Bicycle folds up in five seconds

[vey]

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071114/BLOG15/71114004

I remember the first time I saw a fold-up Bike Friday by Green Gear
Cycling of Eugene, Ore.

Susan Lahti, a physical education teacher at Mount Lake Terrace High
School, a long-time bicycle commuter and a certified cycling instructor,
showed me her New World Tourist model after generously giving me a
safe-cycling tutorial last fall.

I was amazed.

She folded it up in seconds and popped it into her car’s backseat,
adding that Bike Fridays ride surprisingly well over long distances. She
said it was small enough to fit into a special Samsonite suitcase, which
converts into an accessory bike trailer. It’s ideal, Lahti said, for
airplane trips when you really want to bring your own bike and travel light.

Well, it turns out the cutting-edge cycle company has introduced a new
model called the “tikit,” billed as the “fastest-folding bike in the
world,” easy to compress in a mere five seconds.

Read all about it here. Take a look at the company’s offerings and watch
videos featuring the tikit here.

Though bike snobs may disagree with me, I think Bike Friday cycles are
seriously cool.

[Ted Bennett]

vey <junker@ericvey.com> wrote:

> http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071114/BLOG15/71114004
>
> I remember the first time I saw a fold-up Bike Friday by Green Gear
> Cycling of Eugene, Ore.
>
> Susan Lahti, a physical education teacher at Mount Lake Terrace High
> School, a long-time bicycle commuter and a certified cycling instructor,
> showed me her New World Tourist model after generously giving me a
> safe-cycling tutorial last fall.
>
> I was amazed.
>
> She folded it up in seconds and popped it into her car¹s backseat,
> adding that Bike Fridays ride surprisingly well over long distances. She
> said it was small enough to fit into a special Samsonite suitcase, which
> converts into an accessory bike trailer. It¹s ideal, Lahti said, for
> airplane trips when you really want to bring your own bike and travel light.
>
> Well, it turns out the cutting-edge cycle company has introduced a new
> model called the ³tikit,² billed as the ³fastest-folding bike in the
> world,² easy to compress in a mere five seconds.
>
> Read all about it here. Take a look at the company¹s offerings and watch
> videos featuring the tikit here.
>
> Though bike snobs may disagree with me, I think Bike Friday cycles are
> seriously cool.

Fully agree. Last weekend I attended a local show which featured Bike
Friday and some of their Tikits. They work very well as bicycles, can
carry stuff and the folding is so amazingly fast that onlookers gape.
The bike can be folded with a pannier left on the front one-sided rack,
and then the bike is lifted at the rear and rolled away on the front
wheel. More fun to watch than a folding convertible top.

--
Ted Bennett

[jbollyn@gmail.com]

On Nov 15, 8:46 pm, vey <jun...@ericvey.com> wrote:
> http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071114/BLOG15/71114004
>
> I remember the first time I saw a fold-up Bike Friday by Green Gear
> Cycling of Eugene, Ore.
>
> Susan Lahti, a physical education teacher at Mount Lake Terrace High
> School, a long-time bicycle commuter and a certified cycling instructor,
> showed me her New World Tourist model after generously giving me a
> safe-cycling tutorial last fall.
>
> I was amazed.
>
> She folded it up in seconds and popped it into her car's backseat,
> adding that Bike Fridays ride surprisingly well over long distances. She
> said it was small enough to fit into a special Samsonite suitcase, which
> converts into an accessory bike trailer. It's ideal, Lahti said, for
> airplane trips when you really want to bring your own bike and travel light.
>
> Well, it turns out the cutting-edge cycle company has introduced a new
> model called the "tikit," billed as the "fastest-folding bike in the
> world," easy to compress in a mere five seconds.
>
> Read all about it here. Take a look at the company's offerings and watch
> videos featuring the tikit here.
>
> Though bike snobs may disagree with me, I think Bike Friday cycles are
> seriously cool.

BF, an American company, also has great support after the sale.

They are more expensive than the biggest folding-bike player Dahon,
because BF pays their employees a living wage. Dahon does not have
that burden, with their Chinese workers.

People who buy BF can afford to pay a premium for 'Made in America',
and have the social conscience to do so.

J.

[Tosspot]

vey wrote:
> http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071114/BLOG15/71114004
>
> I remember the first time I saw a fold-up Bike Friday by Green Gear
> Cycling of Eugene, Ore.
>
> Susan Lahti, a physical education teacher at Mount Lake Terrace High
> School, a long-time bicycle commuter and a certified cycling instructor,
> showed me her New World Tourist model after generously giving me a
> safe-cycling tutorial last fall.
>
> I was amazed.
>
> She folded it up in seconds and popped it into her car’s backseat,
> adding that Bike Fridays ride surprisingly well over long distances. She
> said it was small enough to fit into a special Samsonite suitcase, which
> converts into an accessory bike trailer. It’s ideal, Lahti said, for
> airplane trips when you really want to bring your own bike and travel
> light.
>
> Well, it turns out the cutting-edge cycle company has introduced a new
> model called the “tikit,” billed as the “fastest-folding bike in the
> world,” easy to compress in a mere five seconds.
>
> Read all about it here. Take a look at the company’s offerings and watch
> videos featuring the tikit here.
>
> Though bike snobs may disagree with me, I think Bike Friday cycles are
> seriously cool.

