Show us your folder!

[uforgot]

Just for you Trek!:D

My Downtube 8H with Sturmey Archer internal hub.
Okay Fastdogs, your turn!

[NbyNW]

My Dahon SpeedPro TT . . . 1st pic is fresh out of the box, the second is folded and parked under my desk at work. I've since added fenders and rack and switched the pedals to folding platforms, since I just want to be able to hop on this bike wearing any kind of shoes, but I don't have a picture of it that way.

[fastdogs]

how did I miss this thread?
here's pinkbike. This is the bike that got me hooked; I wanted to ride, and I wanted to roadwork my dogs with a bike. I'd tried a couple of walmart bikes, but I just never enjoyed it. With pinkbike, I loved it. My time was limited, and there's no place to ride from my house. My commute is 90 miles roundtrip, so there's little time at the end of the day with a 4 year old.
With pinkbike, I could fold her up, put her in my little car, and ride at my lunch break. I started with a 15 minute ride, and progressed to a 30 minute ride, or 45 minutes if the boss (and his flying monkeys) was gone.
I even took her on a 14 mile charity ride and had so much fun.
vickie

[tulip]

My Bike Friday Pocket Rocket Pro. Been my regular ride since I get it in February. Did all of Bike Virginia in the mountains this year and took it to France in May. Most rides are 20-40 miles, with quite a few 60-80 milers thrown in.

[Tuckervill]

Here's my folder!

Karen

[rij73]

Here's my folder!

Karen

:D:D:D

[Blueberry]

Here's my Bike Friday - finally with her "final" stem.

CA

[emily_in_nc]

And here's my Bike Friday! She's a petite Pocket Crusoe 2004. Love her!

http://home.earthlink.net/~emilys7/cycling/bike_friday.jpg

~Emily

[margaret]

I just found this forum a few days ago and had just intended to lurk, but I stopped in my tracks when I saw this thread. I love folders! I didn't know they existed until I started researching bikes this summer. I've really enjoyed taking a drive, then stopping to ride my bike. It's made life so much easier. Here's mine:

http://www1.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=243843356/PictureID=5788303827/a=142577796_142577796/t_=142577796

[emily_in_nc]

My Downtube 8H with Sturmey Archer internal hub.


How do you like the Sturmey Archer hub? We're considering Downtube Minis to store on our sailboat and ride around at the coast. I like the idea of the hub since there's no drivetrain cleaning involved, which would be nice for the use we plan to put the bikes to. Does it shift smoothly?

Thanks!

[NbyNW]

I'm not sure what options you get with Downtubes, but as long as you're thinking about internal hubs, my Dahon has a 3-speed SRAM DualDrive, in addition to a conventional rear derailleur, giving it a whopping 27 speeds.

This is my first year with this bike, and like any gear shifting system, it will need some re-adjusting after an initial break-in period. I've recently noticed it hasn't been shifting as smoothly as when it was new, so I need to either learn to adjust it or take it to the LBS one of these days.

When it's tuned properly, it works beautifully. Don't have to worry about dropping my chain, and there's no possibility of crossing the chain. In that regard, it's kind of forgiving, compared to a conventional derailleur.

You might want to PM uforgot if you want specifics on the Sturmey Archer, in case she hasn't checked back on this thread recently. Would love to see a posted response, though, since I love learning about other people's bikes.

[uforgot]

How do you like the Sturmey Archer hub? We're considering Downtube Minis to store on our sailboat and ride around at the coast. I like the idea of the hub since there's no drivetrain cleaning involved, which would be nice for the use we plan to put the bikes to. Does it shift smoothly?

Thanks!

Actually, I didn't use the bike much, so I sold it to knottedyet. She, in turn, gave it to her mother. The few times I did ride it, it shifted fine. It was easy to adjust right out of the box as you only had to line up the yellow lines. I didn't have it long enough to really see how it worked after many miles.

[DebW]

Actually, I didn't use the bike much, so I sold it to knottedyet. She, in turn, gave it to her mother. The few times I did ride it, it shifted fine. It was easy to adjust right out of the box as you only had to line up the yellow lines. I didn't have it long enough to really see how it worked after many miles.

