Bike Friday Tikit PR
#1
cyclopath
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 5,264
Bikes: Surly Krampus, Surly Straggler, Pivot Mach 6, Bike Friday Tikit, Bike Friday Tandem, Santa Cruz Nomad
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
6 Posts
Bike Friday Tikit PR
It's been a long time coming and I was going to wait until I had tested out the rack, but I was too excited so here it is!...
This is my 4yr old first generation Tikit with:
- new powder coat
- new chain
- new cassette
- new cables and housing
- new tires
- new one piece stem/riser
- new custom CETMA PR rack
Bike Friday did everything for me other than the front rack. I could have done all the maintenance, but I figured for $$$ it was better to leave it to the experts who could then reassemble and tune the complete bike...
My Tikit didn't need a repaint. It had zero rust even after a lot of rain riding and 3 Calgary winters, but I was over the basic black finish and I'm too old to ride a bike I don't love...
I haven't put the CETMA rack to use yet, but it looks great and will see action in short order. Thanks to Lane at CETMA for taking on the project despite the challenges on dealing with a folding bike... And thanks to Alex W for the Tikit PR rack idea.
#2
cyclopath
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 5,264
Bikes: Surly Krampus, Surly Straggler, Pivot Mach 6, Bike Friday Tikit, Bike Friday Tandem, Santa Cruz Nomad
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
6 Posts
This is a "before" picture for comparison.
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 3,095
Bikes: Too many....................
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 11 Times
in
6 Posts
That is sweet looking. May I suggest a black crank set?
__________________
Speed Uno
Dawes Kingpin 2speed
Speed Uno
Dawes Kingpin 2speed
#6
cyclopath
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 5,264
Bikes: Surly Krampus, Surly Straggler, Pivot Mach 6, Bike Friday Tikit, Bike Friday Tandem, Santa Cruz Nomad
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
6 Posts
I'm too lazy to swap out the crank, but the chainguard unbolts so I can see myself popping it off and hitting it with a spray can...
#8
Small wheels ARE better!
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 362
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Bay Area, SF California
Posts: 1,513
Bikes: Dahon Speed TR and Dahon Speed Pro TT
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
5 Posts
NICE....and i like its new white paint.
Last edited by vmaniqui; 09-15-11 at 02:38 PM.
#10
cyclopath
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 5,264
Bikes: Surly Krampus, Surly Straggler, Pivot Mach 6, Bike Friday Tikit, Bike Friday Tandem, Santa Cruz Nomad
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
6 Posts
My Tikit needed the new chain/cassette & tires, but the rest of the work was optional. I can't tell you how many KMs I have on my Tikit as I don't do the bike computer thing, but I would estimate it's been folded a couple thousand times and it's made me smile each time it was folded...
#12
cyclopath
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 5,264
Bikes: Surly Krampus, Surly Straggler, Pivot Mach 6, Bike Friday Tikit, Bike Friday Tandem, Santa Cruz Nomad
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
6 Posts
Thanks....I would never mess with my Tikit's hyperfold....that's one of the things I love about it...
#17
cyclopath
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 5,264
Bikes: Surly Krampus, Surly Straggler, Pivot Mach 6, Bike Friday Tikit, Bike Friday Tandem, Santa Cruz Nomad
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
6 Posts
As for maintenance I have lubed the "C" clamp on the steerer/riser 2-3 times. The tension cable has been adjusted twice. I had a 2010 Tikit for a season and it was noticeably stiffer than my older version, but after I stopped trying to flex each bike I came to the conclusion that my older Tikit didn't ride any different even on rough surfaces.
When I decided to keep only 1 Tikit I thought long and hard about which one to keep. After the recent upgrades to my old Tikit it wasn't that much cheaper than a new one. I stuck with my old Tikit because it just worked so well for me. In theory bicycles are commodities and you should be able to simply go out and buy a comparable model and get on with it. In practice I've had some bikes that stood out for me more than they should have. This old Tikit is one of them. I also must admit that the engineer in me wants to see how long I can keep it rolling.
