Vik's Tikit to Ride

This blog is moving....

2008-11-29T09:58:00.002-07:00

I'm moving this Bike Friday Tikit Blog to a new location - here. It will be combined with my other bike blogs for a one stop bike blogging experience!

If you just want to read about folding bikes - no worries. When you jump to the new blog you will see at the top right a section of links titled "categories". If you click on folding bikes you only see the folding bike related posts and this is essentially the content from my Tikit Blog just in a new location/format.

Also note that if you only want to read about the Tikit you can do that as well. Just look near the bottom of the right side of the screen on the new blog and you'll see a section of links called "Tags". If you click on "Tikit" you'll only see posts about the Tikit. You can click on "Bike Friday" and only read posts about our favourite folding bike company.

I will be moving all the content from this site over to the new blog - although that process may take some time. This site will remain active until Blogger sees fit to get rid of it so until the transition is complete you can use this site as an archive and the new site to read any new content.

This is officially the last post on this blog. All future posts will be at the new location.

Tis the season!

2008-11-20T12:26:00.002-07:00

There is snow and ice on the streets again...*sigh*...and so it was time to remove the Greenspeed Scorchers and replace them with the stock Schwalbe Marathons. To say I like the Scorchers is an understatement. They are fast. comfortable and flat free - what more could you ask for? I inspected them closely to see if there was any damage from a whole season of riding Calgary's mean streets....zero...nada...not one cut or mark on them. Amazing as I don't baby them and ride right through whatever is litering the streets and alleys of downtown. I'll be happy to put them back on next year, but at the same time I'm looking forward to continuing to ride my Tikit all winter. I probably should get some real studded tires, but I haven't seen any in 349 size and I need to wear out the stock tires in any case.

If you own a Tikit get yourself some Greenspeed Scorcher TRs you won't regret it.

Back in the saddle..=-)

2008-11-17T16:05:00.003-07:00

I've been in a cast for 6 weeks now and on crutches for most of that time so you'll have to forgive the lack of posting. The good news is that I'm walking on the cast now [which means I can bike on it!...=-)] and I'll start getting ride of the cast this week with some physiotherapy assistance.

I've already been out on one ride so far to pick up a rental car [can't drive my truck as it's standard] - of course I used my Tikit so I could just fold it and throw it in the trunk. My second mission will be to ship a box on my way to the physiotherapist's tonight. I told the physio that my Tikit was my mobility device and the only way I could make it over...lol...just to ensure I could bring it in with me.

I'm not at full speed by any means, but it feels so great to be back on the mean streets riding the Tikit. On benefit to the cast is that drivers seem to give an injured rider wide berth!

An oldie, but a goodie...

2008-11-14T08:29:00.001-07:00

This video was a big factor in convincing me to buy a Tikit. Watching this and then folding/unfolding my Dahon left me deeply unsatisfied with the Dahon:

Thanks Bike Friday!

2008-11-10T15:41:00.003-07:00

I rec'd the spare parts I ordered from Bike Friday alast week and got around to installing them today. It's definitely one of the benefits of buying a bike from a small North American company to be able to call/email and get the small parts you need to keep your bike running nicely.

I used a bit of shoe goo so I wouldn't be as likely to loose the small rubber foot that one end of the Tikit rests on when folded. The metal latch above replaces a plastic piece on the older model Tikits and holds the seatpost of the Tikit in place when folded. The plastic latch has lasted nearly a year of constant folding and although it was looking a bit beat up it was still going strong, but Bike Friday proactively identifed these plastic latches as a weak spot on the bike and came up with a long term solution that was more durable - smart.

Bike Friday Partners with Transit System

2008-11-09T08:50:00.003-07:00

Photo: Bike Friday

This video takes about Bike Friday's new partnership program with a local transit service. What is quite smart is this program solves problems for all involved:

Bike Friday gets some marketing help and sells bikes.

The transit folks get more customers interested in their service who wouldn't have used it before without the help of a folding bike at the beginning and end of their journey.

The transit customer learns about and new way to commute that might make their trip easier or might make using transit feasible if it wasn't before. The customer also gets info on where to buy these odd bikes and knows the transit service will allow them on their buses.

The great thing about folding bikes & transit is that they compliment each other well. Transit doesn't always go exactly where you need to go and biking the whole way is often too much for people. By using the transit service to cut down your trip into a manage distance to ride you make biking feasible for a lot more people. Plus the transit start and end points can be a bit further from a potential user's start and end point with the bike rides making up the difference.

Hopefully once you get folks out on a bike - even for short trips - they'll start to enjoy it more and see the obvious benefits of a biking lifestyle...=-)

Tikit's rubber foot goes MIA..

2008-11-02T13:08:00.002-07:00

I managed to lose the small rubber foot [shown above the chainring in the photo above] on my Tikit. Not really sure how, but it has seen loads of use so I shouldn't be surprised. I emailed Bike Friday and they popped one in the mail to me the next day - thanks! - some more great Bike Friday service...=-)

I'll be cleaning the post the rubber foot mounts to and using some Shoe Goo to help keep it in place.

The Folding Bike Revolution...

2008-10-31T16:39:00.004-06:00

It's been about a year since I bought my first folding bike. It's hard to remember what life was like without my Tikit. It has become such a part of my day to day life that it really is a shock realizing I've only been "a folder fanatic" a year. I can't over emphasize how profoundly useful the Tikit is and how much it has facilitated my lifestyle.

Because I no longer even ponder bike security or have to figure what I'll do with my bike later in the day when I meet up with friends or if my plans change I naturally reach for the Tikit nearly every time I have to go out and get something done. It gives me the range of a bicycle, but without the logistical hassle of dealing with locking it up/transporting it, etc...

Nivea has seen me riding my Tikit all summer, but hasn't shown much interest in it until recently. That surprised me frankly, but I didn't want to become "the annoying folding bike evangelist". I was working on her bike a few weeks back and gave her the Seasons Tikit to ride in the meantime. She seemed a bit skeptical, but she likes to ride and wheels are wheels! She got her bike back, but didn't return the Seasons Tikit. I suspected she was liking it, but didn't ask. She recently admitted that she only rides her bike to work now [it has panniers and a rear rack to carry her clothes/food] and as soon as she gets home she switches to the Seasons Tikit. She really liked the uber easy/fast fold as well as not having to lock up the bike outside at her destination. Having spent some time riding the Tikit she finally "got it"...=-)

That reminds me of how I was a year ago. I knew about Bike Friday and I was aware of folding bikes in general, but I didn't "get it". I had all the basic facts and I should have been able to work out how useful a folding bike would be, but I somehow didn't connect the dots. Even buying my first folder I was interested in having a bike I could leave at my parents place that wasn't hard to store and wasn't uber expensive, but I didn't foresee how profoundly they would change the way I get around. I eventually had my own " I got it" moment. I could see the potential of a folder and I could appreciate the finer points of folding bike design. That's when I ordered my Tikit.

I wasn't disappointed at all. The easy/fast fold is a revelation. It isn't an incremental improvement on the typical folding process other manufacturers use - it's the next level! That combined with a great ride and the ability to get a Tikit sized correctly for me puts a smile on my face every time I ride it. One thing I wasn't really expecting was the positive reaction I get from people I meet when I am out and about on the Tikit. I'll often get requests to fold/unfold the bike for people or have pedestrians comment on the bike while I'm waiting for the light to change.

So what does the future hold for me and my Tikit? I would like a rear rack that can hold full size panniers [my BF sources suggest an early 2009 release date for a touring Tikit rear rack] and I'm still looking for some metal pedals that are easily removable like the MKS EZY pedals, but that have a flat platform - beyond that my Tikit is setup very nicely. I have thought that drop bars might be a nice addition to my Tikit, but the current flat bar setup folds so nicely that I'm hesitant to mess with a good thing. If I was going to ride longer distances on a regular basis I'd probably try out some drop bars, but at the moment most of my rides are under 10kms so the comfort advantage of drops doesn't come into play that often.

Paul's Travel Tikit

2008-10-28T13:08:00.006-06:00

Paul Baker order up a very nice Tikit customized for touring and sent me the following information about it.

"I’ve recently taken delivery of the best bike I’ve ever owned – a silver Travel tikit. Silver is not a colour that Bike Friday currently offer as an option for the tikit but I managed to convince them to produce one as a special order. Well I think it looks fabulous, and looks particularly splendid with lots of black components. And yes, style and aesthetic appeal really does matter to me. I wear a lot of black and grey clothes and so even the rider is colour coordinated!

Why did I purchase a Travel tikit? Firstly I own a two-seater car (silver MGTF 160) and so carrying/transporting a ‘conventional’ bike is nigh on impossible. The tikit folds down and sits with pride of place on the passenger seat ready to be ridden at the chosen destination. Secondly, Because I will use it for touring abroad. On tours I tend to use trains, buses and ferries a lot and so it’s an ideal bike for such multi-method touring. I had intended to tour up the Norwegian coast this late summer but unfortunately my travel plans fell through. My plan is to undertake the tour next spring/early summer when the Norwegian weather starts improving. I’ll ride up the RV17 (www.RV17.no) from just North of Trondheim to Bodo – try it, it’s fabulous! Thirdly because I already own a New World Tourist – yes, it’s silver too. I wanted a newer model and the tikit does everything that the NWT does and more. I can use it to travel to work, to load the panniers at the supermarket etc."

