Folding Bikes - Tikit safety notice

FYI to Tikit owners: In case you haven't received the notice from the company. Here is the email that I received.

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Caution Notice for tikitTM owners

Several tikitTM owners have reported a crack forming on their tikitTM frames that is potentially dangerous to the rider. DO NOT RIDE YOUR tikitTM UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED FOR THIS CRACK or HAD IT CHECKED AT A BIKE FRIDAY DEALER.

If your tikitTM DOES NOT have a crack it is safe to ride. We will be mailing you an upgrade kit soon.

If your tikitTM DOES have a crack then do not ride it until you get that piece replaced. See directions and pictures below.


There are two sites to check for a possible crack. Site #1 is right below the joint of the straight arm of the lower seat mast. It is the area we have had the most reports from. Site #2 is at the "keyhole" of the seat mast. We have only had 2 reports of a crack developing here out of all the tikitTM we have made.

The customers that have reported these cracks tend to be taller and/or heavier than average and ride their tikitTM a lot.

Bike Friday co-founder Alan Scholz has been riding his early 2007 tikitTM daily for commuting, as well as long (80+mile) tours through the mountains with 50mph descents, such as on Cycle Oregon last year. We destruction test our bikes, but also ride the *!@#* out of them ourselves!

Since we have found a potential safety issue please take it seriously and check your bike. The chances of your bike having this problem is very low but we don't want you to get hurt!


The lower seat mast part of the tikitTM frame. Both Site #1 and Site #2 are on this part of your tikitTM.


Potential crack site #1. The crack area is usually right below where the straight leg of the seat mast begins. This picture shows a crack there. We will be sending a special brace that can be easily installed on your tikit to prevent any crack forming in the future.



Potential crack site # 2. This crack begins from the round hole and travels outward. There is no crack in this picture. The 2 cases that have been reported were traced back to a very unusual manufacturing process problem. We have made adjustments in our process to eliminate those factors.This change was made on tikitsTM built after April 20, 2009.


This is the crusher machine specially built to reproduce the problems reported by our customers.



If you do not have a crack then you can safely ride your tikitTM until the safety upgrade arrives (we are sending it soon). Then you or your local dealer/bike shop can install the brace that will prevent any crack from happening in the future. It is a very simple and easy process.

If you do have a crack then give us a call or e-mail and we will build you a replacement seat mast. 1-800-777-0258 or safetyupgrade@bikefriday.com


Please be aware of the weight limits for the tikitTM:

- Weight limit for Small and Medium tikitTM is 190lbs/86kg.
- Weight limit for Large tikitTM is 220lbs/100kg.

- If you are over these weight limits then you need a heavy rider upgrade available for up to 260lbs/118kg.

General caution for all folks riding any bike regularily (not just Bike Fridays):

You may be aware of several bicycle and bicycle component recalls going on right now in the industry. With this reminder about possible bike part problems it is a good time for a general safety reminder.

Bicycles are one of the most highly stressed commonly manufactured products in the world. A typical bicycle is asked to support about 10 times its own weight with little maintenance and in an extreme open environment. There is a conflict in regular bike design between light weight and durability. We all like a light bike to go with our low horsepower motor. Bicycles are one of the wonders of the world but you must care for them. The more frequently you give your bike a check over and needed tune-ups the longer it will carry you safely. . Click here to see an ABC bicycle maintenance list

Let Bike Friday Customer Service know if you have any questions about how to deal with this issue. safetyupgrade@bikefriday.com

Safe summer riding!

Hanna Scholz
General Manager
Bike Friday


BIKE FRIDAY. PERFORMANCE THAT PACKS
http://www.bikefriday.com
3364 West 11th Ave, Eugene, OR 97402 USA
Phone 800-777-0258 | Fax 541-687-0403

I don't see any photos. Is there a link to photos on the BF web site?

I could not find any info on this from the BF website. Also what the heck is a TikitTM? I have a Tikit with Hyperfold. I will be calling BF today when I have the time to find out more info.

Trade Mark? LOL?

i think it's the model t.

I don't see any photos. Is there a link to photos on the BF web site?

Here are the 4 photos that came with the email...






TM stands for trademark. The name Tikit is trademarked.

I'm surprised some of you Tikit owners have not been notified. Perhaps you bought from a dealer? At any rate, I'm glad I posted the email notice, then. You should contact Bike Friday for sure.

Thanks!

Having just gotten off the phone with BF, I think the first photo is the important one. It shows a stress fracture in the straight leg of the "aardvark" (see the first scene in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxp2PbD4uiw&feature=channel_page) after the music and series of still pictures at the beginning). That's the one showing up enough in size-Medium and size-Small Tikits (due to their thinner tubing there) that BF decided to construct a fix (the brace) for all Tikits regardless of size. The brace essentially completes the triangle, relieving stress at that point. BF will be sending out the brace soon, and of course will replace any damaged aardvarks. Also all new aardvarks and replacements, I am told, use size-Large tubing.

