I've had my Tikit about a month now and considering it is winter I've been able to ride it almost everyday. Let me correct myself - I've been able to come up with reasons to ride it almost every day! Mostly short trips around downtown, but I have done a few 13km rides to visit friends. In the same period I pulled down my touring bike twice to carry recycling to the depot since it has racks front and back.Has the Tikit lived up to my expectations? In short yes. It is both fun to ride and very practical. It definitely has some limitations and I wouldn't replace my other bikes with the Tikit, but the Tikit fits into a gap that none of my other bikes could. The Tikit really is a mobility enhancer. My other bikes are great at what they do - hauling cargo, going very fast, etc..., but they can't touch the versatility of the Tikit. I use it to run errands and now don't have to haul a lock as I just take it in with me. When I need to pick up a rental car I ride the Tikit there and then throw it in the trunk until the car goes back and I ride home. I'll ride to the train station with the Tikit and meet up with a co-worker for the drive to our office outside the city. If a different co-worker is heading back into town when I want to leave the Tikit fits easily into any vehicle without drama. How good is the Tikit? Well I'm at the point now where it is so integrated into my lifestyle I couldn't imagine not having it close at hand.
Here are the things I love:
- quick effortless fold
- enjoyable ride/great handling
- smart effective design
- fits like a full size bike
- robust/quality feel
- easy to roll while folded
Surely there must be some downsides? Yes there are the Tikit is not perfect.
- Schwalbe Marathon tires are a bit harsh and not very fast - although they are quite tough which is a plus for commuters.
- the single sided pannier rack is of limited utility as it disturbs the bikes great handling
- no rear rack available yet
- no internal geared hub option yet
- limited tire selection in 349 wheel size
2 comments:
Glad to hear you are enjoying your tikit. I've tested a few tikits at Velo Sport in Berkeley and also enjoyed the ride. Planning on getting one myself. I already own a Pocket Rocket Pro which I love! I like the paint job selection on your tikit. Is it Stealth Black?
Hi Vik - someone sent me the link to your blog and I enjoyed checking it out. Looks like you've been enjoying your Tikit a lot! That's great! I've been toying with getting one, as I went car-free a couple months ago. I do have a Bike Friday (Pocket Pilot) and it does fine in various situations, but I can see how a Tikit would come in handy in other situations. :) Here's the link for my car-free blog: http://carfree-char.blogspot.com/
I also keep a blog for my bike commute: http://bikerchickchar.blogspot.com/
Okay, enjoy your Tikit! :)
Charmaine
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