Comments on: Bike Friday Tikit mini-report

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 02 May 2011 18:47:21 +0000

Thanks for measuring cable pull on the internal hub shifters from Shimano and SRAM. Priceless info! nice bike as well.

By: Glen Nison

Glen Nison — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:47:30 +0000

if you wanted to carry a more substantial load for touring you could get the Bike Friday trailer (you need the separate axle hitch as well) with the suitcase (or a Burley trailer, etc). I have a Bike Friday NWT and it works very well with the BF trailer.

By: AlexWetmore

AlexWetmore — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 17:33:32 +0000

I think it could if you went with a light load. Most racks are going to interfere with the fast folding.

I doubt that I”d take the Tikit on a week long or longer tour, but I expect to use it for some overnight tours. I can fit a lightweight camping load (sleeping bag, hammock, change of clothes, stove, food) into a messenger bag and carry it on the front of the bike. If I need anything more I can use a saddlebag.

I don”t notice a big difference in the performance of a Bike Friday NWT (which many people have toured on) and my Tikit.

By: John

John — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 22:53:45 +0000

Alex… do you think a person could actually do some multi-day touring on a Tikit?

I live in Missouri and would do the KTY trail across the state of Missouri. Tikit handle that?

By: AlexWetmore

AlexWetmore — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:49:40 +0000

The back of the seat mast latches into the top of the rear triangle. This is secure, you can lift up the bike and nothing starts to fold. When riding that latch isn”t under load, your weight on the saddle and the upwards force from the rear wheel keep everything secure.

To fold the first step is to push the seat last forward firmly. This will disengage that latch and let the rear triangle fold under. Then you can fold the stem and seat mast.

By: Don Gillies

Don Gillies — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 06:49:00 +0000

Alex, how does the bike stay secure when it’’s unfolded? If it has no latches, is there a chance of accidental folding while you are riding, or if you”re leaning on the frame in strange and unusual ways (for example, if you”re riding it like a trick bicycle ??)

By: AlexWetmore

AlexWetmore — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 18:08:55 +0000

Look for a followup on the Tikit soon.

By: christian

christian — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 01:17:27 +0000

hey Alex,

any new observations now that you”ve had the bike a little while? I”m especially interested in the little bit of play in the stem which you mentioned. I”m thinking of trading in my BF pocket rocket for a Tikit (their trade in program is pretty fair), since only a real folder is going to be useful to me these days.

By: AlexWetmore

AlexWetmore — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 16:57:48 +0000

I think the biggest reason for using derailleurs instead of internal gear hubs on the folders is cost. It would probably cost an additional $200 or so to sell the Tikit with an internal gear hub. The Tikit is also fairly expensive (compared to the Chinese import competition). Just a guess though.

Internal gearing isn”t that inefficient. My best bike has a Rohloff hub and I”ve ridden the Nexus 8 (red-band) and SRAM S7 hubs extensively.

By: NoHo

NoHo — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:44:06 +0000

Very interesting Alex. I”ve been browsing folders for a while and was wondering myself why they don”t come with internal geared hubs. Seems natural for a folding bike. Is the internal gearing *that* inefficient, or do you suppose it might just be industry prejudice? Or maybe it’’s an issue with appropriate gear ratios?

I had a custom Xoom Swift quoted recently and substituting a Nexus hub was considerably more money than the stock derailleur setup…