Folding Bikes - My Bike Friday NWT....

I suppose it was inevitable that I'd be seduced by another Bike Friday given how much I dig my Tikit...:thumb: I got a New World Tourist - the classic Bike Friday touring rig (http://www.bikefriday.com/newworldtourist)....:love:

I'll be posting about it on my blog (http://www.thelazyrandonneur.com/) for the next few days. Here is post #1 (http://thelazyrando.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/bike-friday-new-world-tourist/).

I also managed to visit Bike Friday HQ in Oregon on my way home from my winter holidays (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vikapproved/sets/72157612656271448/). I was great to meet a lot of the Bike Friday team and see where my bikes were made...:D

Vic, I glimpsed a hubbub adapter. Is that a Nexus 8 with a double chain ring? How is that combo working out? I know it goes well with zebras.

Nice! I tried BF Pocket Rocket in CA. I liked it a lot. How does the model you bought compare with the Pocket Rocket or the Llama? How long did it take them to build it up to your specs and deliver it?

Your NWT looks great!

Just two cautions: 1) Stay out of snow storms - you'll be close to invisible, and 2) You can't ride it like that Pugsley!

Have fun with your new bike.

(Great vacation pics, too.)

Mmm... Yummers!

how come you didnt go with the JTEK bar end shifter??

Sawweeet! I love that 'new bike smell.'

how come you didnt go with the JTEK bar end shifter??

Check out his blog (http://www.thelazyrandonneur.com/)...he is considering it. I think the JTEK came out after he ordered the bike.

Aaron:)

Thanks for the comments it's a pretty bike...:love::love:

I haven't had the bike out much due to sloppy roads so I'm not 100% on the gearing. I may actually go to a single front chainring to simplify things as I don't need an uber low gear even when loaded on tour.

The NWT has a 1.5" lower BB than the Pocket Llama, a different fork as is not quite as burly a frame. I'm not sure how it compares to a Pocket Rocket. I was headed on a 1 month holiday so I told BF to take their time building it - they still got it to me before I left at Christmas. I assume Dec is the ideal time to order a bike for a fast turn around. Spring is probably the worst time. BF was very accommodating so if you have a deadline let them know so they can help you meet it.

I didn't go with a JTEK because I didn't hear about them until after I rec'd the NWT. I have one on order and will use the Nexus 8 twistshifter on my Surly Pugsley (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vikapproved/sets/72157610461277546/).

My NWT specs..... (http://thelazyrando.wordpress.com/2009/01/21/bike-friday-new-world-tourist-part-2/)

Vik -

Re your plan to get Greenspeed Scorchers - I did a search to find out what they are - got this - on a recumbent tricycle (!) forum -

http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/showthread.php?t=45952&page=3

Guy says they have a lot of flats. I just ordered the Kojak slicks. They sound better.

There's a mention of Moulton tires there, too.

Vik -

Re your plan to get Greenspeed Scorchers - I did a search to find out what they are - got this - on a recumbent tricycle (!) forum -

http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/showthread.php?t=45952&page=3

Guy says they have a lot of flats. I just ordered the Kojak slicks. They sound better.

There's a mention of Moulton tires there, too.

I've used the TR [Thorn Resistant] version of the 349 size scorchers on my Tikit all last riding season with zero flats. I live and ride that bike downtown with all the usual glass and crap on the roads. Not saying others haven't had issues, but so far they have been great.

I had 406 sized Kojaks on a recumbent and didn't love them. They were not as fast or as comfortable as the GS scorchers. That's just my experience so take it for what it's worth. Normally I love Schwalbe tires, but the Kojaks didn't do it for me.

I’m well impressed with the Kojaks on my Dahon MU SL... I have ordered a new stelvio clad Brompton so it will be interesting to compare the different types.
That’s a really nice looking bike Vik. I’m sure that I will buy a Bike Friday one day, probably the Pocket Llama.

Beautiful bike! That white is a nice color. If it wasn't so hard to keep clean I would use it more often. I hope to do the same as you and acquire another BF. I have an older NWT, which I enjoy, but have my eye on a Tikit. One of these days...

