I got in all the parts yesterday, minus the saddle and handlebar, and spent today getting it all installed. Surprisingly, there were almost no issues at all. The only problem I had was that when I removed to v brakes, the brake bosses came out with them. Not a problem as I had a set of titanium bosses that I wanted to install. I had been debating installing a front derailleur, I have the adapter to mount it, but the current setup has a low enough gear that a granny gear is not necessary. I am likely going to have to add a larger chainwheel, I ordered a 56t Dura Ace unit, but it will take a few weeks to arrive.

For those who want to know, converting to 20" wheels is remarkably easy. The wheels mount with no issue, there is plenty of clearance for the wheel and tire. The only issue is that the v brakes will no longer reach the rim. I bought a set of v brakes which have longer slots for the pads, so they can be moved out far enough to reach the rims properly. There are also adapters available which allow you to use standard v brakes. Low cost v brakes with the longer slots cost about $40 per set. Adapters run $60.


I converted the square taper BB with Dura Ace Hollowtech unit, the chainset installed without needing any spacers or modifications. After a test ride, I can say that it works incredibly well. The bike is lighter and smoother. Shifting is fast and precise, braking is great. The 20" wheels lower the angle of attack, and make the suspension work even better. I added a "Silky Ride" elastomer to the rear suspension, though the ride feels much the same afterward.

The Fretta rides better than my old Birdy, and is light years better than my Brompton. I am looking forward to this week's commuting.

>Edit The Brooks Swift seat arrived. It needs breaking in, but is still more comfortable than the Specialized saddle shown in the photo. Two days of commuting have gone well, the brakes have required a bit of readjustment, but the shifters have not. The crank on the left side protrudes further than the original crank, and will push against the spokes on the rear wheel if I don't fold it more carefully. I have not installed the chain tensioner, after folding and unfolding the bike several times, the chain stays put, so I probably won't bother running a tensioner. The bike still fits in my Birdy carry bag/backpack.

congratulations on the build. it looks great on 20 inch wheels. i also like the dura-ace and xtr combination.

is the bianchi fretta in celeste green still available in japan? i am interested in getting one but i do not know where to buy. can you please point me in the right direction. thank you.

In Tokyo there is a Bianchi store on Marunouchi naka-dori (center street). I need to go by there to get a tool, I will ask if they can still get a Celeste green Fretta. Used Celeste green bikes come up for sale here occasionally.

thank you very much. i would appreciate it very much to know the price as well.

Where can we order it?

I haven't made it to the Bianchi store yet, but here is a clean used Fretta at Rakuten ********************R)BIANCHI FRETTA ???? 18??? 2012******************************


>Edit< I went to the Bianchi store after lunch, and they told me the Fretta was discontinued. If you want one, you will have to settle for a used bike. For a new bike, the Birdy is now the only option.

FWIW, the Birdy standard with the straight frame has been redesigned a bit, the fork and rear frame are stronger, and the straight top tube actually tapers out to increase the stiffness where it is welded to the seat tube. Of course, you can also get the monocoque versions as well.

Thanks for the infos.

It's strange that Pacific Cycles decided to come up with that ugly roundish frame

thank you for the information. did you buy yours used as well?

It was a demo model, so it was somewhat used, but still in good shape.

Actually, there was a strong demand for the straight frame here in Asia. The straight frame is lighter than the monocoque frame, and many buyers here buy these bikes because they have to carry them on trains and buses. For myself, I prefer the monocoque type, with enough mods you can make the bike quite light. As it is now, I was able to shave a lot of weight off the bike with the new wheels, tires, and components.

It appears that the tube frame is simpler, lighter, less costly and has no significant technical disadvantages.

Aesthetics is a personal thing. I prefer the simple elegance of the tube frame but I can understand that some people might prefer the curved look of the monocoque.

The tube frame is where they started and I presume they have reintroduced a tube frame because they have found that some people prefer it to the monocoque.

The new tube frame seems to be modified to incorporate the following features that were previously only available in the monocoque:

• Internal cable routing
• Standard seatpost clamping
• A tapered cross section on the top tube to maintain small folded size despite the extra height required for standard seatpost clamping

Looks great.
One question.
How does the chain stay on when you fold it?
You don't have a chain tensioner or the derailler cage. My proffered set up is the paciffic chain tensoner and a short cage mech with no cage for ground clearance.

I didn't notice the double chainring: Did you add it yourself or dit it come preinstalled?

I installed a new crank set which came with two rings, the original Apex crank set was a surprisngly low-quality piece of "kit"; heavy, slightly out-of-round, and noisy. I now have an adapter for the front derailleur, and the left-side XTR shifter, all I need is the derialleur itself. I'm not sure if there is enough clearance between the inner ring and swing arm, I'll kick over the chain later on and see if it rubs. I don't think I need a lower gear than 53/36 on 20" wheels, but if it works, why not?

As for the tensioner, right now the bike folds up well enough without it. The chain is loose when folded but doesn't fall off when I unfold the bike. But with the old derailleur and tensioner, the chain popped off every time I unfolded the bike.

I will be in Japan for a few weeks. I think birdys are cheaper in Japan than the US. I would love to buy a new/used monocoque frame/bianchi fretta birdy. Can someone please provide me recommendations where I can buy this bike? I think it would be great to ride all over japan on this bike and take it back to the US. What is the expected cost?

I have never found Japan to be cheaper than anywhere else except on mami-chari bikes. But you could start as someone posted above and look at the Rakuten website. Right now there are two for sale around the thousand dollar mark in US dollars. It helps if you know Japanese.

Pricing for birdys appear better in Japan than USA. Currently the USD to YEN exchange is pretty significant. It appears you can buy used for about 900 USD. r&m bd-1 COMFORT **********?? - ????! I am trying to figure out, how much a bianchi fretta or something similar would cost new.

On rakuten, I found a birdy orignal frame clone. See link. Is it a rebadged birdy???

https://global.rakuten.com/en/store/k..._browsehist_en