This blog is moving....

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!

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..=-)

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...

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!

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

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..

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...

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

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

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...=-)

Folder Battles!

Don't panic - steel is real...

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

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

Eddy crossing the Bow River, Calgary, Alberta

Wed Night Folder Assault Ride

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

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

Seasons Tikit Gearing

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

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