Fully tuned birdy of one of my community member.



Modification list:

-20" (406) Aerospoke carbon aero wheelset
-Paul precision Motolite BMX Brakeset (Which enables fitting 406 size wheelset)
-'Sky shock' birdy-specific custom air suspension
-'Compact type' handlepost
-Bullhorn handlebar
-Dura ace STI levers, crankset, rear derailleurs, cassette
-60T front chain ring
-I-link aluminium cable housing
-Fizik arione saddle

Enjoy!

Looks great!
How does the weight feel and performance compare to a standard Birdy?

David

I haven't heard of its weight. Due to a very heavy aerospoke wheelset, it won't be that light.

However, you can make birdy seriously light if you want. In a japanese bike show, one tuning shop displayed their 7.9kg custom birdy...

whats that on the bottom of the mech?

whats that on the rear shock?

is the saddle at an ok angle? dont you slide forward?

I would have run the cables under the tape.

A rear derailleur doesn't wrap enough chain when folded. The wire extension is a factory Birdy modification to wrap more chain when folding.

It is quite difficult to run Shimano brake cables under the tape on bullhorn bars. You tend to kink the cables, increasing drag. Nokian and similar cables have a limitation on minimum cable radius (quite small though).

I want one Very nice. I don't know how well that suspension works, but looks like a really great bike. The main disadvantage I see with the Birdy (apart from the sky high UK price) is the 'odd' wheel size- switching to 406s sorts that (wider tyre choice, better ride & handling..). I've read about a UK-modified 20" at foldsoc.co.uk (by Steve Parry, the Brompton modification expert), and that had extensions to the front and rear dropouts in order to fit the bigger wheels- this was 1998, so the newer Birdy models might be easier- but no further changes? Birdy also did a limited run of 20" bikes themselves. My dream folder was the 2008 model Jetstream XP...this looks like my other dream folder!

Raxel - I'm trying to locate a source for Birdy accessories and parts in Asia that would be willing to sell to North American buyers and hopefully be able to communicate in English. Birdy owners are at a serious disadvantage here support-wise.

Nice bike, by the way. Wonderful attention to detail and aesthetics.

PS - Just noticed in your other thread that you're in South Korea. Are most of the products sold through the Japanese Birdy distributor also available in SK? Maybe dealers there would be a little more cooperative than in Japan. Haven't had much luck there yet.

Thank you for your consideration.

StuAff - Not sure if you're referring to the Birdy's suspension in general or the air setup on this one, but the Birdy suspension works very well. I'm 5'8"/145 and get no pogo-ing at all out of my '05 Silver. The bike feels rigid and there is no noodle effect with the handle post. So far it's the most comfortable bike I've owned, other than a recumbent. The air shocks are interesting. Have not seen them before. So far, tires have not been a problem on this side of the pond.

AFAIK the custom air suspension is made by a japanese bicycle shop. They also make custom springs with various hardness (Including extra hard titanium springs). Those items are also hard to find in SK too... We order them from japanese site. Hopefully automatic translation works great between Korean and Japanese, and there are many sites in SK that helps to buy in japanese site (with 5~10% handling fee) so buying japanese goods in SK is not hard.

Air suspension link
https://jitensya.co.jp/group/shops/data/sky-shock.html

HED carbon wheelset for Birdy (In fact they are 17" moulton size, which is slightly bigger than stock wheels)
https://jitensya.co.jp/group/shops/data/bd1-hed.html

Clownbike, yes, I meant the air shocks- I've read positive comments about the Birdy's elastomer suspension, not heard of air suspension on a Birdy before. I'd be interested to see how they compare to bigger shocks, like the one on my Jetstream XP (which works a treat). I know that there's more choice in 18" tyres now then a few years back, even Big Apples, but 20" seem to be more widely available, at least over here.

Those wheels look a bit photoshopped to me... Well the stelvios at least.

How is it standing up with no obvious support?

I love seeing the 406mm Birdies. I've always had a hard time understanding why they make them with 355mm wheels. Can the extra 2" really make that much of a difference to the size of the fold?

Looks to me like just the background is photoshopped: Blurred and the person holding up the bike eliminated.

The background is blurry due to low depth of field in the camera. Perhaps the bike is snapped in that moment while it teeters upright before crashing onto the road. With Raxel diving to catch it.

NOPE.......he super glued it there.......

You guessed it right. Bikes can stand still for a few seconds after you release them. You don't have to 'dive catch' 'em :] Just try it yourself with your friends.

Raxel, you guys in SEA are way ahead of the west wrt small-wheel appreciation. Keep the photos coming, I need inspiration, and perhaps you can help us getting hold of some of those parts that enable bikes like these...?

LOL - that is insane!

Here is another nice mod: https://dev.juppo.co.jp/2plus4/Moku_K/n104.html.

I prefer to go down to 349s for wheels, but the tire selection is great at 355. The bigger challenge on that particular bike is likely to be the 60T chainring, which pushes the chain out of the indented clearing on the rear stay. it also makes a chainguard nearly impossible, and without that, the damn chain will fall off every time the bike is folded.

Only the pre-2002 models can be taken under 8Kg, unfortunately. The new ones are brazed and reinforced for fully loaded touring, even the road "speed" model, which comes in at 10Kg with Tune bits.

I'm going to Y's Road tomorrow to replace some worn bits on my (now severely beaten up) yellow. Too bad all that fun stuff is so expensive to Yankies, thanks to our "education president." (The Yen is not 100 to the dollar!)

By the way, I'm well over 10,000 miles on my Yellow, and still love it. The only downsides have been: 1) a broken seatpost, 2) a tendency for the rear swingarm needle bearings to get water in them and rust, and 3) all the bits and pieces on the bike. The real strengths are the quality of the construction overall, the incredible versatility of the bike (on road, off road, relatively small and quick fold, fits in a suitcase pretty easily) and the ride.

NICE Birdy!

PM -

Does anyone at Y's Road speak English, and do you think they would take orders from the US?

Broken seat tube eh? Looks like a good time to get the Ti one. I've also seen some very nice looking CNC'd chainring guards listed on Japanese dealer sites but have had no luck tracking down distributors or manu's.

It's maddening to see all this cool kit out there with no way to purchase it.

Thanks for the consideration.

CB

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry - F Zappa

Raxel: Judging from this and other pictures you've posted, you have great camera skills !!!

Thanks for the reply. Wish it was easier to get Birdy products in North America. It's a shame that just as folders are beginning to take off here the distributor is pretty much AWOL. With proper marketing and support I think it could do quite well.

Hi CB,

I'll get all of their info for you. A lot of places here do not take credit cards, if you can believe it. Where do you live? I'll be in Northern California in a few days, and might be persuaded to pick something up for you so long as it isn't too big. That will save you the effort and cost of shipping something. (I"m just hardcore about not packing too many things and both suitcases are full of bike, so nothing like a titanium seat post would fit!) Just PM me.

Raxel -

Was wondering if you had a chance to take a spin on the bike. If not, have you had any feedback from the owner on the performance of the air shocks.

Thanks

CB