wife took off from Galveston Texas to San Diego road. All the beaches up to San Francisco road across the Golden gate bridge. They both folded and fit in the back of my trunk under the tonneau cover. With seven gears is so nice. Even the little steep hills you don't even have to get off. It's geared really nice. Really easy to fold and unfold and go.
Thank you for your honest evaluation about this bike. I’ve been thinking of getting an inexpensive, yet lightweight bike. I like what you say about this bike and I also like the look. I had a bike accident about a year and a half ago where I broke my left clavicle…talk about ouch. I damaged my “racing” bike in the process although I could never race. I have a place with a long bike only path in Southern California I enjoy. I haven’t got on a bike since then. I’m 69 and somewhat slim also with thin arms. I just like to use the bike for exercise. I am checking things out but I like this bike. Thank you.
Thanks for another great video and review. Your camera work is professional , as if we were watching on TV Fun and enjoyable to watch. Mark from Maryland
Mind fucking blown. I have been riding foldies for a few years now and I have ONLY learnt about the "stem fully extended" and "saddle turn backwards for ez carry" today, from this video. Thanks man.
Excellent review of the Zizzo Folding Bike, Brian ... well worth the wait (but I did end-up getting a used Brompton 'M3R, Tempest Blue'), in part due to all of your reviews on the bike; and I am happy I did! :D P.S. Hope you're feeling better.
Seems like a solid design. With 20" wheels you could call it, not really, your bmx cruiser. (I've been nagging you to get a cruiser.) This park area would be a nice destination if not for the graffiti. It looks trashy now. This folding tutorial was good to know about. I didn't know this stuff either. Thanks amigo. I will use the information when I get my folder.
Amazing review! I’m so glad my zizzo purchase has been validated by Brian’s high standards. Haha. How would you compare the zizzo and brompton in terms of value? I think the brompton is geared more towards practically, while the zizzo is more geared towards the fun factor.
Hey Bro, MOST EXCELLENT review. Thanks. Thinking of getting one, your review helped me decide. Hey, and take care yourself... Looking forward to the next Zizzo vids. Also, what backpack you wear in the Zizzo review vid??? Be well...
Good day Brian! Stellar editing and vlog. My Zizzo should be coming in tomorrow or Thursday by UPS which means it will be delivered at my neighbor's house or down the street somewhere lol I got to make sure I keep my tracker on tomorrow. 😂 That is one of the things I like about this bike is that I can replace almost anything on it. Again really enjoyed your review. Cheers! ✌️🍻
My Zizzo forte was delivered yesterday. Today I took it on a 30 MI test run this really is a solid bike and it's pretty fast not as fast as the Brompton. But now I can do shortcuts cross the park on the dirt and gravel paths. Love this bike a lot & I think it's better than a lot of folders out there. Cheers! ✌️🚲🍻
My Liberte is now 4 years old. Great value bike. Agree on brakes - new pads certainly helped. I've replaced the quick release wheels with Pinhead locks. Thanks for this thorough video.
Thank you, Brian! I watched this video and decided to buy a Zizzo Liberte. I got it recently. I agree with you! Overall it is amazing considering its price (I got a refurbished one at only $329, it looks brand new except for several scratches). The folding mechanism is good enough. But the brakes are fragile, and I have to add that the handlebars are not that comfortable. And I am a bit worried about whether the seat clamp can last since it is already not very tight. But overall I am pleased with this purchase. I even installed a rear rack so that I can go grocery shopping with this bike.
thanks for posting this comment! I also bought a refurbished Zizzo Liberté, but was worried about the quality, so you kind of accidentally answered my question :D
I also got a refurbished Liberte and it rides so differently from the Campo which I also have. Lighter and faster. It's practically impossible to find a new Liberte. I searched everywhere but had no luck finding any new ones for sale.
@@jamessal1991 Yeah, during the pandemic ZiZZO doesn't seem to be doing too hot when it comes to their products' being stocked. Hopefully by August/September they'll be able to safely put their products back up, fingers crossed!
