Koma ultra small wheel folder with suspension.

[Weakling]

I saw this bike in a-bike central forum.
http://abikecentral.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=418&sid=7b5eb94f047f694a2d5c690d6252a000

but the Koma page is here?
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.smartcog.co.jp/Products/koma.htm&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DKAHENSHIKI%2BKOMA%2B3-SPEED%2B%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

It is a google translated one. If you trust babel fish tanslation from Japaneez better use that one. http://babelfish.altavista.com/

The Designer seems to love to try out novel things. But how is it to ride, what does it cost to buy and are there many distributors dealers all over the world?

[LittlePixel]

I like the way it has a secondary independent chain-ring to hop up the user-inputted cadence into something useful on those teeny tiny wheels!

[nigelme]

Now this is looking more like how I envisaged small-wheeled folders to develope, like a limb of the Terminator. "I'll be barc - On my Koma"

[geo8rge]

So why is that bike better than inline skates like land roller?
http://www.landroller.com/

[makeinu]

So why is that bike better than inline skates like land roller?
http://www.landroller.com/

I imagine it's better for many of the same reasons that a mountain bike is better than this:
http://www.kickbike.com/easydata/customers/kickbike/files/Kickbike_G4prodpics/kickbike_red.200.jpg


BTW, the Koma is another bike built under contract by Pacific Cycles, just like the Birdy, Airnimal, Greenspeed, etc.

[nekohime]

There's one on ebay right now. lol

[StephenH]

I'd hate to hit a pothole on that thing.

[Simple Simon]

[QUOTE=LittlePixel;5916346]....secondary independent chain-ring to hop up the user-inputted cadence.... QUOTE]

Spock .. just use the phasors :D

[geo8rge]

"I imagine it's better for many of the same reasons that a mountain bike is better than this:"

I don't think the comparison works. It seems to me that being on 4 tiny wheels as with land roller is more stable than 2 tiny wheels as with the mini bike. The mini bike has a gearing system but I wonder if you still would not be better on hills with the skates. It is true that with the mini bike you are sitting which might be important to some users.

All in all though I think if you are fit and want to travel on small wheels, land roller is better than a mini bike.

[makeinu]

"I imagine it's better for many of the same reasons that a mountain bike is better than this:"

I don't think the comparison works. It seems to me that being on 4 tiny wheels as with land roller is more stable than 2 tiny wheels as with the mini bike. The mini bike has a gearing system but I wonder if you still would not be better on hills with the skates. It is true that with the mini bike you are sitting which might be important to some users.

All in all though I think if you are fit and want to travel on small wheels, land roller is better than a mini bike.

Come on. This is silly. Why would you wonder if a pair of skates might be better on hills than a three speed bicycle? As far as hills are concerned the wheel is just another cog in the drivetrain.

The Koma has a mechanically driven drivetrain with three gears. Skates don't even have a drivetrain...to move you wiggle like a worm. Reading your assertion that the landroller should be better than the Koma is like hearing a horse rider say an earth worm is faster than a gerbil.

Having two extra wheels is basically the only thing the landrollers have going for them, but the wheelbase on the landrollers is miniscule compared to the Koma and the landroller's tires aren't even pneumatic (although similar skates exist with pneumatic tires which are marketed for offroad...which should tell you something about how capable 6" pneumatic wheels are).

I can agree with the fact that at some point skates present a better tradeoff between mobility and compactness, but I think I'd be very hard pressed to say that any roller skate is a better vehicle than any bicycle.

Based on my experience on 8" wheels I think the Koma would be well suited to riding on well paved suburban streets where I often find myself spinning out my Carryme. Unfortunately, anyone riding on well paved uncongested suburban roads isn't likely to need such a compact fold and would probably be better off with a full size bike for reasons of weight, gear range, and price.

[Dahon.Steve]

I saw this bike in a-bike central forum.
http://abikecentral.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=418&sid=7b5eb94f047f694a2d5c690d6252a000

but the Koma page is here?
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.smartcog.co.jp/Products/koma.htm&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DKAHENSHIKI%2BKOMA%2B3-SPEED%2B%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

It is a google translated one. If you trust babel fish tanslation from Japaneez better use that one. http://babelfish.altavista.com/

The Designer seems to love to try out novel things. But how is it to ride, what does it cost to buy and are there many distributors dealers all over the world?


No question, it's a better product than the A-Bike.

However, it still suffers from the same problem the A-Bike has which is the small wheel. My A-Bike is up for sale this week due to the fact it's not safe riding at night. This is a huge issue and if you don't have confidence at night, then it's useless.

The Strida and Carryme are the standard for Ultra-portables.

[makeinu]

No question, it's a better product than the A-Bike.

However, it still suffers from the same problem the A-Bike has which is the small wheel. My A-Bike is up for sale this week due to the fact it's not safe riding at night. This is a huge issue and if you don't have confidence at night, then it's useless.

Do you really think a wheel is going to get stuck or are you just concerned about loosing control? At speed I'd think the small wheels would sail over holes just like my putts in minigolf. :) Large bumps/curbs are obviously a different story, but those are easier to spot (it's a shame the Koma doesn't have a front suspension as that could probably help the front wheel climb a little higher).

[Simple Simon]

My A-Bike is up for sale this week due to the fact it's not safe riding at night. This is a huge issue and if you don't have confidence at night, then it's useless.

This is a good point Steve. Very Small wheels are OK as long as you can see the pot holes etc. to avoid them.

[macross1984]

The bike sure is expensive. The Japanese site list the MSRP as 100000 yen which translate to roughly 917 U.S. Dollar at today's exchange rate.

[Archer-ca]

Hey Weakling!

Thanks for posting my review. :D Unfortunately I had just "re-posted" the same review and didn't realize it was in the forum already. Oops! LOL

My KOMA didn't sell on EBay (making room for a Downtube......ok, the wife said I can only have one bike...:( ) and am still looking for a new home for it.

Safety wise, look far ahead and steer accordingly. The rear suspension soaks up the bumps nicely and without a complaint. The front wheel, being non-suspended will let you know how the road "feels" ;) I've had different riders tell the steering is either "squirrely" or "responsive". It's all subjective to your riding style, yes?

It's an absolute pleasure to ride leisurely thru the parks or for a quick trip here and there. Gearing is great for speed and inclines and overall quality is top notch.


Cheers,

Norman

[Weakling]

Hi Norman,

Thanks for the review here in Bikeforums.net
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=380535

and the one you did at a-bikecentral.

Koma sure looks impressing. I'm surprised he chose the small 6" wheels
instead of 8" wheels but he maybe just wanted to show us he could.

The Babelfish is better at translating from Jap to Eng.
http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/tr

just put http://www.smartcog.co.jp/Products/koma.htm
in there and chose jap to eng.