If it's like the old Sturmey Archer 3-speed hubs, it will run fine for decades. A couple drops of oil in the oil port every month is all they needed.

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks for the good hub feedback!

[Aint Doody]

I can hardly wait for my Bike Friday to come this week! I'll add a picture (if I can figure out how.) Tulip and I will be stylin' on our Fridays at Cycle Zydeco in April.

[tulip]

I can hardly wait for my Bike Friday to come this week! I'll add a picture (if I can figure out how.) Tulip and I will be stylin' on our Fridays at Cycle Zydeco in April.

Didyagetityet?didyagetityet?didyagetityet??? Second most important question: what color is it? Can't wait to be part of the Bike Friday contingent at CZ in April!

[Aint Doody]

Igotit;Igotit;Igotit! It's the green in a Pocket Rocket. I wanted the screaming yellow, but didn't want to pay the extra $100. I've been out of town on a girls only golf trip. I'll take a picture this week-end and post it. I hope to actually ride it on Sat. I don't have any spare tubes yet, and we have lotsa goatheads in Eastern OR. Won't we be cute at Cycle Zydeco????

PS--that stock bottle cage had to go. It pokes me right under the knee cap every time I get on. Got me a carbon fiber one cheap at Performance. Do y'all have that problem?

[emily_in_nc]

PS--that stock bottle cage had to go. It pokes me right under the knee cap every time I get on. Got me a carbon fiber one cheap at Performance. Do y'all have that problem?

Nope! Have never noticed that. CONGRATS on your new Friday! Can't wait to see photos! :D

[Aint Doody]

Here's my new Bike Friday. My friend who took the picture isn't the greatest photographer. She took a couple, but they were both fuzzy. Anyway the new Friday feels just like I'm on my Trek Pilot. They do a great job in Eugene, OR, and after seeing that some of the airlines are now charging $175, I'm really glad I got her.

[emily_in_nc]

What a cute bike! I have never actually seen a Friday in the "Green Gear Green" before yours, but I like it a lot! I'm rather partial to green anyway, for a variety of reasons -- nature, environment, having green eyes.... :D You look just darling with it in your red jersey - ready for the Christmas parade!

It is amazing how much they feel like "big bikes" once you're riding 'em, isn't it? Everyone asks us how different they feel (from bikes with normal sized wheels), and we have to tell them -- not much!

ENJOY!!!! :D

[ASammy1]

Ooooohhh. I love the green!

[PamNY]

They are all gorgeous and I want one. Any color.

Pam

[shootingstar]

Gee...this is giving me ideas. But right now, I have to restrain myself. However there have been several situations in the past few months, where a folding bike would have been less headache to transport a bike around with less cost to do some cycling for weekened getaway several hundred kms. away.

My partner bought a folding bike, then I just recently I found out one of my sisters and her hubby bought folding bikes....they wanted alternate activities to complement their kayaking trips. And another guy who got his folding bike...he's done several touring trips in Europe before this latest purchase. 'Course the receptionist at work, cycles to work on her folding bike..just a short 5 kms. away.

Feels like a trend here.. :)

[alimey]

And here is my Bike Friday - in Power Raspberry. His name is "Pegasus" - because he flies . . . BF kindly put his name on the frame.

[Blueberry]

Wow! 2 new Fridays since I looked!! The Pocket Rocket looks zippy, and I LOVE the Power Raspberry (that was a close 2nd choice behind my Purple!). What model is Pegasus? A NWT or a Crusoe (like mine!), I would guess...

We just got back from San Diego with ours (yep, we flew them all the way across the country for a week!). Southwest still doesn't charge for a 2nd bag, and they have it written into their policies that a Bike Friday in its case flies as a regular bag for free.

