Since it's a disc brake,it has to be Alfine. Both the Alfine 8 and 11 have the same OLD,so,yes it can.

Thanks for the info.

Wanted to replace the GoBike with another Birdy, but the pickin's are slim in the US so thought I would try one of those Japanese auction site surrogates. For some reason Japanese bike shops will not sell to the US, much less return email inquiries.

A 2012 BD-1 hung around for awhile, so dove in. Wasn't too crazy about the color, but it already had the wheeled rack and Color+ suspension upgrade and looked to be in very good shape. Being sold by a dealer, figured there was a fighting chance it would arrive as described. The bike arrived well packed to prevent damage from it's long journey. Besides the other upgrades, it had a new set of Marathon Racers on it. The color turned out to be a candy blue with the graphics imbedded in the paint. Almost worth the purchase price alone, beautiful job and very clean.

Pretty bike! I'd love that color.. what was the total tally to your door? How long was the wait from winning bid to you?

Hi Bruce -

Total with tax, license, and dealer prep was about $1,400 landed and delivered to my door. The auction site has a calculator to check costs before bidding, but by the time it got delivered it was about $300 higher. Ali in all though, I am happy with the purchase. The bike is relatively new and in excellent condition, and has about $500 worth of upgrades on what seems to have been one of the higher tiered bikes. The dealer even included the manual and DVD(in Japanese), and the cover. Auction ended on 6/17 and it landed on my doorstep last Friday. The site can be challenging to navigate, so there were a few hiccups in regards to making payment and tracking progress.

Still liking it at that price.. Sweet!! ... was the extra 3 bills for customs into US .. or some mystery charge ? Which auction site?

What do you think you the after market dampers/shocks fitted? Worth laying any cash out for?
Thanks

Hi Birdy fans... Anyone have an idea where I might be able to test ride a Birdy in the SF Bay Area? I'm thinking of adding to the stable, and it will either be a Birdy, a Brompton or another BF. Thanks.

There are no official dealers (that I'm aware of). But Warm Planet Bikes (on Market St in SF, between 6th and 7th) used to be a dealer and has had leftover stock sitting around for years. I haven't been in the store for a while though, so you should call them and double check before going!

Someone is selling a Birdy Touring (ie. with the SRAM DD3-24) and Magura hydraulic brakes.

Before giving it a try, I'd like to know what you guys think about those two features. Since this bike will mostly be used for touring, I'm concerned about the reliability + drag of the IGH, and of using hydraulic brakes on a folding bike.

As an alternative, I could get the 2015 City and replace its Shimano Nexus 8 IGH with an an Alfine 11 for a wider development range.

Thank you.

Dual drive is a good set up. Instant gross shifts at lights etc. You will struggle to notice the drag. The only thing is I don't thing you get the full benefit from a birdie as they are unstable to steer at really high speeds so the upper ratios may not get used.
I run three 8 speed birdies and find enough range for offroad use. However, one of the benifiet of dual drive is shifting with either hand in to other gears at lights and during braaking.

Thanks for the tip. I've been to Warm Planet before. I'll check in with them.

Thanks for the input.

To make an informed choice, I'll ask a dealer about replacing the 8-speed Shimano Nexus Premium IGH with an Alfine 11 on a 2015 City.

Provided it's possible, the choice would then be between a second-hand 2013 Birdy Touring with the 24-speed Dual Drive and Magura hydraulic rim brakes (1.76 - 8.89 m), or a 2015 City with an Alfine 11 IGH and Shimano hydraulic disk brakes (2.3 - 9.9m).

Congrats on the new Birdy (BD-1). That's a great price, even with shipping/handling. I've noticed a number of the monocoque versions turning up on the auctions here recently, maybe due to the upcoming (minor) model change.

Do you happen to know the manufacturer of the trolley accessory? I've only seen two types available, and both are two-wheel types, not the four-wheeled kind on yours.

Which auction are there in Japan that are reliable and accept shipping overseas?

I'm not suprised that Japanese bike shops won't accept orders from overseas, though.

The site is easyauctionjapan. The bumps in price were for VAT(dealer seller), domestic shipping between seller and EAJ, and shipping to the US(unknown 'till they get ready to ship). As it was a buy it now from a dealer, all of that should have been disclosed in their calculator.

Haven't had a chance to really try it out yet. A few qick laps around our loop left the impression it was less 'bouncy'. Swapped the handlepost with the silver Birdy, as it had the adjustable version with the ahead stem. Wife's 5', so the shorter post will work better for her. One thing led to another and will post later the mods I've been doing.

The rack is by Nitto, tho have seen a couple versions listed by various Japanese dealers in the past.

Do a search for Japanese auction sites and several will come up. Have only tried the EAJ site, so not sure how they differ.

Need help in obtaining a part. I need a chainguard for my older Birdy Red. Any suggestions on where I can buy one? I am in the US.

Jim

Looks like they have them here.
Birdy chain guard black

Thanks.
Jim

This is also four ezwheels version.



BIKEgang

I don't really get the four wheeled rack on a birdie. My 2 wheeled rack sits loower on the floor as a smaller package and you use the front rack as a pulling handle like a wheeled suitcase. That seems better to me. However, I wheel my mezzo on one wheel, there is room for different aproaches.

2 ezwheels retractable rack will be like this