... had better be passed soon, because I've already spent mine.

In December my wife and I stopped by BFold in NYC and tried out various folding bikes. Why? Well, just because. We thought the Tikit was pretty cool.

Then in January BF introduced the Model T Tikit with some very attractive sale pricing. We thought about it, concluded that there was no particularly good reason why we NEEDED these bikes, and then ordered them anyway. We ordered ours with the fenders; about a $50 uptick.

They arrived on the 6th and went together fairly easily. The weather here in eastern Massachusetts has been fairly crummy this week, so we haven't done a test ride yet. I am fairly pleased with how well the size large fits me. I will be able to get a good riding position without pushing any of the adjustments to their limits.

There is one thing that I haven't seen discussed, and I think should be pointed out to anyone thinking of ordering a Tikit. It is a bit of an issue because the Tikits are being sold on an a la carte basis now.

When I assembled the Tikits out of the box the fenders (which were an option) were not mounted. I did a test fold and was surprised at how the bike rested on the ground. See the picture below.



Without the fender the bike rests on the front tire (not visible in the picture), rear tire, and the metal yoke that the seatpost snaps into when the bike is unfolded. That metal bit is fairly crucial, and if it were bent it might compromise the fold/unfold.

I was a bit annoyed, but then realized that with the fenders mounted, the "tripod" would be the front tire (not visible), the foot on the top of the fender stay, and the foot that is on a spar that comes down from the bottom bracket. Sure enough, as the second part of the picture shows, with the fender mounted, the critical yoke is protected and does not make contact with the ground.

So, if you are buying a Tikit and planned to go fenderless you should be aware of this. You will need to be somewhat careful about how you handle the bike in its folded state. If you are getting the fenders, then there's no problem.

Speedo

Congrats on the new Tikits. Mind if I post this info and your pics to my Tikit blog?

Please do. I read your blog before ordering my Tikit!

I also sent the comments and picture to the sales guy I worked with at BF. I don't know (yet) if they found it surprising or not.

Oh, I should also say that I'm finding the twiddly clamp for the Model T to work well, and to be fairly quick. The first folding bike I ever tried was a Brompton. Folding the Model T is about the same speed as folding the Brompton.

Speedo

Congratulations on your new tikit purchase. I am glad that you brought up such a "little thing." While most people prefer fenders (for obvious reasons), around here most bikes are bare of anything that resembles fenders. I guess it is because it is fashionable here and unless you ride in the rain, you probably don't need them. And for some people, it is a question of weight. The Dahons and the Brompton I have could go either way. My Brompton is fenderless (it came that way since it is the C model) and the Dahons came with fenders. I just left them all as they came. I like them just as they are since choice is an important thing to me.

Besides most people here will use their Stimulus Package to just make ends meet. I doubt that they will be able to buy luxuries like folding bikes. And many people who need that sort of help will not be able to get it-they don't qualify or don't exist on the goverment's radar.

Thanks - I want to keep all these sorts of useful tidbits together so that any people considering Tikits down the road won't have to hunt around to find them.

If you get some pics of your two Tikits I'd love to post them to my blog as well.

Enjoy!

Had the same thought given the big discount, especially for current Bike Friday owners. Wife likes how fast they fold, but doesn't see how anybody (especially retirees) really needs multiple bikes so I passed on the opportunity.

With no employment income, and having paid only $45 in Fed taxes over the last 6 yrs, I doubt we are going to be receiving a so called "rebate". We are very lucky - if and when we want a couple of Tikits - we will be able to do so.

We were at the National Handmade Bike Show yesterday and she was asking one of the folks in the Bike Friday booth about the beautiful blue "Speeding Tikit" they had on display.....lol (The Answer: "It's not in production yet.")

Her other concern is that at 5'8" and 6'3", we look silly enough on 20" wheels!!!

You know at 6' I had the same concern when getting a folder with 16" wheels, but I've rec'd nothing but positive comments from everyone that sees the Tikit - both from other cyclists & civilians.

I'm suprised the OP went all the way to New York City to test ride the Tiket! I went the opposite direction to test ride the CarryMe in Boston! LOL...... Regardless, congradulations on the new bikes and show us better pictures of the whole bike unfolded.

Will do. The temperature plummeted and it's blowing like crazy outside. I beginning to fear that it will be May before we get to ride them!

Speedo

Vik, We did the Worst Day of the Year Ride in Portland today (yes, as the last day of the Handmade Bike Show was taking place) there were 2,000 participants in the ride and we got zero jokes or negative comments. there was lots of real interest in the bikes.

We saw two other Bike Fridays (both ladies), a Dahon Mariner (parked at a rest stop) and an older homemade "take-apart" bike with 12" wheels.

I think the wife will warm to also riding a tikit at some point.