It’s on the List
 

I’ve done Thailand, Hong Kong, Thailand (again), and this year Australia (this October).

My best friend’s wife is from Taiwan, so I’m going to try that angle first.

​​​​​​
It goes for NTD67,500 in Taipei. Jesler Bikes.

Keeping with the thread title, I saw no Reach on the streets there, but I did see a couple of new Classic Birdys.

You can also visit New York City; BFold has a GT. They also ship.

And just to get this thread back on track; they also sell Birdies. :D

Pump in gen3 stem
 

So I found out a Lezyne Sport Drive HV pump fits in the stem of my gen3 if the top most stem position is used. Since my GT has 65psi max I went with a HV pump. The handle of the pump has to be closer to the bars so the skinny side actually passes through the stem bottom. I added some padding to keep the pump from being too loose.

https://s26.postimg.cc/85dl6bmhx/IMG...6_020049_1.jpg
https://s26.postimg.cc/5o1tz1uvp/IMG...6_020011_1.jpg

Hylix 34.9 x 580mm seatpost is 297 grams.
 

So I ordered this seatpost for $80 from ebay because it was listed at 240g which seemed believable since the other Hylix handlebar and seatpost I've bought were close to their listed weight. My scale shows it at 297 grams; that's a big 57g difference for an expensive seatpost. Now I face the hassle of trying to get my money back. Why can't sellers just show their lightweight products on a scale? Oddly this same seller does show their Brompton carbon wheelset on a scale. Anyway, if you are searching for a lightweight seatpost the Hylix is not the best choice since the stock setback with plastic endcap is 402g.

General questions about a Birdy
 

Hello everyone,

In my search to find a folding bike, I came across an older Birdy for sale not too far away from me. I don't have enough posts to post a link to the ad, or even photos, but it's the only Birdy currently listed on Pinkbike in North America (item # 2254324). I'm hoping that the experts on this board could let me know their general thoughts about this bike.

I plan to use it for a fairly short commute (around 13 kms one way; the other would be by bus). It looks like it's in great shape, albeit somewhat customized (cassette has been removed, dyno hub has been installed). However, I do realize that it's an older model.

Not being familiar with folding bikes, and even less so with Birdys, is this a good buy for the purpose that I intend to use it for?

I would appreciate any thoughts you may have, both good and bad.

Here's the Birdy Link .. $400 is a great price for that bike.. the bike runs a SRAM Dual Drive (cassette + 3 speed internal hub) .. very nice set up for huge gear range.. I had one for many years.. might be a little clumsy for the bus as it's sort of an awkward fold, but certainly doable.. 13km commute would be a breeze.. very comfortable bike regardless of size..

Edit: - Just saw the close up of the drivetrain... now essentially a 3 speed IGH.. still would be fine for a 13km commute assuming no huge hills.. you always have the option of putting a cassette in place of the spacers and single gear.

Thanks for the response. I'll likely check it out this weekend and see how it rides.

Birdy R u. M head badge
 

Has anyone recently tried to order anything from the birdybike.com web-site?
I wanted to order a 'Birdy R u. M head badge' from them, but although the site accepts new registrations, the ordering sequence doesn't progress to the shipping page. The site's contact button also leads to a '404 unknown page error'.

Interesting, it is a little bit tricky to order birdy on line, that is because the agreement between German inventors and Taiwan Pacific cycles manufacturer. Where are you located? Why don't you order from local distributor?

First look of titanium Birdy III ... Modified rear?
Yes, 5900 USD listed

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7f96c8f636.jpg

Thanks, BUT, you may not have read my post. I already have a Birdy Rohloff and therefore don't have the money to buy another ;-). What I'm looking for is the metallic bronze R u. M badge to replace the stick on vinyl transfer that is on the front of the stem. It's the badge (I believe) similar to those on the original models. That web-site supposedly has them for USD12.

Try contact Pacific Cycles in Taiwan.
They may have what you need.
Pacific Cycles

That green color is dope.....nice folder collection :thumb:

Thanks, I'll look into that! They do also have a 'multi-purpose seat clamp adapter' that might solve my need for bottle mounting.
Eventually I found another E-mail address for birdybike, and even got a reply; which said their site is targeted at US customers and this caused the errors. They could send me the head badge, but it would cost USD$25 to ship - for a $12 part that weighs possibly 10grams at most.
All I was really looking for was a way to personalise the bike - because I (unfortunately) chose matt black and it really looks a bit bland - the colour selection from Riese und Müller isn't the most exciting. I have found someone producing quite nice designs of a 3D-printed head badge, but that works out even more expensive.

I find the Topeak bottle cage adapter pretty good once you add heatshrink to cover up the stainless metal band. Here are 2 cages on my Birdy.

https://preview.ibb.co/eUyRkT/2018_06_23_00_41_31.jpg
https://preview.ibb.co/eBcaeo/2018_06_23_00_41_43.jpg
https://preview.ibb.co/jFTFeo/2018_06_23_00_41_50.jpg

I also have experimented with saddle carriers for your perusal.
https://preview.ibb.co/gMHrKo/2018_06_23_00_37_06.jpg
https://preview.ibb.co/n49cs8/2018_06_23_00_39_10.jpg
https://preview.ibb.co/hNCxs8/2018_06_23_00_38_36.jpg
https://preview.ibb.co/gN1qC8/2018_06_23_00_38_41.jpg

Birdy Touring cassette options
 

Hi! New guy on this forum, considering to get the Birdy Touring. The specification for the current model says it has a 9-32t 10-speed Sunrace cassette, one I haven't been able to find on the Sunrace website. Do you know anything about this? Does it mean the hub uses an XD driver body?

