Bike Friday stopped production of their interesting folding recumbent, the SatRDay, apparently with the intention of replacing it with a new model with 20 inch rather than 16 inch wheels, easier folding etc. The new model has yet to appear, but is eagerly awaited by many. The existing model range is not greatly changed, although the detailed specifications change frequently.
The Whyte-designed Mezzo was displayed at the Cycle Show in October. Although still in pre-production form, it was expected to go into production within a few months, and has some very interesting features. It may provide more serious competition for Brompton in the compact folder market than they have faced before, at least in the UK. We haven't heard any more about it since then, though some cycle shops have disclosed some more details, but we look forward to trying it when it does become available.
Brompton introduced a new main hinge design. This might seem on the face of it to be a rather minor change, but as it increased the frame length by a couple of centimetres, it is actually quite an important change in addressing what most people regarded as one of the few shortcomings of the Brompton - a slightly cramped riding position (though not uncomfortable).
December saw another press release from Brompton which again does not on the face of it sound exciting, but which has important potential repercussions. The rear fork design has been changed and 3-speed Bromptons will in future use the Sunrace Sturmey-Archer hub, while the 6-speeds retain the Sachs hub and derailleur system. Most people interpret this as a potential step towards introducing the 8-speed Sturmey-Archer hub in a special narrow form. With the lengthened frame and 8 gears, the only real areas which can be improved will be handlebar height and weight. Some criticise Brompton for not being more radical and speedy in making changes - eg the delay in introducing an 8-speed hub. No doubt the very people who complain about this would also be the first to complain if new features were incorporated without adequate testing, and resulted in reliability problems!
Airnimal introduced two very interesting new machines - the Rhino, a 20 inch-wheeled full suspension off-road bike and the Joey, which is in effect a simplified and quite modestly priced version of the original Chameleon.
Dahon revamped their model range again for 2004, and continue to improve all their models so that they are serious contenders in almost every sector of the market. They now offer some attractive higher performance models, and include some exceptionally light models in their range. Their 2005 model range has been announced in the USA, though not yet here, and, based on last year's experience, the new models won't become available until the middle of the year (at least in the UK). There are no major changes in model names, but some further quite significant improvements have been made to several models.
All Birdys now can accept the folding rear carrier which was originally exclusive to the Grey model, and a Capreo-geared model, the Birdy White, was added to the range (the Shimano Capreo gear system is especially designed for small-wheeled bikes, and features some extra-small sprockets). Otherwise, though, not a very exciting year for the Birdy. However, early 2005 saw the announcement of a special 10-year edition of the Birdy (100 only), which incorporates radical features (in Birdy terms) such as 20 inch (406) wheels and a front derailleur. It will be interesting to see if these changes find their way onto other models, though this seems unlikely for another year at least.
The Canadian Go-bike is becoming available in parts of mainland Europe, though not yet in the UK. We have not had a chance to try one, but they do look a bit bulky and rugged.
Dr Alex Moulton launched his new 'Double Pylon' model in September, which takes the space frame concept just about as far as it can go, with the conventional front tube now being replaced by a spaceframe structure, in the same way that the 'Pylon' (Speed) model replaced the seat tube. It's not really a folder, or even easily separated as the AM, APB, original New Series, and Bridgestone models, but can be disassembled into a small package. The separable Moultons remain very good for carrying by car, but are not really train or bus friendly.
The 8-speed hub gears from Sunrace Sturmey-Archer and Shimano are now more widely available, though haven't yet made much impact on the folder market, despite potential owner interest. That may well change if/when Brompton release an 8-speed model. The 14-speed Rohloff hub has also attracted an enthusiastic following, although the cost, and to a lesser extent the weight and noise/efficiency issues associated with gear 7 are an obstacle to some. Apart from the Birdy Grey, and some SP models (hand built bikes based on a Brompton frame), it has not made an appearance on production folders, but St John Street Cycles has introduced several fixed frame bikes using this system, and is promoting it strongly.
Folders in general have become a much more common sight: 5 years ago I would be surprised to see one other folder in a month in the West Midlands, where I live, (apart from at Origami Rides!). Now I usually see at least 2 or 3 in a week in the same area. Traffic congestion and increased awareness are probably the main factors, and of course in the London area the new charges have no doubt played an important part too.
The Cycle Show in Islington once again proved that a large national show can be of interest to enthusiasts and need not be devoted exclusively to mountain bikes and loud music. We understand that in 2005 the location will change to the Docklands area and this may provide more space. We just hope that the result will not be any loss of quality, and that there will still be reasonable representation of the more specialised interests, such as folders and recumbents.
