Folding Bikes - Strida - a folding bike that you might like

http://www.strida.com

Interesting - it's one gear, a "kevlar belt drive" - no more chains...

And it actually looks slick.

You could take it for a free test ride and then tell us about it.

http://www.strida.com/store/testride.html

The Strida is a neat looking bike. I think the original had some problems with the belt skipping cog once in a while. I've heard this issue has been addressed. I like the foldability of the thing.

I do wonder about things like non standard replacement parts. And it seems obviously more aimed at the urban commuter than the cycling enthusiast (which would probably turn off many of the folks frequenting this forum). But it's a great "outside the box" example of design.

hideous

You could take it for a free test ride and then tell us about it.

http://www.strida.com/store/testride.html

It'd be an interesting bike to ride. Having never ridden a folding bike, neither one that was kevlar belt driven, I'm curious as to what it'd feel like on the road.

On another note, I was actually surprised that it was $299 (though I'm not decided whether or not this is a good or bad thing).

I'm STUNNED that it's only $299... They were MUCH more expensive a year or so ago when I was last looking seriously at folders...

:eek:

No no NO...

we have one of those at my shop. last i heard, it was broken and we were trying to get a part for it...last time i put it together, it looked fine, but i haven't ridden it yet. maybe i'll take it out for a spin tomorrow on my lunch.

they fold up like a transformer, which is why i think it's cool.

Wow. They do seem to have been lowered in price. I could swear they started at about $500 last year.

they sure look interesting, but I heard they are seriously uncomfortable if you're tall.
the taller you are, the closer the bars are.

I like the way this one folds.
http://www.worldgooddesign.net/j/awards/compasso/img/3-5.jpg

It looks fun to ride but will probably draw more stares and questions than riding a saddled ostrich.

http://www.strida.com

Interesting - it's one gear, a "kevlar belt drive" - no more chains...

And it actually looks slick.

The Strida is designed for very short commutes and used in conjunction with the bus or train. This guy a know works at an airport and takes a bus every day. Unfortunately, the bus leaves him about a mile and a half from where he has to work and he uses the Strida to save time. He estimates the bike saves him close to 20 minutes in walking every day. That's about 400 minutes a month or 33 hours!

The Strida still has problems with the belt slipping because the drive train is all plastic. The are improving the product and I suspect in 5 years, they may actually have something.

http://www.bikecult.com/works/archive/pedersenrc.html

perhaps the strida folks were lookin at these

http://www.bikecult.com/works/archive/pedersenrc.html

perhaps the strida folks were lookin at these

It would be incredible if someone could begin production on the Pedersen bicycle and make a AFFORDABLE! That would be the ultimate comfort bike and only a recumbent would offer more. From what I understand, the production cost due to the extensive welding raises the price to what you would pay for a high end carbon bike. Still. It's a dream bike that would get loads of attention!

Vas ist das? Ist nicht ein strida.What is that? It's not a Strida.Unless it is some early crude prototype.

i tried a strida...no good....the frame bent and wouldn't snap together after folding.

That bad, huh? I was thinking of getting one for my mom for her to piddle about the neighborhood in. :(

Koffee

actually, i loved the bike at first. it was fun to ride ,easy and clean to fold. but i'm 6'2" 200lbs...it just couldn't take the stress. but for someone smaller, i think its a great bike. It folds super fast and you can walk it like a cane on rollers.

How fast can you go on one of those things anyway? And how comfortable would you be going long distances like 50+ miles?

Koffee

you can skoot along pretty fast, it's zippy little bike. you're not going to be breaking any records of course, but for round manhattan, it's very nice. in and out of traffic, up and down walkup buildings, in and out subway platforms.....very speedy.

50 miles? not for me, maybe 2 miles

Ok, so this is a short distance bike. I was just wondering if I could get out to Downers Grove from Chicago and back, that's all. Maybe my mom might like it after all for piddling up and down the bike paths here.

Koffee

it's perfect for a mom on a path

Ok, so this is a short distance bike. I was just wondering if I could get out to Downers Grove from Chicago and back, that's all. Maybe my mom might like it after all for piddling up and down the bike paths here.

Koffee

The Strida is a work in progress. A guy who purchased a first edition Strida listed all the problems and replacements made. It was a loooooog list of parts replaced. He was a heavy user although. Don't believe the hype concerning the products' warranty.

Strida recently changed the hubs because the bearings would wear out fast. I taked with another user and he told me this was the greatest weekness.

I looked at the 2nd edition Strida and the belt fell off by accident while lightly touching it! If you look at how it's placed, there is no 'lip' to hold it from slipping and as you can imagine, it falls off quite easily. The tires of the Strida are low pressure and slugglish on the road. There are no gears which means hills of any kind will be a beast.