Beauty!!

Speedo

White BF - many cleaning sessions, like my beautiful Birdy Monocoque.

They are like chocolates, aren't they? :D

I've read quite a few positive reports on Kojaks myself so clearly there are lots of folks who like 'em. I've just been so pleased with the GS Scorchers on my Tikit I'm going to try the 406 size on the NWT and see what I think. The stock Marathons are great tires as well so they may get the nod for longer tours depending on what my experiences with the larger scorchers are.

I don't tend to clean my bikes that much so perhaps the NWT will end up looking a little thrashed - that's okay....just proves I ride it...:thumb:

Vick, those front racks are nice. I got a NWT with with a Llama front fork so I could ride with 2.0 Schwalbe Big Apple on the front. They make for a comfy ride. I went with a 9spd Capreo and 44tooth front chainring that gave a reasonable range of gears. One thing I discovered with that front fender, which I changed out, was that while it did prevent water from being tossed onto the legs and cranks the water would still fly up in front and present a spray of water up to chest level that would then blow back when riding above 15mph. Not sure if that fork crown prevents the spray or allows for fenders that extend forward of the head tube but I had to change it.

I opted to only carry panniers on the front and on the rear I installed a cheapo Sunlite rack modified to fit the frame. It sits lower down to the wheel and happens to be a perfect location for a Jandd expandable rack pack. The pack is just narrow enough to clear heels and when expanded the top tilts towards the seat tube so all the pack weight is close to the center of the bike.

Hey Vik,
I'm looking forward to hearing your impressions on the NWT's ride. Also, would you mind giving us a comparison to the NWT vs. Tikit ride feel? thanks

Vick, those front racks are nice. I got a NWT with with a Llama front fork so I could ride with 2.0 Schwalbe Big Apple on the front. They make for a comfy ride. I went with a 9spd Capreo and 44tooth front chainring that gave a reasonable range of gears. One thing I discovered with that front fender, which I changed out, was that while it did prevent water from being tossed onto the legs and cranks the water would still fly up in front and present a spray of water up to chest level that would then blow back when riding above 15mph. Not sure if that fork crown prevents the spray or allows for fenders that extend forward of the head tube but I had to change it.

I opted to only carry panniers on the front and on the rear I installed a cheapo Sunlite rack modified to fit the frame. It sits lower down to the wheel and happens to be a perfect location for a Jandd expandable rack pack. The pack is just narrow enough to clear heels and when expanded the top tilts towards the seat tube so all the pack weight is close to the center of the bike.

Thanks for the fender tip Lee. I'm a fan of close fitting full coverage fenders so that's something I'll be looking at. I need to ride/fold the NWT a bit to fully understand what issues might arise with different fenders, but I'll be giving it some thought.

Hey Vik,
I'm looking forward to hearing your impressions on the NWT's ride. Also, would you mind giving us a comparison to the NWT vs. Tikit ride feel? thanks

I definitely will. I just want to have enough time on the NWT to give an intelligent report of how it rides. I can't do that with 30mins of saddle time and the weather here is awful [wet/sloppy/cold] so I don't want to trash the NWT and am waiting for things to dry up a bit.

I got a NWT with with a Llama front fork so I could ride with 2.0 Schwalbe Big Apple on the front. They make for a comfy ride.

When Vik initially asked about NWT vs Llama that very idea crossed my mind.

If you asked, what does the Llama fork do to the geometry of the bike?

White BF - many cleaning sessions, like my beautiful Birdy Monocoque.

They are like chocolates, aren't they? :D

Not sure.. Chocolate you enjoy, and then you regret :(. Eventually you get fat.

These bikes you just enjoy and enjoy and enjoy..

