Folding Bikes - Saw my first Strida on the road today

There are a LOT of el cheapo folders on the road over here in Okinawa. I'm reasonably sure that most are used for practical purposes and I don't see anybody else really working out on them.

Took a ride over to another base this morning and came across a Japanese guy all geared up on a Strida at a stoplight. We exchanged a wave and a glance just like two boaters or two Harley riders stumbling across each other.

I get the Strida now. I've seen a hundred photos of them and they look like there's almost no way to ride them. After seeing this guy on his he looked like he had the same riding posture I had on my Dahon Speed P8. Very cool looking bike and not at all what I imagined from just seeing photos of them on the internet. I wish I could have asked him where he got it.

John

I picked up an old Strida 2 and have only ridden it around the parking lot at work. I am curious to take it for a longer ride and see how it feels. Definitely weird at first. Once I give it a proper test drive, I will report back.

The "cockpit" of the Strida looks awfully short though, with the bars pretty much on top of the riders lap. I wouldn't think that standing up to power-accelerate would be easy with it's geometry in comparison to your Dahon. Not that it matters, because it wasn't designed for that type of riding, but rather passive-stance commuting.

I sense that Foldie bikers seem to have a high sense of camaraderie... even from just this Folding Bike forum. :)

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I wouldn't think that standing up to power-accelerate would be easy with it's geometry in comparison to your Dahon.
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No, you shouldn't do it, the Strida manual says:


do not stand on pedals

After looking at the Strida site I'm reasonably convinced it was one of the 5.0 variants. Not sure which one. It was silver as well.

Good looking bike.

Hi-yo! Silver 5.0 Away! My steed is one of those weird, mysterious bikes that everyone unfamiliar with it wonders about. Really, there is no mystery over the cockpit size, the single speed, the belt drive, yada-yada-yada. I'm here to report that even though may look different, it is just a bike.

The "cockpit" of the Strida looks awfully short though, with the bars pretty much on top of the riders lap. I wouldn't think that standing up to power-accelerate would be easy with it's geometry in comparison to your Dahon.

It isn't possible. I tried and bruised some delicate parts on the top of the triangle frame which discouraged me rather quickly. Also, the thing is pretty unstable when you do that.

For climbing a hill, I just sit further back and push hard. It seems to work even on quite decent grades, and when it becomes too much, I just slide off the back and push the thing.




PS mine is a knock off - not the real thing, but it behaves just the same.

The thing that puts me off on the Strida is that it seems that if you have longer legs, you need to have shorter arms, and vice-versa. On a normal bike, raising the seat also moves it farther from the handlebars, which makes sense. On a Strida, raising your seat seems to put it closer to the bars. Or am I misunderstanding things?

The thing that puts me off on the Strida is that it seems that if you have longer legs, you need to have shorter arms, and vice-versa. On a normal bike, raising the seat also moves it farther from the handlebars, which makes sense. On a Strida, raising your seat seems to put it closer to the bars. Or am I misunderstanding things?



I don't know how it fits other people, but the apex of the triangle is pretty steep so even tall people aren't that much further forward than pretty short ones like me. If I moved the seat a lot higher it would only go forward by about another two inches. Also - I believe, but have never tried, that you can move the seat back on the rails. mine is now set so that the nose of the seat is touching the tube.

You'd be right that a taller person, sitting higher would need longer arms to reach the handlebar with the same body posture as a shorter person, but then, in my experience, most people who are taller, have longer arms anyway. Of course, as flexible beings, we can all alter our body posture a bit anyway so I doubt that many people would find it much worse than I do for the kind of ride the Strida is meant to be used on.

You can find a video on Youtube in which Mark Saunders the designer and creator of the concept, and a tall man of about 6'2" is riding a Strida in the company of a number of Asian people, both men and women. All of them seem perfectly at ease in riding the things.

Stridas do feel decidedly weird when you first mount one (or a knockoff like I have) but you soon feel pretty much at home. When I got on my Merc this afternoon and rode it a few miles, at first it felt very strange.

By the way, Strida 5 can be had in two sizes. The big size one is quite a bit larger.

No, your understanding is correct. If you are very tall and/or long-limbed, the Strida geometry may not work well for the reason you stated. The designer is fairly tall himself and has no problem riding the Strida but he states his design was intended for 90% of riders who might be classed as average-sized folks. There is a smaller framed 14-inch version of the Strida available in Asia designed to accommodate children and petite adult riders (mostly female). There is also an 18-inch version but the frame is not any different in size than the standard Strida, only the wheel is larger. I guess the market demand for tall riders is just not there.

Nadolig LLawen! (Merry Xmas!)

Those enterprising chaps down at Strida NL have come up with a few ways to change the cockpit dynamics. There are now Brompton shaped handlebars (which still fold) Then there is the Xtra frame which will suit those tall Dutch types. Finally there will be an 18" wheel option.
I've attached a few pics taken during a recent visit, an office hack Strida fitted with the Brommie bars, a quick pic of the 2-speed before it was shipped off for an award and finally the white Strida which features the new coloured calipers.

Have a Cool Yule and a safe 2009!