I dig the Zizzo too. Thanks for the review, I'm thinking of getting one. I definitely want to see your review of the Forté. I'm on the heavy side and want a rack and panniers to carry groceries and such.
For me, these are classic well-done reviews. I'm 69 looking for a good value quality upright folding bike (my 30yr-old hybrid is too uncomfortable) and Zizzo looks like a good bet. I thought there'd be more used ones at good prices after the lockdown. It's nice to see Zizzo offers refurbished options with discounts vs new. Also, here you wish for disc brakes but there seems to be RU-vid controversy of discs vs calipers/vbrakes, with the latter being cheaper, more available, lower maintenance and lighter. I guess discs might be better for more experienced high-speed power bikers (like you). Anyway, thanks for all the videos full of real-world tips.
Love your videos man. Wish you all the best. I actually purchased a citizen tokyo folding bike because your videos inspired me to get a folding bike. Also because I can't afford a brompton or even find one second hand that's affordable but ultimately I'm gonna try and get one someday. Continue what your doing man you've got a viewer from NYC.
In the UK mainly in London there is a massive cycling revolution we army of cyclists everywhere, it appears that across the pond have a long way to go as Brian seems to be the only cyclist on the road. Nice cinematography.
From the videos I’ve seen, it is clear you love your bike. I’m wondering if there were/are any regrets you feel from purchasing your Brompton brand bicycle. Would you be willing to do a video that discusses the down sides to Brompton bikes? What things do you wish were different? How does it do on hills? Do you regularly use all the gears or do you spend most of the time in lower gears (I think you have a 6 speed) Do you still feel good about the price you paid? Did you have to make after market upgrades/adjustments? How do you feel about the weight?
I will do a video like that soon, but I don’t regret buying the Brompton. It’s definitely worth it. I am coming out with a video on my person tweeks and upgrades soon.
Thank you for the review! I've been pondering getting this bike for a while now, and finally ordered the Urbano last night. Glad you are you rated one of them well! They all seem like solid bikes all and all. If I decide to keep the bike (which I probably will), going to order their trailer. Looks awesome, but curious what you think of it. Thanks for your input!
Brilliant review Brian. No holding back and it still comes out well. Useful tips about folding; was unaware of the handlebar turn and stem extension when folding. Will definitely try that on mine tomorrow to see if I can finally fit it in my generic carry bag for folding bikes 👍. Certainly wasn't shown to me when I bought my foldie earlier this year. Keep up the good work on the videos and stay safe😷. ATVB from sunny Malaysia 😷🚲🇲🇾
I just ordered Liberte($100 summer discount!!!), with fenders. They also have great customer support, vastly superior to Dahon, who completely ignored me. I will re-watch you folding the bike :)
I just ordered one to take on a trip. I really appreciate your video. I didn't have room to take my usual ride, a Catrike, but this will be good for the urban trails. As long as I don't fall down.
Kinda funny as I was doing some research on this bike and stumbled across your video and here you’re from the Denver area as well. Thanks for the review.
I just received my Zizzo Via folding bike today. I ordered my bike on a Saturday and I received my bike on the next day. This is my third folding bike that I currently have in my collection of bikes. As an extra precaution and safety I will be zip tieing the levers on the stem and the frame for added safety. Although it probably isn't necessary, I prefer to be safe than sorry. I also have a Megna Tandem folding bike and as a extra precaution I Zip tie all levers as an extra safety precaution. I have one 16in wheel single speed knock off folding bike where the construction of the levers don't require zip ties. I feel totally safe riding this folding bike as is. I'm totally surprised on how light the Zizzo folding bike is. It is the lightest bike in my whole collection of bikes.
Excellent video and review! The brakes made me worried because I will need it often in Manhattan( I will carry the bike by bus to the City)! Hope you also did a review for Dahon Vybe D7! ( Liberte has a summer promo now, just $379! But I wish it had fenders like Dahon Vybe! Curious about your video recording setup as I commented in another session :)
You can get fenders for the liberte. I believe they are sold on the zizzo website. The brakes are “ok”, but not great. Even I get nervous descending long steep hills. I am not sure what you are asking in regard to my camera set up? Are you asking what I use?