We had a great time riding them - it really made the trip - and there's NO WAY we would have paid to fly out full sized bikes because we just weren't sure. I took the ferry over to Coronado - there's a great bike path out there. DH rode every day. Totally worth it, IMO. And yeah - San Diego is awesome for riding. There are bike lanes and bike paths EVERYWHERE, and drivers (as a whole) were very well behaved as compared to here. The bike paths even have signs directing you to major destinations (e.g. take this path to go downtown). Very cool!

The only down sides: 1) lugging 2 giant suitcases through the airport and 2) TSA kindly took most of our packing materials off the bikes and then just threw them back loose in the case. I think we'll have to re-think the best packing strategy next time - maybe velcro each piece of packing material onto the bike?

[alimey]

Pegasus is a petite crusoe - but w/ upgraded wheels. It weighs in just under 20lb (without all the tat I usually hang off him) - aero water bottle was trickiest find. But I do wish I could afford a Tikit w/ a Nexus 8spd hub gear. That would be just about the perfect bike to commute around London.

[Aint Doody]

Oooh--I like the raspberry, too. What a colorful picture it would make to have them all together! TSA can certainly be a problem. I had that problem when I took my regular(?) bike with me in the hard case. I got to where I'd put things in ziplock bags, punch a small hole in the bag, and twist-tie the bags to the frame. But BF gives you such nice carrying pouches for the parts that I'd rather use them. Any suggestions?

Also--I haven't yet tried to fit her back into the case. How long would y'all say that takes? I'm sure it'll go faster as I get accustomed to doing it.

[Blueberry]

But BF gives you such nice carrying pouches for the parts that I'd rather use them. Any suggestions?

Also--I haven't yet tried to fit her back into the case. How long would y'all say that takes? I'm sure it'll go faster as I get accustomed to doing it.

The problem we had is that TSA pulled off the little plastic paint protectors, dumped the pedals out of their pouch, removed all the felt padding, and then put it all (pedals too) back in the case loose. I think I'm going to try attaching each piece with a strip of velcro - make it more difficult to remove. Not sure if it will work, but it really looked like they just dumped our stuff for the heck of it.

For the first time you pack it - plan on about an hour. It takes me ~45 minutes from bike with rack to completely packed now.

CA

[Aggie_Ama]

Oh look at the cute little Fridays!! I would love to get one for traveling but I can't justify it since we most drive. But one day I will be able to. Just stinks that DH would need one too. :p

[Blueberry]

Oh look at the cute little Fridays!! I would love to get one for traveling but I can't justify it since we most drive. But one day I will be able to. Just stinks that DH would need one too. :p

You could always get a tandem:p:p Or, they make one that works as a tandem, and you can take the "back" off to make a single:p:p:p

Seriously - we travel with ours in the car quite a bit too. It's nice to be able to store them (securely) inside. You also don't take the mileage hit!

CA

[Aggie_Ama]

No tandems in our stable, DH hates the idea. But I told DH about an hour ago since I don't want to convert my Cannondale to mountain gearing exclusively I want a Bike Friday for traveling and to be my mountain goat. He flipped at the idea! We really missed having something to ride when we went to California (last time we flew) and really want to do more vacations outside of driving distance so this is a great idea. My wish list grows everytime I read TE, I better stop shopping vicariously through you guys!

[Aint Doody]

By the way, I ordered a Click Stand for my Friday. Do y'all know about them? I already had one for my regular ride. Click Stands are light, folding kickstands that you can shove into your jersey pocket when you won't be able to find a place to lean your bike and don't want to lay it on the ground. You order them online and they're made specifically for your bicycle.

Susan

[tulip]

I've taken my Bike Friday on a plane twice--to and from France last May. I had no problem with TSA. I packed my bike in the softcase and put that in the hard case. I taped a notice to TSA on the inside of the hard case, something to the effect of, "This is a folding bike. It has been taken apart for transport and packed with great care. If you need to inspect it, kindly pack it back as carefully as possible." I also left my cell phone number for them to call if they had any questions. I had one notice in English and one in French, since I was traveling to France. Along with the notice, I also taped a series of photos of the bike in the case so they could see how it was packed.

