Folding Bikes - First folding tour on my Tikit - thoughts on the bike

I just got back from a tour from Tuxedo, New York through northern New Jersey and into Manhattan. It was around 60 miles for the two days and included riding on mountain roads, city streets, and two train trips. The bike performed well, although there a few things that will keep it in my "light touring" box.

I haven't put up a journal yet, but you can pretty much get the story by paging through this Flickr set (http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilfein/sets/72157623528349037/).

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/4446499840_9c6a5ba88a.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilfein/4446499840/)
Brooks B-17 saddle, Ortlieb front rollers and Ultimate handlebar bag, and Lone Peak trunk bag. And a bell.


I'm not sure if the handlebar bag on the bars is the best idea so high up. The long handlebar post was more flexy than it normally is, and I was frankly a little uncomfortable with that.
I had a lot of problems with gears slipping while shifting into lower gears in the little ring, and the big ring makes a lot of clacky noises. This is all part of breaking the bike in, no doubt; I'm bringing it in for its warranty tuneup this week.
The Kojaks are great!
Small panniers is the way to go. I tried it with large panniers stuffed with towels and pillows the other day, and although they fit, the bike is too unwieldy with all that weight up front.
It's great being able to go into a restaurant and not have to worry about locking the bike. (Not specific to touring, but nice nonetheless.)
I'm getting hand pain with the H-bars. I can't bring them up any higher - I think that the height (a little beyond the recommended maximum extension) is contributing to making the handlebar post more flexy.
The bike "spins out" around 20 mph. I'm wondering if I can get a chainring with a slightly larger big ring. (My Dahon 3-speed would spin out around 25mph.) On the other hand, I hit 35 mph a couple of times going downhill!


Overall, I was happy with the bike as a light touring rig.

I'm getting hand pain with the H-bars. I can't bring them up any higher - I think that the height (a little beyond the recommended maximum extension) is contributing to making the handlebar post more flexy.


Do you have a size-Large? I forget.



The bike "spins out" around 20 mph. I'm wondering if I can get a chainring with a slightly larger big ring.


See here (http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-617128.html) for options.

Incidentally I just put my upgraded tikit through its first major test ride: two 11-miler commutes. The 9-speed 11-32 in back and 60T in front were flawless. Quite a lot better gearing than before. I'm less enamored with my $1 Brooks B72, will keep at it for a while.

I don't know of any 60T with shift ramps. I wonder if a 60T flat ring can be modified sufficiently by filing down a few teeth. :-) There are 55T FSA-Pro rings from HostelShoppe, but that only buys you 2T.

Your other immediately obvious choice is Capreo.

Timely thread for me.

I am doing Cycle Oregon this Fall. 450 mile, 7 day, supported ride through Oregon. I am seriously considering the Tikit for this ride, just to be different. I have a Schlumpf drive, so gearing is not an issue. I'm dialing in the comfort now to make sure it'll support me properly on the 70-80 mile days. My only reticence is the flexy stem. I "beefed" it up by inserted a dowel in the front tube and it helps a bit.

I agree with you that the Tikit is fine for "light touring". I'm still debating about 450 miles though....

Do you have a size-Large? I forget.

I'm not certain what that means. The bars are 18" wide, the same width as my shoulders, does that answer the question?

@SesameCrunch - I'd be hesitant to tackle days that long on a Tikit, unless I can get more comfortable than I already am.

The Kojaks are great!


They sure are. So is your bike!

I'm not certain what that means.

The tikit frame comes in three sizes: small, medium, large. Size large, I believe, has heavy duty stem and seat masts such that they flex less.

I'm surprised that heavy front loads destabilize the bike. The small wheels lead to low trail which is usually appropriate for heavy front loads. At least it works that way on my NWT.

Neil, if you were having a problem with the seat impacting on the rear derailleur, I'm guessing you have a size-Large. But I thought I'd check.

I'm a fairly short and stocky guy. The frame is built-to-order, and has the heavy rider upgrade.

@SesameCrunch - I'd be hesitant to tackle days that long on a Tikit, unless I can get more comfortable than I already am.

Well, if it were easy, it wouldn't be worth doing, would it? :D

I agree that comfort is the main consideration, that's what I'm trying to dial in now.

Well, if it were easy, it wouldn't be worth doing, would it? :D

I agree that comfort is the main consideration, that's what I'm trying to dial in now.

Can you tell me about your setup? I'd be interested in knowing what works for you, particularly when it comes to handlebar comfort.

I think I need to set up my Tikit so that I put weight on my legs and butt, and not on my hands. When I remember to not lean on the bars, my hands are fine.

I have straight bar-ends for taking pressure off the palms on long rides. Imitation Ergon grips from Performance. My saddle is roughly same height as the handlebars. Brooks B17 Champion saddle.

Still tweaking things, mind you, so this is not the permanent setup yet.

Were you using the Front-rollers on the rear rack or on the front? I've got a pair on order (for my Surly LHT), and were wondering if these might also work on the rear rack of my Tikit...

Were you using the Front-rollers on the rear rack or on the front? I've got a pair on order (for my Surly LHT), and were wondering if these might also work on the rear rack of my Tikit...

I was using them on the front. They might work on the back if your feet are small, and if you set them further back than normal. One of the best features of Ortlieb panniers is their adaptability to different racks and bikes.

I'm a fairly short and stocky guy. The frame is built-to-order, and has the heavy rider upgrade.

So what you need to do is find out what the wall thickness is of your front stem riser (the silver part). By my caliper measurements, the riser on a size-Large is 0.1" but on a size-Medium it's 0.065". This makes the size-Large stem much stiffer (and somewhat heavier).

My guess is that with the heavy rider upgrade you probably already have this. But you might double check with BF.