What you are looking for is called a “gents folder”. Sanrenmu makes a nice one that you might like. It is the 738. I have one and it is classy and not too scary for non-knife people. I ordered two and have one that is still new in the box if you decide you want to try one.
Thanks again, Vectrex. Those post links are a wealth of info. Your size comparisons are very helpful and the 710 looks to be a perfect size. I agree the 681 looks a bit small. I can already tell I'm going to have to buy several knives until I've found the perfect one.... I'm at 38 flashlights and I still haven't found that elusive perfect light, though. 
It's dangerous to start buying Chinese knives, I wanted to buy maybe 2-3 Chinese folders in the beginning. And you can see what Enlan/SRM/Exduct has done to me. ;-) And the comparison pics don't even show all the blades I own. It's more addicting than flashlights to me.
Thanks for that, Speedsix. I like it very much and you've given me a whole new brand to check out. I'll let you know if I'm interested.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/822735-Sanrenmu-738-very-attractive-budget-knife
Those are 738 links.
The 738 compares in size to the 710 SRM but is a bit lighter in weight and looks more dressy. The 710 is one of the classic Chinese budget knives and you should probably buy one to have a benchmark to compare other knives to.
The SRM 702 is a nice gents folder with gold accents that make it look like a classy piece. It has one of the most useful blade shapes ever invented, the Warncliff blade. For some reason Warncliff blades are not as popular as other blade shapes yet they are far and away the best design for an EDC. I carry a BM 921s every day at work and have for 8 years. I love the design so much that I can’t seem to get used to anything else for work.
BetweenRides have you seen the Sellers/Manufacturers / Videos I posted in the "Budget knives dealers all in one" thread? Some links are outdated... maybe it's time to update those posts again.
Tallyho, thanks for the link on the Enlan M011.
I just ordered it. In case anyone is interested the “Make Offer” button will accept $6.50 and not $6.00 which is a decent discount from the listed price of $7.85.
Hopefully NOT with the new knife!
I was surprised by this thread, BT. Cyclists generally tend to be self reliant, so I never would have guessed you didn’t carry a knife in addition to a flashlight.
Inconceivable!
I know a lot of folks here like the “budget” knives, but in my experience, they never represent good value in the same way you can with a good budget light. When you but a Solarforce flashlight, you get 90% of what a Surefire will give you for 15% of the price. Thus, “good value”. When you buy a Byrd Cara Cara instead of a Spyderco Endura, you pay 20% but only get 45%… that’s not so good of a value to my way of thinking.
I’ve had a never used CRNT m-16 and Byrd Cara Cara rust while in storage. And I’m talking low humidity and well oiled, too. I have 3 Kabar Doziers and a Byrd Mellowlark all with horrible lockup. And I can adjust a pivot screw with the best of them. Personally, I think you should just bite the bullet and get a better knife, or, if you really feel like budget is the way to go, I’d suggest Victorinox, Opinel, or some type of small fixed blade.
As a cyclist, I’m sure you have heard, “Cheap, light, or strong… you can have any two.” I believe something similar can be said about knives.
Of course you have to do your research first, before you buy something otherwise you will be disappointed... and there are always trade-offs. There are no 1AAA flashlights with 800 Lumen and 10 hour runtime on high without overheating and the same goes for knives. Decide what your priorities are: The best cutting steels are almost always carbon steel... the most corrosion resistant steels will have less cutting performance. Read some basic guides like Jekostas knife primer and decide what you want and how much you are willing to spend on reaching the desired attributes. There is a reason Mora and Opinel offer many of their knives in carbon and stainless steel, so you can choose yourself. The convenience of modern locking mechanisms surpasses the collar lock of the Opinels and most Victorinoxes are slip joint and don't even have a lock. As a fellow biker I would rather use folding blades opposed to fixed blades, because size and weight are critical when you are on 2 wheels. I love my Mora fixed blades, but they stay at home most of the time. I would probably take a MT and larger folder on tour, so I have some tools and a larger blade (bigger than the MT blade... eg. SRM 900 series/Enlan L-class).
In my opinion I get more in return on a SRM 710 knife, than on a Sipik SK68 flashlight in terms of build quality and overall value, but that is highly subjective.
