The first and foremost reason to buy a folding bike - is, obviously,
commuting. Here's how I get to work every day: I unfold my Brompton,
ride it to the railway station, fold it, take a train to "University"
in Tel-Aviv, unfold the Brompton - and ride it through the "Ganei
Yoshua" bicycle path all the way to Ramat Hahayal, where my office is
located.

So, how convenient it is to take a folder on a train? Quite
convenient, but there are some point to have in mind:
1. The security does not like large covered objects, so it's best to
fold the bike where they can see that it's a bike. Only then do you
cover it.
2. And cover it you do, because the station personnel sometimes (more
often than not) requires the bike to be covered - probably so that the
protruding parts don't get caught in other passenger's clothes.
3. The ticket checkers. There's a bit of a problem with those - since
they are quite high, and you have to strain your hands to get the bike
over them. Fortunately, my Brompton passes under those - people with
Dahon (20" wheels) will not enjoy this luxury.
4. Once on the train, the best place for your folder is between the
seats, where people sometimes put their luggage. Brompton fits there
nicely.
5. The curious folks. If you own a folder, get used to people asking
questions. The questions are always the same, and almost always asked
in a particular order: "How much does it cost?" "Where did you buy
it?" "Is it any good"? Sometimes I am also told "Do you know that you
can buy two pairs of ordinary bikes for this price?" Yes, thank you,
I've been told already! :)

Overall, taking a train and using the folder on both sides of it, is
quite nice.

I haven't tried to take a bus, but I guess there shouldn't be any
problem - especially with intercity buses (considering the size of the
bags soldiers are hauling onto these).

That's it, more or less. Oh, 2 more things:

It appears that we will soon have a Dahon distributor. Another person
on this list will let us know the details once available. Dahon makes
very nice bikes - and they are cheaper than Brompton too!

And another thing - a question: does anyone ('cept myself) here indeed
owns a folding bike? If not, do you intend to buy one soon? And if so,
what are your considerations towards buying one?
--
Vale,
Dmitry Rubinstein