Folding Bikes - Why is the Strida so heavy?

22 lbs seems heavy for a bike that is all aluminum and plastic. There are only 3 tubes. Instead of a steel chain it has a kevlar belt. The wheels are small. And yet it is 22 pounds. The Carry-Me is 5 lbs less with more metal it seems. Could it be possible that the extra weight is all in the bigger wheels?

MMM .... I too wish it was lighter like 17lbs or less ! Then it would be easier to lift up onto train luggage rack. On my scales Strida3 is just under 20lbs (I removed the rack and swopped the nasty folding pedals for fixies). Maybe the higher weight is because the Strida has a much higher rider weight limit ? 105Kg vs 80Kg ? Wheel size must be a factor , thats probably how the A-bike gets down to 12lbs with 6" Wheels ??

Wonder what the new Strida 5 actually weighs ? .... (Chop ?)

At least a strida is really easy to roll on its big wheels.

Plastic is not necessarily lighter than aluminum as you need more of it. The main gear is solid, while an Al one would have spokes. The 3 tubes are longer than most other bikes, my guess is that a Brompton has 1/2 the tube length of Strida.

Also, Strida is constructed with more cantelievers than most bikes; the single fork blade, for example, must be a lot beefier than the usual two-blade design.

But honestly, I don't think of my Strida as too heavy. Yesterday I test rode a Mobiky, and, okay, that thing is heavy. More on that elsewhere, though!

Rudi

MMM .... I too wish it was lighter like 17lbs or less ! Then it would be easier to lift up onto train luggage rack. On my scales Strida3 is just under 20lbs (I removed the rack and swopped the nasty folding pedals for fixies). Maybe the higher weight is because the Strida has a much higher rider weight limit ? 105Kg vs 80Kg ? Wheel size must be a factor , thats probably how the A-bike gets down to 12lbs with 6" Wheels ??

Wonder what the new Strida 5 actually weighs ? .... (Chop ?)

At least a strida is really easy to roll on its big wheels.

The new Strida 5 weighs the same @ 10kg

But as I almost never carry it, who cares? If going up or down stairs @ railway stations etc. I rest the back of the seat on my knee and lever the Strida up as I climb, try it, you'll see what I mean.

I often *lift* it, eg., into & out of cars, check-in desks, etc., but don't carry it far usually. If I have to carry it, eg., up & down those long steep railway bridges to get to platforms, as long as it's not too crowded, I leave it unfolded, turn it around & carry it over my shoulder so those 10Kg's are better distributed :-)

Probably the heaviest part is the freewheel (except 5, no idea on that - yet); mine weighs 553 grammes.

It's certainly a stiff frame, & the whole bike is very tough. A few days ago I had little choice but to tow > 100 Kg's for 7 miles (along a flat, old disused railway track.) The bike coped just fine, & in spite of the gravelly path, no punctures (I haven't put the Flataway liners in yet although I have them now :-))

There must be a fair amount of interest in Stridas - I see there's currently 30 bids for a Mk2 on ebay, ending tonight.

Anyone have an English, full spec' reference for a Carry-Me by chance?

Probably the heaviest part is the freewheel (except 5, no idea on that - yet); mine weighs 553 grammes.

That's interesting. The Carry-me also uses a front freewheel. Perhaps I could save a solid pound by converting it to a fixie...two pounds if I ditch the front brake (I already ditched the rear one).


Anyone have an English, full spec' reference for a Carry-Me by chance?

How full of a spec do you want? The Pacific Cycles site gives a decent spec list, but the Taiwanese distributor (http://www.hometec.com.tw) gives a very detailed spec sheet including part numbers. I've been meaning to translate it so I can start systematically replacing parts to make the bike lighter. The format of the website makes it a bit of a pain, but I guess I might as well do it now.

I've posted my best translation of the spec sheet in the Carry-me thread.

Also, Strida is constructed with more cantelievers than most bikes; the single fork blade, for example, must be a lot beefier than the usual two-blade design.


if it's a lot beefier so as to exceed the weight of a two-blade fork (by a lot) then it's probably overbuilt.



But honestly, I don't think of my Strida as too heavy. Yesterday I test rode a Mobiky, and, okay, that thing is heavy. More on that elsewhere, though!


at least the Mobiky LOOKS heavy (even with its smaller wheels). But the Strida looks so simple and minimalist, it looks like it should be 17 lbs. I mean my non-folding 26" fully suspended mountain bike is 23 lbs. It cost a lot more than a Strida, so maybe not a fair comparison.

...the Strida looks so simple and minimalist, it looks like it should be 17 lbs
Er, how can you tell by LOOKING at something how much it should weigh, down to the pound? :)


my non-folding 26" fully suspended mountain bike is 23 lbs. It cost a lot more than a Strida, so maybe not a fair comparisonI think this is a key point. I don't see too many full size bikes (or folders with 16" wheels) in the same price range that weigh much less.

FWIW, I don't think the Strida is heavy. I carry it onto the bus or train one-handed. My recumbent (a Bacchetta Giro 20) cost 3x as much and weighs several pounds more.

Just want to underscore that the Strida is probably one of the lightest 16" wheel bike in its price range. Here is Spore, Strida 3 sells for just over US$450. Nothing comes close as far as weight is concern eg Dahon D7 US$350 weights 12.5kg, and at least in the Dahon range, only the Helios matches it for weight at 10.5kg but costs US$800! We dont get the Swift here but that too is more than 10kg. Bromptons 11kg+ etc etc

Puzzles me why folks would say Stridas are heavy... That said, their performance is somewhat limited to city commuting largely but that is what Mark Sanders designed it for.

To make a bike "light", you need to concentrate on all components; the frame is a relatively minor part. eg in road bikes, the frames are tending to 1kg and less in a bike that is 9kg.

A folder needs stronger tubing due to the lack of diamond frame to make it stiff enough. So the frames are already heavier than for road bikes. But the bulk of the weight still lies in the other components. It's just that the frame is the largest component and schews a person's perception.

The wheels are one of the major parts weight-wise. Rims, spokes, hubs and tyres are all heavy parts. So there is the answer. A Strida weighs so much because it is a ridable bike which doesn't cost the earth.

I wonder if Pacific Cycles makes a CarryMe with 16" wheels. Will it be heavier by 5 lbs than their 8" original?