Bought a Bike Friday

[Sylvia]

There are plenty of low gears (but not enough high ones).

You might consider experimenting with your gearing. Here is an article on gearing on BikeFridays.

http://community.bikefriday.com/gearing

I went with the capreo cassette and rear hub with a 52/42/30 chainring setup in the front. This allows you to go down to a 9T cog in the back.

[featuretile]

Thanks for the info Sylvia. The Capreo would give higher gears. I wish I had understood all this first, but since the bike was pre-owned and I really didn't think it would make such a big difference until I went on a long ride with other people, I could not have selected it anyway. I emailed Bike Friday to see what the Capreo costs since I could not find it on their website. It also might entail changing the rear derailleur and it might be just too expensive right now. I had no idea how much higher you could go with a smaller rear cog! There is so much to learn! I changed out my saddle and am now really comfortable on her.

[tulip]

Congratulations on your new Bike Friday! I love mine. It's like riding my other road bike (only it's a bit heavier). I just took mine on a 10-day cycling trip and it performed flawlessly.

[featuretile]

I got a reply from Bike Friday and it turns out that I would have to replace the rear hub and rebuild the rim to install a Capreo cassette. Since I have 2 front chain rings 53-39 (not 3), I would lose my low gears if I installed a 9-26 in place of my 11-32. What would really work is not being made by them anymore. A 9-32 Capreo would have given me the higher gears without losing the lower gears.

I'll probably just keep what I have for now. Now that it is comfortable, it's just a little slower when riding with road bikes. It worked well when I rode with a slower friend. If DH gets a folding bike, it will probably slow him down to my speed. The thing is, even if I had ordered a new BF, I would not have realized what I needed until after I got it. Also, too expensive for me. Who gets into comparing gear inches when you are a relatively new rider and not a technical person? I sound like a bike mechanic, and even my more experienced friends don't understand what I am talking about - gear inches, chain capacity, teeth, tire size.

[tulip]

When I ordered my Bike Friday, I told them what I had on my other road bike, and said, "Make It So" on the Friday, and they did. I don't get into gear inches, but I'm glad they do.

[Sylvia]

I sound like a bike mechanic, and even my more experienced friends don't understand what I am talking about

I understand that feeling. I'm a relatively new rider and had to really look into cranks and gearing to understand what would work for me. By the time I ordered my BikeFriday, I pretty much knew the gearing I wanted on it.

Sheldon Brown has a nice online gear calculator.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/

[kmehrzad]

The thing is, even if I had ordered a new BF, I would not have realized what I needed until after I got it. Also, too expensive for me. Who gets into comparing gear inches when you are a relatively new rider and not a technical person?

That's why the folks at Bike Friday are so helpful to talk to. They ask you all sorts of questions about what you want to do with the bike, your style of riding, and if you currently have a favorite bike at the moment then they take those measurements and build your BF to mimic it.