Friday I'm in Love
 

They're here :D

Thanks for all the help in this forum. You guys are great!

who would not. congrats ! a black and a red BFs. so i assumed yours is the red one. that's a nice one. you'll have fun with that bike.

Thanks! Actually, mine is black. The old "coin flip" method... ;-)

That explains why the red one is in the background. Don't wanna give it too much screen time, lol.

Congrats!

COOL! Figured yours had to arrive anytime now.

Any ride reports yet???

Lou

We just did a little ride around the parking lot. I must say, the drops feel weird. I hope I can get used to it, the breaks and gears seem really far away to reach and I hit my leg with bar end shifters getting off the bike.
I still need to adjust my seat and pedals (both brand new, so it's normal), and will try to move the handlebars up a little. We won't have a chance to take it for more of a ride till next weekend, but hopefully I will work out the kinks.

The bikes are gorgeous though, that's the important thing, right?;)

Congrats.

Congrats on the new bikes! So do you already have an adventure or an epic ride planned out yet?

you're absolutely right about this one. had my tikit2 also (although mine is used) just recently and love it. i was like - how did i miss this one out when i was starting to venture into folding bike. but seriously all i wanted at that time was a cheap commute bike. never had imagined that by joining this forum i could get the much talked about 'FOLDERITIS'. now i am hooked - the $100 bike that i wanted had grown and grown into an expensive hobby. i have to blame everyone here - jur, sesamecruch,lalato,vik, brucemetras, thor, trekjapan and all of you guys.....seriously my name is vic and i am a FOLDERITIC.......

Just looked at your pics a bit closer - you have folding handle bars on both!!! Read my recent post about making sure all the metal shavings are out of them and greasing the sliding parts.

Looks like you could rotate the drops 'up' a bit to make it less of a stretch. If it's still to far, changing the stems (horizontal piece between the folding stem and the handle bars themselves). I did it on my NWT after injuring my shoulder several years ago. It only takes the a shorter one and a Hex Wrench (recommend the Nashbar set for home use. http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...:referralID=NA

Have fun!!!

Lou

There's no Cure! Have fun. ( Lift the drops up. )

Congrats, the bikes look great! The drops do look a bit low in front but mine are set way up.

Wish I could figure out how to attach photos (from my computer) in my posts. Grrr....

Good evening to you all,

Now that this post has become more congratulatory than anything else (of which I give you congratulations on as well), I thought I could steer this conversation to assist me.

I have been a road cyclist for the last three years, and have been considering getting a Bike Friday World traveler. I have been doing a lot of reading about them, and think that they might be the right fit for me.

Here are my questions:

Would anyone recommend getting this bike for touring long distances?

Are they dramatically slower than a typical road bike?

Can they handle the weight of panniers?

Thanks guys

If the bike is not a good fit, I would discuss it with the BF people. They have for example those those temporary adjustable stems that you can get on loan to try different handlebar positions.

Kam

I have been looking at your drop bars... it seems to me they would be far more comfortable if the top part leading to the levers was at least horizontal or even slightly upwards. Downwards like in your pic they can't be of much help.

This is our daughter's NWT and her "drops" set-up.

The "hoods" are in the higher position Jur and I have mentioned.

heh heh..... Glad somebody got it... ;-)

Go to advanced and click on the picture icon. There should be an option to upload from computer, but I admit it's not very intuitive.
I don't really know how to reply with quotes in one post, so doing it separately, sorry about that.

This is exactly what this thread was meant to be. ;) I was ordered to show off pics when our bikes arrive.
To answer your questions, "yes" to all. There some very helpful threads in this forum you could read, have a look around.

Thanks. Yes, I don't think it will be problem getting the assistance from BF. I want to try to adjust things myself first and those bars are way too low, as everybody is saying.

I will try that, thank you!

It's a beauty! Yes, her bars look much better.

Yes we both got the stems, so the bikes fold better. Will follow your advice, thank you for pointing it out.

Try the [""]+ icon on the right just below this message. Select all the messages you want to reply and then reply with quotes.

Kam

Thanks Lucille, let's give this a shot:

Oh, nice! I was considering this colour, but ended up upgrading seat post and getting the folding stem instead.
What is that stuff attached to your stem, with the wires?

1: Absolutely YES!! Check BF's website for ride reports from long distance owners

2: Only if the gearing is still 53/39 rather than something like 60/50 to make up for the small wheels. Some BFNWs use the Capreo system to account for this.

3: Absolutely YES, if fact they handle panniers better than full size tourers because the smaller wheels are stronger and the load sits lower, improving the balance of the ride for the rider.

Thanks! I've found the colour scheme to be a bit muted, most people would go with white lettering on red background but my fav colours are red and black so I stuck with that.

Hrmm...not sure which wiring you're referring to but the stuff on the stem itself is for a battery for my Dinotte 400L light on the handlebars, then there is the Rohloff shifter wiring from the right drop and there is the wiring from the bike computer.

Now that I know how to attach pics, I am going to take a few more shots over the next day or so after some cleaning and post it on the original thread I had about ordering a BF NWT. Those may clear up any confusion about what is on the bike. :)

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/9836/img2795.jpg
Mine need a bit of adjustment too. Hoods are fine but drops are wrong angle.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3474/...9a410ced_b.jpg

Lucille if you are not used to drop bars they may take some getting used to, but they are quite nice once you have them dialed. I run my drops so the flat part behind the brake hoods is flat, but I mount the hoods fairly high on the bend.

There are quite a few adjustments you can make to your hand position:

- rotation of drops up and down
- length of stem
- placement of brake hoods
- bar tape + extra padding

It's worth spending some time playing with the options to find out what works for you. I've met happy riders that had their drops setup in every possible variation. There really is no right answer. Don't be afraid to strip the bar tape off your bars and move the bar and the levers around a bit until you find out what makes you happy. Swapping in a different length/rise of stem is cheap and can also make a big difference depending on how you feel about the height and reach to the bars.

Lastly many riders will use a double layer of cork bar tape or a single layer of tape with some gel padding underneath. If your hands get sore or numb that's something to consider.

Your bikes look great...take the time to adjust them to your body and they'll make you very happy.