They are pieces of art. :love:

Vik, I think the idea behind those fenders is ease of removal with one bolt and no other hardware but for what a fender is supposed to do,,keep water off best as possible I found the spray thrown up in front of me bothersome at night with bar mounted headlights on, for visibility and the water. It was primarly a problem on very wet roads and fast riding, still much better than no fender. Now that I recall it was the back fender that was also a problem as it didn't extend down enough to keep it from sending a strip up my back, yours looks like it would cover better. Now I remember, I couldn't put a Planet Bike fender on the 2.00Big Apple because it was meant for narrower tires but I could fit it on the rear wheel where the total coverage was better and the tires were 1.75". Who knows, maybe I'm just picky. I think Planet Bike markets them as 20" recumbent fenders for 1.75"and under tires. The rear PB fender doesn't affect folding and provides excellent coverage front to back.

I'm still able to pack the NWT or Llama down leaving the fender on but I remove the front wheel. I had a Blackburn front rack that was more of a problem for packing down than the fenders. I had given the Blackburn front rack away to a friend on her first tour(only to discover they don't make them anymore) then ordered the Friday collapsible rack. It really is a good rack, worth the money for it's minimal construction. I also got a Llama,,for the gf,,who happens to ride the same size seat tube as me and installed the BF front rack on it. She wanted a basket up in front,,which at first I thought wasn't my style but I came to appreciate it. It's this kind, I simply bungied it on the front rack and it works great. When I did a short week long tour,,my first in 20yrs, I took the NWT with a small duffle strapped vertically on the steerer tube and the Jandd rear rack bag. Front panniers would have been more convenient but I wanted the smallest and most aerodynamic package possible.

http://www.amazon.com/Topeak-TB2001-Front-Bicycle-Basket/dp/B000FIAU3E

When Vik initially asked about NWT vs Llama that very idea crossed my mind.

If you asked, what does the Llama fork do to the geometry of the bike?

I don't have enough different BF experiences to make a worthwhile opinion. I ordered the NWT first because in my ignorance I thought the higher bb in the Llama would be awkward with small wheels but the small wheels give a strange kind of low speed stability compared to big tired bikes while losing some high speed stability with the lessened gyroscopic effect. Even though the bb is higher on the Llama it really has no functional detriment except it's different and is a good idea for longer cranks.
To your original question,,I don't know. The Llama has straight bars with bar ends and the NWT has drop bars. I road the NWT with a 1.6" and 1.75 rear tire and the front with 1.6"-2.0 tires. The Llama has had 1.75-2.0 tires. The NWT feels more secure flying through corners but that just might be my preference for drop bars and not anything particular about the geometry.
I will say that the Llama pulls to one side too much to ride hands off whereas the NWT tracks straight enough to take my hands off to do something, I haven't determined the flaw but it's not ideal. I don't know about the rest of you folks but hands off riding in general doesn't seem like a good idea with small wheels.

When I took my short tour riding from Klamath Falls to Grants Pass there was a 10mile 5%-6% downgrade and it took about 25minutes,,,the trip back took 3 1/2hrs. yes,,I'm out of shape. I sure appreciated the fat front tire as there were stretches with gravel and rocks on the road.

Vik, how do you like the 8spd hub? I was considering it but went with the Capreo. I'm not to sure about longevity of the 9tooth cog and chain but most of the time I was in the 11. I was doing fine with a 32"-93" gear range.

Vik, that's a really nicely done NWT. I'm in the process of ordering my Llama right now actually, we'll have some fun come the next coffee ride, if there ever is another :)

Vik, how do you like the 8spd hub? I was considering it but went with the Capreo. I'm not to sure about longevity of the 9tooth cog and chain but most of the time I was in the 11. I was doing fine with a 32"-93" gear range.

I'm sold on the Alfine/Nexus 8 IGHs. I'm got one on my Seasons Tikit and on my Pusgsley as well as the NWT. They perform very well and the price is right. I'm pretty happy with the gear range...it's no Rohloff, but at a fraction of the cost it seems to meet a lot of my needs.

Vik, that's a really nicely done NWT. I'm in the process of ordering my Llama right now actually, we'll have some fun come the next coffee ride, if there ever is another :)

I may wimp out and only ride the NWT in dry winter weather, but once you get your PL drop me a line and we'll meet up for a ride. How is the knee?

