Originally Posted by
kegoguinness
This post is giving me hopes for the Strida2 I got off Ebay. I'm so in love my with Speed P8 that I haven't given the Strida its due yet. Only looped around the parking lot with it so far.
EvilV, that top ball joint on yours (where handlebars meet, um, the downtubeS), is it mired in a greasing agent that's kinda whitish? Mine is, and wondering WTF it is, or if someone did a "home lube" job on this old Strida of mine (kinda sounds like a new Home and Garden Show: This Old Strida with your host Bob).
As it happens, I had a good look at the ball joint today. Since it isn't made of nylon, but some kind of grey plastic, I check it out now and then, even though I've only ridden a few miles.... I just want to be sure I can rely on it. No - it isn't what I'd call mired in grease, but it does seem to have a small smear of grease on the ball joint - nothing surplus, just a smudge. There would be no need to 'mire' it in lube anyway. The joint only moves a very small amount and is not subject to any kind of wiping action. Sounds as if the previous owner lubed it up heavily. The strida design is a pretty lube free zone, except for internal stuff like the wheel and BB bearings.
I have wondered about smearing the lower steering pin (the joint that comes apart when you fold it). Mine does appear to have the lightest possible smear of lube on it now.
What I especially like about this bike is that it is almost totally silent. All I hear is the freewheel whirr, and occasionally, a kind of knock as I begin pedalling and the freewheel pawls kick in and drive the rear wheel.
The only bummer about this bike (apart from the hard saddle) is the 13mph top speed. My legs would become a blur if I tried to pedal faster. This is a stupid criticism though, because the whole concept of the bike is that it is a tiny, totally simple 10 - 11 mph relaxed commuter / local errand bike