Bike Friday User Group UK

Accessories etc of interest to Bike Friday owners

Friday Fixtures

By Ray Racy

Very few bikes escape being subjected to their owner's obsession for add-ons. My Pocket Rocket is no exception to this irritable bicycle syndrome.

To begin with the ride seemed a bit harsh. The somewhat severe ride of 20" wheels in an unsprung frame appeared to be an avoidable affliction. so my first move was to replace the IRC 20 x 1 1/8 tyres with Primo 20 x 1 3/8. The effect was quite striking. When I wheeled the bike onto the road the rear wheel bounced off the kerb instead of coming down with a sharp crack. the improved comfort was confirmed when I rode it over my favourite test track - a local cobbled mews.

I left the Primos on for a couple of years, but they have their downside on this bike. One was an apparent increase in rolling resistance, which may have been more subjective than quantifiable. The other was the difficulty of getting the Primos quickly past the brake blocks when removing the wheels. Moreover, Hanz Scholz, the designer, had advised me that if I removed the front wheel when folding the bike and strapped it to the frame it would make a neater package. I therefore replaced the Primos with the IRCs, which slipped out easily. It also felt livelier, and the narrow tyres looked more in keeping with the bike's lean geometry.

However. it was back to a bumpy ride. That was imply solved by fitting a USE suspension seatpost. It was originally fitted with elastomers which did little to relieve the discomfort to my anatomy, so I replaced them with a soft spring which agreeably absorbs road shock in that delicate area. Another advantage of the in-line post is that it brings the saddle further forward and in effect increases the angle of the seat tube. I find that position provides better power output and smoother pedalling.

A small but elegant accessory which was recommended by Gary Lovell is a curved noodle for a V brake which links the looped cable from behind the bottom bracket to the rear brake.

As the Pocket Rocket has no pump-fitting lugs, a neat solution was a bottle cage with a bracket for a small pump secured with a Velcro strap. I would not be without a handlebar mirror on any bike. In today's traffic it is as important to read the road behind as well as in front - all other road vehicles have them. I fitted an elliptical Rhode Gear hinged mirror which can be tucked out of the way when the bike is folded, or quickly unscrewed and put in a pocket or bag to keep it out of harm's way.

{Bars} To ease the hand position I originally fitted a pair of short bar ends near the centre of the straight bars, but found they looked slightly incongruous and also stuck out too far when the bike was folded. I have replaced them with a pair of stubby bar ends in the normal position, which are much neater and work fine.

Of course I had to have an odometer. I bought a Vetta C500 Wireless Cycling Computer which gives a combined speed and distance reading as well as the other usual functions. My American friend Keith Giles has one which includes an altimeter. He recently completed an End-to-End of 1300 miles (via Cape Wrath) and discovered that he had climbed a total of 72800 ft - that is about 2.5 times the height of Everest! That has to be my next irresistible accessory.

An essential item for touring is a rear rack. the one provided was too tall and ungainly. Steve Parry made me a much neater one which sits about 1" above the rear tyre and incorporates a transparent plastic base which doubles as a mudguard. it also has a small bracket for a rear light. It gives a lower centre of gravity when loaded and greatly improves the overall appearance of the bike.

Last but not least is the extremely lightweight navy cover made from Pennine Pertex cloth expertly made by Jane Henshaw, which is small enough to put in your pocket, and is described in the first Newsletter. It slips over the folded machine and enables you to pick it up through a hole in the top. [Unfortunately Jane is no longer producing these covers].

The only other accessory which I may one day consider is some form of front suspension. To be viable it would have to be simple and lightweight. But what are tyres for? If you reduce the rated front tyre pressure from 100 to 70psi you are very nearly there.

If you are a supplier of, or know of, any accessories etc which are likely to be of particular interest to Bike Friday owners, please email details to us for inclusion on these pages.

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