Folding Bikes - Strida-5 24/7/365 – Going for more distance

Currently I am one month short of a year where I decided to ride the Strida-5 on every outing and when commuting. Been to two different countries, rode on streets, paths, trails, and pavement. Rode one 50 mile organized ride and many solo rides between 30 and 25 miles.

So living with the Strida-5 in hotel rooms and at home and riding only the Strida-5 for nearly a year has prompted me to make some modifications to the bike.

The tires were changed out for Schalwbe Big Apple front and rear. The bike now handles much better on dirt trails and on the road. With tire pressure set to 65 psi front and rear the road performance and ride is much better. For dirt trails I set the air pressure to 55 front, 60 back and the bikes handling and ride are far superior than with standard Kenda’s.

Swapped the nylon crank set out for the new Alloy Crank set and belt ring. The alloy belt ring is much, much less egg shaped than the original nylon belt ring. The alloy belt ring allows you to use less belt tension before you have belt slip at the cog. Less belt tension means less bearing wear and less spinning resistance at the crank which means less energy is wasted to friction.

Swapped the original folding pedals out for Speedplay Frogs. This was probably the best modification in regards to performance. I can now apply driving force through 350 degrees of crank rotation which really helps when climbing and seems to help in preventing belt slip at the cog. On the flats I can spin at 90 rpm at the pedals, a cadence I feel very comfortable with when touring. The Pearl Izumi Alp X mountain bike shoes perform very well on the bike and off.

Swapped the original saddle out for a Brooks B67 and the change has been wonderful in two ways. The saddle is sprung and when combined with the Schwalbe Big Apples the ride is now very smooth, even over the worst streets in Racine Wisconsin and my butt loves this saddle.

My goal this year is to ride a century or two in September. I feel the changes I have made to the bike put 100 miles in 8 hours within reach. I will use the century experience to determine if Strida-5 touring with an Extrawheel trailer is a reasonable goal.

TBAKEL

Excellent to read of these enhancements.

Where did you get the alloy belt ring and pulley and how much did they cost, if its alright to ask you that?

Hey Tbakel,

Nice to hear someone else say that longer rides are possible on a Strida, since I changed to sprung saddles, I now use my Strida 5 more than my GoBike, Brompton etc.
Good luck with the 100 miler! ;o)

I'm impressed! I've only ever seen pictures of a Strida, and it just doesn't look like anything more than a toy. Clearly, I need to ride one before I judge it!

I hate to be a wet blanket, but as someone who did a century on a Swift...

I think you're going to run into some serious discomfort with a century on a Strida. Mechanically it should be sound, but let's face it, that bike was clearly not designed for that kind of use. Hills will be deadly; you have almost no options to tweak your position. The tires may be soft enough for shorter rides, but the road buzz and squirrely handling will eventually start to beat you up.

I'm sure you'll do it anyway. When you're suffering more than you need to somewhere around mile 75, just remember that some random dude on Teh Intarweb told you so. :D

If he gets sick of it, at least he will have the option to dial a cab and fold the thing up ready to go in the boot. I remember one or two rides where I'd have been delighted to do that. In fact, I well recall once about 25 years ago after not making the full distance I'd intended due to headwinds and bad weather and being forced to bivouacking alone on the side of a forest road sixty miles from home. After a while in the woods, I felt near despair and got up and started pedalling down the pitch dark, deserted road to a phone box and dialing a mate who had a van that would take my full sized touring bike. It was a Saturday night about 2200 hrs and he was not best pleased when I whined on at him to come and save me from a miserable night among pine needles and wet grass. He did come out, but he didn't talk much on the way home as I recall. :lol: Can't say I can blame him really, but I gave him a lot of dinners in recompense. He did well out of the deal in the end I think.

If he gets sick of it, at least he will have the option to dial a cab and fold the thing up ready to go in the boot....
Sure, if the Century takes him into the middle of Manhattan. ;)

Besides, it's hardly impossible to transport a full sized bike in a similar situation, just remove the front wheel and put it in the trunk. Not ideal, but definitely doable.

Where did you get the alloy belt ring and pulley and how much did they cost, if its alright to ask you that?[/QUOTE]

Its available on the Strida Wed site and in the US from AreaWare.

Troy

[QUOTE=Bacciagalupe;8534275]I hate to be a wet blanket, but as someone who did a century on a Swift...

Sounds like your prep was top notch. Do you really think your failure is going to trump my experience and preparation? If you haven’t ridden at least two training centuries before you ride a sponsored one then 1 your not in shape and 2 your equipment is not tested.

Sounds like your prep was top notch. Do you really think your failure is going to trump my experience and preparation? If you haven’t ridden at least two training centuries before you ride a sponsored one then 1 your not in shape and 2 your equipment is not tested.
When did I say I failed? I completed a century with 6000+ feet of climbing on my Swift. (With average prep, nothing too special.) Definitely less comfortable than doing a century with a 700c road bike.

I'm just trying to spare you a little extra pain and suffering on your next century and associated training rides. ;)

I'm just trying to spare you a little extra pain and suffering on your next century and associated training rides. ;)

Two of my friends and I are planning an El Cap assent (route not yet determined) and the two most “painful” pitches are carrying the gear to the base and then carrying the gear down from the summit.

I informed them that I had just encountered a horizontal flat liner on the internet who was put on earth to spare me from pain and suffering when I am riding my bike. I wonder if his divine skills extend to carrying haul bags.

Interested in being a haul bag boy at El Cap?

Sure, if the Century takes him into the middle of Manhattan. ;)

Besides, it's hardly impossible to transport a full sized bike in a similar situation, just remove the front wheel and put it in the trunk. Not ideal, but definitely doable.

I could phone a taxi anywhere in the UK. I won't respond with the patronising 'wink' symbol, but you can take it as read.

........
I think you're going to run into some serious discomfort with a century on a Strida. .......

Have you actually ridden a Strida 5 for several (tens of) miles?


Besides, it's hardly impossible to transport a full sized bike in a similar situation, just remove the front wheel and put it in the trunk. Not ideal, but definitely doable.

I suspect your "cabs" are somewhat larger than our small island's provincial taxis :-)