The trip had one domestic leg and one international leg each way. The bikes were not disturbed on any leg of the trip, going or coming. It was on Delta/Air France.

Here is a photo of the case all packed up with the notices and photos.

[tulip]

I made the mistake of trying to pack my clothes in with my bike. That made my case too heavy and I had to pay the overweight charge of $75 each way (nothing to do with a bike charge--just over 50lbs). Next time I will keep my clothes separate (in a larger carryon than I had).

[Blueberry]

Yeah - I had a note in my case too. Basically, I explained what it was, gave basic packing directions and a cell phone number, and asked them to be careful. I also put cell numbers in it. I think we must have gotten someone in San Diego in a bad mood:cool:

I doubt having it in the travel bag would have made a difference - but I might try it next time:) I might also put the tools and pedals in another bag so if they do it again, there's less chance of damage. I get the feeling they really wanted to see what was under the packing materials, and didn't want to take the time to put it back.

Bike (including Schmidt hub) + Packing Materials + Shoes = ~46 pounds. I carried my Arkel Tail Rider in my other suitcase because it made it too heavy.

CA

[emily_in_nc]

By the way, I ordered a Click Stand for my Friday. Do y'all know about them? I already had one for my regular ride. Click Stands are light, folding kickstands that you can shove into your jersey pocket when you won't be able to find a place to lean your bike and don't want to lay it on the ground. You order them online and they're made specifically for your bicycle.

We got the regular Bike Friday kickstands for our Crusoes. They do add weight, but we felt that with loaded panniers (for touring or grocery runs), we'd need something really sturdy. Not sure if click stands would be up to the job, but maybe?? The kickstands we got would definitely be overkill for unloaded bikes, but we aren't weight weenies these days... :D

[tulip]

I think it entirely depends on the TSA person and what they had for breakfast that day. We happened to get lucky on our trip, but I will assume that there will be some unpacking on future trips. We're driving to Louisiana for Cycle Zydeco, but we're talking about Italy for next summer. We'll see how it goes.

[Aint Doody]

I wanna go with you, Tulip!

And, Emily, Tom with Click-Stand shows a picture of a loaded bike and even tandems. They're pretty sturdy. I like the fact that I can take a Click-Stand with me if I want to. I don't need it on each ride. I just use it when there's a big group with lotsa bikes around.

[tulip]

I wanna go with you, Tulip!

See you in Louisiana! As for Italy, right now I'm hoping, but given the relative emptiness of my pockets these days whatwith the house renovation and all, it might not happen.

Your green bike is good looking! So's the raspberry one! And CA's purple one, and CA's hubby's orange one (it is orange, right?)! I have yet to meet a Bike Friday that I don't like.

[emily_in_nc]

Your green bike is good looking! So's the raspberry one! And CA's purple one, and CA's hubby's orange one (it is orange, right?)! I have yet to meet a Bike Friday that I don't like.

My white one feels left out of the fun!!! :(

:D

[Aggie_Ama]

My white one feels left out of the fun!!! :(

:D

I personally dig the blue bar tape. Then you get bored and go purple or green or orange or spotted. :D

Candies pedals come in a variety of colors so you don't even have to mess that up.

[emily_in_nc]

I personally dig the blue bar tape. Then you get bored and go purple or green or orange or spotted. :D

Candies pedals come in a variety of colors so you don't even have to mess that up.

Thanks, and actually I have Speedplay pedals on my bike now, so don't have to worry about pedal clash. However, I also have a blue Lady Gel Flo saddle now and all the red Arkel bags, so I probably wouldn't go for purple or orange bar tape, but red would be cool. Still, I'm kinda partial to the blue I have on there now. I didn't really intend to go so patriotic, but once it all came together, I liked it. It was a nice contrast to the raspberry Aegis road bike I had at the time.

I love everyone else's Friday colors too! Agonizing over my color choice was about the toughest part of my Friday order.... :D

[Blueberry]

For anyone else considering one - I wouldn't pay for the upgraded paint again...

