Originally Posted by Fear&Trembling
The R&M Birdy will also fold smaller than a Jetstream XP, but not significantly so. If you went for the XP (and the 2007 model sounds like a good all-rounder) you would also get more tyre choices in the ERTO 406 size.
Thanks Fear&Trembling! The smaller folding size is attractive, and it seems that Schwalbe now makes 18" Marathon Racers (and even Stelvios) for the bike, but I'll check out the 2007 Jetstream. Do you know when they will be in stores? The Birdy seems a bit smaller and more eloquently designed, but the $950 Red is Deore, which isn't quite up to the SRAM X7 set up on the Jetstream.
The main reason I have to switch is not so much going slower in the city itself, but that the bike was delivered with some fork and frame damage, and may not be 100% safe. If the occasional pot hole snuck up on me, the right fork is more likely to go than the thin, small rims. Hoping for a reimbursement that will allow the next purchase, and thinking that suspension would be nice.