Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

I'm just about to order my Bike Friday New World Tourist.... just need to do some measurements of my SOs bike so that i can fill in the sizing form for her also. These bikes will be for touring around Europe on

The little Oyama convinced me that small wheelers can be good. I expect more on the comfort and handling front from the NWT and it's about 3 x the price!

The Oyama will continue to be on commuting duty, and trips to the corner store, pub etc. I will be also using it when dropping my car off at the mechanics, and will take it bush camping. So far it has done 324ks. Which isn't bad considering my paltry total ks at the moment!

@jet-ski Did you get your Bike Friday? How does it fare v Oyama?

Not yet, it's due to arrive early May - they have a very long lead time!

Anyone know if Biologic postpumps are transferable to other folding bikes besides Dahon? Am looking to accessorise the folder and a seat with pump sounds attractive to me. Anything that hits two birds with one stone is a winner with me!

I have a feeling that they only fit the Dahon. Dahon are great at making proprietary parts that aren't transferrable.

Pity

The lights that came with the Bloomsbury are a bit wussy so might have to think about converting it to a dyno hub.

that's a pity, cos they look cool how are you finding the ride so far?

I've got a tiny light on my bars of my oyama so that it doesn't get in the way when I fold the bars.... but something fork mounted would be ideal so as to not interfere with folding, and my tiny light doesn't help me see where I'm going when I'm in dark areas...

My Bike Friday is going to have a shimano dynamo hub, I still have to get lights for it though. Will wait for the bike to arrive first!

Ooooh shimano dynamo hub. Do let me know if the weight makes a difference. After my 900 lumens on my commuter to the wussy Oyama light, I'm finding the downgrade a bit weird so will be keen on investing in a good set of lights.

As for the bike, I'll give it a spin for a couple of more days before I post a more thorough review. So far, it's a different beast. Thought I could commute on it but not feasible. The wheels are tiny!!! This is my first folder so I am still adjusting from the speed of the roadie to spinning a lot and the turning circle. So far, I can't complain about the build as I think it is pretty robust. I had my son stand up on the rear rack as I cycled (yes he was wearing his helmet) as we rode down a small hill so it can definitely handle the weight (20kg) but don't think my existing panniers are small enough for it. I do like the nexus hub (7 speed) and I don't need to accessorise it too much which helps the $ aspect. The kickstand is actually well designed because it folds itself up when I start riding. So that's quite nice. The weight is a plus too (under 13 kg).

I wouldn't go for panniers on that lil teeny rack, I'd go for a milk crate on the back kind of deal... it will have a lower centre of gravity than on a normal bike because of the 20" wheel it will be much closer to the ground... mine didn't come with a rack so I use my messenger bag when I ride it to work... generally I ride other bikes if I have a heavy load.

I like the turning circle, makes it totally effortless to flick the bike through gaps in traffic when cars are sprawled across lanes etc... the twitchy steering requires skill to ride one handed though.

you could probably get an old leather bag from an op shop somewhere and just occy strap it onto that rear rack an air zound on a folder would be hilarious... but I put my second one on my xtracycle as it seemed more appropriate

Lol yeah - a small bike whose bark is worst than its bite.

I think I will just use old leather belts to strap a bag in. I have been looking at the bags they have available for Bromptons and Dahons and they are not too attractive.

Read somewhere someone used a BBQ cover from Bunnings to turn it into a bike bag for his Dahon. That could be the cheaper alternative as the lowest price I can find for an El Bolso is around $60.

Note - the Oyama Bloomsbury 2010 review post has been moved (as requested) to the reviews section.

Thanks Christopher

Good work. I will hit the 500k mark on my Oyama Lexington next week I think. Time for some RD tuning and a chain clean. The cheap BMX tyre on the rear is showing some wear, the chinese 1.3 tyre has finally worn off the moulding line.

My Oyama Lexington has hit 500ks today. The white grips look disgusting, I scratched the window on the grip-shifter when I had the bike upside down so now I can barely read the number... but apart from that it's held together fairly well.

My Bike Friday can't be far away now. Then I'll do a comparison.

Hi

Thought this might be of interest here and I guess a heads-up for Dahon Boardwalk owners ...





via Treadly and Me

Andrew

ouch!

In other news - took delivery of my Bike Friday New World Tourist. As expected it compared very favorably to my cheap Oyama! I haven't ridden many ks on the Friday yet but just off the top of my head:

'Normal bars' - they are a normal width and thickness, the NWT came with some nice comfy grips and SRAM twist grip shifters which seem much nicer than the shimano one on the Oyama, they are more streamlined and comfortable to actually rest your hands on.

Better handling - the Bike Friday handles more like a normal bike, with more rake on the fork and a proper stem

More comfortable ride - it has longer and thinner chainstays which smooth the bumps out a bit

At 3 x the price I would expect better performance though!

Sounds good! Looking forward to reading the longer review

Hi

Vik is giving his Bike Friday NWT a revisit here





Andrew

I like his tyres. The tyres my NWT shipped with have noisy buzzy tread! They will be OK for touring but for commuting I prefer slicks.

What's with those mudguards?

CommuRider wrote:What's with those mudguards?

Why don't you ask Vik? He is very responsive to comments posted on the blog.

Andrew

Hi

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko5jb_1p ... r_embedded[/youtube]

Andrew

Hi

2011 Brompton World Championships ...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxR53mHg ... r_embedded[/youtube]

via Aushiker (AT) Posterous. More details at Brooks England.

Andrew

Hi

Maybe not cheap but a pretty cool looking folder in my view ...



via BikeRadar.com

Andrew