Mine has to be re-painted because the paint is literally peeling off and was when I got it (BF has agreed to do this for free), but I really didn't think about the fact that it would be going in and out of a case. For me, at least, it would have been better to have base paint I'd worry less about:)

And Emily's bike is adorable - it was really adorable as she zoomed off on a ride (her first after her fracture) and left me in the dust - with me on a road bike:):)

CA

[Jaclyn]

Here's a photo of my Princess Pink Petite Cruscoe Bike Friday in Ireland a few months ago. I bought her back in 2004 and have logged 5,400 miles on her on various tours in the US, Italy, Ireland, Cambodia, and more.

[Blueberry]

Jaclyn - How adorable!!!

I actually discovered the company many years ago when I was in law school and DH was supposed to have a conference in Ireland. The conference organizer went belly-up, and we didn't get to go to the conference. I sadly still haven't gotten to go to Ireland, but I finally did get the bike!

I, for one, would LOVE to hear more about your travels!

CA

[emily_in_nc]

And Emily's bike is adorable - it was really adorable as she zoomed off on a ride (her first after her fracture) and left me in the dust - with me on a road bike:):)

Aw, thanks, CA! :) I haven't had any problems with my (upgraded) paint, but I got mine in 2004 -- wonder if they are using different paint now? I'm so sorry to hear that you're having chipping problems. I sure did with my Aegis, but not the Friday.

[emily_in_nc]

Here's a photo of my Princess Pink Petite Cruscoe Bike Friday in Ireland a few months ago. I bought her back in 2004 and have logged 5,400 miles on her on various tours in the US, Italy, Ireland, Cambodia, and more.

What a darling bike and such a perfect background for the color!

I am so envious. I bought my Petite Crusoe in 2004 also and since our upstate NY tour in fall of 2004, all she's done is local rides. Sure wish I could say that I'd ridden all over like you! Maybe someday...

[Aggie_Ama]

I tried to convince DH we needed Fridays after reading about Phil Liggett's love of his. We will get them one day but not anytime soon. They are just so cute and practical for our travelling lives.

[tulip]

My white one feels left out of the fun!!! :(

:D

Mine's white, too, so OF COURSE, yours goes without saying:).

I also like the Downtubes and Dahons. I considered a SpeedPro several years ago but ended up with a Dahon Matrix instead. I should have gotten the SpeedPro, though. I would love to see a Brompton in person and ride one, but so far I've only seen photos.

[Aint Doody]

Jaclyn, you should have on a pink outfit standing by the pink Friday and the pink flowers. So pretty.....

And, Emily, yours is quite colorful with the bar tape, pedals, and bags. You can have a different color scheme for each season!

[Tri Girl]

Folders are soooo cool! Now I want one after seeing all your great bikes. I love the versatility. Maybe one day.:)

[crazycanuck]

odd question..are folders the type of bikes that students at uni would want to steal? I will be biking to uni when the semester starts & am looking at purchasing some sort of bike.

I could paint my current roadie odd colours & use it. That means getting a new bike :D

[emily_in_nc]

odd question..are folders the type of bikes that students at uni would want to steal?

Definitely. Triskeliongirl on this forum had her blue Bike Friday stolen off a college campus a few years back. :( No bikes seem to be immune from being stolen, sadly.

[Aint Doody]

I just got an email from Bike Friday that says if you order one before Dec. 5th , you can get $400 off! That's significant. Some of y'all that were thinking about it might take a look. www.bikefriday.com or 800-777-0258.

[Aggie_Ama]

That is great Doody, now I only need about $2400-400 to be in my couch. :p

[Aint Doody]

Champagne tastes, huh!:D

I went more onto the cheap side as much as possible when I got mine.

[Aggie_Ama]

Well I want a mountain goat. My dream is to have a climbing machine for a folder so I can go on vacation and ride. I rarely vacation in the flatlands. Then I can put a compact double on my Cannondale and zip along the Jollyville Plateau I live on. ;)

[tulip]

I went the Champagne route, but the moderate Champagne route. I knew that I could change the components if I wanted down the road, but I could not change the frame. So I compromised. I got the nicest frame (this bike will be with me for decades, just like my Luna) and got the 105 components.

