They are hydraulic, right? No adjustment, other than to check they are centered over the brake disk. The gap between the disk and the pads should be the same on both sides. Spin the wheel first to check that the disk isn't bent.

Mounting a mini-pump
 

CEBEP Here are two pics of the pump:


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...baa04e946.jpeg


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c0e15c364.jpeg


It does not rattle or interfere with the fold.

That pulling handle is a nice solution when you're not using the lowrider rack. Where did you buy the front elastomer? Unsure if I need it, but may want to try.

My tip to this thread is the SKS rubber front mudguard extension. It keeps the frame and chain clean. There was a huge difference after I installed it, zero spray from the front wheel now.

Before:

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e528e90d8f.jpg

After:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...19cac3e3a9.jpg

First of all awesome bike you have there!

Thanks for the pictures. I’d be careful with zip toes as if they are not UV protected they can degrade in time and break one day without you noticing.

could you point me to the R&M "Carry Bag" you have as I couldn’t find it googling.

I also noticed on one of your pictures that you have the front light pointing way to the side? Or it seems like it on the picture.

yep, hydraulic. Stock brakes coming on R&M Birdy Touring, should be Schimano T6000.

Is it this one?

No, it's a flexible rubber flap, to avoid breaking it if you roll the bike over a door frame for instance. This one, I think: https://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/s...guard-spoiler-

It comes in different sizes, but this one says it's for 42-45 mm, it's probably the one I have.

I prefer the pulling handle to the lowrider.
My bike came with the lowrider and I did not particularly like it: It needs to be moved slightly when folding the front wheel, adding half a step to the process.
Also in my case the bike sits lower to the ground that way so the cooling bag does not scratch the ground.

I bought the front elastomer here:
https://www.fahrrad-bruckner.de/prod...schwarz-32031/
Beware though, this is far from an optimal online shopping experience: They allow up to 1-2 weeks iirc after receiving payment before sending your package …

You have a sharp eye, the light was indeed bent :) Thank you!

In this shop are the best pictures of the carry bag i found so far:
https://brilliantbikes.co.uk/bags-ca...carry-bag.html

It is such an under-appreciated accessoire, i almost disregarded it and tried to buy the pacific cycles one at first which is similar but does not come with the frame bag with integrated handle.
I might do a few pictures and a small review at a later time.

Imho it is the seemingly secondary things that really make or break the folding bike experience. Examples:
- (working) mudguards
- dynamo lights
- ease of handling the bike while folded
- ability to take it _everywhere_ so no big lock is needed and probability of the bike being stolen is _smaller_ than with the best lock
- on-bike storage / luggage
…

Too bad Brilliant bikes don’t ship to Turkey. Also couldn’t find it anywhere else for whatever reason. Probably this bag is not all that widely available.

I think it’s a cover bag to cover Birdy when folded no? Or am I confusing something?

I think this is the frame bag to carry stuff in.


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e5fed6daf.jpeg

Dahon also make bags that may suit you. I bought a "Dahon CarryOn Cover" 10 years ago for a Tern bike, I'm using it now for the Birdy. It fits nicely. It comes in a saddle bag, but can be brought in any kind of bag of course. It has a shoulder strap that you connect to the bike frame inside the bag, so it holds the weight securely. You can leave the easywheels outside, so you can still roll the folded bike while inside the bag. I don't know if this exact model is still available. Here's an article showing it. https://www.bikeradar.com/news/new-f...gs-from-dahon/

I think I didn’t express myself correctly. I thought it was a bag to carry things in it, not the bike cover. Frame bag seems logical to carry small things as it doesn’t effect the fold nor overalls dimensions when folded.

The "Carry bag" is both: A frame bag to carry things in, and a cover for the folded bike, and a carrying strap.

I see. Can’t find it anywhere else, not on Amazon or eBay either.

It has 4 components, as described by brilliantbikes. I‘ll take a few pictures and write up a mini-review during the next few days.

Afaik this frame bag, sitting below the top tube interferes with the fold because it hangs where the rear wheel folds to (directly in front of the triangle in the main frame).

İ don’t think the bag is under-appreciates, it’s simply not available to buy anywhere to appreciate. Except Brilliant bikes which ships only to few countries.

I think that all R&M deal can have the Birdy Carry Bag. Kemper Fietsen in the Netherland has it too.

I bought it and send it back because my main goal was to have a bag to carry the Birdy folded and this bag is very thin not very good to carry the Birdy folded inside.

There was a previous version of Birdy carry bag from R&M much stronger not available anymore but often for sale on .ebay-kleinanzeigen.de. Of course, due to the thicker material, this bag is bigger and heavier when folded.

My understanding is that these bags are mainly available while configuring order form for Birdy and not really are available as stand alone product. Link you’ve sent is for local dealer shipping to NL and Germany only, as far as I could understand. It would be good to have accessories widely available like bags for Brompton. That’s how you make bike popular, by providing accessories which are easily available for most users.

The problem in Europe and US is that Riese & Müller doesn't do active marketing of the Birdy anymore focusing on ebike. Most R&M dealers do not sell the Birdy and have zero knowledge of it. There is only a wide network of dealers selling the Birdy in Germany.

R&M way of working for parts and accessories is to sell them via dealers, not online (for some parts, they even ask the serial number of the Birdy before accepting to sell the parts), but its a problem for the Birdy due to the small amount of R&M dealers selling the Birdy.

