There are no quick-releases. The bike just snaps together relying on friction.

I'm not so sure about a friction lock for the handlepost though, but it's probably something you have to see up close.

By the way, with respect to how the stem remains in place while riding and such, here is an e-mail exchange with Walter@BF

> How does the front handlebar post stay in place? It did not seem
> like the gentleman unlocked anything to fold the post.

Everything's interconnected. Releasing the seatmast allows the rear
end to fold which allows the stem to fold. Vice versa, too, i.e.
when the rear end is unfolded, the stem is locked into place and when
the seatmast is unfolded, the rear end is locked into place.

The key to this is as simple as cables. Sounds weird, but it really
works.

w

That sounds pretty trick. :)

But not the price. :(

On the BF Yak they're also talking about hub gear and fixed wheel models to follow.

I am quite taken with the Tikit - it is not perfect for multi-moding (to large when folded) but if it rides as good as Walter from BF is making out, I would be very tempted to go for a fixed version. I am already imagining sticking on some GS Scorchers and hammering round London...

It is a shame that $1200 for the bike will roughly translate to £1000 in the UK - but as that is the same as top-end Ti Bommies, it is not bad value.

tikit
 

I read about the new folder on the yak and looked into it. I went to fridays website and clicked on ahnyhting that had tikit on it.
The results were a picture and video of the new bike. It is an 8 speed and has 16 in wheels. i got the impression that the latches are built in with a locking feature. I was still curious so i called bike friday. they said that the wheels were 16 in and the speeds were 8 and there would be 3 stock sizes and one color. the price was 1195.00. The person i spoke with has beenriding one around eugene and he likes it.
i got the impression during cycle oregon that there were several prototypes and they were still fine tuning it. I think this is how the end result turned out. I was told it was aobut half the size of my new world tourist or maybe a scosh bigger than half. the two fridays i currently have are well made and have served me well( my NWT carried me through cycle Or. 2006 and it held up better than i did). i am saving my pennies to give it a try in the fall . hey to have somehting larger thatn 3 spds in a 16 in seems cool to me.i may give my dahon piccalo to one fo the kids

This is a great thing for the Bike Friday crowd. But I think that Dahon, Brompton, and other makers of the 16 inch (349 and 305) wheel size and below probably has nothing to worry about.

I think ride quality is BF's primary concern. Besides, you get the 30 day money back option to test it all out (and write the report). ;)

Impresssive
would be even more impressive if they would actually show to open all the quick releases.
I am sure they are some kind of restraints which hold the handlepost and seatpost and the main hinge in place ...

Bike Friday doesnt need to fool anybody. They are building excellent bikes. I am dissapointed that they dont play with a full deck of cards in the vid.

Again..... I like the Bike Fridays ....

Thor

I agree... with some practice you can fold a Brompton in 10 seconds flat, into a much nicer package than the Tikit. Plus it's 3x the price of a typical Dahon.

I hope it works out well for them. But I've got a feeling the biggest upshot is it will make the Bromptons seem reasonably priced in comparison! :D

Looks more like a Birdy competitor than a Bromptom competitor to me (if there is really no frame hinge). But no suspension on 16" wheels? The BF already rides hard. Also, how small is the fold?

Looks great.

BF state the Tikit with full racks: 36x60x88cm.

Wider tyres would be the way forward if the ride is truly unforgiving. Unlike the Brommie there should (?) be more clearance for wider tyres (349/37+). As I previously noted, the Scorchers should be a good bet...

Walter's reply on Yak to a similar charge:

"We're not as cheeky as you think we are. Note the first step to unfolding is a hard push on the seat tube. That's what allows the bike to unfold. That is the "quick release." There also is a clever locking mechanism that despite this won't let the rear end unfold when going over curbs and picking it up - unlike the Brommie.

Everything's interconnected. Releasing the seatmast allows the rear end to fold which allows the stem to fold. Vice versa, too, i.e. when the rear end is unfolded, the stem is locked into place and when the seatmast is unfolded, the rear end is locked into place.

The key to this is as simple as cables. Sounds weird, but it really works."

It's also great news for keener cyclists who are put off folders by their flex and handling. I think it's great that BF are going down the train/bus multi-modal route ...

But, I guess it will be in competition with the higher-end Dahons though - Speed Pro, Mu Sl etc.

sooo you telling me that if I push the saddle forward it releases the handlepost which now comes backwards....

How does the cable know that I am standing next to the bike and push the saddle forward instead of I am sitting on it and sliding my butt forward while riding ? How does the cable know that I just drove the front wheel into a small pothole and my butt is still going forward.. while I am doing the natural thing and pull up and back on the handlebar to get the wheel out of the hole ....
Anybody riding a bike lately ???? Hello !!!

How does the cable know ?

Never heard that Brommies fold up when you try to lift them up... interesting to find out from Bike Friday personal ???

getting more and more dissapointed about this

( for the nay sayers . of course I am biased being a dahon dealer. But this is dissapointing for me as
I always liked fridays )

Hi Thor,

I think you've got the new BF sequence mixed up a little.... how I read the info.. seat post first, then rear end, then handlepost... handlepost is locked when the rear end is in place.. rear end is locked when the seatpost is in place.... if you unlock the seatpost, the handle post is still locked in place (by the rear end)... I haven't seen one, but it sounds clever and probably got tested... it's also been reported many times on this forum that the Brommies have no means to lock the rear end, but you could easily have missed this... best of luck with the new 2007 Dahon line.. many nice looking models there also..