I did splurge on the paint, but really, at this point, $100 more made no difference. Result: Pocket Rocket Pro with 105. The bar-end shifters are cheaper than the integrated shifters, but that's not why I got them (I prefer bar ends).

This, of course, meant that I could not get a kayak this year, and probably not next year. If my Luna could have couplers put in it, I might have gone that route, but it can't. But I'm so happy to have my little bike and travel case because I can go places with it.

[Aggie_Ama]

You know my thought was to just take the 105 triple on my road bike to build up my climber then put a compact Ultegra or SRAM on my Cannondale. Leaving the rear on the Cannondale because I want my climbing bike to be set up with mountain gearing so I can't use my entire drivetrain. If I did that I could get a Friday for about $1500 with Sora and swap around parts. Or even better, I could contact Friday tell them my intent and see what they can do. I want drop bars, I want STI (I think). Right now it is all just a pipe dream, I should start saving though because a Friday makes sense as a travel bike and a frame with couplers is $2,000+. We have our eye on a RV as the next big purchase but my parents have one we can borrow so maybe we should get travel bikes next summer. It makes more sense.

Tulip- Did you have the build to order for you? Was it a good experience?

[tulip]

The gearing on Fridays is different to accommodate the wheel size, so I don't think that the drivetrain from your old bike will work. I'm not sure about this, but if you call them, they will tell you all you need to know.

I had them build it for me based on the measurements of my Luna. They were great to work with--very patient as I kept changing my mind about things. In the winter they build faster since there are fewer orders. I got mine in about 4 weeks, but usually it's longer than that by a few weeks.

While it was alot of money to spend, I'm grateful that I could swing it. I could not have taken my Luna to France with me, and that was a very important trip for me to take with a bike (my first long bike trip was through France when I was 15, and my ex-husband is French and so it was important for me to go there on my own terms to deal with all that baggage, yaddayaddayadda).

I've also brought my Bike Friday with me in my little car on other bike trips and even on work trips when I was able to squeeze in a bike ride here and there while out of town.

[Aggie_Ama]

Do they not use normal crank sets and brifters? That would be the things to pirate from the Cannondale. I am seriously considering this for next summer but it is DH's bonus so he gets to call how to spend it and he fancies a travel trailer (as do I). Even though he always says "we are married it is our money".

[tulip]

Do they not use normal crank sets and brifters? That would be the things to pirate from the Cannondale. I am seriously considering this for next summer but it is DH's bonus so he gets to call how to spend it and he fancies a travel trailer (as do I). Even though he always says "we are married it is our money".

I'm thinking the chainrings and cogs are different, but you'd really need to call them to get the story right, as I only pay half-attention to these things. I found them to be very nice and patient with my questions.

[Aggie_Ama]

I'm thinking the chainrings and cogs are different, but you'd really need to call them to get the story right, as I only pay half-attention to these things. I found them to be very nice and patient with my questions.

I will as soon as DH warms to the idea. He likes travelling so we are half there. :)

[Blueberry]

The cranks are normal. The brifters are normal. The only funky thing you can opt for is the rear hub/cog set. To get a great top end range, there's a product called a capreo hub. It has a 9 tooth cog on it. To use the cassette, you have to use the hub. It's available from other places (it's a shimano part), but it's the only really strange component on mine.

CA

PS - For those who don't know, Bike Friday does a referral program. If someone helps you decide, you can give BF their name and they get a gift cert when you purchase:) Since we have lots of helpful Bike Friday owners on here (Tulip!!), thought those looking at purchasing might want to know.

[Aint Doody]

Another cool thing about Bike Friday is that they will work with your LBS even if they aren't BFriday dealers. That was a great help to me, as I needed my local guy's input on some components. Also then I don't mind calling on him to help me if I have a problem. BF gives them like a "finder's fee" for helping a customer. And then when it was shipped to my LBS, I had help putting it all together. As for components I even went down to Sora with the idea I could upgrade later on. I think it's a great company. They even worked with my LBS even though I was in Eugene and went by to have them do all the measurements to be sure it was spot on. Then my LBS actually ordered it for me.

