I'm thinking of acquiring a folding bike. (Needs to be folding, as there's no bike shed chez moi, I'm on the third floor and there's no lift). Any advice?
lproven has one; a 'Birdy' I think. Admittedly he does look a bit like a frog on a matchbox, but as you are rather more petite than him it will probably look OK.
I'm allowed to be rude to him this week after what he said about my sunglasses!
Yes, I have a Birdy, from Riese und Müller. It's very good: 21 speeds, decent seat height, full front & rear suspension, steady non-twitchy ride, and folds in 15sec to something the size of a small suitcase.
But if you don't need such a serious bike, just something for pottering around town, Mary's right, a Brompton is what you need. Get the options: you want built-in lighting and luggage racks, they're a pain to add later.
Interesting coincidence that I've just started asking around on the same subject (been faunching for a folder for ages though).
The thing about folding bikes is, it depends what you want out of them. Bromptons seem to be `the best' for short hops during commuting. But I need something that will do serious riding. The Birdy Blue (the 21 speed thing) was my theoretical dream-machine based upon what I could find to read about it, but prices up (new, with all the accessories that I'd like) at a cool 1200 pounds (peanuts for a serious vehicle, a little more when one is unwaged...). The Birdy Red (now, I believe, at 8 speeds) without any trimmings is nearer 750 pounds. These are very cunning pieces of kit, which need to trade off weight, with speed of fold/unfold, with size of folded package, with features, with wheelsize...
See this thread I've started (http://www.livejournal.com/talkread.bml?journal=anonymousclaire&itemid=109862) in anonymousclaire for more thoughts...
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I'm allowed to be rude to him this week after what he said about my sunglasses!
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(Anonymous) 2002-08-20 03:14 am (UTC)(link)Re:
I believe he then laughed and expressed the opinion that I wasn't one of them.
I recall that this was shortly followed by an incidence of violence.
Bikes and shades
Yes, I have a Birdy, from Riese und Müller. It's very good: 21 speeds, decent seat height, full front & rear suspension, steady non-twitchy ride, and folds in 15sec to something the size of a small suitcase.
But if you don't need such a serious bike, just something for pottering around town, Mary's right, a Brompton is what you need. Get the options: you want built-in lighting and luggage racks, they're a pain to add later.
This does mean a new one will cost you ±£700.
But then, the Birdy was a thousand...
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Great Minds!
The thing about folding bikes is, it depends what you want out of them. Bromptons seem to be `the best' for short hops during commuting. But I need something that will do serious riding. The Birdy Blue (the 21 speed thing) was my theoretical dream-machine based upon what I could find to read about it, but prices up (new, with all the accessories that I'd like) at a cool 1200 pounds (peanuts for a serious vehicle, a little more when one is unwaged...). The Birdy Red (now, I believe, at 8 speeds) without any trimmings is nearer 750 pounds. These are very cunning pieces of kit, which need to trade off weight, with speed of fold/unfold, with size of folded package, with features, with wheelsize...
See this thread I've started (http://www.livejournal.com/talkread.bml?journal=anonymousclaire&itemid=109862) in