Cone, I've been carrying a cycling multitool around with me for 23 years and have never had to use it.... On my own bike. Plenty of times I've stopped and helped someone else, but my bikes are maintained in pristine condition. My two main bikes have Dura Ace components and I regularly clean and replace parts before they break. My chain is cleaned and lubed at least twice a weak. I believe in quality and usually don't cheap out on anything bike related. In all the rides I've done, I've only SAGged in on one century (seat post bolt broke) and I've only had to call my wife twice to come get me way out in the country. Once was because of a slide out in some wet leaves and the other was two broken spokes on a racing (low spoke count) wheel. Both of those times the bike was unrideable. So I do consider myself pretty self reliant.
I really have no use for a knife on a bike ride, this is just another thing to collect (not that I won't find excuses to use a knife). Since I know next to nothing about knives, I think I should start out cheap - we're talking $7-15 a pop from what I've seen on exduct. You have offered up some sage advice however, so by all means suggest something more mid-range. I'll probably pick up 2-3 cheap knives then realize I should spend more, just like I did with flashlights. Circle of life and all that. 
Vectrex and everyone else, thanks so much for all the responses. This is opening up my eyes to a whole new area to explore. I can definitely see carrying a knife on a bike tour, just not on my regular group rides. I do remember back to boy scout days and the difference between chro-moly and stainless when trying to sharpen a knife - your last post reminded me of that. Like budget flashlights, it looks like knife collecting can be entered cheaply, but I'm sure the more expensive and valuable stuff will come later.
BT, I wasn’t thinking about carrying the knife on the bike when I said “self reliant”. It was more of a bike riders tend to be self reliant, therefore they would also likely carry a knife in their day to day travels idea. You know, like the proverbial boy scout. I don’t normally carry a blade when out on a bike ride. Some allen keys, patches and a couple of CO2 cartridges normally suffice on a road ride and CB Mule with more crap than is necessary goes on MTB rides. There might be a small Vic Classic in there. My favorite move is to ride with people who bring stuff so I can lighten my own load. I need all the help I can get. My sons haven’t caught on to it yet, hehehehe.
What kind of bike MT? I have an original Cool Tool. It is indeed cool, but not tacticool.
Vectrex is right on with this, it “is highly subjective”. True about most things. There is obviously no single right answer to any of these questions and my post was only my feeling and thoughts as they apply to my own situation. I have all types of knives in my collection, but I generally only actually carry fairly large knives, tip up, pocket clip, earth tones, and some variant of the “Spydie hole”. 90% of the time this means a Spyderco Endura. Over 20 years with that model and I would be lost without it. For me it is the “one”. Most knife guys feel the same way about a particular knife too. Someday, you may also feel this way about a knife. I have no way of knowing, but I’d guess that less than 1% of the knife world feels that the Endura is the cat’s meow. What I mean is, that knife is the right knife for me. I can lay out many valid arguments why it should be the right knife for everyone. In the end though, it isn’t the right knife for everyone. That’s why there is so much variety. It gives the world flavor.
I like the larger folders overall better and to be honest I mostly use them for food preparation. This is why most of my knives are in the 18-20cm range and have FFGs (full flat grinds) or very light hollow grinds, like most common kitchen knives. Nothing beats taking your bike for a spin and to some pick-nick halfway on top of a mountain, or by a river or a lake with, where are no other people around than your fellow bicyclists. Ever done bike barbecuing? Ever done exquisite sandwiches with fresh french baguettes, Swiss cheese, German sausages, some salads in a nice wildlife park out in the nature? What do you need for that ... exactly a nice knife which doesn't weigh much and doesn't take up a lot of space in your backpack/bike-bag-system, but gives you the reach to cut bread, meat and cheese. For example a SRM 908 makes an excellent steak knife and a 939 is excellent for food preparation. The open pillar design and the lack of wood make them easier to clean, than let's say a SAK or Opinel knife. Ever had butter in an Opinel handle? ... the fat soaks in the wood... not pretty and probably not sanitary. Cleaning a SAK or MT is also no fun, because there are so many parts involved. Ever had a SAK blade close unintentionally, because of a missing lock? It's true that 8Cr13MoV steel, the steel used on most Chinese decent budget knives, is only somewhat rust resistant, but I think it's a good compromise between cutting performance and corrosion resistance. Clean you knives directly after used with a paper tissue and make sure that the blades or stored in a dry environment if you don't use them for longer times, if needed put them in a plastic bag with some silica gel... and you shouldn't have any problems. People seem to often forget, that air humidity already leads to small water droplets on a colder blade.
