Hello

Does someone know what the difference is between the iF Reach (LX), and the three models from the Reach series (SL, Racing, Trail)?

Are some of them non-folders, just compact bikes?

Thank you.

The iF series are true folding bikes with a hinge in the frame, but the Reach series does not fold, although they do break down for travel. My Reach is a few years old, and you can remove the front wheel and use a quick release to swing the rear triangle forward so that the whole package can fit in a suitcase. The design has changed somewhat since mine was made, so I am not sure if the newer ones work the same way.

The fold on the iF bikes is not the most compact, but it is very fast and the bike can roll on its tires while folded.

These are very nice bikes and I would recommend them.

Thanks for the input. More googling did confirm that the iF Reach folds at the hinge like Dahon et al., while with the Reach series, the rear wheel rotates and ends under the frame and the front wheel must be removed:



Since I intend to take this bike for my first travel by plane, I don't know whether to choose the iF Reach (""93cm(H) x 41cm(W) x 66cm(L)"), or one of the three Reach models ("54cm (H) x 21cm (W) x 73cm (L) with wheel removed").

I to am considering an IF reach in the UK, good discounts too, there very nice and have good write ups, look on youtube as well they have some videos showing the fold, also on the nyce wheels website!

I'll check it at the store this week. Apparently, it's about 1,500€.

Another thing I noticed, is that the iF Reach XL uses tires that are slightly bigger than eg. Tern/Dahon:

• Reach : "Tire Primo Comet 20x1-3/8 (37-451) 85psi"
• Tern (Verge x10): "Schwalbe Durano, 28-406"

Infos from Sheldon Brown:
There seems to be very little choice for 451 tires: Is it possible to use 406 instead?

No. 451 and 406 refer to the rim's diameter;despite the fact that they are both referred to as "20inch",they are different size wheels and the tires are not interchangeable.

Thanks for the confirmation. It's too bad Pacific Cycles made that decision :-/

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Edit: In addition to Primo Comet (no web site?), 451 tires are available from Schwalbe and Kenda.

Starting from your Post #9 in THIS THREAD from last November, most of the 451 tire options have already been presented to you ..

I've been happy with the tire choices available for my Reach, and I've grown quite fond of the 451 rims. Right now I have some Maxxis DTH BMX tires that were recommended by my bike shop.

An unrelated question for Bruce: Do you happen to know of any good aftermarket brakes that fit the Reach? I asked my shop to see if they could do an upgrade when my pads last wore out, but what they had available was just a tiny bit too long to fit. (The difference was subtle enough that they didn't discover it until they tried to mount them.) The existing brakes work fine, but you know, can't resist the temptation...

Thanks, forgot about that thread.

Sorry, I don't have a definitive answer here.. I never ran into the problem you describe, and my Reach is running caliper brakes which take generic pads (I'm running dual compound Kool Stop) .. I would assume the V-Brakes on yours are also using generic pads .. I'd measure what you have and go from there, but I'd be looking for Kool Stop BMX pads (FOR 20" WHEELS) .. shouldn't have to modify pads for the Reach..

Ack, I guess I wasn't very clear. Getting the right pads was no problem. But I thought, well, since I'm buying new pads, why not upgrade the entire brake assembly? It was the brake arms that didn't quite fit right. So I ended up with my original brakes but new and improved pads.

Tell me about the caliper brakes you have. Did you have to do any special magic to mount them? And do you think the braking performance is improved compared to the V-brakes I have?

Because it looked like a good bike for long rides and was available at a bargain, I ended up getting the Reach Trail. I'll take it for a long ride over the week-end to see how it goes.

With some practice, it shouldn't take more than 5-10mn to remove the porteur rack + front wheel, rotate the rear wheel, remove the seat and handlebar, and put the whole thing in a bag.

If someone's interested, I folded the Reach XL:

1. Deflate and remove front tire
2. Unscrew and remove front rack
3. Unscrew shock absorber
4. Rotate fork
5. Rotate rear wheel toward frame
6. Remove handlebar and fasten on side of bike
7. Remove seat
8. If available, remove or fold pedals

Advice:

• Use fabric to protect fork while it's sitting on ground
• Have small box to hold screws and washers, and wet wipes to clean hands afterwards
• Before folding, switch to smallest chainring and biggest cog
• It can take a bit of fiddling to undo the screw that holds the rear shock absorber to the frame
• For smaller package, the rear wheel can also be removed; Find a way to hold chain, and protect derailleur.

Caliper brakes would mount easily as the bike can take either caliper or V-Brake.. your bike has flat bars, so V-Brakes are the norm due to the cable pull with your brake levers .. my bike has drops and STI, so caliper brakes were used (again mainly due to the differences in cable pull).. there are always work arounds to mix and match, but you won't get more powerful braking going to calipers on your bike..