"I decided I wanted to go for a high specification tikit. So my Travel tikit is equipped as follows:

mudguards/fenders
Schwalbe Stelvio tyres
two pannier front rack – yes it works brilliantly and I’m reliably informed will be a stock item from 2009 (great news). And I can fit my Ortlieb Rear Rollers without any difficulty, and without catching toes
Bike Friday Touring ‘H’ Bars
Avid Single Digit Ultimate brakes and levers
titanium bar stem
Brooks titanium rail Swift saddle
MKS Ezy Fit pedals – with toe clips and straps (yes, I’m a bit old fashioned but so much easier to use any shoes than only those with cleats) (I’m about to purchase MKS M Cube Ezy pedals so will be able to effortlessly swap pedals)
FSA Mega Exo Cranks etc
SRAM DualDrive with 9 speed SRAM X9 rear mechanism
Thompson Elite seat stem
rear rack (with cargo net – very, very useful)

Since delivery I’ve fitted:

Salsa quick releases on seat and bar stems and front wheel.
Cateye Strada Wireless computer
Bar bag support for my Ortlieb Ultimate 5 bar bag – it’s a great bag that has holder for my Garmin GPS device"

"So what’s it like to ride? It’s excellent. O.K. It’s not an ultra stiff bike but then I never expected it to be. As with other BR rides it rides like a ‘proper’ bike. I sought lots of opinion before purchase as to which tyres I should fit. I do not regret fitting the Stelvios one bit. My first ride was across Cambridge, (England) away from Ben Hayward Cycles (very friendly and helpful service from Rob Turner and his staff) to my car. I can honestly say It rode well with little indication of being on a folder. Since then I’ve used it most days and it continues to delight."

"The bikes future? Well, hopefully Norway next spring, maybe France (Normandy) at Easter, lots of day rides round the local lanes, commuting to work, trips to North Norfolk and the Peak District etc, etc.

Things to be aware of? I’d really like the BF sales staff to be more proactive in designing the bike. I told them from the outset that I wanted a non-standard spec’d bike and then found that I had to suggest the additional items. I would have liked them to give me more information about possibilities for gearing, upgrade parts etc. If you can do talk to Rob English (he’s very helpful).

Very many thanks to Bike Friday for letting me have a two-pannier front rack – it’s a great addition to the bike and severely extends the tikit’s usefulness.

Would I recommend a purchase – an unequivocal yes."

Shimano Nexus 8 Service Manual

2008-10-08T14:00:00.002-06:00

Thanks to Sheldon Brown and Harris Cyclery you can find the complete Shimano Nexus 8 Service Manual online here. I'm not planning on tearing down the Seasons Tikit's IGH, but it's nice to know I have the information how to do that if I absolutely needed to.

Un-folder Battles...=-)

2008-09-30T20:22:00.001-06:00

Definitely not a fair fight....

Folder Battles!

2008-09-29T07:28:00.000-06:00

The Tikit reigns supreme!...=-)

Don't panic - steel is real...

2008-09-20T13:40:00.002-06:00

If you are an observant Tikit owner you'll notice that there are a few spots on your frame where the powder coat is rubbing off. The latch that holds the Tikit closed, the back of the seat post where the rear triangle "cups" the bike in the closed position and under the bottom bracket where the hyper-fold cable runs are the areas I'm aware of.

There is no reason to panic about this or worry that your frame will be damaged in any significant way. The powder coat has been worn away by the metal on metal contact in these areas. The same action will keep rust at bay, but will not wear through the parts in question. My Tikit was my main winter bike last year - dealing with salty/gritty roads typical of Canada. A careful examination of these exposed steel areas on my Tikit shows no rust at all.

Tikit Commando Shopping

2008-09-02T21:12:00.003-06:00

I introduced Nivea to the joys of commando style grocery shopping with a Tikit. What's "commando style" shopping you ask? That's when you are at home hungry and realize you have nothing in the fridge to eat and it's 6pm. So you jump on your Tikit ride quickly over to the store, fold the Tikit, roll it inside, grab the essentials for a Thai chicken curry meal, hit the self-check out, roll out, unfold and ride home. You are in and out so fast the staff at the Safeway don't know what hit them!..=-) This procedure is most effective when wearing all black and talking on some FRS radios to coordinate your mission. With two Tikit commandos you can complete the job in half the time.

You better try this soon - it's so convenient and fun somebody is bound to pass a law prohibiting it!....=-)~

Eddy's Pocket Rocket at Sunset

2008-08-20T22:13:00.001-06:00

Eddy crossing the Bow River, Calgary, Alberta

Wed Night Folder Assault Ride

2008-08-20T22:10:00.003-06:00

We had three folders [2 Bike Fridays & 1 Dahon] out for the weekly Wednesday ride. Chris was out for his first ride with us on a nice blue Dahon Mu. Andrew is refurbishing a couple old school R 20s so our folding bike gang is growing. If we can get everyone out on the same ride we'd be up to 10 - which in Calgary is a vertble swarm of folders.

Anna's Birthday

2008-08-17T09:01:00.004-06:00

Kurt and I met up to ride over to Princess Island for Anna's birthday brunch. We stopped on the way to grab some flowers for the birthday girl.

Being overly keen we had some time to kill before our reservation so we goofed off in the park next to the restaurant.

The River Cafe is fine dining and didn't get too excited about bikes inside. Rather than argue we locked the Tikits next to the patio where we could see them. You can argue with restaurant staff, but they can do nasty things to your soup to get even so think twice about that! If they hadn't seen the bikes we could have probably smuggled them in under their "shower cap" covers, but we blew that option by riding right up to the hostess on our Bike Fridays.

After a delicious brunch with Anna and the gang we tried to catch Tropic Thunder at the Eau Claire movie theater with no luck. I'm still recovering from a slight dance floor related foot injury so I decided to pull the plug on our Tikit caper and go home for some cold beer therapy...=-)

Shimano's Nexus 8 Spew

2008-08-07T15:57:00.000-06:00

Seasons Tikit Gearing

2008-08-07T15:18:00.002-06:00

The Seasons Tikit utilizes the Shimano Nexus 8 [Premium] hub and with a 53T chain ring and a 16T cog provides a gear range of approximately 88" to 29" with the stock 37-349 Schwalbe Marathon tires.

Here is a breakdown of each gear:
1st = 28.8" [0.527]
2nd = 35.2" [0.644]
3rd = 40.9" [0.748]
4th = 46.5" [0.851]
5th = 54.7" [1.00]
6th = 66.9" [1.223]
7th = 77.6" [1.419]
8th = 88.3" [1.615]

You can get cogs in the following sizes for this hub to change the gear range as desired: 16T, 18T, 19T, 20T, 21T, 22T and 23T.

Seasons Tikit Dropout

2008-08-05T08:42:00.002-06:00

By request here is a close up of the Seasons Tikit's adjustable dropout.

Will fold for food...

2008-07-31T17:49:00.002-06:00

Sarah dropped by for a bite to eat and we decided to grab some Vietnamese food. It was a bit too far to walk in the time we had so we jumped on the Tikits. The low frame makes riding in a long dress possible and of course we just folded them up and brought them in with us. The staff was a little perplexed by two folding bikes, but once they actually figured out what they were the response was all positive.

I love riding bikes and not having to carry a lock or worry about what's happening to my bike when I leave it outside.

What kind of bike is that?

2008-07-29T17:44:00.004-06:00

One of the hazards of owning a Bike Friday Tikit is the loads of questions you get asked on every ride. This isn't a problem when you are just goofing off on a Sunday afternoon with nothing particular on your agenda, but when you need to get things done it can be tough to answer everyone's questions. Since I don't want to discourage interest in folding bikes I've made up some business cards with this blog's URL as well as my email so folks can get the info they want and I can keep moving.

Stolen Tikit - Toronto

2008-07-29T08:07:00.002-06:00

Note: stolen Tikit was white with black lettering.

My 12 year old son was just robbed by a man who confronted him one block from our house (Indian Road Cres and Abbott), who told him he'd be hurt if he didn't get off the bike. The bike was a Bike Friday Tikit that we'd bought just two hours before. It's also distinctive: white paint with black markings, unlike most which are black with white markings. http://www.bikefriday.com/tikit

Of course I realize that many many bikes are stolen, but relatively few are robberies, and the idea of a 12 year old being threatened to get a bike really is awful - my kid or any other. And so I'm appealing to the cycling community in Toronto to help. If you see a white Bike Friday Tikit going by, the thief was about 6 feet, medium build, medium brown skin, wearing just grey shorts and a sweatshirt over his shoulders, let me know: 647 502 3398. Any suggestions as to where to post greatly appreciated. The theft has been reported to Toronto Police.

Old Bike Friday

2008-07-25T23:51:00.002-06:00

I went to a friend's BBQ tonight and one of the guests showed up on this old Bike Friday. He said it was one of the first 150 ever made. I wonder if that's true? Regardless it was a cool bike. Funny thing is as we were admiring it the rear tire spontaneously exploded so he had a flat to deal with before he went home.

Seasons Tikit about town...

2008-07-25T10:41:00.002-06:00

Luckily black goes with everything.

The smart businessman avoids downtown traffic on a Tikit.

Stylish and mobile.

