Elkhound

But "the proof of the pudding is in the eating"--has anyone ever ridden one?

mulleady

This is a wind-up surely, especially from a senior member? You trying to stoke up the Strida lovers on this sub forum lol?

Unless of course you are new to the world of folding bikes and a member of the other sub-forums specialising in our larger wheeled brethern?...............................................

mulleady

Re. the Strida, I think 'odd' is the wrong choice of word. I think 'quirky' is more apt. This is the beauty of folding bikes and the innovation that has gone into them over the last 20 years. I can assure you the Strida folds very neatly vertically and has quite a decent ride for urban commuting purposes. The designer Mark Sanders is also the brains behind the new IF fold design for larger wheeled bikes that Pacific Cycles of Taiwan are due to release.

Bacciagalupe

Yes, Stridas have been around for awhile.

A-Bikes and micro-bikes (or whatever they're called -- the kinds with 8" or smaller wheels) look even weirder.

chainstrainer

Strida has been around since the 80's. Yes, I ride one and keep it tucked in the vehicle for whenever I feel like taking a spin. The look is unique (and clever when you think further about it) but it's not that odd compared to examples in the Alt Bike Culture forum - now those are some truly odd bikes.

mulleady

Or quirkier?

mulleady

You guys need to see this video:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=kVVgsQt1DK4
Fast fwd a little bit.
You will see the Strida actually works very well. The A-bike is really only suitable for a couple of miles and not in the wet! The Strida is also a great workout as well!

Elkhound

I have a folding bike. It is a Montague Paratrooper. When unfolded, it looks like a real bike, not something that a circus clown might ride.

LittlePixel

Thanks for that insightful comment Elkhound. Blinker much?

stevegor

Back in the early 60's, I wonder how many "normal bike" riders thought that Alex Moulton's silly little clown bike was a joke, until they got soundly trounced by them in TTs, track and road races.

EvilV

Way back about '87 when my dad retired, he bought a very strange folding, single speed bike with a belt drive. It was a terrible thing and after about a week, one of the cranks worked loose and he took it back and got his money back. I'm wondering if it was an early strida, as I recall, it looked a bit like that shape. I thought it was a horrible thing at the time. What were the first ones like? As I recall, this one had a number of hard plastic parts, but I was so contemptuous of it that I refused to have anything to do with it after riding it down the street and back. At the time I was into road bikes and my Dawes Galaxy.

mulleady

And only a clown would call the Paratrooper a true folding bike

CaptainSpalding

itsmoot

I note in the video mulleady linked that the woman can put both toe tips down when stopped. The Strida looks to me like it has crank-forward geometry. Does it have enough to allow proper leg extension, seeing as how you can't hop off the front of the saddle when stopping?

SesameCrunch

This from someone who owns an XtraCycle.....
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But then, the OP is from West Virginia - and proved Cheney right...

invisiblehand

That is funny. Although there really is nothing wrong with a Paratrooper. I recall that some people have done mods that make them quite nice.

SesameCrunch

Ouch! I'm getting spanked in this thread - I have a Strida5 AND a 1970 Moulton MK3.

<curls up in fetal position, sucks on thumb>

EastBiker

Ooooh a Montague Paratrooper. Real bike huh. It's mediocre as a folder, mediocre as a full size bike, I guess that makes you mediocre as well. Who's the clown now?

trueno92

i don't know if this one ever made it into production.. but i think the first run of them were similar..
there was a strida 2 on montreal craigslist just a couple of weeks ago.

plastic bits included the head/neck, bottom brackets etc etc.

they aren't that odd.. great fun, very city and leisure usable due to the well-thought gearing.

chainstrainer

The Strida is the folding bike equivalent of "relaxed fit" jeans. The design does not try to squeeze every potential watt of propulsive energy from your pedal stroke nor does it try to look like a sleek, fashionable road bike. For what it does, it just fits right - no frills , now worry, no complications. It's pure, simple, cycling joy with an ingenious utilitarian aspect that extends its value to those riders who can look beyond the image of the clowns who deride its shape.

Yes, it can be crank-forward for shorter riders but if you are taller (like the inventor Mark Sanders) it is very upright and perhaps even cramped in the "seat to stem" department. You can set the seat height to where you like it but it is really meant to be mounted from a flat-foot, push-off position. Dismount is off the rear - very relaxed and without a care. The Strida is the most sans souci bike I ever rode.

yangmusa

I know I shouldn't feed the troll, but oh well...

I finally got to ride the Strida a couple of weeks ago. I think I've now test-ridden most of the folding bikes on the market (except the internet-only ones like the Downtubes). The Strida has to be the worst handling folder (or bike, for that matter) I've ever tried. I rode it for 4-5 miles in San Francisco, and it was slightly terrifying. In retrospect I should have taken a shorter loop near the bike shop, but I had already committed to try it out going to a meeting for work. Strida claim it fits riders to 6'4", but that's patently wrong. I'm "only" 6'3", and I had nowhere near enough leg extension - and I couldn't steer and pedal at the same time, or my knees hit the handlebars!! The only positive thing were the brakes - probably the best I've ever seen on a folder.

I'd certainly concede that it's a really brilliant idea, seems well executed. So if you're short enough to ride it, and you're happy with the way it handles then good for you.

Bacciagalupe

Definitely beyond "quirky" and into "downright weird."

SesameCrunch

Oooooh, you're going to get Makeinu mad at you....

SesameCrunch

I'm 6' tall and can't quite get the classic full leg extension. But the Strida is not designed for long rides. It's for a short, flat commute after the train ride. For its intended purpose, the Strida is elegant and well executed solution. I also love the looks of it.

The ride is indeed different, no different than the first time you get on a small wheeled folder. You eventually get used to the ride and it's great fun after that...

Autoworker

I just rode my Strida in the Toronto Becel Ride for Heart, 50km up and down the Don Valley Parkway, with lots of hills, this past Sunday. I also use it for my daily 12 mile round-trip commute to work each day.

Because of its simplicity - no gears, belt drive, light weight - it's a wonderfully efficient ride and very Zen-like - no extraneous extras or frills, just a bike in it's simplest form. I own 5 bikes, all high-end, and the Strida is usually my first choice for rides.

So don't knock it until you've tried it.