Bruce

Im with Thor on this (unless i can actually see how it works) - ok the seat and the rear may be linked together in some way, but there are situations as Thor says when you need a ridgid seat post.

Also a folding stem 'clamp' that is only fixed by a cable !!!! .... when the steering its self is free to rotate .P-lease !!! If anyone has ridden with a loose steering clamp they will know the fear. I have, forgetting to do up the steering clamp on the brommie - I would of expected with reasonable balance to have been able to steer ok but infact its totally counter-intuitive, I fell off in about a yard (luckly slowly) ..... NOT recommended it was an awful experience.

The same would apply to any folder with a folding stem, ie Dahons, Downtubes, Birdies etc.(most bikes, excluding other Bike Fridays, swifts and airnimals which slide off).

There are no quick releases ...

Your boy and current racer, Rob English, helped to design the tikit. I'd have a little more faith.

Political and business agendas aside, it probably is something you just have to see - up close. Wait till it gets in customers' hands; then we'll all get a (hopefully) *unbiased* opinion based on real world usage.

Yeah ... it is too bad that the folded package is (on a relative scale) so large. But our experience is that for almost all situations, we are able to leave the Brompton at home. The tikit appears to roll a lot better and it appears that it comes with a bag that "covers" the tikit while rolling.

Personally, I find that there is a lot to be desired when it comes to the Brompton's ergonomics and ride.

Why? Everything so far is conjecture, there's no evidence!

I cannot believe that BF would release a bike that would be as prone to failure as is being suggested - their reputation would be in tatters (particularly after such a long gestation period)!

There is a simple clip that will lock the rear end if you want it to - it is an after-market accessory.

Very true SPAMBAIT. It will be interesting how this system works in the real world under the wide variety of situations that users run into. More generally, I think that some skepticism is healthy.

BTW, THOR, I responded before reading further in the thread. You obviously caught on later that there are no quick releases. Apologies for my impatience.

Considering that recent thread where the gentleman was big on rolling a Strida instead of a Brompton, I thought that it was interesting that the BF guys went along the Strida route for portability; i.e., the one big wheel being better over a wider range of surfaces than two roller-blade wheels.

I think that you are correct on this F&T. In fact, earlier in the thread, it was discussed that BF originally planned a release one year earlier. Apparently, they failed to meet the deadline to further work on the bike.

Regardless of how much thought and local testing they did, I still think that once the tikit is used by owners in different situations, we will get a much better assessment of their reliability and usefulness.

That is correct. Hopefully I will describe this properly:

The rear triangle has a hinge in the frame. Instead of a locking mechanism, it is the weight of the rider, pushing down on the frame (both from the saddle and pedals) that holds the rear in place. Instead of a lock, it has a rubber stopper. This provides a suspension mechanism.

Kinda weirded me out when I first saw it, but it works. The bike was felt very solid when I did a test ride btw.

got no agenda whatsoever ...
( this thread is pretty much locked up with hard core guys who all have a very solid opinion what their bike should do. I am in no way trying to sell one more Dahon this way )
On the other hand if Industry member always get flammed having an agenda .. than you guys gonna play by yourself in no time ....

About answers being already answered ...lol I do have to work once in a while and sometimes a halfwritten post gets put on hold for an hour or two ..lol when I am finally ready to send it , half the answers of my qestions are already answered ... makes me look like tool......


as I repeatedly wrote I like the BF guys I was originally thinking that they cheated a little showing how fast that bike was folded .... I am not sure how the cable stuff might work, but good for them for trying out something new.

nuff said
thor

Don't worry, Thor - most here know you're one of the honest ones who is always conscientious enough to state your business affiliation.

As far as agendas go, we all have them. But I still think we need to see the mechanism in detail; then we'll be able to assess it better. (It's like when someone conjectures about Dahon: you know whether their claims are legitimate or not because you know the bikes inside and out.)

BTW, there are some new tikit videos on the Google Video website.

Just came over the Yak group ...

I for one am excited about that bike. It looks a lot lighter than a Brompton unless the rider in the vids is superstrong and for me - I'd say speed and ease of folding along with the 'wheel along' and light frame more than make up for the slightly bigger fold. I think the way you can fold unfold (admittedly the rider in the vids is well practiced) is very impressive. Even a Brompton involves you getting on your knees and having to un-tighten that horrible looking frame nut so what looks almost like a spring-loaded release with nothing to do but swing bits of the bike around impressively gets my big thumbs up. Of course, as with all US goods *despite* the weak dollar this will likely cost about a million pounds if any make it over here. (US iPod = $200, UK iPod *should* = £100 but magically is somehow £150. Hrmrrmmrmrr...
And guys - don't go slating it till you've seen one or at least a proper review. I agree when people are saying that a company like Friday can't really afford to unleash a turkey now can they?

:)