Completely take on board the whole of your post and especially agree with the quoted sentiment. However - I bought it - I am a flawed human being. To be honest, like most people, I'm looking for a bargain even though I know that not all bargains are as great as they may seem when you've had them a while.

I've ridden it 45 miles now. Today I took out the old Merc for an 11 miles spin and it is a FAR more capable machine. There is really no comparison for even moderately hilly terrain, and I averaged about 13 mph which is more than the top speed of the triangle. However, this unfavourable comparison is not a feature of this particular iteration, but of the fundamental design. This is of course well acknowledged by everyone involved with the project and also riders. Strida is a short range, clean, utterly simple machine that will take you around a city three times faster than you can walk. So far, so does the fake. I even rode it two miles down a fieldside mud path yesterday and it even handled that, inspite of ending up very muddy.


Pros:

• Very cheap
• Tight, stiff frame and structure
• Major components strong and functionally effective
• Fun to ride
• Silent in use
• Clean and slip free transmission
• Very light and compact
• Well painted

Cons:

• Luggage rack brittle at low temperatures. At a mere -2degrees C, it broke when I dropped it on unfolding
• Some allen screw heads not well machined. Query hardness
• Drive belt adjusted too tight on delivery
• Minor wheel truing and spoke tension issues
• Spongy brake action, but stops effectively (edit - massively improved by proper adjustment. Now not spongy at all )
• Creaking from bottom bracket shell made of plastic (fixed with oil)
• No spares backup. Use Strida originals
• Tendency to handle in a twitchy way on wet manholes, leaves and ridges in tarmac - a feature of small wheels and tyres