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Replacement for a Bike Friday Tikit

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Replacement for a Bike Friday Tikit

Old 03-24-14, 08:22 AM
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Replacement for a Bike Friday Tikit

Once upon a time I had a Bike Friday Tikit that I loved, but was unfortunately stolen from my basement. I need a replacement now, and was wondering if there were anything comparable on the market, regarding folding speed and the Tikit's awesome ability to carry a shopping bag while rolling on its front wheel.

I love Bike Friday, but even at the time I thought it was a very expensive bike to be buying and now it seems to be about $400-$500 more for the same hyperfold model.

Last edited by kubark42; 04-01-14 at 09:11 AM.
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Old 03-24-14, 09:27 AM
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was wondering if there were anything comparable on the market, regarding folding speed and the Tikit's awesome ability to carry a shopping bag while rolling on its front wheel.
no. there is none like it .. keep an eye out on their Pre-Loved changing Inventory of refurbished trade ins.

jeez , burgled it out of your basement inside your house ? somebody broke in?

Last edited by fietsbob; 03-24-14 at 10:07 AM.
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Old 03-24-14, 06:45 PM
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
no. there is none like it .. keep an eye out on their Pre-Loved changing Inventory of refurbished trade ins.

jeez , burgled it out of your basement inside your house ? somebody broke in?
Hmm seems like it was an inside job
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Old 03-27-14, 09:58 AM
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
no. there is none like it .. keep an eye out on their Pre-Loved changing Inventory of refurbished trade ins.

jeez , burgled it out of your basement inside your house ? somebody broke in?
Yeah, someone broke in. Sad, but what can you do?

Thanks for the advice, too bad no one else is in the market so we'd have a wider number of options.
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Old 03-27-14, 10:02 AM
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there are options, the fold in half DaHon types, and Brompton,


But, all other companies only make 1 size bike. no SML..

Their BTO list on choices, is extensive..

Last edited by fietsbob; 04-02-14 at 01:09 AM.
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Old 03-31-14, 05:38 PM
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
there are options, the fold in half DaHon types, and Brompton,
But, all other companies only make 1 size bike.
I've never seen any Dahon bikes that fold quickly like the Tikit or have the ability to be wheeled around while carrying my shopping.

Brompton makes an awesomely small fold, but it's not a quick fold at all.
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Old 03-31-14, 05:46 PM
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some little tweaks Brompfication - Hinge Clamp Set, Titanium

spring behind the pac man piece and a little shorter leg on 1 side, + the longer bolt with a stop nut,

so you only back it out So far . Id expect cuts down the time for that step .

IDK if they disallow that for the fastest fold contest at the BWC..

definitely wouldn't let the BiFri Hyprfolds in ..
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Old 03-31-14, 10:18 PM
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Originally Posted by kubark42
I've never seen any Dahon bikes that fold quickly like the Tikit or have the ability to be wheeled around while carrying my shopping.

Brompton makes an awesomely small fold, but it's not a quick fold at all.
Well, I suppose "quick" is relative. Folding my Brompton takes about 15 seconds: 30 seconds tops if I'm lazy. And I've wheeled my Brompton around plenty while shopping.

Of course, the Tikit is a different beast with different characteristics, so you might just have to get another.
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Old 03-31-14, 11:30 PM
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Originally Posted by kubark42
I've never seen any Dahon bikes that fold quickly like the Tikit or have the ability to be wheeled around while carrying my shopping.

Brompton makes an awesomely small fold, but it's not a quick fold at all.
World record for Brompton folding is less than 8s. For veterans under good conditions it's probably 10-15s like Oznation states.

It may not be Tikit-fast, but then 99.9% of bikes aren't. A Tikit will never beat a Brompton in sheer usability either. So I think it's a good compromise.

If you want all-round multi-modal convenience, Brompton.
If you want fold-speed and ride quality, Tikit.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the fold speed because that few seconds seldom makes much difference.

Really a question of which makes you happiest at the end of the day.
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Old 04-01-14, 01:42 AM
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Originally Posted by keyven
Personally, I wouldn't worry about the fold speed because that few seconds seldom makes much difference.
The thing is... those times when it does make a difference, it's a lifesaver.

To the OP... I bought my Tikit used. Keep an eye on craigslist, ebay and the BF used site. You might also wish to join the the BF mailing list (Yak). I see various BF models for sale there sometimes.

Good luck!
--sam
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Old 04-01-14, 02:53 AM
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Originally Posted by Lalato
The thing is... those times when it does make a difference, it's a lifesaver.

