mlts22 

This is for a RL friend whom is trying to find a full size, 26" wheel, dual-suspended folder.

First, does such an animal exist that is of high quality? I posted what he was looking to get (Bazooka Navigator), and the responses were pretty much what I stated, especially with regard to components.

Is there such a beast of high quality (price to match... this guy is willing to pay within reason what its worth), or should I say that a high-quality dual-suspended folder with full size wheels is a mythical beast?

Personally, I suggested renting or shipping a good MTB to this guy's destination... but no luck.

Gordon Petrie

I believe that such a bike does exist in the form of the Pacy 26 inch wheel dual-suspension folding bike made in Germany. Please see the following Web pages:-

https://www.pacy.net/p26/index_p26.html - on the Pacy Web site

https://www.kinetics.org.uk/html/pacy.shtml - for the Pacy page on the Kinetics Web site

I have tried out the Pacy demonstrator that Kinetics have at the moment. This particular example has full front suspension and a elastomer at the rear. It is equipped with derailleur gears. However you can specify different components to suit your own preferences. An example that is currenntly on order for a Kinetics customer will have a Rohloff hub. The Pacy bikes are of a high quality and beautifully finished. Apparently the bikes are hand made to order in a very small workshop - or so I have been told.

Gordon Petrie

Fear&Trembling

How did the Pacy ride and fold? I have never seen one in the flesh...

maunakea

Looks like there's not enough room for ERTO 622 wheels.

Gordon Petrie

With regard to the ride, the Pacy demonstrator that I tried out at Kinetics is set up like a mountain bike. I found that riding it felt very similar to the Dahon Matrix (which has front suspension only) and the Dahon Jack (which has no suspension but does feature Big Apple tyres) which I had ridden some time ago. However I am much more comfortable with an upright riding style - which caused me to buy a Dahon Espresso instead of the Matrix or Jack. So I am not really the person to ask about the Pacy - since I am not really too comfortable with the rather bent-over and spread-out riding position, though no doubt this would suit people used to mountain bikes. However the Pacy seemed to ride well enough on the road; it was fitted with the same Schwalbe Hurricane tyres that are fitted to my Espresso. Like the three 26 inch wheel Dahon models mentioned above, the frame was absolutely rigid and firm without any flex.

As for the fold, there is an animated picture sequence on the home page of the Pacy Web site that shows this. The back wheel, together with its supporting triangular frame, rotates underneath the main frame and ends up alongside the front wheel. The seat post folds down in the forward direction to lie along the top of the main frame and each of the two halves of the handlebars fold inwards in a very snazzy arrangement to end up side-by-side. There is a picture of the Pacy 26 in its fully folded position on the Kinetics Web page quoted in my previous message. In this final position, it seemed to occupy just a little less volume than the Espresso - though I didn't attempt to measure it!

Gordon Petrie

Gordon Petrie

Pacy also make a 28 inch wheel folder in different editions - called "Street"; "Fitness "; and "Cross" - as well as the 26 inch model that the original contributor (mlts22) enquired about. See the relevant page on the company's Web site - https://www.pacy.net/p28/index_p28.html

If I understand the ERTO system correctly - courtesy of Sheldon Brown's page on tyre sizing - then these 28 inch models utilize ERTO 622 wheels and tyres. If you look at the gallery of photos accompanying this Web page, you will see further pictures of the folding procedure with this larger wheeled model - which is similar to that for the 26 inch wheel model that I outlined previously.

Gordon Petrie

commander_taco

Gordon
These bikes look impressive. They have full size wheels, and fold without any hinge on the main tube! Can you comment on its weight, and weight distribution between front and rear (ex. does it feel rear heavy?). Also, do they have a US distributor?
thanks

Gordon Petrie

The Pacy 26 has a chromoly steel frame and, when lifting it, my overall impression was that the bike weighs a bit more than each of the three Dahon 26 inch folders that I have tried - all of which have lighter-weight 7005 aluminium frames. The Pacy Web site gives the weight of the Pacy 26 as being "from 14.5 kg (31.9 lbs) upwards - depending on gears and equipment". For comparison, my own Espresso weighs 13.3 kg (29.3 lbs) while, according to the Dahon Web site, the Jack weighs 12.2 kg (26.8 lbs) and the Matrix weighs 13.9 kg (30.6 lbs). The Pacy 26 that I tried out at Kinetics has Shimano Deore (3 x 9) derailleur gears front and back (i.e. no hub) and front suspension forks - so it probably weighs around 15 kg (33 lbs). With a hub, it will weigh a little more.

With regard to the weight distribution, when equipped with the derailleur gears, the Pacy 26 seemed to me to be quite well balanced. When equipped with the Rohloff hub, I imagine that it will then feel rear heavy.

Regarding retailers, if you visit the following page - https://www.pacy.net/haendler/index_haendler.html - you will get a map of the shops selling the Pacy range. As you will see, they are all in Germany and Austria, except for a single shop in Brussels, Belgium. As far as I know, Kinetics became the U.K. sellers of Pacy's bikes after Ben Cooper (the owner of Kinetics) participated in the IFMA show in 2004. See the announcement on the Kinetics Bulletin Board - https://www.kinetics-online.co.uk/bbs...opic.php?t=127

I am sorry that I don't know anything about the distribution of the Pacy bikes in the U.S.A.

Gordon Petrie

clanmason

I have been considering the pacy low step through 26" dual suspension bicycle for a while now. I too am looking for a more upright position and I e-mailed Pacy to ask if the had any distributors in Canada. They were very gracious and mailed back promptly. They said that they had no distributors here but I could purchase a bike directly and have it shipped privately. It would probably cost just under $2000 all inclusive. They said that I could have a choice of components. I own a Mariner 26 which I fitted with folding handlebars from the same company that supply Pacy. The handlebars make the mariner more compact without the hastle of removing the handlebar but it has compromised the riding position and given the bike a more mountain bike style. Pacy's web page is difficult to follow (I cant speak German) and is also incomplete but the customer servise guy is very willing to aanswer any questions and in English.

wubrew

Coming soon to the USA?
https://www.mingcycle.com.tw/sw_head.htm
May our wish come true