The crack site in the second photo is apparently rare and due to a manufacturing defect, not stress.

After they got customers informing them of the stress problem, they built the machine in the fourth photo to replicate the failure. It doesn't fail on the machine with the new brace.

I'm surprised some of you Tikit owners have not been notified. Perhaps you bought from a dealer?

Nope, this is all news to me; I've heard nary a word. I purchased direct from BikeFriday just last November.

tcs

I could not find any info on this from the BF website.

http://www.bikefriday.com/images/email/1576/

tcs

Bummer, just checked mine and it has the crack. Sounds like I have to wait about 2 weeks for the replacement which is kind of a bummer since the nice weather season is so short in Minnesota. :-( Happy though that they told me about it before it broke completely.

When I got home last night there was an orange card in the mailbox from the mail carrier, informing me they had a package from GreenGear for my pickup at the post office.

tcs

When I got home last night there was an orange card in the mailbox from the mail carrier, informing me they had a package from GreenGear for my pickup at the post office.

tcs

Ha ha. Me too. Certified mail. Gonna pick it up today.

Bummer, just checked mine and it has the crack. Sounds like I have to wait about 2 weeks for the replacement which is kind of a bummer since the nice weather season is so short in Minnesota. :-( Happy though that they told me about it before it broke completely.

One of my Tikits has a crack and I'm still riding it. I just inspecting it daily. I don't think I'm in any immediate danger. I'm glad BF made me aware of the problem. I can evaluate the risk and decide what to do about it now that I know about it.

I checked our Tikits when I received the e-mail notice. Mine is clear. My wife's has a paint chip at the apex of the joint, but no visible crack. No sign of the brace in our mailbox yet.

Speedo

Got a notice from the Post Office too for a package p/u awaiting a signature. Gonna get it later today. Did not state from who though.

Post Note 06-10-09: It was from BF, and it was the part as shown below

I got the safety upgrade and installed it. It was an ingenious, lightweight solution. Installation was not too bad, but in my case, was complicated by the new part being a little too long. I had to file it down so it would line up properly. Took about 30 minutes in total.

I feel good about having the extra support for the seat tube, especially as I am on the outer edge of weight limit for the medium frame.

The safety part is the horizontal silver strut in the middle of the picture.

I feel good about having the extra support for the seat tube, especially as I am on the outer edge of weight limit for the medium frame.

The safety part is the horizontal silver strut in the middle of the picture.



Interesting to see how it works. Maybe the model you have is built for very light riders, I'd have thought most bikes would take 100kg easily which is way heavier than you are (I'd guess).

Interesting to see how it works. Maybe the model you have is built for very light riders, I'd have thought most bikes would take 100kg easily which is way heavier than you are (I'd guess).

I have the Medium size frame, which accomodates up to 190 lbs. The Large size frame uses heavier tubing and can handle more weight. I chose the medium because it's a couple of pounds lighter. When I ride the Tikit, I am conscious of the weight issue, and stand on the pedals to take the load off the seatpost when situations warrant.

Just got an e-mail from BikeFriday saying that the replacement part (mine cracked) is on its way to me. Bummer that they sent it ground though.

Can someone who has installed the brace comment on whether/how much it affects pushing the bike around while folded? From the pictures and from eyeballing my tikit, it looks like it interferes with getting a good grip on the handle. Mine is a size large, I weigh no more than about 175 pounds, I don't see any cracks, and I push the bike around a lot. I lift it onto buses by that handle all the time, so I'm wondering if I should install the brace at all.

Yay, my replacement part arrived and I installed it last night. Unfortunately though the new safety upgrade does not fit the new part. The hole is a good 1/4 off where it should be (no I do not have something upside down) Need to call Bike Friday again, but at least I can ride the thing now. At least I had the brompton as a backup.

Can someone who has installed the brace comment on whether/how much it affects pushing the bike around while folded? From the pictures and from eyeballing my tikit, it looks like it interferes with getting a good grip on the handle. Mine is a size large, I weigh no more than about 175 pounds, I don't see any cracks, and I push the bike around a lot. I lift it onto buses by that handle all the time, so I'm wondering if I should install the brace at all.

The upgrade affects the way you hold the handle a little bit. Not a big deal for me as I am an occasional folder.

If you have a large frame and you only weigh 175, I don't think you need to worry about this safety upgrade at all.

Yay, my replacement part arrived and I installed it last night. Unfortunately though the new safety upgrade does not fit the new part. The hole is a good 1/4 off where it should be (no I do not have something upside down) Need to call Bike Friday again, but at least I can ride the thing now. At least I had the brompton as a backup.