2004 was a CycleFest year, but sadly this will be the last CycleFest for the foreseeable future. It certainly finished on a high note, and was greatly enjoyed by all - many thanks to all those involved in making it such a success, especially John Bradshaw and Pat Douglass. Although we have lost CycleFest, the good news is that a new event, CycleFeast, is to take place in 2005 - more of this later.
As I mentioned at the start of this report, I had rationalised my cycles in 2003, and then had the main remaining high-performance bike stolen. A replacement needed to be found, and another New Series was beyond me financially. In the end the gap was filled by two bikes. Firstly a Moulton fx8 was added, upgraded with a second chainring etc. This is in some respects better than the New Series - better luggage capacity and more choice of tyres - and it is a good performer, but it lacks the refinement of the New Series, and even after weight reduction it still is not really a very exhilarating bike to ride when on, for example, an Audax. The latter shortcoming is overcome by the second addition, an Airnimal Chameleon, which is really fun to ride, and rather more portable by rail if the need arises, though still not an easy bike to take on a train.
After a long off-road ride on a conventional fully suspended mountain bike early in the year, the idea of a folding mountain bike became very attractive. I did think of converting my older Moulton APB for this purpose, but it really is not very portable, so attention then turned to the Bike Friday Gnu. Unfortunately the UK price is absurd, about the same in pounds as dollars, despite the weakness of the latter currency, and the distributors seemed very indifferent to my enquiries about the bike, spec, availability etc. On top of this, their inability to supply mudguards for my existing Bike Friday did not really inspire confidence in buying one. At this time the Airnimal Rhino was not available, so the alternatives were limited. However, the fact that more serious off road riding is a time when small wheels really are a significant disadvantage made me consider a large wheeled folding mountain bike, and I became aware that Dahon now have such models in their range, and in the end I bought a Zero G. About the same time I borrowed another Dahon, the Jetstream XP, from the UK distributors to road test, and was very impressed. When the rail timetable changes in September radically altered my commuting, I needed a very portable folder which could be ridden longer distances, some of which would be on a towpath of varying surface quality. A Birdy seemed in some respects the obvious choice, but looking at the price and spec closely, I decided that the Jetstream XP would be better, and actually managed to buy the bike I had road tested and returned some months earlier. I should also include in the list a 1964 2-speed Moulton Stowaway which I bought at a very reasonable price early in the year - I already had a Stowaway of similar age, but I wanted to produce a highly modified one, and did not want to change the one I already had, which I have owned from new.
So 2004 has seen an alarming increase in the number of bikes again, and a corresponding reduction in finances. One bike went during the year - the 5-speed green Brompton known as Henry. I liked this bike, and was sorry to part with it, but with so many other bikes, including the old 5-speed,and the excellent SP Brompton, it really did not have a particular role; logically I should have disposed of the old T5 and kept Henry, but the old T5 has sentimental value.
Apart from the Jetstream XP, I've also had a Giatex on short term loan for road testing, and an Airframe demonstrator, which in fact I still have. Susan Barlow was also kind enough to lend me her Bike Friday SatRDay recumbent to try - the first time I've ridden a recumbent bike. It was returned early in 2005, but I'll give some impressions of it in section 4.
Road tests have appeared on these web pages on all the new bikes and also the ones borrowed for road testing, and I'll provide progress reports on these where appropriate in section 4 of this report.
The distance covered this year has not been as great as I would have liked - a number of things meant that there were a couple of periods of reduced cycling, but on the other hand taking part in some Brevet Populaires did boost the distance a bit.
In terms of distance ridden by myself the situation is as shown below (some of the bikes were out on loan to others at various times, but this is not included in the table below). In the case of bikes which were acquired during the year, the month of acquisition is included - the Jetstream XP is rather a special case, as I borrowed it earlier in the year and then returned it, before buying it in September, and some of the distance was covered during the earlier loan period. The Giatex and SatRDay are not included in the table as I did not have a computer on either, and did not keep detailed records.
| Cycle |
Distance (Km) |
Acquired |
| Dahon Zero G |
1031 |
July |
| Dahon Jetstream XP |
844 |
September |
| Bike Friday New World Tourist |
784 |
|
| SP Brompton | 665 |
|
| Airnimal Chameleon | 628 |
July |
| Moulton APB | 579 |
|
| Airframe |
463 |
|
| Moulton fx8 |
410 |
April |
| Marin East Peak |
309 |
|
| Brompton T5 |
131 |
|
| Moulton AM7 |
106 |
|
| Mercian |
60 |
|
| Moulton Stowaway 2-speed |
25 |
|
| Moulton Stowaway |
0 |
My SP Brompton (7-speed derailleur, disc brakes and lots of fettling by Steve Parry) remains a delightful bike to ride, and exceptionally free-running. Switching to Stelvio tyres has solved one of my few problems with the bike, namely mudguard clearances (which, in my view, are too small even on a standard Brompton). If it had the new, longer, frame, slightly lower handlebars, one extra high gear and a couple of lower ones, and weighed a couple of pounds less, it would be just about perfect.