One key factor in this decision is that Bike Friday is there to back up my Tikit and I know if I do have problems I can get them repaired. I can call them up and get advice. I can take a road trip and visit them. I can talk to the folks whose hands built my bike. That makes me happy...
#18
cyclopath
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 5,264
Bikes: Surly Krampus, Surly Straggler, Pivot Mach 6, Bike Friday Tikit, Bike Friday Tandem, Santa Cruz Nomad
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
6 Posts
I keep forgetting to snap cargo photos, but the Tikit PR is doing great...
#19
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 135
Bikes: Dahon Mu P24, Trek 7300
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Vik, it looks great in white (most bikes do). The front rack looks really useful and sturdy. Does it negatively affect your access to the front brake? I had to hack the front rack of my Dahon, because it was getting in the way of the front v-brake. The hack consisted of cutting of the end of the rack (that attached to the fork crown) and creating a bridge (over the v-brake, not troubled water) out of a very sturdy B&M front light steel mount and a quick-release lever (it works great and looks acceptable).
#20
cyclopath
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 5,264
Bikes: Surly Krampus, Surly Straggler, Pivot Mach 6, Bike Friday Tikit, Bike Friday Tandem, Santa Cruz Nomad
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
6 Posts
Vik, it looks great in white (most bikes do). The front rack looks really useful and sturdy. Does it negatively affect your access to the front brake? I had to hack the front rack of my Dahon, because it was getting in the way of the front v-brake. The hack consisted of cutting of the end of the rack (that attached to the fork crown) and creating a bridge (over the v-brake, not troubled water) out of a very sturdy B&M front light steel mount and a quick-release lever (it works great and looks acceptable).
No hack needed, but this rack was custom built for my bike so that's not a surprise.
#21
cyclopath
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 5,264
Bikes: Surly Krampus, Surly Straggler, Pivot Mach 6, Bike Friday Tikit, Bike Friday Tandem, Santa Cruz Nomad
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
6 Posts
We've had lots of great fall riding the last few weeks... Nice time to be a cyclist...
#22
cyclopath
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 5,264
Bikes: Surly Krampus, Surly Straggler, Pivot Mach 6, Bike Friday Tikit, Bike Friday Tandem, Santa Cruz Nomad
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
6 Posts
My GF is selling her Mini Cooper and needed it dropped off for a mechanical inspection. I volunteered since that would get me a nice ride home on my Tikit...
Even though there was a layer of snow/frost on the long wooden bridge deck my trusty Greenspeed Scorchers gave me the traction I needed to keep the rubber side down and crank up the steep rise in the bridge. They just keep impressing me..
#23
cyclopath
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 5,264
Bikes: Surly Krampus, Surly Straggler, Pivot Mach 6, Bike Friday Tikit, Bike Friday Tandem, Santa Cruz Nomad
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
6 Posts
Life with my Bike Friday Tikit keeps on rolling. I don't know what I would do without this handy little bike...
I love riding my Tikit to business meetings. Usually people are so stunned when I hop off my bike fold it 5 seconds and roll it in nobody ever suggests bikes are not allowed inside...
#24
cyclopath
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 5,264
Bikes: Surly Krampus, Surly Straggler, Pivot Mach 6, Bike Friday Tikit, Bike Friday Tandem, Santa Cruz Nomad
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
6 Posts
I'm not having any trouble bringing my Bike Friday Tikit into shops near my house, but the staff are pesterig me for hyperfold demonstrations which is fun the first 2 times and then gets a bit old!...
#25
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 135
Bikes: Dahon Mu P24, Trek 7300
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Vik, I'm getting very close to replacing my Dahon with...the Tikit most likely, this year. Yours seems to have the basic gear train. Has it been reliable? Chain falling off when folding? Do you have any experience with the BF's rear rack for full-size panniers? That's why I would have to get.