Very nice bike. How much would the whole bike with the Nexus 8 weight?

Vik,

Any clue as to why it was built with the rounded front fork? (Assume Walter must know.)

Lou

Very nice bike. How much would the whole bike with the Nexus 8 weight?

I don't own a scale so this is a guess, but I'd say 27-28lbs....I'll weigh it next time I have it at my LBS. For a touring bike it doesn't feel particularly heavy. I'm not much of a weight weenie.

Vik,

Any clue as to why it was built with the rounded front fork? (Assume Walter must know.)

Lou

Walter tells me the NWTs now come with a curved fork. I don't have any other details on it. I do like the aesthetic better than a straight fork.

I don't own a scale so this is a guess, but I'd say 27-28lbs....I'll weigh it next time I have it at my LBS. For a touring bike it doesn't feel particularly heavy. I'm not much of a weight weenie.

Weight weenies...get what they pay for:roflmao2:

No weight weenine here either, people ask me all the time how much the bike I am riding weighs...I tell them I have no clue, then ask if they know how much the car/truck they are driving weighs or the shoes they are wearing:innocent:

Aaron:)

Weight weenies...get what they pay for:roflmao2:

No weight weenine here either, people ask me all the time how much the bike I am riding weighs...I tell them I have no clue, then ask if they know how much the car/truck they are driving weighs or the shoes they are wearing:innocent:

Aaron:)

Good point...I find all my bikes tend to gravitate towards a similar weight since I use similar parts on them and add fenders/racks/lights/etc...

I do appreciate a light road bike or XC MTB...even though I don't care enough to actually have one in my stable at the moment. I tend to favour practical bikes that carry stuff and ride in the rain/snow. Unfortunately all the really light bikes are stripped down racing machines. Amazing fun in their own right, but not generally useful as transportation.

The 50 lbs airline baggage limit turned me into a weight weenie pretty fast. Remember, Bike Friday's listed weight is with out a saddle and pedals. The suitcase is 13 lbs. I only have a postal scale at home, so I lucked out when my packed Tikit came in at 47 lbs. When I returned from my trip I started to weigh things. I can save a half a pound by minimizing and changing my tool kit. After that it gets difficult and expensive.

The 50 lbs airline baggage limit turned me into a weight weenie pretty fast. Remember, Bike Friday's listed weight is with out a saddle and pedals. The suitcase is 13 lbs. I only have a postal scale at home, so I lucked out when my packed Tikit came in at 47 lbs. When I returned from my trip I started to weigh things. I can save a half a pound by minimizing and changing my tool kit. After that it gets difficult and expensive.

I'm not flying with my NWT so that weight limit isn't really important to me, but I can see why you would want to ensure it was below 50lbs.

I may wimp out and only ride the NWT in dry winter weather, but once you get your PL drop me a line and we'll meet up for a ride. How is the knee?

Lets just say the knee probably won't be worth the settlement money in the end, and I won't be winning any races..

But, I can ride again.

Can't blame you for not wanting to ride it in winter too much either. When we get those warm chinook days mixing up all the road muck, its hell on bikes.

Lets just say the knee probably won't be worth the settlement money in the end, and I won't be winning any races..

But, I can ride again.

Can't blame you for not wanting to ride it in winter too much either. When we get those warm chinook days mixing up all the road muck, its hell on bikes.

Oh I'll ride in winter conditions...I'll just ride my Tikit or Pugsley as those bikes are getting thrashed in the slop regularly. If it's dry, but cold I'll ride the NWT. Eventually the NWT will get filthy like the rest of my bikes, but I just don't have the heart to do that to it yet - it's too new and minty fresh!....:love:

The 50 lbs airline baggage limit turned me into a weight weenie pretty fast. Remember, Bike Friday's listed weight is with out a saddle and pedals. The suitcase is 13 lbs. I only have a postal scale at home, so I lucked out when my packed Tikit came in at 47 lbs. When I returned from my trip I started to weigh things. I can save a half a pound by minimizing and changing my tool kit. After that it gets difficult and expensive.

