Show us your folder!

[Aggie_Ama]

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

[Aint Doody]

Champagne tastes, huh!

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".