To the OP... I bought my Tikit used. Keep an eye on craigslist, ebay and the BF used site. You might also wish to join the the BF mailing list (Yak). I see various BF models for sale there sometimes.

Good luck!
--sam
Well, I guess the same could be applied to the weight/size of a bike. The few times it does matter, it's a lifesaver. Like when you need to fit into a crowded subway, or carry it up a long flight of steps.

Unless your 'lifesaver' comment is literal because you tend to fold your bike in the middle of the highway?
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Old 04-01-14, 03:32 PM
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Originally Posted by kubark42
Once upon a time I had a Bike Friday Tikit that I loved, but was unfortunately stolen from my basement. I need a replacement now, and was wondering if there were anything comparable on the market, regarding folding speed and the Tikit's awesome ability to carry a shopping bag while rolling on its front wheel. .
Pacific iF-Move ? . Pacific
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Old 04-02-14, 08:03 AM
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Originally Posted by keyven
World record for Brompton folding is less than 8s. For veterans under good conditions it's probably 10-15s like Oznation states.

It may not be Tikit-fast, but then 99.9% of bikes aren't. A Tikit will never beat a Brompton in sheer usability either. So I think it's a good compromise.

If you want all-round multi-modal convenience, Brompton.
If you want fold-speed and ride quality, Tikit.
Curious that people go on about folding speed, when that's not really the tikit's strength. It's customizability. Here is how I'd describe it:

If you need size over most other considerations (and that's not an uncommon need), Brompton.
If you want fold speed, ride quality, customizability, and proper fit, get the tikit.

On my tikit, I have used standard parts to upgrade and customize: my handlebars, grips, front stem, grip shifter, entire brake system, tires (to ones which until recently the B couldn't even fit), front chainring (53->60T), chainring guard, cranks, pedals, chain, cassette (8->9), hubs, bearings, rear derailleur (medium->short SRAM), kickstand, child trailer mount, computer and lights, seatmast, and seat.

[If the above is true, apparently I normally fold my tikit at twice the speed of the world-record Brompton champion. :-) ]

Last edited by feijai; 04-02-14 at 08:42 AM.
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Old 04-02-14, 11:58 AM
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Other than bragging rights, Please, describe where, in the course of a day , the fold, as fast as popping a balloon, is required..
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Old 04-05-14, 12:58 AM
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
Other than bragging rights, Please, describe where, in the course of a day , the fold, as fast as popping a balloon, is required..
Running to catch a crowded subway train before the doors close.
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Old 04-05-14, 10:05 AM
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I don't miss living like that..

I could barely afford living on the surface of SF in the 80's, let alone hauling myself thru BART every morning..
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Old 04-05-14, 08:49 PM
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I lived in Chicago when I first got the Tikit. It was there that I realized how awesome it is for this particular multi-modal use case.

In between Chicago and San Francisco I lived in Salt Lake City. It was there that I realized that the Tikit, while a great bike, is just OK for a traditional bike commute (10 miles each way). The only real advantage it had there was that the bike fit neatly underneath my cubicle desk. And you don't need a super fast fold for that.
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Old 04-07-14, 09:06 AM
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Originally Posted by Lalato
To the OP... I bought my Tikit used. Keep an eye on craigslist, ebay and the BF used site. You might also wish to join the the BF mailing list (Yak). I see various BF models for sale there sometimes.
I'd definitely keep my eyes open on the YAK. Because it's a listserv, it's very convenient.
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Old 04-08-14, 02:46 PM
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My wife brought a Tikit with carbon belt last year. She loves it and would never consider a different bike. It is a bit pricey but those carbon belts are an incredibly smooth and quiet ride
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Old 04-08-14, 04:54 PM
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Originally Posted by wajg3
My wife brought a Tikit with carbon belt last year. She loves it and would never consider a different bike. It is a bit pricey but those carbon belts are an incredibly smooth and quiet ride
i've test-ridden three different configurations of Tikit in the past month. it's an excellent bicycle. i may even go so far as to say it is, overall, "best in class"....

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Old 04-09-14, 12:11 PM
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Well, I just picked up a used tikit last night. 8-speed with a front derailer. I took it for a short spin but rear derailer needs some quick adjustments. I should have more to say soon.
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Old 04-09-14, 02:40 PM
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Originally Posted by invisiblehand
Well, I just picked up a used tikit last night..
A relapse of folderitus
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Old 04-10-14, 09:30 AM
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Originally Posted by Human_Amplifier
A relapse of folderitus


The best part is that it was the boss's idea.
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