On Thu, 21 Nov 2013 08:32:45 +1100, James
wrote:

On 21/11/13 00:20, John B. wrote:

A good friend who lives on a 35 ft. catamaran is asking about a new
bicycle. He currently has a mountain bike of some sort and is lusting
after a folding bike and asked me what was best.

Since I know nothing about folding bikes does anyone have any words of
wisdom that I might pass on?

I have heard that some makes have a weakness in the steering but
nothing beyond that.

As I said, he lives on a boat and if you do that you really want a
bike to ride for transportation around the marina and maybe short
trips to town. Not all day cruises.
As for storage, he has had the mountain bike for several years and
toted it around the world and a 35 ft. cat has a considerable amount
of storage (for a 35 ft. boat) so that isn't a major difficulty. I
think he takes the wheels off to stow the bike.

Your friend might consider buying a bicycle with a steel frame and
having S&S couplers installed.

http://waterfordbikes.com/w/coupler-travel-bikes/

Yes, there is that although I don't believe that he is that
enthusiastic about bicycles. Cruisers are generally "boat nuts" rather
than "bike nuts" so the bicycle is very much an accessory, rather than
a necessity for life, as is evidenced here :-)
--
Cheers,

John B.