Bike Friday has changed the Tikit hinge design to make the stem stiffer. The silver clamp in the picture above is larger than the older design.
The hinge plates are also larger.
Instead of two brake cables a single 4mm aircraft cable is used. You can see the cable routing in the pic above leaving the bottom of the steerer tube and following the underside of the frame to a termination just behind the BB.
Cable tension can be adjusted by a nut where the cable terminates. The new design seems to have solved the flexing problem some earlier Tikits had and can be retrofitted to Tikits with the old hinge/cable system.Update: I tried out an older style Tikit without the upgraded stem hinge @ Urbane Cycles. I finally understand what all the hubbub about flexing was about. The new hinge system is 100% better. Personally I wouldn't buy a Tikit with the old system unless the LBS did the upgrade as a condition of purchase.
5 comments:
Hello,
sorry for my english, but I am french ! I would like to buy a TIkit because I find this bike great, but I am afraid with the cable. Do you think the flexing problem is solved ? Is the stem stiffer now ? Do you have problems with your tikit ?
Thanks a lot for your response,
JY
Hey JY,
I have no noticeable flex in my Tikit's stem. I would say it is solved by the new cable/hinge. I'm happy with the cable system and would pay the extra $150 to get it again.
If you have any doubt about the cable maybe you should get the Model T Tikit that does not have the cable system and you manually open and close the stem?
Hello again !
thanks a lot for your response. It is true that I prefer with the cable !I live in Paris, and if there is a problem with the cable, it will be difficult for me to solve it.
I have another questions : do you think that it will be better that I buy another cable with Bikefiday ? do you think that I can find this kind of cable in France, in case of problem ?
And as you say that there is no problem, I think that I will buy the Tikit with the cable. It will be good for the tube and the bus.
thank you very much for your help,
Jean-Yves
Hi Jean-Yves,
I don't think you need to buy a spare cable with your Tikit. Just have a look at it once every month or two. It is a very thick cable now and I think it will last a long time. My guess is at least 2 years+.
If you ever need a spare Bike Friday can send you one in a letter sized envelope.
Enjoy your Tikit and please send me pictures of you and your bike on the streets of Paris.
au revoir,
Vik
I have a 2007 Tikit and got an upgrade kit which I fitted this week. The improvement in ride quality is immense - I never would have dared climb out of the saddle with the two wire set-up.
Fitting the upgrade kit is not an easy job however, I would suggest that anyone who wants the bike to fold exactly as before, or who is unfamiliar with tapping holes precisely should get their local bike shop to do the upgrade.
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