Bike Friday? Anyone?

[hulagirl]

No search results here for Bike Friday so I don't even know if anyone out there has one.

I have my race bike (Orbea Diva) and I have my "tool around town, kick back" bike. (Specialized Vita Sport) I just sold it in about 4 seconds because it makes me feel like I'm riding in mud. I don't know if it's the upright riding, the weight or what. But it is a very inefficient bike - for me.

Hubby has a Big Dummy. We travel a lot. Big Dummy doesn't and Orbea isn't allowed. So we both want to get an "easy to travel with" bike so that we can take it on our trips and use it to tour, travel around, exercise or all of the above.

Bike Friday has been in our sights for a while now.

Anyone have an world of love/warning? I'm looking at the New World Traveller or the Pocket Rocket. Something in the $1600-$2000 price range.

Thanks!
Denise

[emily_in_nc]

Hi Denise,

There are quite a few here who either own Bike Fridays now (like me!) or have owned them in the past, so apparently your search didn't find us. Perhaps it found either "bike" or "Friday", of which there would be zillions of posts, and not "Bike Friday" together?

My DH and I both have Pocket Crusoes. Mine is a petite model (you must weigh no more than 125, but it means a lighter-weight bike). We LOVE them. We spec'd them out with a lot of things we wanted (Ultegra triples in front, XT in back for loaded touring, drop bars), so ours were more expensive than your price point (in 2004 even), but they have been well worth it. Love the ride of steel and love the folks at Bike Friday. Also love that they are made here in the US. The smaller wheels don't bother me at all. They are incredibly strong and accelerate quickly!

I do know that the models you are considering are heavier than a Crusoe, and certainly quite a bit heavier than an Orbea Diva, so that is something you'll notice since they will not be as fast. But if you are looking for a travel and touring bike, they are a great option. Mine is actually my only road bike now, but I ride most utilitarian rides to markets and on errands rather than the fast club rides I used to do before a serious accident in 2005 left me with some chronic pain issues.

I love my Bike Friday and will be happy to answer any questions you have, with the caveat that it's been seven years since I ordered mine, so some things may have changed. Here's a link to the loaded tour we bought them for back in 2004 if you are interested: http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/n...tour-2004.html

If you look at nothing else, check out the photo on the first page showing the full panniers we used. They were Arkel and worked great on the Bike Fridays.

[tulip]

I have a Bike Friday Pocket Rocket Pro and it's just fantastic. I've brought it to Europe and out west, and I ride it locally, too. I switch between riding my Luna and my Bike Friday.

[hulagirl]

Aloha Emily and Tulip -

Thanks for the replies.

Emily - Fantastic Trip Report! Wow!!! I was looking at the Crusoe and the price gets me. Having just dropped over $3000 for my Orbea and over $2000 for hubby's Big Dummy, we are limited on our bike budget. Weight IS an issue for me, but not so much for hubby. (Being that his Big Dummy weighs more than a 747! Even his bike lock is 30lbs!)

I seriously doubt that we will ever do a trip as big as yours. We are looking at possibly taking them to Yellowstone when it's open to bikers only. Maybe around Utah (Zion, Moab, Bryce Canyon, etc), maybe around the Big Island (hills though...actually, 2 very big volcanoes to be exact) and around Kauai. Living on Oahu we don't have much of a need to bike tour on this island. So that would be my "tool around town" bike for grocery shopping, beach visits, etc. We also plan to use it when we have to spend a few weeks in Seattle every 3 months or so for business. Cheaper than renting a car!

The Bike Friday website is a little difficult to navigate. I tried to contact them today but was too late due to time zones. I'll try to contact them tomorrow.

Question
1. With drop bars, how aggressive is your riding position? Did you feel like you were able to "look around" comfortably on your road trip? Or did your neck start to bother you? Do you spend more of your time up on the tops of hour bars, on the hoods or in the drops? Did you ever feel you wanted a more upright riding position to look around?

2. Tulip - do you use your BF mostly for road riding? Do you do a lot of touring or just "kick back and enjoy" riding on it all?

I realize that the bike will be heavier. And that's not too much of my concern. The Big Dummy weighs a ton and I feel that I am more efficient on that than I was on my Specialized Hybrid. My biggest decision is:

Straight bar or drops? I just don't know if I want to be upright or more forward. Any words of advice on that would be great and seriously appreciated.

[Blueberry]

Another option to help the budget a bit would be to look at the Pre-Loved Bike Fridays. There's a tiny Pocket Rocket Pro right now that I would snatch up in a second it I were a tiny bit shorter.

I have drop bars on almost all of my bikes, including my Pocket Crusoe. I have them set relatively high - level with the saddle - and I don't feel like it harms my ability to sit up and ride around. I spend a lot of time on the hoods. The only time I think I would like straight bars (or swept back city style bars) is when I'm riding in heavy traffic sometimes.

[Tri Girl]

The Pocket 8 (closeout) they have on the pre-loved Fridays is a DEAL!!! Only 8 speed,but might work. I miss my BF, but not too much because I hope she's being loved by her new owner more than I loved/rode her when she was mine.
There are some great deals on the pre-loved page!!!

[wildrover]

It would be great if you could ride one before you buy.

My husband has a couple of them, and he LOVES them, as many people do. I have one of the original frame NWTs (from 1994 I think), and it is about 29 lbs the way I have it set up with the rack. Now, I hate to ride it, but I ride it all the time because it fits in the back of my mini-cooper. It rides very smoothly with the harder tires, and of course the components are as good as any, as the price reflects. I have never, ever, been happy with the twitchyness, and 'ride-feel' of the bike. Other people say it doesn't matter, and I can't define 'twitchyness', it means something different to everyone.

Call BF and ask if there is someone in your area that has one to test ride (I think they still have that program). It's alot of money to spend for a bike like that, and find you don't like it. My experience may be different, because my husband's bikes have a longer wheelbase, and I'm OK riding those.