Originally Posted by
fredfriday
i had a birdy when i lived in switzerland. i sold it after 3 weeks of use. i could not use it freehandedly, it is not a stable and comfortable ride like on brompton or bikefriday.
http://bikinginasia.blogspot.com/
I agree with the rest of your post but not so much about the Birdy
I do agree that a Birdy is not for riding hands free. If that's important to someone, they should not buy a Birdy. Other than that, I don't agree with your general statement about it not being stable or comfortable.
With hands on the handlebar, I find Birdys very stable in any normal use, certainly more so than the Brompton I tried. Assuming the Birdy is set up properly for the rider and the saddle and tires are equivalent, I have found the Birdy more comfortable than any other folding bike that I have tried and better than most other bikes regardless of wheel size.
If you found it otherwise, I suspect that there was something wrong with the configuration of your bike for your size and preferred riding position. (eg wrong stem type or height) Other candidates might be poor tires (original Birdy Tires were awful), a poor seat or loose bearings in the front suspension or headset.