I once noticed someone riding the Strida in New York City. The minute he put power into the crank, it creeked loud! I think a better option than the Strida would be an electric scooter like those made from Razor. There is NO WAY you're going ride this thing 50 miles on 35 PSI tires! It's only ment to be ridden a 1 or 3 miles tops. Get your mother a Dahon or the Giant folder.

Wait for the 2005 Dahons and get her a boardwalk 7.They are greatly improved gear range is now 34-94 gear inches. They are so much better I am kicking myself(Yes i am that flexible)

Wait for the 2005 Dahons and get her a boardwalk 7.They are greatly improved gear range is now 34-94 gear inches. They are so much better I am kicking myself(Yes i am that flexible)

The Boardwalk 7 by Dahon keeps getting better and better each year. The only thing I don't like about that bike is the horrible beach crusier type saddle. If you change that, the bike really has potential.

I really am thinking about getting a Boardwalk 7. Either that or a similar bike that's easy to fold up and jump on a train or bus. This isn't going to be until the middle of next year, though.

Koffee

It would be incredible if someone could begin production on the Pedersen bicycle and make a AFFORDABLE! That would be the ultimate comfort bike and only a recumbent would offer more. From what I understand, the production cost due to the extensive welding raises the price to what you would pay for a high end carbon bike. Still. It's a dream bike that would get loads of attention!

I saw a new Pedersen outside a bikeshop in Lonon. The frame was plated in copper or some such material, and the rims were rosewood. mmmmmm.
The design is crying out to be constructed from carbon tubing and Al lugs, with kevlar cables. You've got me thinking now......

I saw a new Pedersen outside a bikeshop in Lonon. The frame was plated in copper or some such material, and the rims were rosewood. mmmmmm.
The design is crying out to be constructed from carbon tubing and Al lugs, with kevlar cables. You've got me thinking now......

The Pedersen would probably be a heavy bike around 35 pounds! This bike would be a dream using carbon tubing because the saddle being suspended in the air would make a comfortable ride even if the hardest alloy were used.

I would buy a Pedersen even if Pacific bicycles made one!

...This notice appeared in the Dursley Gazette October 21 1893:


"A new bicycle. Mr M. Pedersen of Dursley, with that ingenuity for which he has become known, has recently constructed a safety bicycle of remarkable character. Its weight is only nineteen pounds and the maker has tested the strength in an extraordinary way, he having ridden it up Whiteway."

Did you guys see AtoB magazine's review of the new Strida3 http://www.pestridge.com/transport/strida3.html
looks like they got it together.

Did you guys see AtoB magazine's review of the new Strida3 http://www.pestridge.com/transport/strida3.html
looks like they got it together.

It's a very positive review of the Strida but I still believe this bike is best for multimode commuting involving the bus. If you have to board a passenger train, a Dahon or Brompton would be fine.

I am 6'2" tall and 240 lbs. and have been riding my Strida for 3 seasons in Chicago and have had no trouble. When I wore out the tires on it I replaced them with mountain bike tires from my sons old bike.
The only part I have lost was the pop lock for the folding handlebars. Strida sent me by air mail a pair of replacements for free.

I haven't seen you around town on your Strida. Whereabouts do you ride? Seriously, I would love to see the Strida in action...

Koffee

I take it on the Metra to Itasca and rike it to my office about 1.5 miles. Then I ride from the River Grove stop to my house about 1.75 miles. 4.75 daily.
I don't ride to the train station from my house in the morning I fold it and get a ride.
I ride it from early April to mid October. I am getting ready to store it soon.
Are you a member of the Chicago Folding Bike Society? I am thinking of joining.

I'm not a member. I haven't heard of them before.

Do they do anything special or just hang about and ride their folding bikes?

Koffee

I missed thier last meeting. But they do have a website.

I am going to clean and store my Strida soon. I am going to install to new tires on it for next season.

When I installed the mountain bike tires I had to remove the the screws for the optional fenders.

And their website is....

???

Koffee

Website for Chicago folding bike society is http://www.geocities.com/rjmatter/

Thanks for your help! I'm checking the website out right now.

Koffee

I take it on the Metra to Itasca and rike it to my office about 1.5 miles. Then I ride from the River Grove stop to my house about 1.75 miles. 4.75 daily.
I don't ride to the train station from my house in the morning I fold it and get a ride.
I ride it from early April to mid October. I am getting ready to store it soon.
Are you a member of the Chicago Folding Bike Society? I am thinking of joining.

Wow... You're a heavy user. I didn't think the Strida would survive a 4.75 mile route ever day. That's very impressive considering your height and weight.

If I wear this one out, I would buy another Strida because of how it folds and is allowed on the train without a bag in most cases.
Most folding bikes with a greased chain will require a storage bag on the train.
I like the Trek Folders but for my purpose of commuting it doesn't make sense to have a bag to carry along with a bike. I carry a backpack but don't want another item to store in it.

Are the Stridas that cheap?

