Bike Friday / Swift Folder / Airnimal folding bike? - Page 4

2airishuman · 09-13-2008, 11:55 AM

wow chief that's a lot of bike trading for 2 years!

you need a dealers license and a score card.

you know there ARE folding recumbent trikes now too...

FINALLY u score the dahon/trek, suggested back in post 6...

of course trek (unwisely) dropped this model,

just before the ride-to-work/communter craze hit.

the issue with small wheel bikes 4 someone your height is almost always adequate seat post/stem reach.

and the front end "twitchiness" is really how most small wheelers ride, regardless of wheelbase.

fork rake can alter it some, but small wheelers all tend to steer quickly and r hard to ride hands free...

another small wheeler that could work nicely for YOU is the burro...

Burro Bikes!

as u can see from the website these frames are taller and rely less on stem and post for length.

moulton has now joined forces with pashley, officially launching a new company/enterprise this summer.

this move will result in some production increases and more models, they've NOW got a usa distributor 2, which is a big deal.

the pashley/moulton seen back in post 6 may be 4sale by early spring, i'm shopping again too.

cheers
2air'

85MH325 · 09-13-2008, 12:41 PM

I know, 2Air, I know. I'd just never seen one in person! I should have trusted you guys and my gut to begin with... but I'm a happy camper now, and I managed to find 'bents in the process! I have really become a convert, but having the three bikes is a really nice combination. I never get tired of any of them 'cause of the variety. FWIW there is a pretty significant difference in the Trek frame and Dahon branded frames from that same period. Obviously, Trek had some pretty hefty specs they wanted met.

I've looked at a number of Dahons and even Bromptons now, and I'm convinced that for my purposes there's nothing better out there. Regarding the Brompton, I looked at a couple of them this summer, and I'm convinced that the Breezer I3 (more or less a Brommy clone) is equally suited to the task that the Brompton does so well at about 1/3 the cost of a genuine Brompton. I doubt the components will hold up as well long-term, but who knows?

The one spec the Burro doesn't list is weight. Having hefted a Surly Pugsly with the huge 4" tires, I suspect that the Burro is heavy.

Roger

85MH325 · 09-13-2008, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _cy_

sorry this has been SOLD... the Trek F600 addressed basically all the issues .. you mentioned... very stiff...fairly lightweight... uses quality Shimano 9sp gears... full sized components... in short rode exactly like a full sized bike... 35+ mile rides no problems... Burley trailers are the best! I've towed my kids in excess of 10k miles on two different Burley trailers... mostly behind a early fillet braised Fisher Mountain bike. currently riding a recumbent .... a Lightning F-40 with full fairing... probably my last post here.... unless I find a deal on an Coooool Airstream of course...

Charles, apparently you didn't read my post! I bought your bike!

Roger

2airishuman · 09-13-2008, 01:31 PM

the real value of a brompton or birdy is quick folding and a small package once folded.

so it's ideal for urban use where mass transit is mixed with riding.

the trip to d.c. would have been nicely suited to either.

but neither are ideal for a really tall rider or longer rides.

the burro can be equipped from ~25 lbs to around 30 lbs, depending on kit.

the heavier/fatter tire/rim package is intended for trail/off road riding and really this line is for mostly 'slow' rolling use...

and while the added mass is an issue, heavier tires actually REDUCE that twitchy feel u noticed on the small wheelers...

you might try some of the larger schwalbe tires, inspite of mass they'll improve the 600's ride around town.

cheers
2air'

85MH325 · 09-13-2008, 01:49 PM

2Air, I'm not doing the ride to train-train to downtown-ride to work thing, so I don't need the small package; but frankly I wouldn't fit on it anyway. The Trek is perfect for my needs. Trek just did an abysmal job of marketing the bike. They had a real winner, but fortunately for the other folding bike companies, apparently they just didn't know how or who to sell it to, and when they were underwhelmed with sales, they dropped the folder. Too bad.

Oh... and on the folding trike thing... I have been in the cockpit of a Greenspeed GT5... but I have no intention of investing what a small car costs...

For recreational riding, and all-round use, though, I have to say that my Hepcat is just amazing. I won't use it to commute on for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that it doesn't have fenders, and I have no plan to install them. I'm reserving it for strictly going out and riding for the joy of riding. There's nothing quite like it.

We had RAGBRAI through our town this year, about 20,000 more of the nicest folks you could meet in a town of 3,100. That was fun!

Roger

85MH325 · 09-26-2008, 07:21 AM

I'm so impressed with the F600 and Laurie likes it well enough that I found an '06 electric blue F400 in new condition near Madison, WI with a Trek bag for $395 for my wife. So yesterday we made the trek to Beaver Dam WI and picked it up. Larry still has another, BTW, if anyone is interested...

Interestingly, it has Shimano instead of SRAM as shown on the Trek archive website.

Anyway, we made a day of stopping at Madison bicycle shops... what a kick! We did the usual shops, the Trek Store, Williamson's, and Erik's. And then, quite by accident, we discovered the Budget Bicycle Shops. What a place! They have a recumbent, trike, and folding bike store. A regular bike store. A used bike store and museum, and an accessories store... in FOUR buildings! I don't know how big their stock really is, but it's got to be literally thousands of bikes. Anyway, if you're into bikes, Madison is obviously the place to be!

At the recumbent, trike, and folding bike store, I got to see a Velotechnic Scorpion folding trike... only $4k... it was gorgeous tho... as well as many of the Dahon folders in their lineup, as well as Birdy and the current Giant Halfway in person. Having now seen the Dahon, Breezer, Giant, and many Bike Friday offerings in person, I'm even more pleased with the quality and features of the Trek folders.

After a couple of weeks of nearly daily commuting on the F600, I can tell you I'm becoming more and more enamored of it. Now, the F400 needs a few tweaks, like replacing the grip shift with rapid-fire, and a few minor add-ons... and it's ready to go!

Roger