Photos by Mark Preston
Editing by Vik

Seasons Tikit Porn

2008-07-11T16:34:00.003-06:00

Seasons Tikit First Impressions

2008-07-11T09:52:00.004-06:00

Overall

Pulling the Season's Tikit out of the box my first impression was this didn't look like much of a prototype. The only detail that was not polished looking was the hand written "Seasons" added to the Tikit decal on the frame. The rest of the bike looked just like my Tikit except with a Nexus 8 speed hub. The ride is the same great Tikit experience just a slightly different flavour.

Frame/Fork

The Seasons Tikit is a medium frame which is about 1.5" shorter in the main tube than my large Tikit. I adjusted the saddle and bars to match my larger Tikit with the help of a longer stem. I didn't expect the medium frame to feel so different, but I am definitely more at home on a large Tikit. I can ride the medium, but I don't feel as natural on it or as comfortable. This isn't really a problem as Bike Friday will ensure you get the right size bike when you order a Tikit. My only advice would be if you are between frame sizes order the larger frame. I think the longer wheelbase will only be a good thing.

The Seasons Tikit shares the same frame as previous Tikit models which in my mind is a good thing. The only difference I noted between my older Tikit and this new model was a slightly different locking mechanism to hold the Tikit together when folded. This does away with the over latch bolt, but from a functional perspective there is no difference between how either of my Tikits fold. The hyper-fold cable operated latch system is still super easy to use and very fast.

Cockpit

The controls on the Seasons Tikit look the same as my Tikit with the exception that the Microshifter has been replaced with the Nexus shifter. The Tektro brake levers are functional and comfortable to use. The Seasons Tikit comes with a great bell. I love the sound and the design is low profile so it doesn't catch on anything when folded. My only real complaints with the controls on the Seasons Tikit are the area for your hands is not very big and the foam grips are too soft. My hands just barely fit and I don't think they are particularly large for a man. The stock grips are simply too soft - they compress when you grab them and end up putting a lot of pressure on the contact areas of your hands. I had the same issues with my Tikit and solved them by moving the controls inboard about 2cms when I installed some Egron grips.

I generally replace stock saddles right off the bat when I get a new bike. However, on my Tikit I left the stock saddle and have been pleased with it for rides up to 25kms. I might invest in something else if I was riding further, but a 25km range is pretty much as far as I go on the Tikit. The Seasons Tikit comes with the same saddle. I recommend you give it a try before you swap it out.

The stock folding pedals on the Seasons Tikit work well when it's dry. I do find they are slippery when wet. If you do a lot of riding in the rain/snow I'd consider something more grippy with a metal platform. I haven't found the ideal pedal yet for my Tikit so I use the stock pedals in the summer and switch to some metal pedals in the winter when my shoes are likely to be wet most of the time.

Wheels

The Seasons Tikit rolls on two 24h unbranded rims matched with a narrow unbranded front hub and the Nexus 8 speed IGH on the rear. This is similar to my Tikit and having 16" wheels with 24 spokes makes for a very tough wheel. I have had to do zero wheel maintenance on my Tkit even though it gets ridden quite hard. With the large diameter of the Nexus IGH the rear wheel of the Seasons Tikit has short spokes and should be very strong.

The stock Schwalbe Marathon 35-349 tires work well and are quite tough making them a good choice for trouble free commuting. Compared to the Greenspeed Scorcher TRs on my Tikit the ride is not as plush. I do like the reflective stripe on the side wall of the Marathons. A detail the Scorchers do not have.

Drivetrain

Due to a lack of time [this is the last task I have before I hit the road to the arctic!] I'm not going to be able to go into a huge amount of detail about the Nexus 8 hub. So what I'll do is provide you my feelings riding the 8 speed geared Tikit and the Seasons Tikit. I'll also include some links you can follow to learn more about this hub.

Let me first say I had no complaints about the 8 speed geared drivetrain on my Tikit. It works well and hasn't need a ton of maintenance. Even when I jumped aboard the Seasons Tikit I still thought no big deal the Nexus 8 hub works very well, but my older Tikit also performs nicely. Well to my surprise after using the Nexus 8 for several days I jumped back on my Tikit because I needed to use a bike with a rear rack and the shifting is nowhere near as crisp/quick or nice to use as the Nexus 8. I was a bit shocked frankly. I haven't checked the numbers, but the gear range on the Season's Tikit seems comparable to my Tikit and has been suitable for all my riding around town.

So what's better about the Nexus 8?

light positive action on the shifter
fast shifts through as much of the gear range as you want in one motion
shifts at a stop
less maintenance [great for rain/winter riding]
less possibility of damage when folding and transporting
more compact chain line keeping you and stuff around you cleaner

How much better is the Nexus 8 than my stock Tikit's drivetrain? Well not so great that I'd sell my older Tikit. It does indeed work quite well. However, the Nexus 8 is good enough that if I was starting from scratch I wouldn't consider any other option for gearing. The geared hub and the Tikit are a perfect combo.

Nexus 8 Links:

Brakes

The Seasons Tikit uses the same Tektro V-brakes and levers as my older Tikit. I find they perform quite well and are easy to maintain & setup. I'm still running the stock pads on both Tikits, but I'll switch to the excellent Koolstop salmon coloured pads when it comes time to replace them. My biggest pet peeve with brakes is squealing and these brakes operate silently so they get a two thumbs up in my books.

Accessories

The Seasons Tikit came equipped with fenders and the shower cap cover. I find the fenders indispensible for riding in the rain and wouldn't own a Tikit without them. The combination of the small wheels and these fenders keeps me totally clean and dry when I'm bombing around town on wet streets. Due to this I usually grab my Tikit as I'm heading out the door into the rain. I haven't used the shower cap very often simply because I don't get onto crowded trains/buses much or have to smuggle my Tikit into office buildings. However, the few times I've used it I was really gad to have the cover attached to the bike and ready for action.

One accessory I really miss with the Seasons Tikit is the lack of the rear rack I have on my older Tikit. The rear rack stablizes the folded bike very well and proves useful for carrying all manner of cargo. When I told my friend Kurt I'd loan him the Seasons Tikit to commute with while I'm away touring in the arctic his first question was does it come with the rear rack. When I said no his next question was if he could could steal the rack off my Tikit while I was gone.

Tikit Tactics

2008-07-11T08:38:00.002-06:00

Photo: stolen from Love the Fold! Blog

I had a good chuckle when I saw this picture and had to re-post it here. Hopefully the Tikit doesn't become the escape vehicle of choice for criminals....although that might be a smart choice I wouldn't want to be branded an outlaw just because of my cool bike...=-)

Tikit Cargo

2008-07-09T17:14:00.002-06:00

My Big Dummy is a superlative cargo hauling machine, but I can't take it into the post office when I get there like I can with my Tikit. I've been riding the Seasons Tikit almost exclusively recently to get a good feel for it, but it doesn't have a rack on it so I had to give my trusty old hyper-fold Tikit the nod. The Standard Tikit Rear Rack kind of blends in with the bike when you don't use it, but when you do need to haul something it's a super useful accessory.

Tikit Stolen - Ottawa, Ontario

2008-07-09T11:46:00.001-06:00

I'm posting this for the owner Ian Clysdale [ian at clysdale dot ca]:

Large black Hyper-Fold Tikit stolen in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
- has front & rear fenders
- serial # 1071

If anyone hears of something similar for sale in the area please let Ian know at the email above or the Ottawa Police [quote case 08-187576]

Hopefully we can help get his Tikit back.

The Seasons Tikit

2008-07-07T18:10:00.004-06:00

Readers of this blog will know that I love my stock 8 speed hyper-fold Tikit. It gets the nod for more trips than all my other bikes combined. I have few complaints and I have only made a few upgrades [unusual for me!]. The 8 speed drivetrain has a decent gear range and has been trouble free over the last 6 months. So what could Bike Friday do to make me excited about a new Tikit? Well I have been coveting Alex W's internal gear hub Tikit. Not enough to make the mod myself, but enough to be super excited when I heard there was a IGH Tikit prototype in the works. Naturally I was more stoked when Bike Friday let me have it to test pilot around town in advance of the model being released for sale.

The bike is the same great Tikit with new adjustable horizontal dropouts and a Nexus [redband] 8 speed hub [SG-8R25]. I'll post specs on the drivetrain and more on how she rides tomorrow, but I'll say this - the Nexus is a very smooth IGH that makes my Rohloff seem clunky and rough. The shifting has been flawless and the hub has taken all the hammering and abuse I've thrown at it so far. This Tikit will really shine when the long dark winter comes again...arggghhhh!...=-(...and shifting is immune to all the snow/ice and gritty badness that gets all over the drivetrain.

Keep in mind as you read my reports that this bike is a prototype and the production model may be different.

Tikit goes prime time...

2008-07-04T09:23:00.003-06:00

Mike Bennett from Bike Friday writes:

"By the way the author of "How To Live Well Without Owning A Car" Chris Balish, has invited me (BF) to join him at NBC Studios to show the tikit on the Today Show Monday the 14th in NYC. How exciting is that?

Kind Regards,

Mike"

Very cool....I don't own a TV, but if anyone knows how I could watch that segment online please drop me a note.

I really do love Fridays...=-)

2008-07-04T09:17:00.004-06:00

So I've got a new Bike Friday in my stable. I love the ladies down at the UPS Store, where my boxes arrive, they see the bike logo on the box and can't believe there is a bicycle in such a small box. I promised them I'd swing by with it and show them my newest little ride.