SanRenMu 763 , 710
Enlan EL01
Navy K631
If you buy the aluminum version of the SRM 763 , you can soak it in some Greased Lightning and it will be shiny...and you never know when you'll need a bottle opener.
Vectrex, next time I make it to Germany, I want to go for a bike ride with you. 8)
I ride for fitness and enjoyment. Mostly we just go fast in pacelines, but Sunday mornings are for fun - big group, 50-60K or so out to a country diner, breakfast, then return home before noon. Once a year I take a week and do a tour. Ride morning into early afternoon, nap, eat a big dinner and drink beer. Going on a picknick? I'd like to see how it's done and it's sounds like you have it figured out. So back on topic: A good knife sounds like a must!
@Jack: All the knives you have listed look like great ones. I love the stripped one.
You can’t go wrong with a 710 as a first knife. It’s hard to appreciate how classy and well made it is from photos. It took me forever to get one, mostly ‘cause it looked so plain. But I really liked it when I finally got one.
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I have small hands, and even so, the smallest knife I carry with any regularity is the 763. It has to be my favourite small knife.
The Spyderco Byrd line of knives have very good value and are a nice intro to some of Spyderco’s higher end knives. You sound like you really appreciate quality hardware - get yourself a Delica with titanium scales, or G10, or FRN, or damascus. You’ve been warned! :money_mouth_face:
My first love was knives. After knives, I moved to guns and only recently into flashlights. I have been into knives for 25+ years now. I have come full circle as to what I like and buy. There was a time when I was buying $300-400 Sebenzas and customs. I had all the big names and spent a ton of cash on them.
I found that I used my cheaper knives more because I wasn’t so afraid of losing or damaging them. I would have a Sebenza in the drawer at home and use my Delica. After a while, I got tired of just owning knives and not using them so I sold or traded them off. I kept a few of my favs but mostly lost interest until about 6 months ago when I got my first high quality Chinese budget knife. I was so impressed by some of knives that I wondered why people would spend 3-5 times the price on knives that were not much better at all.
I am not saying that any $10 Chinese knife is as good as any $50 name brand knife but I am saying that there are $10 Chinese knives that are every bit as good as ‘some’ $50 name brand knives. There are actually quite a few. Hobbies don’t have to cost more and more, sometimes recognizing a bargain is fun in it’s own way.
I will say this, if you need a good knife to last and serve an important role, spend the money. A $130 Benchmade might sound expensive but if you plan on using it everyday and depending on it, it will be a good investment.
99% of people use their knife in a much more informal way 99% of the time. For those people who just use their knives for normal tasks, a $10 Sanrenmu will serve them well. In fact, many of these $10-20 Chinese knives built better than knives made by the big names brand makers 10-15 years ago. Look at some of the Benchmades and Spyderco from the 1990s and you will see what I mean.
Speedsix, I think what you are saying applies to many hobbies!
I had a $2,000 Les Paul Gibson electric guitar but I’m not that good a guitar player and it wasn’t worth holding on to it for me so I sold it.
I also had a “vintage” Fender Telecaster that looked cool but had a neck that was too thin for my hands so I sold it for $1,200 and bought a newer vintage copy model by Fender for $600 or less that plays better.
It’s rarely about the money unless you are just collecting.
I really wish I could figure out the surface rust issues some people have. I don’t do anything special with my knives and Ive almost never had that issue. Not these less expensive Chinese steels nor ZDP, or M4. An I live in FL humidity isn’t anything new here. I mean there’s a Tropical Storm outside right now! lol I usually wipe my blade on a sock or T-shirt at the end of the day… I dont leave them well oiled.
Knife threads make me cry 