werewolf

I like my Swift a lot, but I just had the opportunity to try out a Bike Friday Pocket Rocket, and I think I like it even more than my Swift. It felt more stable than the Swift. There are also similar B.F. models - Pocket Rocket Pro and Llama. Any comments on the comparison?

what bike?

I havent riden any and i do not have any experience with any of these bikes.

Although i think the bike friday would be a better quality bike because of their prices and better components.

But the price of bike fridays are steep so the swift might be better value for money.

tulip

I've never tried a Swift. I love my Bike Friday Pocket Rocket Pro, though. It feels like my "regular" road bike. I use it for distance riding, not commuting (I work from home and don't have a commute).

pm124

IMHO, the $700 entry level Bike Friday rides better than the $700 entry level Swift. But that's highly subjective and just one jaunt on each. The Bike Friday was significantly heavier. I would like to try one of the higher end BF models.

werewolf

But which BF model are you talking about, PM? There are a bunch of totally different models. I didn't care for the Tikit. The Pocket Rocket, though, rode nice, felt like a big bike, only better, and it seemed to fit me god too. They can get expensive, though, once you get into upgrades. The "clydesdale" mod alone is $150 (I'm at the upper end of the recommended weight scale for the Pocket Rocket and over-weight for the PR Pro - 225 lbs.). They can get up near $2,000, I think. The base price for the PR is 1,000.

vik 

I'd like to get my hands on a BF NWT or PR that fit me to test ride. I tried a PR that was way too small for me so I couldn't really form much of an impression.

invisiblehand

I have ridden the Swift Folder and assorted 20" wheel BF models. Assuming that one is somewhat close to average size, I think that they all ride well. The different BF models have slightly varying geometries. But those are much more difficult to differentiate during short rides. The big difference between the Swift and BF models is the greater drivetrain choices with the Bike Friday.

EDIT: I guess frame material should also be included. All of the BFs are chromoly whereas some Swift folders are aluminum.

noteon 

I'm 215, 6'1". For me, the biggest difference between the Tikit and the Swift was the stiffness. The Tikit was much flexier, to where I felt a little worried.

I'm curious what you weigh, and whether you felt any flex difference between the Pocket Rocket and the Swift.

mulleady

Why would anyone want to compare a xootr Swift with a Tikit? They are different bikes for different purposes!

Comparing the Pocket Rocket with say a Swift, now that's thought provoking! I'm trying out a Swift on Monday and look forward to it. Seems quite a bike for the money judging from this forum.

noteon 

In my case, it was because when I gave B-Fold my criteria, those are the two he suggested.

Stupidity is a factor in plenty of the things I do, but possibly not this one.

jur

You & I could form a club, you know...

noteon 

The Possibly Not Stupid This Time Club? I'm in...

itsahobby

I did not notice any flex when I rode Lynette's demo Tikit, and the bike felt surprisingly similar to my 20" Pocket Lllama (only lighter, which was probably more to do with the Stelvio tires than anything)

Flex must be more of an issue for taller riders - at last, one advantage of being short

Lalato

[randy newman]Short people got no reason...[/randy newman]

werewolf

I'm about 225, also about 6'1". I have a big upper body and short legs. I didn't give the Tikit much of a tryout. It was too cramped and upright for me, at least the way the test model was set up. The PR on the other hand was nice. It felt much more stable to me than my Swift. I've never been comfortable riding my Swift one-handed, but I tried that on the PR and it felt fine.

jur

The Xootr Swift has a very short trail and can't be ridden no-hands. I have no problems riding one-handed, I think that's totally different to riding no-hands wrt skills.

On different bikes' 'feel', my R20, Yeah and Swift are 3 different beasts. For example, if I get on the Yeah and ride to work, it takes a few minutes to get used to it again. Then the next day on the R20, I'm weaving over the road with every pedal cycle! Another few minutes and I'm OK again. But I also know the R20 is more stable, so that is very interesting.

So, to seriously evaluate a bike, I'd have to ride it more than a few minutes to get a good idea.

werewolf

Have you ever tried any of the Bike Friday models, Jur?

jur

Not had an opprtunity so far.

noteon 

Neither have I, but my theory is that in addition to the twitchi-- er, the responsiveness of a 20" wheel, the handlebar's too narrow for me. (I'm actually kind of surprised at how narrow the stock part is.) I have a new one coming soon, so we'll see...

stevegor

Jur,

Cyclescience in Mitcham is the Melbourne dealership for BF, don't know what they stock apart from the Tikit. I emailed them 9 days ago about prices on various models and got NO response AT ALL ....and I thought BFs customer service was supposed to legendary. You live closer than I do, so a visit might get more answers than I did.

mulleady

I prewarned them about you Mr Gore

jur

Cyclescience became BF dealers just after Lynette breezed through here a month or 2 ago. I havent' been to their shop even though it is down the road from where I work. I doubt they have any demo stock except maybe Lynette's tikit which she never got back to me about after I indicated interest and proceeded along the road of hammering out the details. I'm not feeling too positive about it all.

Regarding prices, I understood that BFs here would be same as the US price plus $300 shipping.

werewolf

Other than the Tikit model, there has been surprisingly little written here about the Bike Fridays.

werewolf

I have a wide handlebar - the Delta Ergo bar - on my Swift. Still twitchy. The Pocket Rocket I tried had narrower drop bars.

noteon 

Any better leverage when climbing, though? That's my main issue.