@@ibikeunfolded Yes, they have fenders for Liberte and they install if bought aside with the bike, but it's sold out now these fenders. Wondering if Zizzo also installs “a Derailleur protector“which should be nice to avoid accidental kicks inside the bus! Before seeing your review, I tried to buy the Dahon D7 late Sunday…but the 10% discount offered for first buyers didn't work at the checkout, That's bad, I read a good review for this Dahon, and the same review had also good words for Zizzo. Prices are similar. Would be great if Dahon asked for your deep honest review of Vybe D7! And you deserve a link affiliate from Zizzo! 👍🏽
@@ibikeunfoldedYes, I was curious how you make your shots: camera on the helmet, at the bike, which camera? The shots are good! I ride Citibike daily, I should have been recording videos and capturing some crazy random urban daily situations ( helmet mount should work better using citibike, that's a pain to ride many times ) lol if you create link affiliates for these gears is something more to support your honest work :) But I understand that you don’t want to support consumerism, that’s great! I looked at Zizzo Liberte on eBay and didn’t find it. I found the old Dahon Boardwalk ( model not available in the US ) some look pretty good, but some look badly folded, that’s very concerning as you highlighted!
Appreciate the review and detailed comments between the Zizzo and Brompton. I am looking into purchasing one of these folding bikes. I have to admit that Brompton is a bit on the expensive side. Just wondering how easy would it be to convert the Zizzo into an electric bike? I am retiring soon and I think the electric wheel can bring out more enjoyment of riding a bike.
I have a couple of folding bikes. I also ride a variety of non folders with various brake systems. Seems to me disk brakes on a travel/folding bikes would be a pain. Not denying their impressive stopping power, but I’d be afraid the disks would get knocked around, causing rubbing and constant fussing. Plus, I prefer the simplicity of a basic cable actuated system for reliability since I use the bike on trips where I never know if a bike shop will be around should I have trouble. Great review, fold on!
Funny you don't like quick release wheel levers...I prefer them. Really helpful bike review...good job! BTW...my folder is an old Dahon Mariner bought used from a bike shop over a decade ago. Nice bike.
I bought the Zizzo Liberte from Costco. The first bike I got had issues with it, in particular, the front brakes kept hitting the tire no matter how I tried to adjust it. The front tire would slightly wobble and the brake pads would rub up against it. So I returned it because of Costco's return policy instead of taking it to bike shop to pay extra money to get it adjusted and just ordered another one thinking I might have received a defective bike. The second bike rode smoother than the first out of the box but after about five or six times of riding the bike, again, the same problem happened. The front brake pads kept hitting the tire and the tire would slightly wobble again. I've tried repositioning them on the rim as perfectly as possible and adjusting the tiny screws on brake sides, but it doesn't seem to help even when the left and right brake pads are engaged to space evenly to the tire on each side. This is VERY ANNOYING. I'm not sure what QC process the bike goes through when putting the brake pads together on the bike tires, but putting them so close that it becomes problematic to need an adjustment that is difficult to resolve the problem after riding it for about a week on regular paved roads is seriously not up to par for customer satisfaction. Otherwise, it is a nice looking bike that rides good.
I got the same brake issues as yours. The fix is not too intimidating: simply to give the brake levers more travel hence more space between the pads, then you can finetune the two tiny screws on both sides of the brakes to center them evenly. I found this video (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UOrIVc5lG-k.html) very helpful, basically covering everything you need to adjust the brake, particularly in the "Set pad clearance" and "centering" sections.
Brian, I recently purchase a Zizzo Liberté as well. I would like a upgrade my front gear to something bigger. CAn you give me the specific brand and type for your gear and chain length? Thank you!
Thank you for the review, but especially for the part about how to fold this type of bike properly. I just bought a similar bike from a different company, and it came with zero instructions. These things are not obvious!
You should consider getting an affiliate Amazon link if you're cool with them. I was extremely skeptical about Zizzo until checking your channel. Also pushed me away from getting an old used folding bike for my first folding bike.