Yup, mine was the same way. I had to file the hole a bit to get it to fit.

The upgrade affects the way you hold the handle a little bit. Not a big deal for me as I am an occasional folder.

If you have a large frame and you only weigh 175, I don't think you need to worry about this safety upgrade at all.

And if you're 70kg instead? I just ordered a Tikit and I have every intention of folding it every day I use it, so any hinderance to rolling or lugging will be unwelcome.

I installed the brace on my wife's Tikit. It went okay, but I think they should have included a longer bolt for the rear attachment point. Even after discarding the washers, with the brace on, it was a very fine adjustment between having the bolt too tight (rollers don't move). Bolt too loose (nylon in the bolt not in contact with the threads so it would easily come off). Not much room in the middle "bolt just right" (nylon in contact with threads, rollers move) zone.

Speedo

And if you're 70kg instead? I just ordered a Tikit and I have every intention of folding it every day I use it, so any hinderance to rolling or lugging will be unwelcome.

At 70kg, you're well below the weight limit for Medium Tikits (87kg).

just installed the safety upgrade for my Tikit, but I am very disappointed with the way it affects the rolling of the folded bike! The new metal part is very much in the way of my most comfortable hand positions, and makes it more unwieldy to maneuver the bike in crowded places.
Does anybody know if this is merely a temporary solution, and we will then be sent upgraded aardvarks, or is this meant to be it? I for one purchased the Tikit because I need to do a fair bit of rolling, like in shopping centers, train stations, office buildings, etc. and this new "upgrade" really gets in the way! Anybody else have this experience?
i will direct my enquiries to Bike Friday directly soon, but I thought I would get feedback here first.

Has research revealed if these fractures are on all frames? Small, medium and large? If the large uses 'heavier tubing' has it escaped these stresses and fractures?

Has research revealed if these fractures are on all frames? Small, medium and large? If the large uses 'heavier tubing' has it escaped these stresses and fractures?

My large frame has a crack and is going to be repaired by BF. I weigh 160lbs, but I ride my Tikit a lot and I don't baby it so I may be harder on the frame than other riders.

The crack is small and not growing noticeably so I've continued to ride my Tikit. I'll be shipping it to BF when I'm down in the US on an up coming trip.

The cracks in some Tikit frames are unfortunate, but I've had some time to ponder it and I'll miss my Tikit for the couple weeks it will take to repair, but there is no other folding bike on the market that suits my needs as well as the Tikit.

As long as Bike Friday stands behind their product and looks after me as well as they have I'll continue to stoked to ride my Tikit.

My large frame has a crack and is going to be repaired by BF. I weigh 160lbs, but I ride my Tikit a lot and I don't baby it so I may be harder on the frame than other riders.

The crack is small and not growing noticeably so I've continued to ride my Tikit. I'll be shipping it to BF when I'm down in the US on an up coming trip.

The cracks in some Tikit frames are unfortunate, but I've had some time to ponder it and I'll miss my Tikit for the couple weeks it will take to repair, but there is no other folding bike on the market that suits my needs as well as the Tikit.

As long as Bike Friday stands behind their product and looks after me as well as they have I'll continue to stoked to ride my Tikit.

vik- do you know what bf plans to do to fix the frames with cracks? Are they just replacing the seat mast portion and then sticking the same ad hoc brace on there? What are they doing for new bikes?

If they have come up with a beefier frame, presumably it is too expensive to offer it free to all tikit owners(?) and/or is not a diy swap(?). I'm with Chiapas --- after we hash this out a little here, I will contact bf directly to see what my options are. I really do not want to block the push handle.

Does anybody know if this is merely a temporary solution, and we will then be sent upgraded aardvarks, or is this meant to be it?


Not having installed mine yet, I've still given some thought to this. First, I'm thinking of installing some very thin vinyl tubing on the safety piece before attaching it, to make it less sharp on the knuckles. Second, the key, I think, is to extend the handle. There's almost an inch of free room. Some kind of handlebar plug -- ideally a locking one -- should lengthen it by at least a centimeter or more, if we can only find the right one. Then you just put a handlebar grip on and you're in business.

feijai:
maybe some sort of ad-hoc sub-prime solution like that could improve things, but the truth is we chose this bike for its unique characteristics, among them ease of rolling, yes?
I really and trully appreciate Bike Friday standing behind their product and customers, but I also feel that I have lost one of the big advantages of my Tikit, and this was exemplified yesterday when I went to the mall with my GF to print some photos. The walk accross the mall, which I have done many times with the folded Tikit, was much more uncomfortable and for the first time I felt I should have locked the bike outside!
I suggest we work with BF to come up with a better permanent solution that intelligently solves the problem with elegant design, and in keeping with the inovative spirit of the Tikit! Perhaps a new Aardvark that has a supporting beam welded into it at a higer point, leaving the open space for the hand to reach the handle?

vik- do you know what bf plans to do to fix the frames with cracks? Are they just replacing the seat mast portion and then sticking the same ad hoc brace on there? What are they doing for new bikes?

