NBD: Java Neo - Thanks for all your advice!
I posted a while back asking for some advice on what type of bike to buy and some potential locations to buy one ( https://www.reddit.com/r/BrompNOTs/comments/1tptuae/chinese_clone_advice_for_hk_person/ )
Eventually I ended up picking up this Java Neo in 20" from Jollymap in Hong Kong.
The photos online of size comparisons between 16" and 20" make it look far more extreme than it is, and particularly with the sizes of the Java Neo's there was no way the 16" was going to work for me (I'm 182cm.. on a good day)
I've only given it a quick test, up and down some decently steep hills in my area. While I grew up on bikes, they were mountain bikes and BMX bikes when I was younger, and when I was a bit older it was all road and track bikes (though also had a 'hybrid' for commuting).
This... doesn't really feel like any of them, which is neither good nor bad - it's certainly not as twitchy as I feared but the ride position isn't quite one I'm used to - although not uncomfortable.
Hydraulic brakes are completely new to me, and while they have a ton of stopping power, they don't behave anything like the cantilevered brakes I'm used to - thankfully most places I'll use this won't be anything like as steep as what I just rode on to test it.
The gear shifter... is a bit uncomfortable, I might be able to adjust it's position and have it dig into my hand less, but I'm not sure if that'll be enough.
Saddle, fine.... really nothing to be said in either direction about it, unlikely to change it any time soon though.
The handle bar grips are... awful, I'm very swiftly going to change these out, I hate these foam grips!
When I bought it they chucked an extended wheel thing on - I think this is a must for pushing the bike around when it's folded and really glad the shop gave me that. I think I may also add a rack at some point, just to make it a bit easier to roll around.
The handlebars in the 20" are *almost* the right position for me, but I think longer term I'm likely to get some raised ones, I feel 1 or 2cm would make a huge difference.
The build quality over all seems high and it's been very comfortable to ride, actually almost surprisingly so, I thought I was going to regret not splurging on the version with the carbon front fork but that's not the case, and I just took it through some pretty bumpy terrain.
Looking forward to cycling on this a lot more around Hong Kong and Shenzhen - if you're in the area and see a stupid looking white guy on a white Java Neo, do say Hi!.
Edit: It was worth any premium I might have paid just to go in to the store and experience the bikes I was interested in the flesh - as well as the extra time they spent checking over the bike and ensuring it was set up properly - buying online, would have been a mistake.