Interestingly I had my old 1st generation Tikit and a newer 2010 Tikit for a season. When I was deciding which one to keep I was aware the newer Tikit was noticeably stiffer than my older Tikit. I eventually kept the older Tikit because in practice the extra frame flex had zero impact on my actually riding experience and I'm one of those idiots who has to race from light to light on a folder. I certainly didn't feel keeping the older bike was a downgrade.
My latest road bike was custom built for me with the lightest guage skinny tubing practical and it's a rocket ship - especially uphill.
I think the whole pursuit of an ultra stiff frame is misguided and doesn't result in better performance in the real world for normal human cyclists.
Vik,
Perhaps you're right on the newer Tikit. I only tested the older Tikit version against the Dahon. The original poster wanted to know if the X10 can be modified to have lower gears. It certainly can and it still fits inside the suitcase. If the poster has lots and lots of money, I don't see anything wrong in him or her buying a Bike Friday, but I would not recommend a Tikit though. I would recommend their Pocket Rocket Pro mid end build would be a rocket ship to boot; well at least when I rode it a few years back if you want to keep a pace line or be in front of the roadie group. While the
PR Pro doesn't quick fold, this is a no compromise race machine. But really, paying a few thousands dollars to buy a specific bike for a specific trip when his X10 can perhaps do the job for less was really my point in my last post. Why make negative assumptions about the X10 without trying at least to modify it and test riding it with a group?
In terms of bike stiffness. I think you may have misunderstood about the bike frame being stiff rather than being stiff in all the right places. Frames flex to a certain amount, but that should be geared towards riding comfort when correct tire pressure is used. Frame stiffness in all the right places helps translate the rider's pedal power towards more immediate realized forward propulsion, be it for hill climbing or out of saddle sprints. It probably won't make a huge dent in riding performance for a recreational rider, but it does help improve the riding experience for a number few. And which is the main selling point of Tern bikes.
