Originally Posted by
SesameCrunch
Originally Posted by
invisiblehand
I looked at those ... unfortunately, they only come in one size and they have those funky handlebars. But the guy that imports them to the states is in Philly and his prices was reasonable.
What's his asking price?
He told me "under $1800" including shipping. Reasonable, if you consider that a Hase Pino starts around $5K and a Bilenky is more still.
One size only doesn't bother me; pop a nice long seat post in there and you'll be fine. I know, on any other forum I'd get flamed for saying that-- but this is the folding forum, where that's perfectly normal.
The funky handlebar doesn't bother me either. I agree it's kinda ugly (okay, it's
really ugly), but this design puts the two riders closer together and still lets you steer without hitting the front seat. Thus better communication between riders, shorter wheelbase, and a potentially stiffer and/or lighter bike.
That said, I'm happy with the Counterpoint for several reasons. I just love classic 80's touring bikes, and that's what this is. Also, it's so well made, really great workmanship. And it has some great innovations, such as giving the stoker his/her own derailleur so the two riders don't have to be in the same cadence, which has several advantages. And finally there's the luggage capacity... which I haven't fully tested out yet, but it looks pretty vast.