Folding Bikes - New folding bike Lordan from Argentina.

The folding mechanism reminds me of my Microbike made in Sweden. You could look at their video on their homepage or see the same at youtube.com and there compare with Microbike

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lordan.com.ar%2Fsegunda.htm&langpair=es%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

I put it into Google translation of url service for us who are not into Spanish. The straight url is this

http://www.lordan.com.ar/segunda.htm

Unfortunately he gives no info on specifications but wheels look like 16" and not 20"?

I wrote to him and asked him to join here. So maybe he does.

I like the bike. It has a very fast fold and it looks like you can roll it across a platform like the Strida. I doubt that bike weights less than 25 lbs but it's promising when you think it comes from Argentina!

What's made in Argentina today?

I wrote to him and I hope he joins here and tell us more about which body weight
it could accept and how tall one could be to use it. Looks like it is steel to me?

could it be 20" or is it 16" wheels. I guess 16" but it is not easy to see?

Let's start this thread over......

The OP wishes to discuss the Lordan Folder, so let's go that way and at least give hem SOME discussion of the merits of the bike before it gets derailed

thanks.

Thanks,


Give the thread a chance please. After the season holidays Lordan most
likely do care to join the forum and do tell us more about the Lordan bike.

I wish the owner of the Lordan company would care to tell us more
about the intention behind this solution he chose.

Does it sell well. what does it cost in US dollars
What are the specifications for the bike.
The wheels? How heavy rider does it allow.

Any owner of a Brompton living in his hometown
that could compare how well it rides and so on.

I have not ridden a Bromton more than 10 meters
so I should not say anything about that bike
but I am very satisfied with how my Microbike rides.
Apart from the wheels too small only 12" so maybe
the Lordan have opted for 16" or even 20" and their
homepage show they most likely have a 26, 27 or 28" version too.

Three models are listed on the homepage. The two first seems very similar.


One difference between the folding tech for Lordan bike
compared to a very similar folding solution that the Microbike I own
have is how the part that connect the saddle with the steering stem folds.

On my Microbike bike that part folds downwards and Lordan folds upwards.
That could be to protect him from being accused of using a patent
the Microbike have. But it could also be an independent solution him
not being aware of the way the Microbike folds?

The fact that theMicrobike is out of production kind of create a niche
for somebody that like the way it folds.

That seems to be the reason that the Mobiky Genius and the Clou.at are
very similar in folding and still both are patented by the designers.
One in Austria and one in France.

I wish he could show in a youtube how one is supposed to
let it trolley or be pushed or roll beside when one are at
a platform to catch a train or a bus. Is it practical to move
around in a Department Store/Mall.

Strida bike is supposed to be easy to use as a rolling walking Stick.
The front and rear wheel lock together with magnet? so they roll
without getting in the others way which his folding maybe does.

My Microbike is not easy to handle while it is folded.
I usually try use it as it is and walk into the food store
or whatever and attach the shopping basket? with a plastic rope
I have with me so the combination looks like a crude shopping cart.

Some store owners bark loud at such practice while others accept it.
If they get upset I fold it and put a cloth sac over the Microbike so it
looks less intimidating to them.

That's a really cool looking frame. I've considered building myself a folder, but I would definitely want it fixed gear. Any chance he would sell just the frameset? Shipping to the US?

We have to encourage him to get active here. If you know spanish
take a look at the blog in spanish? Not sure if it is the same guy
but he seems to like it. He uploaded the youtube clip so it could
be the designer of it. Lordan?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=qWH1MFspqoo

http://youtube.com/profile?user=lorenitaja

Or is that a satisfied owner. She could be his GF?

Apart from the Lordan Homepage I see no other mentioning of these bikes.

Why don't we make a phone call to him? IP telephone is rather cheap if
one go land line to land line. But I know no Spanish so I hope some who
could talk to him in his own mother tongue would have better chance of
getting him open up to tell us more.

I would be grateful if whoever it was who saw fit to remove my post, would not do so again.
I checked the pics & video & noticed there were no brakes or provision for them, is that a derailment of topic? I think not!
Pull a genuine post again & It will be my last! :mad:

I checked the pics & video & noticed there were no brakes or provision for them,Chop! could you tell me more about this. Could it not be a brake in the rear wheel by back pedaling.
That is how most bikes works since me a little kid here in Europe.
Only the bikes that Proffessional bikers doing Tour France and such had the
hand brakes one for the rear and one for the front. I never learned to use them so all my 7 bikes have had back pedaling brakes. A safety factor for
us not used to the modern brakes.

