SesameCrunch

FYI to Tikit owners: In case you haven't received the notice from the company. Here is the email that I received.

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Caution Notice for tikitTM owners

Several tikitTM owners have reported a crack forming on their tikitTM frames that is potentially dangerous to the rider. DO NOT RIDE YOUR tikitTM UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED FOR THIS CRACK or HAD IT CHECKED AT A BIKE FRIDAY DEALER.

If your tikitTM DOES NOT have a crack it is safe to ride. We will be mailing you an upgrade kit soon.

If your tikitTM DOES have a crack then do not ride it until you get that piece replaced. See directions and pictures below.


There are two sites to check for a possible crack. Site #1 is right below the joint of the straight arm of the lower seat mast. It is the area we have had the most reports from. Site #2 is at the "keyhole" of the seat mast. We have only had 2 reports of a crack developing here out of all the tikitTM we have made.

The customers that have reported these cracks tend to be taller and/or heavier than average and ride their tikitTM a lot.

Bike Friday co-founder Alan Scholz has been riding his early 2007 tikitTM daily for commuting, as well as long (80+mile) tours through the mountains with 50mph descents, such as on Cycle Oregon last year. We destruction test our bikes, but also ride the *!@#* out of them ourselves!

Since we have found a potential safety issue please take it seriously and check your bike. The chances of your bike having this problem is very low but we don't want you to get hurt!


The lower seat mast part of the tikitTM frame. Both Site #1 and Site #2 are on this part of your tikitTM.


Potential crack site #1. The crack area is usually right below where the straight leg of the seat mast begins. This picture shows a crack there. We will be sending a special brace that can be easily installed on your tikit to prevent any crack forming in the future.



Potential crack site # 2. This crack begins from the round hole and travels outward. There is no crack in this picture. The 2 cases that have been reported were traced back to a very unusual manufacturing process problem. We have made adjustments in our process to eliminate those factors.This change was made on tikitsTM built after April 20, 2009.


This is the crusher machine specially built to reproduce the problems reported by our customers.



If you do not have a crack then you can safely ride your tikitTM until the safety upgrade arrives (we are sending it soon). Then you or your local dealer/bike shop can install the brace that will prevent any crack from happening in the future. It is a very simple and easy process.

If you do have a crack then give us a call or e-mail and we will build you a replacement seat mast. 1-800-777-0258 or safetyupgrade@bikefriday.com


Please be aware of the weight limits for the tikitTM:

- Weight limit for Small and Medium tikitTM is 190lbs/86kg.
- Weight limit for Large tikitTM is 220lbs/100kg.

- If you are over these weight limits then you need a heavy rider upgrade available for up to 260lbs/118kg.

General caution for all folks riding any bike regularily (not just Bike Fridays):

You may be aware of several bicycle and bicycle component recalls going on right now in the industry. With this reminder about possible bike part problems it is a good time for a general safety reminder.

Bicycles are one of the most highly stressed commonly manufactured products in the world. A typical bicycle is asked to support about 10 times its own weight with little maintenance and in an extreme open environment. There is a conflict in regular bike design between light weight and durability. We all like a light bike to go with our low horsepower motor. Bicycles are one of the wonders of the world but you must care for them. The more frequently you give your bike a check over and needed tune-ups the longer it will carry you safely. . Click here to see an ABC bicycle maintenance list

Let Bike Friday Customer Service know if you have any questions about how to deal with this issue. safetyupgrade@bikefriday.com

Safe summer riding!

Hanna Scholz
General Manager
Bike Friday


BIKE FRIDAY. PERFORMANCE THAT PACKS
https://www.bikefriday.com
3364 West 11th Ave, Eugene, OR 97402 USA
Phone 800-777-0258 | Fax 541-687-0403

folderfan

I don't see any photos. Is there a link to photos on the BF web site?

Silverexpress

I could not find any info on this from the BF website. Also what the heck is a TikitTM? I have a Tikit with Hyperfold. I will be calling BF today when I have the time to find out more info.

Chop!

Trade Mark? LOL?

longlong14

i think it's the model t.

SesameCrunch

Here are the 4 photos that came with the email...






TM stands for trademark. The name Tikit is trademarked.