Fold:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6258424344919645414&q=tikit

Unfold:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7593127050659555664&q=tikit

[ivan.ardon@tiscali.co.uk]

On 16 Nov, 13:39, "jbol...@gmail.com" <jbol...@gmail.com> wrote:
> They are more expensive than the biggest folding-bike player Dahon,
> because BF pays their employees a living wage. Dahon does not have
> that burden, with their Chinese workers.
>
> People who buy BF can afford to pay a premium for 'Made in America',
> and have the social conscience to do so.
>
> J.

What odds on them still being in the US two years from now?

fboab

[Tom Sherman]

jbollyn@gmail.com aka J. Bollyn wrote:
> ...
> B[ike] F[riday], an American company, also has great support after the sale....

I thought the company name was "Green Gear Cycling, Inc.", not "Bike
Friday".

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"the grinning buddy bear carries a fork." - g.d.

[Marian]

On Nov 16, 9:39 pm, "jbol...@gmail.com" <jbol...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Nov 15, 8:46 pm, vey <jun...@ericvey.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> >http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071114/BLOG15/71114004
>
> > I remember the first time I saw a fold-up Bike Friday by Green Gear
> > Cycling of Eugene, Ore.
>
> > Susan Lahti, a physical education teacher at Mount Lake Terrace High
> > School, a long-time bicycle commuter and a certified cycling instructor,
> > showed me her New World Tourist model after generously giving me a
> > safe-cycling tutorial last fall.
>
> > I was amazed.
>
> > She folded it up in seconds and popped it into her car's backseat,
> > adding that Bike Fridays ride surprisingly well over long distances. She
> > said it was small enough to fit into a special Samsonite suitcase, which
> > converts into an accessory bike trailer. It's ideal, Lahti said, for
> > airplane trips when you really want to bring your own bike and travel light.
>
> > Well, it turns out the cutting-edge cycle company has introduced a new
> > model called the "tikit," billed as the "fastest-folding bike in the
> > world," easy to compress in a mere five seconds.
>
> > Read all about it here. Take a look at the company's offerings and watch
> > videos featuring the tikit here.
>
> > Though bike snobs may disagree with me, I think Bike Friday cycles are
> > seriously cool.
>
> BF, an American company, also has great support after the sale.
>
> They are more expensive than the biggest folding-bike player Dahon,
> because BF pays their employees a living wage. Dahon does not have
> that burden, with their Chinese workers.

I can't say whether or not Dahon pays their workers a living wage
since I've never had any direct dealings with Dahon but don't trash
them for not paying a US living wage to their Chinese employees.

My salary as a highly paid professional is slightly less than half the
living wage for a factory worker in the US.

> People who buy BF can afford to pay a premium for 'Made in America',
> and have the social conscience to do so.

[Pete]

ivan.ardon@tiscali.co.uk wrote:
> On 16 Nov, 13:39, "jbol...@gmail.com" <jbol...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> They are more expensive than the biggest folding-bike player Dahon,
>> because BF pays their employees a living wage. Dahon does not have
>> that burden, with their Chinese workers.
>>
>> People who buy BF can afford to pay a premium for 'Made in America',
>> and have the social conscience to do so.
>>
>> J.
>
> What odds on them still being in the US two years from now?
>
> fboab

I've you've got a good product that you can sell at a premium, I don't
see why not.

Brompton are still managing and that's with a factory in London.

Pete

[jbollyn@gmail.com]

On Nov 16, 8:57 am, ivan.ar...@tiscali.co.uk wrote:
> On 16 Nov, 13:39, "jbol...@gmail.com" <jbol...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > They are more expensive than the biggest folding-bike player Dahon,
> > because BF pays their employees a living wage. Dahon does not have
> > that burden, with their Chinese workers.
>
> > People who buy BF can afford to pay a premium for 'Made in America',
> > and have the social conscience to do so.
>
> > J.
>
> What odds on them still being in the US two years from now?
>
> fboab
>
It seems BF is focusing on people who like to travel on vacation, and
want to bring their own bike with them. There are plenty of people in
that target group, and more so as that demographic nears retirement.
Those people are looking for low-impact exercise, so cycling is a good
choice for them.

Virtually all BF models are custom, made in Eugene, OR. Another reason
why they are more expensive than other folders.

J.

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Tosspot:
>I think Bike Friday cycles are
>> seriously cool.

This one was pretty impressive: http://tinyurl.com/3cmfmf

I bet with a few re-takes, he could have done it without breaking
stride.
--
PeteCresswell

[Tosspot]

(PeteCresswell) wrote:
> Per Tosspot:
>> I think Bike Friday cycles are
>>> seriously cool.
>
> This one was pretty impressive: http://tinyurl.com/3cmfmf
>
> I bet with a few re-takes, he could have done it without breaking
> stride.

