Saturday, April 26, 2008

Advanced Tikit Rolling

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.

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