Folding Bikes - Anyone ride this one yet???

i saw this bike at the PUMA shop in Valley Fair shopping center in San Jose. I love the design and the overall concept of it. too bad they dont' let you test ride it.

PUMA BIOMEGA BIKE (http://store.puma.com/pumaUSStore/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=PumaUS&category%5Fname=Bags&product%5Fid=89000101&productType=Accessories&mainCategory=&siteid=1&source=7203&&cookie%5Ftest=1&cookie%5Ftest=1)

so hopefully someone here has some experience with this...

No hands on experience at all with that one.

My 2 cts (and i am a critic i admit it) :

I could not get your link to work well so instead i googled and surfed this:

http://www.puma.com/bike/pindex.jsp

Interesting design, nice dropouts and brakes. Bad fold/large package. Too large to be packable in suitcase, not very managable at all in most public transport. The cable for the downtube is by no means a new or original idea (though it might be a good one) there is a bike manufacturer that specializes in it.

Doesn't seem like a 'keeper' whatsoever, by that i mean that it's appearance would likely get it stolen pretty quick in most urban settings, despite their build in lock.

Nice bike if you live somewhere with little theft and you insist on big wheels with very limited folding capability. If not i say the Swift is the closest to this bike and much better to boot.

I checked out the specs and they seem pretty good, however i do not think that "All you really need to know is that it's simple and robust with clever bits to make life easier" as the website states,.. kinda bad show that. Would be nice to at least be told what the frame is made off and what the bike weighs. Generally i think it is best to stay away from bikes that are marketed by brands that do them 'on the side'..

How much does it retail for anyhow?

$775....

I dunno..... the downtube is the most stressed part on a bike frame, with nothing really there the forces go somewhere else and rake havoc ....


thor

We covered this bike once, I wouldn't buy one for US$100.00. For US$50.00 I would consider. I am not really sure what is the selling point.

Rafael

you can see my explanations for the "downcable"


http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=156145&highlight=puma

They can keep their "wannabe", as v1nce said: a Swift is a much better option. Of course Puma has more "marketing-power" than Peter Reich or Xootr, as they are really big in the sporting industry so they display their bike in shopping malls etc.
Who wants to pay that amount of money for a Puma, when you can find yourself a Swift, Dahon, Downtube (even 2: one during the week, and a posh one for the weekends),..........

No thanks !

+1 to Tomaso, i agree wholeheartedly, at $ 775 that bike is a bit of a joke and a marketing gimmick, not much more. Another thing which would concern me is that in 2 to 5 years when Puma has moved into other cross marketing areas they will likely not sell any parts whatsoever for this bike, so if one of the (non standardized) parts on this bike goes or is Stolen you are up S**t creek. Lastly, any large company that doesn't let you test ride their bike should be ........ well you can fill in the blanks. Not good.

you can see my explanations for the "downcable"


http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=156145&highlight=puma

I think you've missed one point, the cable is also intended as a locking mechanism, i.e. you stop unlock the cable and lock it around something as a quick lock.

I think you've missed one point, the cable is also intended as a locking mechanism, i.e. you stop unlock the cable and lock it around something as a quick lock.


My question to your observation is:

Is the top tube and folding mechanism of the Puma's bicycle strong enough to the stretching on the "downcable"?

My question to your observation is:

Is the top tube and folding mechanism of the Puma's bicycle strong enough to the stretching on the "downcable"?


The "downcable" looks like the ones on Slingshot bikes (see this, for example: http://www.slingshotbikes.com/showroom/products/ripper.cfm), a design that has been around for some years. The question is whether the Puma is actually specially made by Slingshot, or if it's just a cheap copy.

The "downcable" looks like the ones on Slingshot bikes (see this, for example: http://www.slingshotbikes.com/showroom/products/ripper.cfm), a design that has been around for some years. The question is whether the Puma is actually specially made by Slingshot, or if it's just a cheap copy.

this bike seems to made by a company called biomega.. so perhaps they work with slingshot or something.

i agree.. $775 for a 30lb bike isn't what will trigger me to buy one. having said that.. i was intrigued by the overall design of it.

also, the inability to not be able to test ride one really sucks. but does look great being displayed in the PUMA shop though...

I am not really sure what is the selling point.
"...special features, such as a single speed transmission that does not require shifting and optimizes pedaling..."

:)

Dahon's hybrid is a better design than this bike. This bike is going to need a lot of R&D especially when it comes to the handlebar which looks straight. Overall a very large package.

this bike seems to made by a company called biomega.. so perhaps they work with slingshot or something.
But Slingshot has a flexible part in the top tube close to the seat tube, whereas this bike doesn't. Looks more like a half hearted copy, without the suspension benefits of the slingshot design.

Sounds like the jury is in, a folder faux pas. :)

well, it is like a folding Slingshot.


I will tell you about slingshots...I raced them for 2 years MTB.


they climb awesome, and handle awesome

the downtube cable is fine. that cable can handle loads
greater than a tube can


I do not know about the Puma bike...I only know about slingshots
which have advanced internal tube design, advanced hinge and
fiber-bendy-thing....

a real slingshot is a kickass bike worthy of anyones stable


so....don't discount the Puma just yet....but anyone can
build a copycat design like junk

I think the Puma might be junk. For a slingshot design to work
properly you MUST have a flexible hinge up on the top tube somewhere.

The Puma looks like a solid hinge (once closed). I sez....Junk

Don't write them off yet. A LBS bike says the bikes are still made in DK and they're very good in quality. I was very impressed by other non-folding Biomega bikes which I've seen at the LBS.

http://www.biomega.dk/biomega.aspx

I only saw couple puma bikes in the boutique stores but they don't let you test them. :(