It's just the tikit! And another tikit!

Ordered it this morning, should be riding it this time next week. Will post follow-ups then.

Folderable bikes are so cool. I'm not sure I could get over riding something that small though. Keep us posted.

Great bike from a technical point of view, but not my cup of tea. Oh, if I were commuting by train or bus or worked higher than the ground floor I would have one of those in the blink of an eye, but I'm more into performance than utility.

Titanium frame, carbon fiber wheels, 16 gears, about 19 pounds in race trim (it is loaded up now with stuff like tool bag, mirror, lights, water bottle, bell, pump, lock & cable, computer, etc.) and F A S T. My son used to be a semi-pro racer (raced in Europe, trained with Greg LeMond) told me that it was the fastest bike he'd ever ridden. (This was years ago, and there are lighter, faster bikes now.) I think it is wearing out, though, because every year it goes slower than it did the year before.

Sadly, it is completely unusable on the cobblestone streets here in Ajijic. It takes so long to get to the cyclopista which is nicely paved that for any trip less than 10 miles my mountain bike gets there faster. 4 MPH on the cobblestones on the road bike; 20-25 MPH (downhill) on the mountain bike, which has full suspension front and rear on fat tires.

tanstaafl.

Heh.. that was my thought, before I test-rode one this past saturday.

Wow! Totally changed my expectations from a big little bike like that. These are performance built. They even have a little carbon fibre racer that Doug might like..

The big advantage of a little packable bike like this, is that it can go anywhere with me on a whim. I like that.

Cheers

Many years ago I took a test ride on a folding bike that had tiny little wheels like the Tikit. The acceleration was fantastic, due entirely to the small wheels. Kinetic energy of rotation is proportional to the square of the radius of the wheels, so small diameter wheels (even if the mass were the same) take far less energy to spin up.

Since the bike was built to be a commuter bike and not a racing bike, there were too many performance compromises to be a good racer. That's not to say it wasn't an excellent commuter. Just like a folding bike makes a poor racer, my racing bike makes a poor commuter, even though superficially it is equipped (lights, mirror, tools, etc.) to do so.

tanstaafl.

Bike Friday (BF, the company) has been spending years getting people to look beyond their old folding bike memories.

The BF bikes have much better gearing than your grandpappy's folder. Even the basic commuter that I'm getting has 8-speed gearing that rivals many large rim road bikes in range. They use an extra large front chainrail to compensate for the little rims.

Their other models have anywhere from 16 to 72 speeds, with 20" rims instead of the smaller rims on the Tikit. A performance geek would naturally get a built-to-order bike from them, too, based on one's own body measurements.

Actually, I'd like to get a second BF bike someday -- their folding rethink of the mountain bike has a lot of appeal to me.

No bike racks or car carriers, fits in any automobile (even a smart), packs neatly into a suitcase for air travel..

But my first BF bike will be here later this week. I don't think I'll even bother with a lock, since it can be taken inside any car, store, office or restaurant that I'm likely to visit on it.

Photos coming, after the bike arrives!

Cheers

Oddly, I just saw a segment of "How It's Made" on folding bikes, albeit Brompton. Any relationship to your new purchase?

I've spent a day in the saddle of a Brompton and it is a nice little bike, surprising really how fast you can get used to it coming from a 'conventional' bike, and the 16" wheels make it quite nimble around town. It feels fast too, yes the acceleration is good but I think some of the effect is the same as the feeling of driving around in a small car. Its a fun bike! Folds fast and is really small too.

Also played around with a friends Dahon Speed Pro TT. 20" fancy wheels and lots of go faster bits, its a fair compromise to a real road bike for someone who must have a folding one. Don't think its hugely better than the Brompton though, didn't feel as meticulously engineered, the larger wheels should mean a slightly better ride, but it didn't have the suspension in the Brompton frame so not really the case. Didn't fold up as nicely or as small so loses on convenience and its even more expensive than the pricey Brompton. Not so great.

My favourite bike of all time has got to be the Moulton. Just completely unbelievable ride quality and comfort for something so fast and effortless to ride. It is like a magic carpet. Also has great build quality and quirky but inspired design. Could well be the nicest bike I've ever ridden. Yes, it was quick like a racer and could seriously be used as one.

Doug, I think you'd like a Moulton. Btw, your Kona Hahole is really nice! A good titanium bike really is for the connoisseur. That frame with those deep rims though, you must need to wear two pairs of shorts and some nicely padded gloves for a long street ride on that thing.