So what is it? Well that's a surprise that will have to wait until Monday. Another Tikit would be sweet, but I've been really keen on trying out Bike Friday's other offerings. Maybe a NWT or an Air Glide?

Stay tuned!....=-)

Sean's Tikit Review

2008-06-27T16:10:00.002-06:00

Sean Luke posted a comprehensive review of the Tikit online here.

Eddy & Mirye

2008-06-26T09:05:00.004-06:00

I finally had the opportunity to meet up with Eddy & Mirye - two English language students from Korea who just happen to ride a couple of nicely setup Bike Fridays. They joined us for our weekly Wed Night Coffee Ride this week. I was impressed with their lovely bikes. I don't get too see many Bike Fridays in Calgary and their rides are particularly nice!

We were able to show them some local hospitality when Mirye flatted in the middle of a totally mosquito infested section of the bike path. Luckily Joel was around with his Big Dummy so Mirye jumped on the back for a high speed evacuation run to less dangerous ground where we could fix her tube with only 1/10th the amount of bites [still a crazy amount]. I've never fixed a flat quite so quickly!...=-)

Since they have never been to the Canadian Rockies before we are going to take them bike touring in the mountains two weekends from now. That should be a lot of fun as they'll have 3-4 locals to take turns playing tour guide.

ASCII Art

2008-06-25T09:38:00.001-06:00

Posted by old school dave on Bike Forums...=-)

Standard Tikit Rear Rack 2 Month Review

2008-06-24T11:18:00.003-06:00

The most telling thing I can say about the standard Tikit rear rack is that I can't imagine owning a Tikit without it. The rack looks like a natural extension of the bike and is light enough that when you don't use it it is hardly noticeable. I've carried all manner of items strapped to the rack, but I haven't gotten around to fitting any panniers to it. My Ortlieb panniers are too large and I don't feel like investing in any new panniers specifically for my Tikit. Regardless with two panniers up front and anything else attached to the rear rack I can carry quite a load with the Tikit.

Surprisingly the most useful aspect of the standard rear rack isn't what it can carry, but rather the supreme stability it gives the folded Tikit. With the addition of this rack the Tikit went from slightly wobbly when folded to rock solid. I wouldn't own a Tikit that didn't have this rack & fenders installed.

So far the largest package I've carried was a boxed Radical Designs Trailer I was taking to the Post Office. The most demanding has been attaching a tow rope to the rack so I can haul my friend Kurt around on his longboard - I can just imagine the folks at Bike Friday cringing as they read that!

If you are keen on putting rear panniers on your Tikit the FUCAWE Blog has a pic of the Detours TEECO panniers mounted to the standard Tikit rear rack. The same post reports that Bike Friday won't be releasing the Tikit touring rack [that will accept full size rear panniers] until 2009. That's unfortunate as I was looking forward to trying out my Ortliebs with the Tikit, but given the size of the BF staff and the work they have done on the Tikit so far I can't really be too unhappy. At least I know what I'll get myself for my birthday in 2009 and then I can try out touring on the Tikit.

As far as negatives go with this rack there aren't too many. I don't love the blue PVC tubing used to protect the rack when the Tikit is folded, but it hasn't bothered me enough for me to do anything about it yet. I will eventually sit down with some black electrical tape and a beer to make my Tikit stealthy again. The production racks come with clear tubing which looks a lot nicer. The tubing is taking some wear and tear so it will eventually have to be replaced. I would estimate I'll get at least the rest of 2008 & 2009 out of it before I have to think about that.

Greenspeed Scorcher TR - 2 Month Review

2008-06-24T10:11:00.003-06:00

Read my Initial Impressions of these tires here.

I've been using Greenspeed Scorcher TR 40-349 tires on my Tikit for about 2 months now. They installed on the bike without problems and did not require any adjustment to the fenders. I've been running them at 45-55psi which has resulted in a fast comfortable ride. I can't quantify the speed very well as I don't have a bike computer installed, but on a 25km highway ride [no wind] my total time was within 90% of the avg speed I've achieved on a 700c road bike - not bad at all. Better still rough roads and surface irregularities are damped quite effectively by the larger volume and lower pressure in these tires. Not only does this make for a comfortable ride, but I think it contributes to the decent speeds I've been able to achieve. Definitely a win-win.

I've used these tires all over town in both very wet and dry conditions as well as off road a bit. The only place where I have had traction issues is in damp dirt/muddy areas which is a lot to ask of a slick tire! Again I think the higher volume and lower pressure of these tires really adds to the traction you can get - making them very reliable in just about every situation.

So far I haven't had any flats with the Scorchers despite running through lots of debris, but I do think I have a very slow leak on the rear. It hasn't been bad enough to bother fixing, but I'm losing enough air in a week to be noticeable. Since I tend to pump up my tires every couple days this isn't a problem for me. I should note that I am running the TR [Thorn Resistant] version of the Scorchers which may account for my lack of flats. The standard version is probably lighter and a bit faster, but not as flat proof.

The only downsides to using these tires over the stock Schwalbe Marathons is they lack the reflective strip around the sidewall that the Marathons have. Also they were a tight fit with the single sided Tikit front rack. They worked, but if I was going to use the single sided front rack and Scorchers I'd file down the small tab that holds the shower cap cover to give the tire enough clearance so it didn't rub.

I bought my Scorchers from the ever helpful Dana at Bent Up Cycles.

The Goose Poo Slalom

2008-06-11T22:28:00.002-06:00

Our local Canada Geese are sure getting a lot to eat based on the amount of poo they are leaving all over the place!

One wrong move and you'll be uber stinky!

Tikit Stairs

2008-06-11T21:26:00.003-06:00

Torture testing my little buddy...

Hey Vik, here is some data for your torture testing.

"All of our tikits can be built with riders up to 260#. Above the 260# limit, we need to review the design and frame materials. We would need to know your weight in order to properly design the frame. Costs are $50 for the heavy rider upgrade to 260#, most likely an additional $50-100 above this weight limit."

From Hugh at greenspeed.

A pause in the deluge...

2008-06-11T16:22:00.001-06:00

It stopped raining for a bit today. Naturally I was off like a rocket on my Tikit enjoying the [mostly] dry roads. Not to worry our generally moist weather hasn't changed it was just a break before things got really wet again! No matter. I'll take what I can get...=-)

Mechanical Engineering Tikit Article

2008-06-10T09:17:00.002-06:00

The Mechanical Engineering Journal has an article about the Tikit you can read here. It's nice to see the Tikit's clever design get noticed outside the usual folding bike circles...=-)

Rob English's Speeding Tikit

2008-06-09T22:58:00.003-06:00

Rob English - Photo:Bike Friday

Click here to read more about Rob English's 18lbs race ready Tikit. I have to say he's got me thinking about the possibility of putting together a High Speed Tikit of my own. It would be quite funny to see the faces on other road cyclists as I bomb past them at light speed on my "little bike"....=-)

FUCAWE

2008-06-09T08:54:00.003-06:00

Martin has a very nicely modified Tikit [love the red!] and has started a blog to capture his upgrades and adventures.

Seonghun & Mirye

2008-06-09T08:20:00.005-06:00

I received an email this weekend from Seonghun [A.K.A. Eddy]. Seonghun & Mirye [his GF] are Bike Friday riders from Korea that are in Calgary at the moment learning English and working.

We haven't met up yet, but I've invited them to our weekly Wednesday Night Coffee Ride. It will be nice to meet some new people and share tales from our two distant countries.

Seonghun sent me a link to a Bike Friday Club in Korea for anyone interested.

Wet Weekend

2008-06-09T08:06:00.005-06:00

We've had a lot of rain lately. Normally Calgary is an extremely dry place, but occasionally we get a couple weeks of heavy rains that transforms our city. I live on the 11th floor of a downtown apartment building so flooding hasn't been a problem for me and puddle splashing is loads of fun.

The vegetation loves it and takes full advantage of all the moisture. The Tikit looks right at home. I'm guessing Eugene, OR [home of Bike Friday] is probably a wetter place than Calgary.

I've been riding my Tikit exclusively the last few days. I haven't needed to pick up anything large with my Big Dummy and as I posted earlier the Tikit is a great rain bike. Luckily it's too large for all my friends to ride or I think I wouldn't get to see it much! I suppose that's one advantage of riding a large frame....=-)

Dream Team

2008-06-06T08:54:00.003-06:00

Early morning mission to get breakfast supplies.

Wet, but comfortable...

2008-06-02T08:23:00.004-06:00

I rode home this morning in a light, but persistant rain. I didn't have any rain gear with me, but the fenders on my Tikit kept me clean and through the magic of performance fabrics I stayed dry at skin level even though my outer layers were a bit damp.

Rainy Commute

2008-06-02T08:20:00.004-06:00

The Tikit is my favourite rainy day commuter bike. The small wheels and fenders keep me dry and clean far better than my full size bikes that have fenders. I'll have to look at the geometry of the wheels/frame to see why that is, but ultimately it means when the forecast is gloomy I grab my Bike Friday. On the plus side if the rain turns totally heinous I can jump on public transport or take shelter in a coffee shop with my folder.

Rebel

2008-05-30T08:12:00.002-06:00

Stephen Avenue pedestrian mall, Calgary, Alberta

I want to be clear - it isn't that I don't read the signs...

...I do,

...I just don't obey them.