In Asia its totally different, Pacific Cycles does a lot of marketing around the Birdy, the Birdy is very popular as high end folding bike and its easy to find bikes, spare parts and accessories including from third party.

Fair enough, what I don’t get is why not allow Asian OEM producers sell these bags as accessory and earn money. Just as they sell frames and let OEM producers choose the rest of the components themselves. It’s not critical for me by any means to get exactly this bag, as there are billion bags available for bikes. I just don’t understand their business model. Why not make bag specifically designed for Birdy available wider, through the same Asian dealers if R&M don’t want to market themselves. It’s not a nuclear fuel where you need to control supply channels after all.

At SPEZI 2013 I test rode a Birdy ebike. Likely R&M since it's in Germany. Anyway, if this is something they were considering as a product, then it appears they gave up on the idea. It was using a Nuvinci gear hub, a front motor hub, and a battery pack on the handlepost. Bolt-on solutions that don't require any changes to the frame. While the Pacific e-Birdy seems to be a singlespeed with a rear hub motor, batteries inside the hub. Neither are really good ebike solutions. To achieve that the frame must be designed for it.

Yes. Here the Birdy is being viewed as a high end folding bike ranked with the Brompton but has a reputation of being faster and stabler in riding. It’s also very popular (although not as popular as few years ago since a lot of people ride road bikes now).Since except the front hub and the BB, the Birdy can be swapped with standard MTB or Road Bike parts. Nevertheless, there are a lot of accessories specifically made for Birdy and most bike shops offer modification of the Birdy.

All Asian OEM are allowed to sell parts and accessories for the Birdy in Europe and US.

But they don't do it because nowadays the amount of Birdy sold in Europe is too small and in the US its even smaller.

The pnly thng that isn't allowed its to sell complete Birdy in Europe and US which market are owned by R&M who is the owner of the intellectual property of the Birdy (they designed it). Pacific Cycles is allowed to sell outside Europe and US but not allowed to modify the Birdy. They can only make some special series Birdy with other frames (like the Titanium Birdy and 40 year Birdy, at a certain moment it seemed this one would become a standard model of Pacific Cycles but then Pacific Cycles denied that this would happen)).


Having both a Brompton and two Birdy, I can attest that it is the case: the Birdy is stabler and equipped with a derailleur or Rohloff its also quite faster than the Brompton.

The bottom bracket box of the frame is standard too, its only the front hub of the Birdy disc which is proprietary (the one of the Birdy with rim brakes is also standard).

The Pacific Cycle e-Birdy uses a Zehus rear wheel with everything in it, motor, battery, controller. But its a bad solution because the battery is very small and only one speed (seems Zehus will have a 4s version). The reason they did that is probably because its very simple to make and more important it doesn't require any frame modification that they aren't allowed to do without approval of R&M.

For R&M itself, they were only using Bosch system that requires a specific frame and doesn't fit into a small folding bike like the Birdy

They now have also a series of ebike with the new Fazua system, its a little bit smaller and weight less than the Bosch system (not that much anymore since the latest Performance Line CX Bosch motor is smaller and weight much less than previously) but it also requires a specific frame. Putting it into a Birdy would require a huge and complex frame modification and would result in a very expensive eBirdy what would limit the amount sold (the Birdy is already close to the price of a Brompton Electric, adding a high end expensive Fazua motor would end up with a close to 5K€ eBirdy).

A simpler solution would be a eBirdy with a Mahle Ebikemotion rear hub motor that accepts a real cassette and derailleur transmission but R&M doesn't work with Mahle and its also a relatively expensive solution.

I am pretty sure that R&M would never use a Chinese ebike solution.

Asian OEM producers are not selling this bag in Asia either nor the other under frame bag that R&M offers in EU. Instead they sell their own design of under frame bag. This allows me to assume that R&M do not allow them to distribute these R&M bags for whatever reason.

for the BB I got mixed up because if we want to upgrade to a double chainring (or a crankset that supports either 1-by or 2-by chainring) then a longer BB is needed.

Hi,
I've found a pre-owned MK1 for fairly cheap. There are plenty of photos, and the owner seems to be responsive/genuine, however I would still basically have to buy this bike 'blind'.
Is there anything I should know before buying such an old Birdy? Is there anything I should ask the seller specifically? I should mention, this would be my first folding bike, so I'm totally unaware of what to be looking out for.

Would appreciate any and all advice re. purchasing pre-owned Birdys - Thanks!

Hi! I know nothing about MK1, but in general terms: Beware of any signs of it having crashed before, and ask about this. Check the pictures carefully for any signs of cracks. Especially if you or the owner are heavy. The MK3 was strengthened in strategic spots, afaik because MK1 and MK2 were breaking (afaik mostly the rear swingarm, but also the front swingarm). Ask how far it has been ridden, that's nice to know. Beware that for MK3 the manual specifies that certain frame parts should be replaced after X kilometers, see earlier in this thread. Ask about cracks in the elastomers, I guess? I don't know if MK3 replacement parts will fit an MK1. Better not go mountain biking with it :)

If/when you buy it, maybe check for play in the swingarm bearings and headset bearings. Check if rims are worn (this is a rim brake bike I guess). Best of luck!