Edit

Forgot to thank you for this page
http://www.long-john.com/pagefoldlinks.htm

I've used it for years to find info on folders. Thanks.

I know a BF member in Argentina. I'll ask him to weight in.

Ken, may I ask that you ask him to get if the phone number that Lordan have on his homepage is a land line phone or a mobil Cell Phone one.

Cause I could do a phone call to Lordan if it is a land line phone.

Have to log out now.

Happy New Year.

I hang out at the tandem forum, thanks Ken for pointing me to this thread.

Indeed I am in Argentina but not right now, I am on a holiday trip to the Philippines, will be back in Buenos Aires on Jan 9 and try to check out these Lordan bikes. Had not heard of them before. I'd be interested to see if the same mechanism could be applied to a tandem, or to a 26" bike for travel. The alterantive of S&S couplings is quite expensive.

The telephone number listed 054-011- 4254-2564 should be dialed 011-54-11-4254-2564 from the US and it is a land line.

Xanti Andia (http://www.bikeforums.net/member.php?u=62672)

Thanks indeed, looking forward to your report on what he says
and if you visit him how the bike rides.

He show three bikes if you click on the picture of the foldable bike.
The biggest bike to me look like a regular size wheel maybe 26" or 27" or even 28"

Not easy to know from a picture. if 011 is the international number for Argentina
that number would work for me too. But me not knowing Spanish I do prefer if
somebody who does talk to him. Much more easy to explain things in ones Mothertongue.

Ask him about max weight of the rider for the smallest and waht is the difference between
the two small ones. Which wheel size do they have. If he say 16" ask if it is the smaller size
16" or the bigger size 16" and if they are standard tire and so on.

I'm not sure if we should embarrass him with the great similarity to the Microbike from Sweden.

Not important for this thread. I created it with the purpose that potential buyers in South America
would know about it. Even Swedes go there for holiday. Visiting places our most know SingerSongWriter
traveled to and sang about in his youth.

Thanks for your kind participating in helping out with getting more info on the bike.

Fred "Weakling" Werter.

Xanti Andia (http://www.bikeforums.net/member.php?u=62672)

. if 011 is the international number for Argentina
that number would work for me too. But me not knowing Spanish I do prefer if
somebody who does talk to him. Fred "Weakling" Werter.

011 is international access code in the US, 54 Argentina 11 Buenos Aires, when Lordan listed their number as 54 011 xxxxx the 0 is wrong, it would only work as 011 xxx without the 54 when dialed within Argentina, 0 being domestic long distance access, 11 Buenos Aires city code.

Give me a couple of weeks and then watch this thread for my repply. I would like an MTB bike that I could easily pack in a suitcase, I would rig it with a suspension fork, and keep a spare non suspended fork for touring. I doubt very much the Lordan 26" wheel frame would work for me, as the compromises of a folding bike frame might not allow for a real MTB/Touring long haul bike to be built around it, but it will be fun to look. As for the true foldable, I'd like to own one, as well as a recumbent, a tandem recumbent, a tendem semi-recumbent, and for our old age a Greenspeed tandem trike. Except if I continue down this path, my wife will throw me out of the house, and I'd never find another stoker.

I had a chat with Jose at Lordan. The bicycle is still a prototype, not comercial yet. The first model out will be a 14" wheel bike, but they also have have prototypes for a 20" a 26" bike and a motorized 14". He offered to show me the bike, but they are out in Quilmes which is a bit out of my usual circulation, so I'll see if I actually get out there. I sugested Jose to post in this forum, I am sending him the link.

Thanks for talking to him,

much more informative than if I using my poor english trying to ask such things.

so it was 14" that is a bit unusual dimension? 16" is more usual. Does it exist
many good tires in 14"?

The prototypes most likely are in steel then. Did he say anything about if he
consider to make them light using Alu?

Apology me go a bit off topic. The Microbike use a lot of Alu
and mine weight only 8 kg so it a light bike. And easy to ride
for me while I failed to ride a Strida.

It is sad that Microbike didn't got successful cause they could
have been a good alternative to the Strida bike.