My Tikit Trademark....

2008-05-30T07:46:00.002-06:00

It's telling that in a number of local businesses I'm known not by my name, my swarthy good looks, my witty jokes or my loyalty program card number. They know me as "...the guy with the folding bike..." I always use my Tikit when I pick up or return a rental car so the folks at Budget recognize my Bike Friday first and then connect the dots to me. I get a laugh every time someone remarks..."...oh yeah you're the guy with the cool bike!" Frequently that's followed up with "...can you turn it into a bike for me???....cool....now fold it again!.." I have even been video taped at Blockbuster folding/unfolding my Tikit because other customers wanted proof to back up their story when they got home.

Life with a Bike Friday is never anonymous or boring...=-)

Goofing Off

2008-05-30T06:10:00.005-06:00

Dwayne stands guard outside the bank.

It started as a quick trip to the bank, but didn't end for over 2.5hrs as we roamed all over the centre of town bombing around on our bikes. No real mission after the bank other than the fact it seemed silly to go home while the sun was shining and the weather was so nice. We were racing folks on the Bow River bike path getting funny looks as we cranked past riders on performance machines. After a particularly energetic burst of speed I paused to take some photos. One of the riders we had passed stopped by my Tikit and said:

"Is that a Bike Friday?"

"Yes it is I replied" - taking a shot of Dwayne crossing a bridge.

"That thing really moves!" - the rider comments.

"Yeah it does" - I replied, then added - "and this is a commuter bike not one of their really fast models."

"Do they have a website?" - the rider asked.

"www.bikefriday.com" I responded and we were off on our bikes again.

We ended up riding until a thunderstorm was upon us and all the dust it was whipping up made it hard to see. I love riding a bicycle without any other purpose except generating as big a grin as possible.

Essentials

2008-05-29T06:51:00.002-06:00

I've been away for work the last few days. Naturally I packed all the essentials....

Lynette's Multi-Modal OZ Adventure

2008-05-20T16:37:00.002-06:00

Photo: Lynette Chiang

Lynette Chiang [Bike Friday's Customer Evangelist] spent a few months spreading the good word in Australia and documented her trip for your reading pleasure. As always she traveled with style, grace, humour and a folding bicycle...=-)

Tikit Commute

2008-05-15T21:47:00.002-06:00

I'm working at home quite a lot these days, but I do need to visit our office outside of town occasionally. Yesterday I had a meeting in the next town over and was then headed for our office located on a rural property outside of Calgary. I grabbed the Tikit on my way out the door and rode 2kms to the train station - folded my bike and traveled 25kms by train to the southern edge of Calgary. With my new Blackberry I was able to deal with a few emails on the train which was nice. Once at the last station I unfolded the Tikit and rode the 25kms to Okotoks where I had a meeting. After the meeting I threw the folded Tikit in a colleague's car and went for lunch on the way back to our office. At the end of the day she gave me a lift to the train which I took back into downtown. Jumping on the Tikit I rode to meet a friend for coffee/dinner and an evening bike ride before finally heading home. I've had the Tikit long enough that I'm taking it a bit for granted, but when I think about it I'm quite amazed how versatile this bike is and how it just seems to fit into my life so well.

A few things I observed today:

The Greenspeed Scorchers are amazing on rough pavement and even rumble strips. Riding this same route with my road bike or recumbent involves some tooth rattling moments. Given my Tikit has really small wheels I was amazed that riding across the rumble strips was almost a non-event. I didn't feel the usual buzz from rough pavement at all. I pumped the rear Scorcher up to ~55psi and the front to ~50psi which seemed to work well.
My time for the 25km high way ride was 55mins for an average speed of ~27kph. My average speed along the same route [over many trips] on my Cannondale road bike was ~30kph so that is not bad at all. There was no wind on my ride and I suspect the upright position I am in on my Tikit would suffer quite badly against a headwind. Although I could fit drops to the Tikit if I wanted.
I've largely given up on bike shorts and bike specific clothing for a lot of my riding. Wearing synthetic performance fabrics I was able to ride reasonably far & hard while arriving cool and dry at my meeting.
I was happy that the 8 speed gearing on my Tikit was more than adequate for this route which entails a decent amount of climbing.

Taking care of business...

2008-05-15T21:43:00.003-06:00

Leaving yet another meeting...=-( On the bright side I rode my Tikit to get there which was fun. With the magic of performance fabrics you can ride your bike and still stay comfortable while looking somewhat presentable.

Sticky Hyper-fold Clamp

2008-05-12T10:48:00.006-06:00

Hinge clamp - note the rubber block between the two cable strands.

The clamping system on the Hyper-fold Tikit is a great design that has proven reliable and effective for ultra fast folds. One minor problem that can crop up with this clamping system is the clamp not releasing when the rear triangle is folded under the bike.

The clamp can get sticky and requires periodic lubrication. Just use any light lube [tri-flow, light grease, etc..] and apply it to the portion of the clamp that "grabs" the two sides of the stem hinge. You don't need much so lube sparingly. This takes 10 seconds and should solve your problem. So far in 6 months of use I've lubed my clamp once.

In the unlikely event that lubing the clamp doesn't sort out your problem there is one other possible cause. In the back of the clamp you should have a small black rubber block. This block is compressed when the clamp is closed. When the cable tension releases the compressed block springs back to its uncompressed shape and opens the clamp so you can Hyper-fold your Tikit. It's possible for the rubber block go go MIA which would result in the clamp not opening automatically. You can visually confirm that the block is in place.

Greenspeed Scorcher TR - Initial Impressions

2008-05-11T19:32:00.005-06:00

I've been riding my Tikit with Greenspeed Scorcher TR tires on it for a couple weeks now and wanted to share my thoughts so far:

These tires are more comfortable @ ~60 psi than the Schwalbe Marathons I swapped out which I was running @ ~70-80 psi. The extra volume [40mm vs 35mm width] of the Scorchers lets you run them at lower pressure without risking pinch flats. I will probably try lowering the pressure to 50 psi and see how I like them.
The Scorchers feel faster than the stock tires, but honestly that is just a guess and the difference is not huge. Since I don't use a bike computer on the Tikit and I tend to just ramble around town it's hard to provide any quantitative measure of speed.
My riding has taken me through quite a lot of flat causing debris such as broken glass and construction waste. So far the Scorchers are holding up fine and I haven't had any flats. I guess getting the TR = thorn resistant kevlar belted version was a good choice.
They look nice with the black bike - not vital, but having a cool looking ride isn't a bad thing....=-)
Overall I'm pleased with the Scorchers and feel they are a worthy upgrade. However, come next winter I'll throw the treaded Marathons on again.
I should note the Scorchers were a tight fit with the Tikit single pannier front rack. They have loads of clearance with the 2 pannier front rack I have installed now.

Restore Your Freedom - Ride a Tikit!

2008-05-07T22:04:00.003-06:00

Photo: Daily Randonneur

Mary Gersema A.K.A. MG writes...

"You are going to love your birthday present," Mr. Felkerino said to me, and kept saying for two straight weeks until the day of my birthday in late March, when out of nowhere rolled a fine blue Bike Friday steed. What is up w/ this guy, I thought. Doesn't he know that just yesterday I was looking around my place thinking one bicycle, two bicycles, three bicycles, what can I do? The bikes are taking over! Mr. Felkerino must have known more than I gave him credit for in that moment, though, because the instant I started riding my Tikit, my affection toward it quickly grew.

Immediately after receiving my Tikit it was entered into the LBS surgery wing because the head tube was crooked. Whoops. Bike Friday quickly responded, sending the required part, and a few days later I Metro'd over to pick up the little guy. I hopped on the steed and pedaled back to the Metro. Normally, I have to find the elevator to get my bike and me onto the subway platform, but not with my new Tikit! I quickly popped the saddle up, unscrewed the head tube/handlebars, flipped the wheel underneath, and smartly walked my little Tikit onto the escalator.

"Now that's cool!" I received an immediate validation of my Tikit from a fellow Metro passenger. Yes! I enjoyed a seamless hybrid Metro/Tikit ride back to the office. Voila! Thank you, little Tikit!

Because Bike Friday has created a Tikit-specific rack, I am able to put a Super "C" Carradice trunk rack (which can also be used as a large shoulder bag, very slick) for my commute to and from the office. As Bike Friday added a little bell on the handlebar, I am able to warn any tourists, pedestrians, small animals, and even coworkers (ha ha!) of my presence.

I experience a sense of freedom when I am out riding bike, but the Tikit has taken it to a new level. When I go up to my office, my Tikit comes along, curled up under my desk while I do my work. No worries about leaving it locked to a bike rack, where it could spend the day unattended, or get gradually dinged up. No concerns that security will apprehend me for trying to illicitly sneak a bike into my office. No frustrations that I cannot get my bike on the Metro during rush hour (although I do try to avoid that experience-that's why I have a bike in the first place!). My Tikit is a constant companion. When I leave, the Tikit wakes up, accompanies me down the elevator, and in a couple of clicks is ready to roll on home or wherever my next ride takes me.

The gearing on the Tikit allows me to easily handle the little rollers that take me in and out of the District. If you want to race around town in an imaginary competition with your fellow commuters, though, a Tikit is probably not for you. It is not a particularly fast bike, it's more like the little engine that could.