Koffee

To me it's worth the money and I enjoy riding it.
The only upgrades I bought is the folding handlebars and the gel seat.
I don't abuse the bike I don't jump curbs and I watch not to hit potholes.
I keep the tires inflated and I check all the bolts and screws when I store it.
I haven't rode it this week yet but I am going to try for next week then prepare it for storage.

I may have seen you at the river grove stop around 6.30 or so on my way to work when I used to work at citicorp plaza.

Yes, that's me. I do the reverse comute to Itasca.

I am in the process of cleanig and storing the bike for the winter.

Now it's time for me to work on some of my older bikes I bought at garage sales or found in alleys this past summer.

Wow... You're a heavy user. I didn't think the Strida would survive a 4.75 mile route ever day. That's very impressive considering your height and weight.

I think the new Strida3 is mucho improved over earlier ones - apart from still being a triangle it seems to be totally new. Much stiffer and generally more sturdy - had mine for 4 months now - about 6 miles a day, great fun and no hassle (I'm 200lbs too). The Brompton now only gets used occasionally although faster downhill I find its weight, floppy handlebars and folding sequence starting to niggle - Strida is just easier - I now dont even miss the gears - less hassle. I agree with the AtoB review. The only thing it didn't meantion is the attention it gets - there is rarely a day when someone doesn't stop to ask ... what? where? howmuch?

I bought an earlier model years ago, but rarely rode it, despite its elegant design and remarkable ease of folding, because I just couldn't raise the seat far enough away from the pedals for my legs to feel a normal, comfortable stretch (knees too close to the handlebars, I'm 6' tall, 34" inseam). Sliding the seat up its triangular tube simply positioned the seat more directly over the pedals, not farther from them. (The tube is a tangent, not a radius, in relation to the pedals.) If Strida has made the frame bigger, or re-designed the seat mount up and out from the tube, then perhaps it offers better seating for someone on the tall side. The metal wheel option would also help to make it a more serious bike.

...This notice appeared in the Dursley Gazette October 21 1893:


"A new bicycle. Mr M. Pedersen of Dursley, with that ingenuity for which he has become known, has recently constructed a safety bicycle of remarkable character. Its weight is only nineteen pounds and the maker has tested the strength in an extraordinary way, he having ridden it up Whiteway." So what is , was whiteway? The only whiteway i was ever aquianted with was a grocery store.

Until Pederson's great-grandson or daughter comes out with a 15 lb. folder, we must still consider the likes of a Strida. The newest 3a model looks like a winner with optional high-performance aluminum wheels and hub 'gear' sproket. I just spent about ten hours examining everything Strida had online (blueprints/manual/parts lists). The bike is indeed re-engineered into a potentially hot performer (well, at least durable).
The front tube-stock and steering element is bearing and balljoint upgraded, the handlebar bracket welded. With the $75 metal wheels, it will take whatever hi-press tire you can throw on it (try some 120psi skins if available) and if I cut loose with the $400 or max $500 (for the folding bars and (so-so) pedals and fenders and gooey-seat), I think some drop roadbars will be justified. Base price is $299 plus about $40 shipping in USA (shipping dropped if you get the deluxe $100 package and $35 preassembly-probably worth it even if you don't always use all the accessories . I emailed Strida about upgearing the crank sprocket "pulley" for speed; haven't heard back yet. The pulley will always be less efficient than a good chain but by keeping it tensioned (just slide the crank frame forward and tighten the bolts) and maybe a touch of teflon spray- the performance should be decent. This is a bike which everyone agrees is the cleanest-and-fastest-folding critter on two wheels, and finally I think it has matured in rigidity, strength and durability to be potentially the best combination intra-and-intercity commuter-friendly ultra-portable out there. When you are conditioned by regular riding for a month or so, single-speed rigs are your friend- simpler and more efficient, as was mentioned somewhere uppost. hope to test it soon.

(I'm pushing 60, ride all-season to work and play, generally use a comfortable junk folder (Phoenix) to work, a sub-16lb Motobecane dura-ace 20spd for play -20mile, 20mph runs on Chicago lakepath to Hyde Park back downtown most warm nights-, and do my own maintenance on my stable.)

Where is Whiteway? It is a small town (imagine in 1900!) about 10km from Gloucester, where Pedersen had his bicycle manufacturing facility. By roads, it was perhaps 20km, and who knows what surfaces were extant at the time.
There is an excellent website on Pedersen and his designs- he was very clever, though not as clever perhaps as Leonardo da Vinci in bicycle design. The difference is in the metallurgical technology and craftmanship. Da Vinci did not take time to construct and test his numerous inventions, which included a self-propelled spring-driven carriage. If he did, we might be at the doorstep of the twenty-third century by now. I wonder what bike design will be favored at that time- if humanity should be so lucky to survive its' vices.

www.dursley-pedersen.net