Lol! Very good. Wonder what they are like to ride? Also, the folded
width looks a bit wide, but bejeebers, they fold quick.

[bjw@mambo.ucolick.org]

On Nov 16, 3:08 pm, "(PeteCresswell)" <x...@y.Invalid> wrote:
> Per Tosspot:
>
> >I think Bike Friday cycles are
> >> seriously cool.
>
> This one was pretty impressive:http://tinyurl.com/3cmfmf
>
> I bet with a few re-takes, he could have done it without breaking
> stride.

[Paging Ryan Cousineau]

Obviously, the next step is to fit knobby tires and have
someone actually dismount and fold the Tikit in a
cyclocross race. For a long run up, for example.

Ben

[jobst.brandt@stanfordalumni.org]

Tom Sherman writes:

>> ... B[ike] F[riday], an American company, also has great support
>> after the sale...

> I thought the company name was "Green Gear Cycling, Inc.", not "Bike
> Friday".

Bike Friday® is a registered trademark of Green Gear Cycling Inc.

Jobst Brandt

[JeffWills]

On Nov 16, 5:35 pm, Tom Sherman <sunsetss0...@REMOVETHISyahoo.com>
wrote:
> > ...
> > B[ike] F[riday], an American company, also has great support after the sale....
>
> I thought the company name was "Green Gear Cycling, Inc.", not "Bike
> Friday".
>

Yep. I was chatting with Green Gear/Bike Friday employee Rob English
at the show over the weekend- the tikit is facinating, and they're
also working on some very light travel bikes. I think 15 pounds is
their target.

Rob's pretty neat- he's also got one of the most drool-worthy
recumbents I've seen:
http://photostore.chrisleck.com/gallery/2932307#158564230-A-LB
That's his custom aluminum Hachi. He's also done 50 miles in an hour
( http://www.recumbents.com/wisil/racing2007/nissan2007/ ) , so he's
not the typical recumbent rider.

Jeff

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <fhlgh2$805$1@registered.motzarella.org>,
Tom Sherman <sunsetss0003@REMOVETHISyahoo.com> wrote:

> jbollyn@gmail.com aka J. Bollyn wrote:
> > ...
> > B[ike] F[riday], an American company, also has great support after the
> > sale....
>
> I thought the company name was "Green Gear Cycling, Inc.", not "Bike
> Friday".

Serves 'em right if they've got a branding failure.

See also FreeRadical Sport Utility Bicycle by Xtracycle.

--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@sfu.ca http://www.wiredcola.com/
"My scenarios may give the impression I could be an excellent crook.
Not true - I am a talented lawyer." - Sandy in rec.bicycles.racing

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article
<fb5079b5-21ba-48b5-b43e-d34d974db2f2@d50g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>,
"bjw@mambo.ucolick.org" <bjw@mambo.ucolick.org> wrote:

> On Nov 16, 3:08 pm, "(PeteCresswell)" <x...@y.Invalid> wrote:
> > Per Tosspot:
> >
> > >I think Bike Friday cycles are
> > >> seriously cool.
> >
> > This one was pretty impressive:http://tinyurl.com/3cmfmf
> >
> > I bet with a few re-takes, he could have done it without breaking
> > stride.
>
> [Paging Ryan Cousineau]

I do have to get the video for this year (yes, just one) done, don't I?

> Obviously, the next step is to fit knobby tires and have
> someone actually dismount and fold the Tikit in a
> cyclocross race. For a long run up, for example.

Would be a total sponsorship oppo!

Thought the same as you seeing that. Not per se worth folding it in a CX
race, but I think you could construct a folding-encouraging obstacle.

Maybe put the #97 bus on the parcours,

--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@sfu.ca http://www.wiredcola.com/
"My scenarios may give the impression I could be an excellent crook.
Not true - I am a talented lawyer." - Sandy in rec.bicycles.racing

[me@privacy.net]

>Obviously, the next step is to fit knobby tires and have
>someone actually dismount and fold the Tikit in a
>cyclocross race. For a long run up, for example.

They fold very fast and neat but I worry abt those
cables! Stretching, getting hung up, etc.

wonder if they could have eliminated the cables that
assist folding and used some kind of latch instead?

[me@privacy.net]

>See also FreeRadical Sport Utility Bicycle by Xtracycle.

is that a folder?

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <nu44k315mbim28fvb17i0ul48eirb2j1lg@4ax.com>, me@privacy.net
wrote:

> >See also FreeRadical Sport Utility Bicycle by Xtracycle.
>
> is that a folder?

It's not meant to be!

--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@sfu.ca http://www.wiredcola.com/
"My scenarios may give the impression I could be an excellent crook.
Not true - I am a talented lawyer." - Sandy in rec.bicycles.racing