And the overcrowding issue in my apartment? Forget it. As we speak, my Tikit is nestled in the corner by my desk, not taking up any more room than a regular chair would. You were right... I do love my birthday present, Mr. Felkerino!

Tikit & Big Brother

2008-05-04T06:44:00.001-06:00

...sometimes your relatives are Big Dummies...=)

Tikit Urban Assault

2008-05-04T06:40:00.002-06:00

Karen says...

2008-05-04T06:34:00.002-06:00

..."...I love Fridays...=)"

MG & Her Tikit

2008-05-03T07:18:00.003-06:00

Photo: Daily Randonneur

The Daily Randonneur Blog had a post about the lovely MG and her Tikit. I exchanged a couple emails with her and it was great to hear such enthusiasm for her folder. As a randonneuse I'm pretty sure she has a few uber sweet bikes to choose from, but the Tikit's fun and speedy fold make it stand out just like it does in my fleet.

I'm hoping to get a guest post from MG in the not too distant future talking about her Tikit. Stay tuned. In the meantime you can enjoy these Flickr photos.

Tikit 2 Pannier Front Rack First Impressions

2008-04-30T16:59:00.008-06:00

Installation of the prototype front rack was easy. It attaches to the brake posts and to a braze-on on the bottom of each fork leg. The whole process took less than 3 mins. The rack itself is nicely welded and blends into the rest of the bike when not being used.

My first test of the 2 pannier Tikit front rack was a mission of necessity. I was all out of food and needed to resupply. I put some Ortlieb front panniers on my trusty stead and headed to the grocery store. Throwing caution to the wind I decided to restock my supply of canned goods. I'm not sure how much weight I had in each pannier, but it was in the 12-15lbs range. Riding home the Tikit's handling was predictably slower than normal. For a touring bike that's a good thing and it changed the feel of the Tikit considerably. A couple time I was going into a corner and had to readjust my line at the last minute when the Tikit didn't dive into the turn as quickly as usual. It didn't take long to get used to the new more sedate Tikit and I think I'll really appreciate the slower more stable handling on tour. I'll be interested to see how the bike handles with some weight in back to balance things out. The rack proved stiff enough that I could wiggle the bars without inducing any pannier sway.

The ability to carry two panniers up front when needed and still fold the Tikit [note - you can leave the right side pannier on when folding the bike] without having to remove the rack is really useful. I'm glad I went through the trouble of getting this rack made and really appreciate Bike Friday taking the project on. I'll keep putting the rack through its paces and report back during the summer.

I should note that Bike Friday built this rack for me as a custom order and it isn't a production item at this point. Bike Friday wants to make sure they've got the design dialed before deciding to add it to their line up of Tikit accessories. All my comments refer to the rack mounted on a large size frame. The smaller frames have less clearance between the front and rear wheels when folded so there may be some issues that I am unaware of.

Showercap & Racks

2008-04-30T15:41:00.004-06:00

Here are a couple photos of the Tikit with standard rear rack and 2 pannier front rack installed then covered with the shower cap. The shower cap still fits over the bike, but the rear rack is somewhat exposed since the back corners are rounded on the rack the shower cap won't stay in place over it.

The cap comes down almost to the ground over the front wheel, but due to the different shape of the 2 pannier front rack it is touching the front tire. If you rolled it like this you would wear through the shower cap in no time. I'll mention this to BF and suggest how the production 2 pannier front rack could be designed slightly differently to allow for an unhindered roll.

Once covered you can still lift the whole bike with the carry handle and move it around.

Broken Handlebar Latch

2008-04-30T09:35:00.003-06:00

I fold my Tikit a lot and although I try and take care of my bikes they are tools to get me around so I don't baby them. I've had very few problems with my Tikit so far and I suppose I was due for something to wear out or break. The other day as I was folding the Tikit I realized the bars were not staying in position. Upon further inspection I noticed the plastic latch had snapped where it mounts to the frame and was only hanging from one bolt.

I could still fold the Tikit, but rolling it was a bit of a drag - literally! As my right Ergon grip would rub on the sidewall of the tire. I sent Bike Friday an email right away asking for a replacement to install on my Tikit and a spare I could keep as a back up. I was happy to hear back from them that they had come up with a metal replacement part that would be much more durable - excellent! The new latch arrived a few days later with the prototype front 2 pannier rack.

Being the fashion victim that I am I painted the metal latch to match my Tikit's black frame. Installation was a snap as it uses the same hardware as the plastic latch. I did use two washers on each bolt between the latch and the frame to get more clearance for the post to slide into. Without them I had trouble getting the post inserted into the latch. Perhaps I could have just bent the metal latch a bit to achieve the same result, but I had some washers close at hand so I used them.

It's great to have my Tikit back at 100% and the new metal latch won't break under hard use. I'm glad Bike Friday had already solved this problem and had a new improved latch ready for me.

2 Pannier Front Rack Installed Photos

2008-04-30T08:52:00.003-06:00

Tikit 2 Pannier Front Rack Photos

2008-04-29T22:11:00.003-06:00

The long awaited 2 pannier front rack prototype has arrived from Bike Friday. It looks very nice. I'll be installing it tomorrow AM and testing it out on a grocery run, but I know some folks have been eager for updates on this rack so I thought I'd post some photos right away.

Bare Skin

2008-04-28T14:04:00.002-06:00

You just can't afford to waste a sunny warm day in Canada. Even a short ride to grab lunch or a run to the post office is money in the bank after a loooooooooooong cold winter.

Greenspeed Scorcher TR

2008-04-27T17:04:00.005-06:00

Even in the far north spring eventually arrives...=-) I've been waiting to swap out my stock Schwalbe Marathons for some Greenspeed Scorchers. Since the snow looks to finally be gone I took the opportunity to make the change. The Marathons were trouble free and flat free tires for me so I can't really complain. At the same time I am excited to see if the Scorchers improve my speed and/or comfort on the Tikit. I bought the TR version of the Scorchers from Dana at Bent Up Cycles. They are supposed to be less flat prone and a more rugged tire than the regular Scorchers.

It is mostly in my head, but the slick 40mm Scorchers give my Tikit a bit of a hot rod look...=-)

The Scorchers went on easily by hand - always a good thing! They fit fine under the Tikit's fenders without adjustment. As you can see from the photo above there isn't much clearance between the front tire and the tab on the front rack. I'll be removing this rack as soon as the 2 pannier rack arrives next week. If I was going to keep it I'd file down the tab a little bit to create more clearance.

Road test to follow.

Peter's Tikit Latch Upgrade

2008-04-27T14:19:00.004-06:00

Peter posted a report about his experience doing the latch upgrade to his Tikit on the Tikit Talk Group. I thought I'd re-post it here in case anyone else is considering undertaking the job:

[Thanks for the detailed report Peter...=-)]
__________________________________________________________

"I've pretty much completed the upgrade. Here are the tools I needed:

1) A drill. My old corded has managed to escape the closet it was in, and since I couldn't find it in a tidy manhattan 1-BR, and worse, neither could my wife, a new cordless was ordered as part of our prep to move in August. And for this.

2) A metric set of drill bits.

3) A set of metric hex wrenches

4) A ratchet set, metric

5) A flat-head or phillips-head screwdriver (to take off the reflector)

6) A metric tap set

7) Some grease

8) Thread-lock (loc-tight(tm) or some such. The blue stuff)

9) Patience

10) Recommended: A couple of small black wire-tie in case you need to re-tie the cable ties on the frame that support the o-ring through which the brake, derailer, and fold cables run. Also, some patience. And An extra pair of helping hands if you don't have a bike stand, as I don't. Last, if you do this, order a replacement bike friday stem decal because the double-sided tape that holds that on the bike doesn't come off easily.

The instructions that come with the upgrade kit that BF sent me were excellent, however the first 3 page are not complete, the addendum notes the proper cable routing including the o-ring and the wire ties, and it notes the need to drill into and thread a hole in the new stem. Also, note that the tap needed is an m6x1, which means a 6mm diameter tap with a 1mm spacing between threads. The common sizes in sets appear to be m6x1.0 and m6x0.75, so I was really worried. I hope that BF will update their documentation to note this.

Right now my bike is all in one piece, folded up again. The new stem is more solid. There is some flex, more than I remember... but before that was because the hinge wasn't solid enough, and the give there was noticeable enough that the flex in the stem just didn't mean anything.

The drilling of the front was a bit scary, but since I had the old stem to practice on I built up some confidence and after creating two well-threaded test holes I felt pretty confident.

Of course, before doing this I spent a total of about an hour on the phone with two techs at BF to confirm what I needed to do. Hugh, Tim, and one other rep whose name I have written down at work, but not here, were patient in answering my question and accepting my feedback (eg why didn't they pre-drill the hole and leave the tapping to the user, since that would eliminate problems like positioning the hinge at an angle that essentially screws up the fold, something that the instructions didn't explain clearly enough). The tapping was quite easy.

I noted in my first post that the stem didn't feel as stable as I thought it should. One of the reps very patiently explained how to re-fit the stem into the front forks and how to manipulate the spreader and the bearings assemblies to work it better, and sure enough when I followed his advice later Tuesday night, it all came together.

One note is that the bolts that secure the cable inside the stem is not made to be removed. Unfortunately, it took me a few tries to get my cable routed correctly, to get the distance correct, etc. so I stripped a bolt. Working in Manhattan, there aren't a lot of good mechanic-oriented shops near my office, so BF sent me out a replacement for this along with the replacement front decal, and all I paid for was the overnight shipping.