The Newt is now easily in second position in terms of total distance covered by any bike I have ever owned (behind the AM7). This is quite an achievement, especially as, to be honest, I've never been able to get very excited about it, and if anything have felt rather disappointed. But it does its job well, in an unassuming way. Converting from the original 3x7 gear system to a 9-speed (11-34) Megarange gear system has certainly made it feel a bit less sluggish, and after a tiring Challenge Ride from Meriden, I switched to Stelvio tyres, which make matters better still. A new suspension seatpost, and Brooks Titanium saddle have helped from the comfort point of view, but it still lacks sparkle compared with the Pocket Rocket I owned for a while. Still, it is already in second place in the distance league for 2005 as well.
Talking of sluggish, the Moulton APB has figured high in the list for 2004 as well. This is rather an unkind way of describing it, but my very early (serial no. 32) APB, converted to 3x7 gearing, with a Brooks saddle and Schwalbe Marathon tyres is ... well, it is comfortable, and feels as if it will go through or over anything, but it is heavy, and certainly not an exciting ride. It covered a relatively large distance early in the year mainly because of the loss of the New Series Moulton. I used it for the VERY hilly Long Mynd 1200 Brevet, and the weight was a real penalty here (though partly compensated for by the gear range). It certainly does have many good attributes, and is versatile, and a good load carrier, but not really fun to ride. But of course it is quite old ...
The Moulton fx8 is a current incarnation of the APB, and after fitting a second chain ring, a 9-speed Megarange rear cassette, and various other less major mods, it really does overcome most of the drawbacks of the old APB. I had a number of enjoyable rides on it, and it still retains the virtues of the original APB, but with a reduction in weight. Of course it is not a real folder - I opted for the separable version, of course, and it fits comfortably in the back of the Smart, but it isn't as portable as most folders. And, I have to say, although it rides very nicely, I'd still not put it in the 'exhilarating' category.
Exhilarating ... The fx8 was intended to be my Brevet and longer/faster rides bike, and it performed quite well on these, but I did miss out a bit on top gear when conditions permitted, and, excellent though it was, it just did not encourage me to work harder. I commented some years back, that the Pocket Rocket I owned at one time seemed to give me back more than I put in when I applied a bit more effort, and that is part of what makes a bike an exciting ride, at least for me. While I'd put that Pocket Rocket, with Campag equipment and IRC Roadlite tyres, at the top of my list of exhilarating bikes, it is only ahead of the Airnimal Chameleon by a whisker, and the Airnimal has major advantages in the UK, notably price and comfort, with rear suspension and carbon fibre front forks. The Chameleon is my first choice for Brevet rides and other long, fast rides, and was also my choice for CycleFest in 2004, with a wide range of gears, courtesy of the triple chainring and 11-32 cassette. I should really have used it a lot more, but I didn't get it until after I had completed most of my planned longer/faster rides, and the need to test other bikes also meant that I sometimes used other machines where the Chameleon would have been more appropriate. Great bike, and at the head of the table so far in 2005.
The big surprise of course for 2004 is just how much I used the Airframe - a test bike which I still have. It's wonderfully light - lugging a Brompton around stations and onto trains is a real pain after using the Airframe. The aluminium frame also should make it less prone to corrosion, and it is, in a way, quite an attractive machine. However, riding it is ... an acquired taste. The extreme flexibility of the frame is disconcerting after most bikes, and if you switch between it and other bikes, so it will remain. If you only use the Airframe, you probably get used to it. It isn't as flexible by a long way as a Bickerton, and it doesn't creak and groan like a Bickerton either. But like a Bickerton, what you need to do is let it flex, rather than fight against it. Given its flexibility, lower gearing would help, and I did slightly lower the gearing with this in mind (you can't pull on the bars, or otherwise apply leverage against the frame as you might on some bikes). A light rider, with a high cadence is more likely to enjoy the bike than someone who is a strong rider and enjoys riding in high gears and really pushing on the pedals. I find it quite fun in some ways, but it must be said that most people will find other folders more to their choice - and cheaper as well.
The Moulton AM7 only had one serious outing, which was the Wombourn 50 miles in 4 hours, on which it performed well, though a higher top gear would have been welcome (without sacrificing the bottom gear - which was a consideration in deciding to get the Chameleon).
In 2005 I did a number of 100Km Brevet Populaires, using various different bikes. These were reported on the web pages, as was the last CycleFest, which was, as always, very enjoyable. The folder trip to the Isle of Wight was probably the best outing of the year, despite a rather wet final day. The low point of the year, from a cycling point of view, was the sad news of the death of my friend, and leading light in the Moulton Bicycle Club, Ian Hodgson.
