LOL - Oh I couldn't possibly make a claim like that bykerouac - but the Strida 1 needed more development to make it what it has now become in the '5'.

All I can say is that so far mine works very nicely after a bit of setting up. It's OK and it rides in a very pleasant manner.

I'm quite sure that more care has gone into the making of a real Strida 5, the question would be, 'Is it three times the care and is the real bike three times better? I get the 'three' multiplier from the fact that the real bike is more than three times the price. If mine were to break in half while riding, I might consider that I should have spent more money, but to be perfectly honest, I don't think there is any chance at all of that happening. I do check all safety issues regularly though.