If so, that would make it compatible with standard SRAM 10-42t 11-speed cassettes, and even the e*thirteen 9-46t. That 9-46t is expensive, but would be exactly the gearing range I want. Such a gigantic cassette would look funny on the small wheel, but more importantly, do you think it would even work? I'm worried about the chain rubbing the frame.

The alternative would be adding a front double, or building a new rear wheel around the SRAM or Sturmey Archer dualdrive hubs. Yes, the Rohloff has the range, but it's expensive, heavy, and hard to get fixed on a tour, if something happens. The safest bet is a pure derailer gear setup.

Self-replying, I got an answer from R&M via my LBS:

So the cassette replaces the extinct Shimano Capreo line, but isn't compatible with it. It is only compatible with the special Sunrace hub it fits. Sounds to me it would be better to go with an SRAM XD compatible hub, for a much wider selection in cassettes, and also allowing 10t and 9t cassettes. But no idea if the huge 42t - 50t cassette cogs would work within the Birdy frame.

Still, the Touring version it is slightly cheaper than the City version (Nexus 8 hub) so if I have to build a new wheel anyway, I might choose it.

I'm not allowed to answer private messages until I have 10 posts, so I'm answering here: Thanks. Yes, I mean the original R&M Birdy, not the Pacific.

First things first - What gear-inch range do you seek?

Hi! I want ca. 1.6 to 8 meters advancement, or in Sheldon Browns very sensible gain ratio, ca. 1.45 to 7.3. This assumes 175 mm cranks and 44-355 tyres. With a 52t chainring the e*thirteen 9-46 cassette provides this. SRAM 10-42 cassettes also work, if I go down to 48t chainring and sacrifice some high end gearing. The crucial question is frame clearance.

The original 9-32 cassette is much too narrow, but with a double crankset it should work (though 52-36 is a big jump). I have a 56-42-32 triple on another bike, that would be nice here too, with the original cassette.

Wow, you want 20-100 gear-inches on a dereilleur drivetrain on 355 wheels? I don't have that range on my double crankset 451er. SRAM DualDrive may be just the thing for you. There's a reason it used to be speced on the Birdy Touring. I used to have 19-113GI on a 406er with it.

Have You given thought to dereilleur ground clearence? Anything beyond 1x11-36T is going to require at least a medium cage RD which, on a 44-355 wheel, is gonna be quite close to the ground.

Yes, I'm also considering dual drive. I heard the SRAM one is being discontinued, but Sturmey Archer also has one, anyway. More weight/complexity than a 1x11 setup, but smaller steps between gears. Again, harder to fix if anything goes wrong on tour. Might as well choose a triple crankset, then I don't have to build a new wheel. The original 9-32t cassette won't fit on a dualdrive, I'd have to use a Shimano-compatible 11t minimum.

The original Deore Trekking setup looks like a long cage to me, though it doesn't say: htt¤ps://¤http://www.r-m.de¤/en-us/folding-bik.../#18B02_130411 (remove ¤ from url)
Yes, it's pretty low. I won't be riding offroad with it, but it's a risk.

This is what medium-cage looks like on 406...
 

Good luck with long-cage on 355...
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e4419c4731.jpg

See the original R&M setup. This is at least a medium, looks more like a long cage to me. When the manufacturer specs it that way, my guess is it works. Either way I'll measure before buying anything.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f7c2ddb949.jpg

Birdy Touring

I have a couple of questions about getting a Birdy in Taiwan

1. Is the actual price in stores for the Touring model (ie. Sram Dual Drive 3x8) US$2,150 or can it be found cheaper?
2. Is the Pacific Cycles office* the only retailer in Taiwan?

Thank you.

* (Distributor) Pacific Cycles No. 686, Yongfu Rd, Yong An, Xin Wu, Taoyuan County, Taiwan 32744(Distributor) Pacific Cycles, Inc.MAP

i provided info on Taiwan and bike shops on the other thread. You did not acknowledge. I actually have been to, toured and visited bike stores in Taiwan, including those that sell Birdy in the capital city of Taipei. I could tell you exactly where to purchase a Birdy in central Taipei (or Bangkok, Singapore or Jakarta) and how much you can expect to pay.

If the "other thread" the one about the KSH, I don't see any post about getting a Birdy in Taiwan.

--

Edit: Besides Pacific Cycles proper, you mentioned this place : http://www.jeslerbike.com

Birdy elastomers and suspension
 

I've just acquired my second Birdy -- a black Speed. I'm loving it, but I still need to tweak it in a few ways. The first is that I think I need to get a green elastomer. The red one is a little soft to my taste, and the bike squeaks and bounces too much, especially if I'm up on the pedals and trying to accelerate up a hill or the like. I weigh 185 lbs., and the green elastomer worked well for me on my old Red. I'm not sure where to acquire one easily in the US. Any thoughts?