I have a 20 inch folding bike similar to the Liberte. The Liberte is three pounds lighter than my bike but mines has disc brakes and it's 1x10 speed drivetrain. I been in a few accidents with mines. Top of my head I remember grabbing the brake lever too hard going downhill on a sidewalk and flying over the handlebar and that one time on the road a car comes from behind me, gets right next to me to make a right turn in a intersection while being inches from me then unbelievably only hits my magnet piece on my folding bikes fork but the force of impact ends up twisting it and getting the front wheel out of true. These bikes are tougher than they look. I'm a bit surprised all I had to do to get it to good working order again is to true the wheel, remove the folding magnet piece and replace the folding stem and now it feels strong.
i added a spring to my zizzo via saddle, and it is sooo comfortable to ride. like riding on the cloud. i also have a brompton m6l but it's not as comfortable to ride compared to my zizzo. probably because i'm still using the original brompton saddle?
Brian,first of all how is your health? Great video,for some funny reason I always end up loving the Brompton more then anything. Please,please take care.
Very cool. Is the Liberte a variation of the folding design Dahon put out years ago? It would be cool to hear your take on the Vello Bike (vello.bike) out of Austria, or the Tern BYB S11. Keep up the good reviews and insights!
Have you considered buying (or at least reviewing) Burke 20? I think it would be much better investment than CHPT 3 (which is a cool bike, but a little bit overpriced). It has 20" wheels and all titanium frame. Weight is around 8 kg. Plus folding mechanism is similar to Brompton's. It folds not as compact as Brompton but enough small for air travel. Price tag of $5500 might seem ridiculous at first, but you can hardly find anything that could be compared to it (8 kg!!!). Also, CHPT 3 prices can get well above $6000 on eBay today. P.S. Zizzo is an awesome bike for it's price! I haven't bought Zizzo only because it was not represented in my country. So I got myself a very similar folder - Dahon Vitesse D8. I must say, that pretty much any quality made folding bike is a game changer during lockdown))
Yes, the Brompton chapter 3 is massively over priced. I think one pays for the exclusivity more than anything else. I will have to look into the Burke. I am not familiar with it so I will have to get back to you once I have done some research. Thanks for the suggestion..
@@ibikeunfolded Well, compared to Burke 20, CHPT3 is a “mass market” bike)) Burke is really rare. And it is produced and distributed only in US at this point. So, you’re lucky, I guess) Unfortunately there are no reviews of Burke 20 on RU-vid and it would be great if you could make one. Couple of posts on forums say that this is a miracle bike. And judging from specs it seems that it might be a “CHPT3 killer”. But we’ll never know that for sure until we have a decent review, right?
cool video! (youre kinda cute:) Hey where did you get the new chain ring? (are they standard and fit all bikes and Did you need to replace the chain as well?
The chain has to be lengthened when you increase gear size. I got the gear from freedom folding bikes in boulder Colorado. The bolt pattern is different depending on the bike-mine is a 110. As far as my being “cute”.....i think you need to increase the prescription of your glasses😁 but thanks anyway.
@@ibikeunfolded lol,,, I just bought one refurbished (thanks to your eviews!) I'll just bring it to a bike store when I get it, thanks. And you're totally cute! 😉
Thank you for the video, very worthed information. I bought one in US and brought it to Indonesia. Do you think we could replace the regular brake to after market disc brake?
Thanks for the video. You have ridden the Urbano as well. How did they compare in terms of speed? And does the chainring upgrade cause any issues? Thank you.
Finally the full review of the Liberté. Did you make a video about replacing the 48-tooth gear disk? I’m interested in adding some speed to my bike. Check out the Citizen Rome. It’s a 16” with belt technology.
Put a 451 wheel set on this and Schwalbe durano 1.1 racegaurd tyres. And a 58 tooth litepro crankset. And you will have a fast performance folder for a steal. My friend did that on his. And it moves.
Looks like you have moved to your new appartment :-) This is a new bike, or the one you have bought end of last year? Seems to be a problem getting one in Germany.
Yes I moved to a new apartment. This is one of the reasons for my extended absence. I got this bike a few months ago and I have been testing it out to see if I could recommend.
