Spotted at MIT and in the South End - the Strida folding bike. The man in the South End let us take his for a test ride and we were amazed at how smooth and comfortable the ride is. The belt drive keeps the bike clean (no chain lube) so it's easy to carry around, and small enough to hang in your closet. The only downside is that it all hinges on a single pin connecting the lower bar to the headtube. This possible failure mode made me a bit nervous, but not so nervous that I didn't enjoy riding the little thing! I guess it seems more like a transportation tool than a true bike, which I know sounds a bit odd.
5 comments:
The Strida folding bike is more than a transportation tool. It's like having a standard bicycle that will fold in literally 3-10 seconds. Given that the Strida rolls when folded and weighs 19 lbs, this really is a bike you could take just about anywhere - on a bus, in a train/plane/automobile, into a bank, post office, grocery store, office bldg, etc.
Naturally, changes were required to make the bike a practical, multi-modal transportation tool; however, it works. The bike has been in production for 2 decades and can be found in major cities throughout the world.
Larry
Hey Charlotte,
I just stumbled on your blog site and I SO love it !! ... I have exactly the same views as you (ie bicycles as the perfect everyday means of transport expanded here http://bicycledesign.blogspot.com/2008/06/guest-post-by-mark-sanders.html ie as in Amsterdam & Copenhagen etc.)... transport connected with the surrounding world without the sweat ! I'm a bit of a folding bike fan as they connect other transports, and make storage easy.
Over on bicycle design there is a design competition to see what changes could be made to bicycles themselves to make their benefits more appealing to 'the other 80%' here is the link for any designers here ... http://bicycledesign.blogspot.com/2008/10/commuter-bike-for-masses-design.html
Once again thank you for a GREAT, important and inspirational blog .. now nailed to my favourites ... Mark
Mark,
Thank you so much for those links! Fascinating thoughts to consider. It is certainly true that my husband's Brompton has replaced a car for door-to-door service, but I will say that it's my full-size bike with racks that remains our hauling bike - the pickup truck of our family.
Henry Ford might advise me to ignore them, but the women in my family who are considering taking up cycling have one requirement for their bikes "pretty and shiny".
:)
I also insist on being able to wear a skirt, so no Strida for me.
(I need a bicycle with a "low instep" for reasons of health as well as fashion, as I have a bit of arthritis - nothing right now, but acts up in cold, damp weather, so I need a step-through frame). Oh, how I'd love a Brompton or something like that for travelling... And how about the new u-frame IKEA folder? Any experiences?
An aim we share ..
"AtoB, No Sweat, Just cool"
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