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[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.

[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!