Yes, the 50 pound weight limit is restrictive but by carrying a few things onboard -- pedals, tools, and spare (folding) tires/tubes -- one can still pass through with few problems. Although I would still check on a home scale before heading to the airport.

I've now posted a 4 part review of my NWT on my Blog (http://thelazyrando.wordpress.com/tag/nwt/). Part 5 will be my first tour report so that will have to wait a bit until spring has sprung.

good review, re. tires, I'm not familiar with the greenspeed tires you mention but the Schwalbe Marathon racers are very quick tires, albeit not as flat proof as some. I got some Marathon Supremes and they had some out of round perturbations (variation in width where the casing overlapped that resulted in some out of roundness) that was objectionable for the front tire,,for some reason it was less noticable on the rear. Those are pretty good do everything tough and fast street tires albeit for stupid amounts of money. My NWT was my introduction to these bikes and it cracked me up how user friendly it was with a singular low top tube. It also made for some comedic stall crashes as I was still getting used to the high bb position with new clipless pedals. One would have thought by now I'd have figured out how to get off a bike but a few times with new clipless pedals I was indecisive about swinging my leg over the seat or stepping through,,,and just like 30yrs ago with tight toe clips I did the slow motion fall when coming to a standstill..."oh,,noooooo!"

I don't want to pan the Marathons as they are an excellent tough touring tire, but if you are willing to sacrifice a bit of puncture protection/durability for speed there are better choices out there for general purpose riding and light touring.

The GS Scorchers are fast, comfortable and I used the TR kevlar version which has been puncture free for me all last season.

I have some Marathon Supremes [26"] which seem like a good paved road touring option. Sorry your Supremes were defective...Schwalbe is usually really good about replacing tires so if you haven't already called them I'd give it a shot and try another set.

Like the Scorchers so much I'll be going with them although the Marathon Racers or Kojaks would be the next tires to consider. I just ordered a set from the Hostel Shoppe (http://www.hostelshoppe.com/brol.php).

Vik,
I highly recommend throwing on some loaded front panniers, because IMO the steering just gets even better!

Vik,
I highly recommend throwing on some loaded front panniers, because IMO the steering just gets even better!

No doubt - I've found that to be the case on all my bike including the Tikit. I'm looking forward to touring NWT.

Jeeze, that's the cleanest sidewalk I've ever seen. And it's winter. That's just not right.

Jeeze, that's the cleanest sidewalk I've ever seen. And it's winter. That's just not right.

That's life in Calgary...it snows, gets bitterly cold for a week or two, then it gets warm for a week or two and all the snow melts - repeat all winter.

Here is a teaser of some drivetrain changes I made on my NWT. I'm real close to dialing in this bike perfectly. I'm quite impressed by 1) my ability to modify a custom bike...hahaha...2) how well this bike rides...:love: I don't really think of it as a folding/travel bike much. It's just a touring bike that's easier to pack....:thumb:

I'll post full details tomorrow.

issat a surly tensioner? does it provide the slack needed to fold the bike w/o loosennig or dropping anything?
still have the double up front?
I ve never needed more than 8 gears myself!
looks lovely!

issat a surly tensioner? does it provide the slack needed to fold the bike w/o loosennig or dropping anything?
still have the double up front?
I ve never needed more than 8 gears myself!
looks lovely!



Yes that's a Surly Singlenator and a single chainring up front. I left the front shifter/derailleur on for now until I was 100% happy with 8 speeds.

You have to drop the chain to fold the bike which is a small price to pay for an uber slick drivetrain....:thumb: If it was my Tikit that I fold 8 times a day that would get old, but this bike will only be folded occasionally for transport.

Hi Vik
do you know if this tensioner will work with rohloff gers?
About the tires I wear the schwalbe marathon plus never a flat tire I am now almost finish my tour in Asia (Laos,Cambodia Thailand some time very bad route)3000km, and the are very good tires
Greetings from ko sichang