Overall, I think that David, the BF salesman, was correct in saying that this requires someone with a mechanical aptitude. Certainly if you've done it once, it would be much easier to do it a second time. However, the instructions could use clarifications in some parts, and the addendum they sent me needs to be part of the instructions, because they don't make nearly as much sense out of context, and not at the end (maybe they were meant to be the first thing).

-Peter

P.S. BF by default seems to ship with an "OK to leave without signature" for their smaller parts. You may want to tell them to not do this if you live in a place where this is not safe."

Advanced Tikit Rolling

2008-04-26T16:49:00.008-06:00

Low Roll

I've rolled my Tikit quite a lot and come up with a couple techniques that may be of interest to the new Tikit owner. The standard way to roll a Tikit is what I'm calling the Low Roll. You hold the rolling handle naturally and the Tikit is out in front of you. You are supporting about half the weight of the bike this way. This method is excellent for moving quickly [running to catch a bus] or when you have lots of obstacles to get around [busy shop]. You have good control of the folded bike and can easily move rapidly with it. The one downside to rolling your Tikit like this is you may become tired after and extended period as you are holding up a fair bit of weight.

High Roll

That's why I started using a second rolling technique I call the High Roll. By raising the carrying handle until your handle is above the Tikit you balance most of the weight on the front wheel so you can relax your hand. This works well for moving slowly [browsing in a shop] or when you stop to chat with someone. The downside is you can't push the bike very quickly in this mode and you don't have as much control for moving around challenging obstacles.

Both methods are useful and I find myself switching back and forth without thinking about it.

Saturday Downtown

2008-04-26T16:30:00.004-06:00

...fueled by 2 shots of espresso I was rambling around downtown...in search of adventure and trying my best to avoid doing my taxes...=-) Did you know my Tikit is a business expense? Part of my green business plan...cunning I know...=-)

Sarah tries the Tikit...

2008-04-26T13:58:00.001-06:00

Love the Fold? - Who doesn't?

2008-04-26T08:59:00.002-06:00

If you enjoy well written travel stories with pictures of far flung bicycle adventures you should tune into the Love the Fold Blog. I've been to India a few times, but haven't made it to SE Asia yet. So I find photos of bike travels in the area captivating.

When you read the latest posts you'll see some full size bikes [great taste BTW - I've got a Surly LHT as well!], but if you dig a bit deeper you find lots of folding bike content including some great Tikit adventures.

Tikit 2 Pannier Front Rack Update

2008-04-23T16:47:00.000-06:00

Update: the prototype 2 pannier front rack is in the mail and I should have it early next week. I'll post pictures and my initial impressions as soon as possible.

Speaking of racks. Bike Friday is working on a 2 pannier front rack for me which should be ready in the not too distant future. I'm optimistic it will be another great improvement to what I can do on my Tikit - with a few caveats:

I'm pretty sure that the rack should not have any impact on folding the large size Tikit I have. It isn't clear yet what will happen with the smaller frames.

Bike Friday isn't making any promises about this product until they see how the prototype works. As I said I'm optimistic, but you never know until you have a rack on your bike how it will perform. So price and availability are uncertain at this point.

I think a 2 sided rack for the Tikit would be very useful so I'll do my best to make it happen. If a rack like this is a critical factor in your decision to buy a Tikit I'd let Bike Friday know - sales@bikefriday.com They are very customer focused will respond to input they are getting.

Wet Tikit + Clean Apartment?

2008-04-22T23:04:00.003-06:00

I rode over to Sarah's place to watch a movie, but I realized my wet & slushy Tikit was not going to do anything nice to her clean carpets and hardwood floor. Obviously I wasn't leaving it outside! Then it came to me where do you deal with dirty things? The bathtub...*snap*...of course. I left my trusty stead in the tub while we visited and then grabbed it on the way out. The puddle of dirty water that I left behind will be history the next time the tub is used.

More Cargo Hijinx

2008-04-21T18:06:00.004-06:00

I'm pretty sure this not the use Bike Friday intended when they designed the new Tikit rack. I got quite a few strange looks at the post office when first I unfolded my Tikit and then I strapped the box I was picking up to the back of the bike...=-)

Standard Tikit Rack Review

2008-04-18T16:40:00.009-06:00

If you are a regular blog reader you'll know that I've been riding my Tikit a great deal and really enjoying the versatility of this folding bike. One thing that has been missing though is a way to carry cargo on the bike as opposed to on me. The existing single pannier front rack does let you carry some stuff with you, but its capacity is limited. I have been looking forward to the release of a rear rack for the Tikit all winter. Needless to say I was excited to get a prototype rack to test.

Before I talk about this rack I want to clarify that Bike Friday is coming out with two rear racks for the Tikit. The rack shown on this site and which I'll review is a light duty rack meant for commuting and errand running. Bike Friday is calling this the Standard Tikit Rear Rack. The second rear rack to be released late this year will be more robust and will be able to carry full size panniers. I'm calling this second rack the Tikit Touring Rack just to keep them straight in my head.

When the box arrived with the standard rack in it I had a flashback to Christmas! The rack was very light in my hand and looked like quite a refined prototype. All the welds were neat and the powder coat looked nice. The rack had 4 blue PVC tube sections installed on it as protection when folding the Tikit. Since I have an all black Tikit I didn't love the blue and started scheming about how I'd cover the tubes up with black electrical tape. Looking at the photo sent out by Bike Friday of the production rack it seems they went with a more neutral clear protective tubing which should look great with any colour Tikit.

I've installed a lot of racks in my time and more than once a beautiful looking rack turned out to be a nightmare when it just didn't want to fit onto the bike in question. One clear advantage with buying accessories designed specifically for your bike is they will fit like a glove. The standard rack didn't disappoint. It went on in a few minutes without a hitch. The only issue was having to clean the paint out of the upper rack mounting braze-ons so I could get the bolts in. In the photo of the production standard rack the fender support strut has been removed and the fender attached to the rack. I chose to leave this strut in place and just put the rack over it as I preferred how the stock setup looked. This is a purely aesthetic issue with no functional difference.

Once I had the standard rack mounted I tried folding my Tikit to see if there was any impact on the fold. Not only was the fold unchanged, but the folded Tikit now rested on the rack making it uber stable. You'd have to try hard to knock it over now - very nice. Not only did the rack add functionality to my Tikit it solved one of my few dissatisfactions with the bike. Another bonus is that the rack completely protects the rear fender from being scratched during the folding process. Bike Friday notes that you can pack the Tikit in a suitcase without removing this rack. I haven't tried this as I don't fly with my Tikit [yet!], but I'm glad they designed it with air travel in mind. The less disassembly/assembly you have to deal with when on the road the better!

I've used the standard rack for a couple weeks now carrying a variety of small loads. When not needed I don't notice the fact I have the rack mounted as it is low profile and very lightweight. I'm pleased that it doesn't interfere with the fold and the added stability of the folded bike is welcome. I've even carried a large box I need to ship on the standard rack by strapping it to the seat post. It was surprisingly stable and has really opened my eyes to the expanded capabilities of the Tikit now that the standard rack is mounted.

The standard rack will fit trunk bags, but full-size panniers will not work due to its small size. You'll have to wait for the touring rack to carry your Ortliebs! You could possibly mount some of those combo trunk bags with fold out panniers although I don't have such a beast to test. Bike Friday has indicated it will be developing luggage that will be designed to work with this rack. I'll look forward to see what they come up with. I've already been thinking about mounting a milk crate to this rack with zipties. I'd just do this when I needed to carry that extra large load and remove it afterwards.

I have experienced one problem with this rack. The protective tubing at the front of the rack can move out of place resulting in some scratching of the rack if you fold it and don't notice the problem. I'll fix this by covering the tubing with black electrical tape which will secure it in place and allow me to keep my Tikit Ultra-Stealthy-Black...=-) I've advised Bike Friday of this issue and I am confident they resolve it on the production racks.

As you can tell I am quite happy with this rack. It's a refined product that is attractive and functional. I would definitely add it to my list of must have Tikit accessories. The utility rack will cost ~$50.00 and can be purchased from Bike Friday here or ordered with any new Tikit.

Hauling Cargo

2008-04-17T23:25:00.000-06:00

I apologize for how long it is taking me to post a review of the Tikit rear rack. I've been super busy at work which is cutting into my blogging time!...=-( I'll definitely have something posted on the weekend. Until then here is the biggest load I've hauled so far.

Paris-Roubaix?

2008-04-15T00:58:00.000-06:00

Perhaps not, but a race fan can dream!

Rock Solid

2008-04-15T00:56:00.001-06:00

I'll post more about the new Tikit rear rack shortly, but one thing that I wanted to share is how stable the folded bike is now. You'd have to kick it to knock it over. Very nice...=-)

Sunday Rider

2008-04-13T13:06:00.004-06:00

I love cruising around downtown on Sunday mornings when the roads are deserted.

Calgary Folding Bike Club

2008-04-13T13:04:00.001-06:00

The membership drive is going well...=-)

mmmm....coffee & croissants!

2008-04-13T13:01:00.003-06:00

After a demanding 200K brevet on Saturday a coffee ride on my Tikit was just what the doctor ordered.