I'm surprised some of you Tikit owners have not been notified. Perhaps you bought from a dealer? At any rate, I'm glad I posted the email notice, then. You should contact Bike Friday for sure.

folderfan

Thanks!

feijai

Having just gotten off the phone with BF, I think the first photo is the important one. It shows a stress fracture in the straight leg of the "aardvark" (see the first scene in this video after the music and series of still pictures at the beginning). That's the one showing up enough in size-Medium and size-Small Tikits (due to their thinner tubing there) that BF decided to construct a fix (the brace) for all Tikits regardless of size. The brace essentially completes the triangle, relieving stress at that point. BF will be sending out the brace soon, and of course will replace any damaged aardvarks. Also all new aardvarks and replacements, I am told, use size-Large tubing.

The crack site in the second photo is apparently rare and due to a manufacturing defect, not stress.

After they got customers informing them of the stress problem, they built the machine in the fourth photo to replicate the failure. It doesn't fail on the machine with the new brace.

tcs

Nope, this is all news to me; I've heard nary a word. I purchased direct from BikeFriday just last November.

tcs

tcs

https://www.bikefriday.com/images/email/1576/

tcs

fafnir

Bummer, just checked mine and it has the crack. Sounds like I have to wait about 2 weeks for the replacement which is kind of a bummer since the nice weather season is so short in Minnesota. :-( Happy though that they told me about it before it broke completely.

tcs

When I got home last night there was an orange card in the mailbox from the mail carrier, informing me they had a package from GreenGear for my pickup at the post office.

tcs

SesameCrunch

Ha ha. Me too. Certified mail. Gonna pick it up today.

vik 

One of my Tikits has a crack and I'm still riding it. I just inspecting it daily. I don't think I'm in any immediate danger. I'm glad BF made me aware of the problem. I can evaluate the risk and decide what to do about it now that I know about it.

Speedo

I checked our Tikits when I received the e-mail notice. Mine is clear. My wife's has a paint chip at the apex of the joint, but no visible crack. No sign of the brace in our mailbox yet.

Speedo

Silverexpress

Got a notice from the Post Office too for a package p/u awaiting a signature. Gonna get it later today. Did not state from who though.

Post Note 06-10-09: It was from BF, and it was the part as shown below

SesameCrunch

I got the safety upgrade and installed it. It was an ingenious, lightweight solution. Installation was not too bad, but in my case, was complicated by the new part being a little too long. I had to file it down so it would line up properly. Took about 30 minutes in total.

I feel good about having the extra support for the seat tube, especially as I am on the outer edge of weight limit for the medium frame.

The safety part is the horizontal silver strut in the middle of the picture.

EvilV

Interesting to see how it works. Maybe the model you have is built for very light riders, I'd have thought most bikes would take 100kg easily which is way heavier than you are (I'd guess).

SesameCrunch

I have the Medium size frame, which accomodates up to 190 lbs. The Large size frame uses heavier tubing and can handle more weight. I chose the medium because it's a couple of pounds lighter. When I ride the Tikit, I am conscious of the weight issue, and stand on the pedals to take the load off the seatpost when situations warrant.

fafnir

Just got an e-mail from BikeFriday saying that the replacement part (mine cracked) is on its way to me. Bummer that they sent it ground though.

fourhourcommute

Can someone who has installed the brace comment on whether/how much it affects pushing the bike around while folded? From the pictures and from eyeballing my tikit, it looks like it interferes with getting a good grip on the handle. Mine is a size large, I weigh no more than about 175 pounds, I don't see any cracks, and I push the bike around a lot. I lift it onto buses by that handle all the time, so I'm wondering if I should install the brace at all.

fafnir

Yay, my replacement part arrived and I installed it last night. Unfortunately though the new safety upgrade does not fit the new part. The hole is a good 1/4 off where it should be (no I do not have something upside down) Need to call Bike Friday again, but at least I can ride the thing now. At least I had the brompton as a backup.

SesameCrunch

The upgrade affects the way you hold the handle a little bit. Not a big deal for me as I am an occasional folder.

If you have a large frame and you only weigh 175, I don't think you need to worry about this safety upgrade at all.

SesameCrunch

Yup, mine was the same way. I had to file the hole a bit to get it to fit.

kubark42

And if you're 70kg instead? I just ordered a Tikit and I have every intention of folding it every day I use it, so any hinderance to rolling or lugging will be unwelcome.