In this section I'll briefly update some of the reports issued during 2004, and add some comments on the Bike Friday SatRDay which I borrowed for a few weeks.
With the modifications that I made which were reported earlier, namely the fitting of a shorter reach handlebar stem, more road-friendly tyres, and a suspension seat post, the Zero G has performed really well. I still consider hydraulic discs an unnecessary complication, at least for me, but after some initial problems with rubbing, and the one lever becoming rather sticky, they have now settled down, and I must admit that I do miss the smooth, progressive operation they provide when riding any of my other bikes now. I still plan to fit mechanical discs in place of the hydraulic ones though when further attention becomes necessary. An excellent bike for my purposes, and one which I'm really pleased to have bought.
I returned this bike after testing it, but a few months later a serious change to the train timetables necessitated a major change in my travelling, and I was fortunately able to buy the demonstration bike at an ex-demonstrator price. Even at full price this is an excellent machine, but at the reduced price it was unbeatable. It's very light, and rolls along beautifully on the narrow, light Stevio tyres and Rolf wheels, and the rear suspension adds to the comfort. It folds easily too, and is quite compact (if not quite in the Brompton league!) when folded. I rode a 100Km Brevet on it, and have used it in many different roles since. Very enjoyable to ride, and very close to the ideal. The absence of mudguards is still something of a nuisance (I will attempt to solve this soon), luggage capacity is more limited than on some machines, and it would be nice if there were a means of fitting a front derailleur, but I've been very pleased with it, and it continues to be a favourite.
I don't think there is much I can add on this - I still find it rather flexible, but if you can ignore this, and if you are not a very strong rider, it performs OK. The light weight is a big advantage, but for most purposes I think a Brompton is going to be a better folder for most people. Despite this, I quite enjoy the occasional outing on it.
I didn't really plan to borrow this bike, but when Dick Hanson called round to return the SP which he and Hazel had borrowed, he had the SatRDay in his car, and I ended up borrowing it - many thanks to its owner, Susan Barlow, for entrusting me with it. I'd NEVER ridden a recumbent bicycle before this, and only been a couple of times round a car park on a recumbent of any kind (a trike). I'm therefore not in a good position to pass serious judgement on the SatRDay, (this was one with the under-seat steering). I found it easier to manage than I had feared, though starting off on an uphill gradient required determination, and I was still nervous about doing this on anything except gentle gradients after several rides. Once on the move, I found it less effort and strain than I thought it might be, and rather fun, although rearward vision is a problem (difficult to find anywhere to mount a mirror). The seating position on the SatRDay is quite high, so this reduces the strangeness, though of course still a lot lower than on a conventional bike. The front boom was a bit long for me, so the riding position was less than ideal, but the stability and handling were still good, and the ride was reasonably comfortable, even on less good roads. The front boom can quickly be folded down, which enabled it to be fitted into a medium-sized hatchback (not the Smart!) without much difficulty. It will fit into a Bike Friday suitcase, but it would take a lot of skill and practice to get it all in neatly, including the rear carrier, and it would take a while to do this, and it would be difficult to avoid getting dirty in the process. The hatchback fold is quite straightforward, but I can't imagine achieving a satisfactory rail commute fold. I really enjoyed trying this bike, but it hasn't converted me to recumbent bikes, though I still hanker after a recumbent tricycle (apart from the serious lack of portability).
I'm late in producing this report, so we are well into 2005 already
(early February). Some shops now have more details of the Mezzo, though
still not yet available. When I spoke to them on the stand at the Cycle
Show, they indicated they woul let me have a bike to test, but I've
heard no more since then. An 8-speed Brompton is still expected by
many, but all the indications seem to be that if it happens, it is
unlikely to be before the second half of 2005 at the earliest. The
Birdy Special Edition with 406 wheels is interesting, and might well
indicate that eventually they will make the logical mode and switch all
modles to these wheels, though I can't imagine that will happen before
2006. Even though it is an attractive machine, in terms of value it
still looks quite expensive here in the UK.
I plan to do some more 100Km Brevets in 2005 - I've already done one,
but due to my ineptitude I diverged from the official route over the
last 3 miles or so, which means of course that I can't claim to have
completed it (I did about 125Km rather than the 113Km route, so I
certainly didn't take any short cuts, and finished inside the time
limit). The Airnimal will continue to be the best choice for these
rides, though circumstances may mean other bikes are used sometimes.
2005 will be the year for the first CycleFeast, an event I am eagerly
looking forward to.
Enjoy your cycling in 2005!
Last updated: 9 February 2005
Copyright (C)2005 Ferrets Anonymous