And Tulip is right--they are super nice on the phone and very helpful.

[Blueberry]

For anybody who's thinking about one - they're doing a "Black Friday" 15% off deal through tonight at midnight - all black bikes. Just FYI:-)

CA

[emily_in_nc]

The cranks are normal.

Not always. Because of the small wheels, often a larger "big crank" is used. My Friday has a "tandem" crankset, which has a 53-tooth big ring. My DH, who is a really strong rider, has a humongous 62-tooth big ring! I think his other two rings are larger than normal too (mine are standard -- 42-30). We both have XT mountain gearing in the back for loaded touring, rather than a road crankset.

Just another datapoint!

[Blueberry]

Not always. Because of the small wheels, often a larger "big crank" is used. My Friday has a "tandem" crankset, which has a 53-tooth big ring. My DH, who is a really strong rider, has a humongous 62-tooth big ring! I think his other two rings are larger than normal too (mine are standard -- 42-30). We both have XT mountain gearing in the back for loaded touring, rather than a road crankset.

Just another datapoint!

Interesting - I thought they had stopped doing that with the advent of the Capreo cassette. Hmmm...food for thought.

[tulip]

I just told Walter at BF what my gearing is on my Luna, and he took it from there. Of course, it wasn't that simple because my Luna has a compact double and my Friday has a triple, but we got a spread that works for me just fine.

About my white bike--I love how it looks, but it does show dirt, and more importantly, grease. Folding and unfolding results in the chain coming off (unless you're really good at it) and the white bike shows more grease than some people might like. I like black bikes. My partner got a black one (but don't pay extra for the Black Diamond--it's more of a dark grey. The stock Black Ink is really black).

[emily_in_nc]

Interesting - I thought they had stopped doing that with the advent of the Capreo cassette. Hmmm...food for thought.

Yeah, I guess that a standard crankset is used with a Capreo cassette. However, we didn't want the Capreo (which they did have even back in early 2004, when we ordered our Fridays) as we both wanted that 34t huge XT cassette in back for steep climbs while fully loaded. On our upstate NY unsupported tour, I did have occasion to use my 30t ring in the front with that 34 in the back several times since I was hauling four panniers, two racks, a Tailrider, and a front bag up some VERY steep hills. The hills around the Finger Lakes make our hills here in the Piedmont of NC look like the gentle rollers that they are! :D

For unloaded riding, I agree that a standard crankset and Capreo cogset would be just fine, but we bought our bikes specifically for loaded touring. Unfortunately, we've only done the one tour, but hauling a heavy load of groceries has also warranted use of mountain gearing! :D

[emily_in_nc]

About my white bike--I love how it looks, but it does show dirt, and more importantly, grease. Folding and unfolding results in the chain coming off (unless you're really good at it) and the white bike shows more grease than some people might like. I like black bikes. My partner got a black one (but don't pay extra for the Black Diamond--it's more of a dark grey. The stock Black Ink is really black).

Agreed completely -- my white bike shows grease and dirt really easily. It's really nice when clean, but black is certainly more practical.

I've never been known for being practical. :D

[msincredible]

Here's my Birdy!

http://paularickert.net/albums/userpics/normal_birdy.jpg

http://paularickert.net/albums/userpics/normal_birdy3.JPG

http://paularickert.net/albums/userpics/normal_packbike21.JPG

And on some of my business trips:

Singapore
http://paularickert.net/albums/userpics/normal_06-peircereservoir.JPG

Calgary
http://paularickert.net/albums/userpics/normal_calgary02.JPG

Cambridge, MA
http://paularickert.net/albums/userpics/normal_harvard.JPG

St. Louis
http://paularickert.net/albums/userpics/normal_stlouis06.JPG

[emily_in_nc]

msincredible, your birdy is just darling! Thanks for posting the great photos! :)

[tulip]

Great new bike MsIncredible! I love the color! Looks like you're having fun exploring together.