I don't know yet. I have asked and will let you know when I find out.

I have heard that Rob will be working on a revised aardvark which doesn't need the safety device (presumably a brace is welded in) when he gets back from vacation.

hmm, so I guess the big if is whether all the old aardvarks will be replaced under warranty or only those that have cracked?

I'm with you, CF. I use the rolling quite a bit for multi-modal commuting and shopping. I hope some solution can be found that makes it easier to grip that handle.

In other news... I have a large Tikit. I weigh around 235 lbs... and my bike does not have a crack as far as I can tell. I'll inspect it more closely tonight.

--sam

I took a closer look... and definitely NO crack on mine. Yay!

I'll contact BF about the safety part, we'll see how much it interferes with the rolling handle on a large Tikit. I'm hopeful that it's not too bad.

--sam

putting a piece of hose/tubing on the safety piece is a great idea and helps for sure, but it is still not ideal.
How would folks feel about drafting a collective letter to BF with all our ideas/suggestions/concerns, and just letting them know that we are interested in a better solution?

Strikes me that the end-solution is a brace that also serves as the handle -- that is, a brazed-in brace that has a hand-friendly curve to it. Incremental weight and fabrication work would be negligible and a handle that is now an odd appendage would serve a structural purpose.

I don't understand why the brace BF has sent out couldn't have been manufactured with a deeper curve to accommodate a comfortable grip on the handle. I would think such a solution would have been "good enough", given there was nothing there originally, but then again I've designed exactly zero bikes to date.

Anyway, I wheel my bike at least twice daily, usually with a front load on the rack, and the given the sensitive balancing I'd rather not crush my fingers on an inadvertent tip. Therefore I'm considering NOT attaching the brace. Anyone think it unwise? I weigh 160 lbs and ride light on the seat, but I've only owned my Tikit a month now and am not sure what to expect...

cresny: maybe your case is one that we can put to Bike Friday, and ask whether your aardvark will still be covered under the lifetime warranty even if you fail to install the safety brace?

cresny: maybe your case is one that we can put to Bike Friday, and ask whether your aardvark will still be covered under the lifetime warranty even if you fail to install the safety brace?

I'd like to know about that, too. It seems I ordered the bike *after* the safety recall/update/notice, so I'd very much like to know whether the aardvark will be replaced for free, or covered if I choose to ride without the brace (I, too, only weigh 70kg). Even though I've only had the tikit for a weekend, the brace is clearly in the way. Not to mention sharp on the fingers and knuckles.

That being said, the tikit is an incredible piece of engineering, and probably deserves a spot in a modern art museum as the folding bike that was a defining step in multi-modal transportation. I love it, and I just wish that Bike Friday hadn't hamstrung themselves a bit by painting all non-custom bikes in one uniform color. (Don't get me wrong, the cream soda color is pretty, but the earlier two-tone tikit2rides, with the back frame black and the front blue, were fare more likely to catch people's eyes-- and interest-- and lead to a conversation between strangers about changing lifestyles.)

Anyway, I wheel my bike at least twice daily, usually with a front load on the rack, and the given the sensitive balancing I'd rather not crush my fingers on an inadvertent tip. Therefore I'm considering NOT attaching the brace. Anyone think it unwise? I weigh 160 lbs and ride light on the seat, but I've only owned my Tikit a month now and am not sure what to expect...

I'm 160lbs and had my aardvark crack on a large Tikit so it certainly can happen at your weight....YMMV.

ok, it seems like there is some consensus. We all love our Tikits, but all agree the brace is not quite right. We are all interested in finding longterm solutions and want the security of the lifetime warranty. So, should we draft a collective BFFB letter to Bike Friday to voice our concerns, ask questions and offer suggestions?

I'm in. But maybe someone should try a friendly phone call first. I'm too busy to do much of anything for the next couple of weeks though. I would imagine bike friday is aware of this thread and they and their lawyers are already concocting their response.

Any other lurkers out there? Our demands will carry more weight if we have more than 3 or 4 signatories. Has anyone tried any other boards? And what does BFFB stand for?

Hmm yes...
Knowing Bike Friday a little bit, I dont think we need to be worrying about "demands" or lawyers, but the friendly phone call idea sounds good!
I am in Australia, so hard to get to the office (and Skype) within Oregon office hours.
Anybody have a good rapport with Bike Friday customer service people?
BTW, the meaning of BFFB is Bike Forums Folding Bike (subforum)