Care Package

2008-04-13T07:31:00.003-06:00

I rec'd a package from Dana at Bent Up Cycles recently. Some Greenspeed Scorcher TRs 40-349 that I want to try on my Tikit over the summer and some small tubes for my Tikit and my Fujin SL recumbent.

I'm excited to see how the Tikit rolls on the new rubber...=-)

Alternate Packing

2008-04-10T10:46:00.005-06:00

Photo: Alex Wetmore

Alex Wetmore posted this to the Yak List:

"Walter told me about this the other day on his #bikefriday IRC channel:

It lets the bike lie lower in the suitcase and makes it easier to fit everything. I also didn't need to remove the stem extender. The change is simple, rotate the crank 180 degrees from what the directions say (so the non-drive-side is facing you) and rotate the fork so that the brakes are facing the rear derailleur and wheel.

Fitting drop bars and the front wheel is a little different too. I found it easier to place the drop wheel in first, then lay the drop bars over the front wheel. The stem is in the center of the suitcase and the brake levers are facing the outside.

alex"

TP Mission

2008-04-09T20:44:00.002-06:00

Tikit Rear Rack

2008-04-03T16:43:00.006-06:00

Bike Friday sent out an email recently showing the rear Tikit rack pictured above with the following description:

"A rear rack is now available for the tikitTM! If you order your tikitTM by April 18th you can get a rear rack for Free [$50 value].

TikitTM rear rack features:

Can haul things.
The Detours Teeco bag and several trunk bags fit on it. (We are developing more bags that will work in the future.)
Does not effect the bike fold.
Protects the rear fender.
The tikitTM can pack in a suitcase with the rack still on it!"

There is a second Tikit rear rack in the works that will be designed for touring and will most likely have to be removed to pack or fold the bike.

Rob English on the Tikit's Latch

2008-03-31T14:37:00.005-06:00

Photo: Bike Friday

Rob English [one of the Tikit designers] posted the info below about the Tikit's latching mechanism and some differences between 2007 & 2008 Tikits to the Bike Friday Yak List. I thought I would throw it up here as a reference.

"Hi all,

Just thought I should jump in and give a little explanation on the tikit rear end latching mechanism. The latch arm is made from cromoly steel plate which we heat treat to make it hard. This gives it the 'springiness' to function as the latching arm. However, it must be set to only move a minimal distance, otherwise it will permanently deform, and as Andy has discovered, not longer do it's job. To ensure this minimal travel, the wiper on the seatmast should /just/ barely lift the latch arm enough to release it from the pin. This is worth checking in case the wiper has been knocked in transit - it's position can easily be tweaked with an adjustable wrench if required. Now, when the bike is 'overlatched' to put in the suitcase, the latch arm is by necessity sitting on top of the pin and thus can end up being permanently deformed - as Andy finds. In this instant he is quite right just to tweak it back to the functioning position.

The 2008 bikes do have a slightly different design - we triangulated the base of the latch arm to make it stiffer, and changed the slot to a single hole which enabled us to eliminate the overlatch bolt - there is now a simple stop instead. Unfortunately this isn't something that can be upgraded to '07 bikes, but hopefully the notes above will enable folk to keep their tikits functioning well.

Rob."

Tikit Talk

2008-03-30T10:30:00.008-06:00

I've setup a Google Group called Tikit Talk for anyone who wants to drop in and talk about the Bike Friday Tikit. We'll be able to discuss Tikit trivia without boring the members of more general folding bike forums/groups to death!

Not only will it be nice to have a spot on the web to talk about the Tikit 24/7 - the group archives will provide a useful resource as the discussions grow.

New Look

2008-03-30T10:14:00.005-06:00

I've added a Flickr slide show and links section to the right of the page. If you know of any high quality Tikit links I should list and/or have any Tikit pics you'd like to see posted please drop me a line.

Leaning Tikit Solved

2008-03-25T14:56:00.006-06:00

I rode my Tikit to visit my accountant today and had a lot of trouble getting it to stand upright when folded. After it fell over twice I vowed to figure out how to solve the problem when I got home.

On the right side of your Tikit just in front and above your bottom bracket there is a bolt that controls how much the Tikit folds. Mine [shown on the left above] was seated all the way so I replaced it with the longer bolt pictured above. Note you only need a slightly longer bolt. I used the one shown simply because that's all I had in my spare parts bin that would fit.

In the picture above you can see the post and latch that keep your rear triangle in place when the Tikit is folded with the new bolt sitting below. You just have to adjust the longer bolt until the post and latch are able to close fully, but no more. This forced my rear triangle to stay a little bit more open which leveled out the bike nicely. No more falling over for this Tikit!

Ergon Grips

2008-03-18T19:35:00.003-06:00

I bought a set of Ergon Grips for a different bike and had them laying around my office waiting to be installed. During this time it occurred to me that I loved the grips on my Tikit least of all the handle bar interfaces I own. So I threw the Ergon Grips on my Tikit instead. Having used them for a couple weeks now they get a hearty thumbs up. They are much more comfortable then the stock grips. Their claim to fame is that they give your hand a much larger surface area to spread the weight of your upper body and thus reduce the pressure on any one spot. I can report that they do indeed do this effectively. They also don't interfere with folding the bike.

You can get them in small and large sizes depending on what diameter grip you'd like. You can get a version specifically made to work with gripshifters and they also offer a version with an integrated bar end.

The only negative review I've heard so far mentioned they fade quickly in harsh UV conditions - think So Cal or Baja, but I don't think that affected their functionality - just their appearance. I liked them so much I bought a second set for another bike.

Veloquent

2008-03-18T13:16:00.004-06:00

I'm contributing to a little project of Kent Peterson's called Veloquent. If you haven't had enough of my inane ramblings feel free to check it out. Actually come to think of it there are lots of great contributors to Veloquent so don't worry you can just ignore my posts and only read the good ones...=-)

My first post is Tikit related and discusses the power of the folder.

MKS EZY Pedals 3 Month Review

2008-03-18T10:55:00.002-06:00

Read my initial impressions of these pedals here.

I used these pedals all winter on my Tikit because I found the stock pedals too slippery when they got wet. I recently switched back to the stock pedals as conditions are much drier now. So how did they work? Well on the plus side they are well made and gave me zero issues all winter. They are reasonably easy to remove when needed and they are certainly less slippery when wet than the stock pedals. On the down side I did not find them particularly comfortable to use. They are curved so that one side is curved up and the other is curved down. I didn't find I liked either side much and it forced me to pay attention to which side was up every time I stopped and started. If these pedals just had a flat platform I would probably still have them on my bike - too bad!

I will keep them for next winter, but I'll be on the look out between now and then for another folding/QR pedal option that will be more satisfactory.

Having used the stock pedals again for a few rides I REALLY like having a flat platform on both sides of the pedal. I find I don't think about my pedals anymore. I just ride my bike - which is the way it should be.

Tikit 3 Month Review

2008-03-13T17:37:00.006-06:00

It has been a little over 3 months since my Tikit arrived from Bike Friday. The most telling statement I can make about it is that I have used it more than all my other bikes combined if you count number of trips rather than distance covered. Living downtown the Tikit is ideal for the myriad of short hops I need to make. Since I can take it inside buildings with me I don't bother with a lock and make all sorts of extra stops when I am out and about. I have used the Tikit for several multi-modal commutes. It works very well for getting onto public transit or carpooling with a co-worker.

The Tikit's cockpit is sized like my non-folding bikes and is quite comfortable for moderate distances [up to 20kms]. I haven't gone much further than that yet so I won't comment on it as a long distance ride. The small wheels have not been an issue for me at all. The ride isn't rough and the bike is fast enough to keep pace with other riders in town. The handling is fairly quick - which in town is a plus as it makes the Tikit very nimble. The small size of the bike makes getting it in and out of my apartment very easy and it can be stored in the bottom of a closet.

Mechanically all the components have worked well and not needed much attention. The gear range has proven practical and even on the steepest hill in my area I was able to get up without needing lower gearing. I have replaced the stock grips with Ergon Grips. The stock grips were functional, but not fantastic. The Hyper-Fold continues to work effortlessly and has only needed to be lubed once. I had replaced the stock pedals with metal MKS EZY pedals for better grip in wet/snowy conditions, but have since gone back to the stock pedals since they are more comfortable and it is dry now.

What don't I like?

the single sided front pannier rack is of limited use as any weight in the pannier has a negative impact on bike handling.
the lack of a useful front rack and no rear rack limit the Tikit's ability to carry cargo to: backpack, trailer or seat bag. Hopefully BF will rectify this situation soon.
when folded the Tikit leans over quite a lot when standing up. This makes it a bit unstable and it wants to fall over if it is on a moving vehicle or gets bumped lightly. Not a huge deal, but something that could be resolved.

Planned Upgrades:

replace stock Schwalbe Marathons with Greenspeed Scorchers. Stock tires are a bit slow and provide a harsh ride - although they are very durable/flat resistant.
install 2 sided front rack if and when BF makes me one.
install a rear rack when BF makes one available.
other than that I'll just enjoy riding my Tikit.

If I was doing it all over again I'd buy another Tikit with essentially the same spec. I'd probably ditch the single sided front rack though. For my use it is the best folder on the market at the moment.

Tango

2008-03-08T13:52:00.001-07:00

Topeak

2008-03-08T13:47:00.003-07:00

Shadow

2008-03-08T13:45:00.001-07:00