Ask a Bicycle Question - Part 5

[Jay Bee]

I just bought absoluteblack XX1 oval chainring for my MTB from bike24. It's quite affordable. Can buy and try.

A friend said its effective, like pushing a 34T chainring but with the effort of pushing a 32T round chainring. The review said mostly can feel the benefits while climbing.

But I'm reading the review for MTB one, road bike I don't know. U search for the review lor.

wah... if it works, even if its placebo also worth it!

time to ssrr

 

[erwinrommel]

Hi everyone, so as you can see from my title i need some help regarding my foldable bicycle

Basically I bought a Java Fit 16s and I'm planning to upgrade the wheelset! However while shopping online, I notice they ask me about this 'opening' for 74mm/130mm and 100mm/130mm.

I would like to ask what does those mean? And also which measurement is suitable for my foldie?

(I'm currently using a 406 wheelset)

Thanks!

They are asking you about your front and rear O.L.D.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html

Normally for foldie, the rear O.L.D is 130mm.

For front, it will be tricky. For tern/Dahon/Brompton, the front O.L.D is 74mm. For tyrell and other foldies, it is 100mm. IIRC, java should be 100mm front o.l.d as well.

 

[jeffrey159]

is this a good deal??

http://bicycles.sg/shop/kawasaki-road-bicycle/

 

[Broadwalk]

Sorry guys, let me ask silly question again. Need to know your guys opinion on crius foldie from bikeactually. Is the foldie quality good? There is one model velocity I am looking at. Worth to get crius? Thanks.

 

[IronMac]

is this a good deal??

http://bicycles.sg/shop/kawasaki-road-bicycle/

I'd say priced fairly. You get what you pay for.

 

[Sadisticnoob]

Sorry guys, let me ask silly question again. Need to know your guys opinion on crius foldie from bikeactually. Is the foldie quality good? There is one model velocity I am looking at. Worth to get crius? Thanks.

looks okay..

 

[amelia80]

which is better?

which one is better huh?

birdy, brompton or tern?

 

[erwinrommel]

Sorry guys, let me ask silly question again. Need to know your guys opinion on crius foldie from bikeactually. Is the foldie quality good? There is one model velocity I am looking at. Worth to get crius? Thanks.

Need to check the folding as well.

But so far, I have a few friends with Crius. Looks OK.

 

[erwinrommel]

which one is better huh?

birdy, brompton or tern?

There are many folding bicycles available out there.

For commuting and portability.. go Brompton. Most compact fold, easy to roll and portable, 16" wheels but limited wide gearing, heavy and expensive. >$2k A lot of proprietary and expensive accessories available.

If you prefer a faster Brompton, you can consider Birdy bicycle.. 18" wheels. More gears, full suspension comfy ride, folds to a small package but of course no where as compact and portable as brompton. Entry level Birdy cost >1.8k. But make no mistake, Birdy can go fast. I have seen my friends cycle Birdy and they have no problem cycling with road bikes.

Tern and Dahon are same family. Wheel sizes are majority 20(406), some in 22" (451) or 16". Price can range from $400+ to 4k plus depending on how fast you want. It features a mid frame fold that may compromise frame stiffness especially when going downhill or going very fast. Tern is more trendy looking. Both brands have very good accessories, especially luggage carrying options and add ons.

Bike Friday for the super quick folding. Very stiff, rides well and there's bike fitting. Very good for touring. Wheel size ranges from 16 to 22". Expect to pay >2k..

Tyrell for speed. FX is entry level Tyrell foldy that costs $2.6k.. FSX flatbar or dropbar for the speed. It folds very slowly and cumbersome, and the folded size is big compared to others because they do not want to compromise the frame rigidity. Wheel size is 20".

 

[Jay Bee]

actually i wonder what are the differences for foldies.... why some are faster then others

the geometry? frame stiffness? gearing?


personally, tire pressure makes quite a lot of difference....

 

[Gixxerfied]

Sorry guys, let me ask silly question again. Need to know your guys opinion on crius foldie from bikeactually. Is the foldie quality good? There is one model velocity I am looking at. Worth to get crius? Thanks.

Not bad..was one of my choices initially...by litepro if not wrong..friend using it..

 

[IronMac]

Bike Friday for the super quick folding. Very stiff, rides well and there's bike fitting. Very good for touring. Wheel size ranges from 16 to 22". Expect to pay >2k..

BF has a full range of models that you can use to race with, commute with and tour with.

 

[IronMac]

actually i wonder what are the differences for foldies.... why some are faster then others

the geometry? frame stiffness? gearing?


personally, tire pressure makes quite a lot of difference....

You're forgetting the engine.

 

[cyberian]

is this a good deal??

http://bicycles.sg/shop/kawasaki-road-bicycle/

Looks ok to me and not expensive. Only thing is does the frame suit you? I'm only suitable for XS frame due to my leg length. Some XS also don't suit me due to the frame geometry. It would be better if you can view the bike first before you buy.

 

[erwinrommel]

BF has a full range of models that you can use to race with, commute with and tour with.

Yeah. I am looking at the PRP.

 

[Broadwalk]

looks okay..

Thanks. I went to their website and had a look at their specification. Looks decent and I am tempted to get the Velocity II and the price is reasonable.

 

[Broadwalk]

Need to check the folding as well.

But so far, I have a few friends with Crius. Looks OK.

Seriously I know nuts about all these technical stuff like folding etc. But I read somewhere in this thread like the post handler may bend or slip when climbing uphill. Could you comment on the crius velocity II if the handle post bar would have the same challenge if I attempt uphill climbing?

 

[Broadwalk]

Not bad..was one of my choices initially...by litepro if not wrong..friend using it..

The price looks attractive and reasonable given the specification though I hardly know them how useful or relevant in actuality. Also look into youtube for crius and seems decent ride. But seriously I need you guys expert to advice and input if this crius is worthy to purchase.

 

[erwinrommel]

actually i wonder what are the differences for foldies.... why some are faster then others

the geometry? frame stiffness? gearing?

personally, tire pressure makes quite a lot of difference....

I haven't read up enough to explain.

But basically.. geometry determines the riding position and stability. Aero vs non-aero positions, wheelbase distance determines the steering/balancing and hence the stability.

Frame stiffness determines the power transferred to the pedals. And also the degree of comfort.

Gearing wise.. not much of an issue since most cyclists are already using standard shimano/sram/campy gearings. Just stick to a groupset the cyclist is comfortable with.

Folding bikes are more difficult to understand due to their geometry limit (folding clearance) and the hinges/pivots-- which are the weakest link to the entire folding bicycle.

But generally, if the folding bicycle doesn't have a mid-frame hinge (e.g. Tyrell/BF), it is more stable with lesser vibrations at higher speed (quite noticeable when >30 kmh). That's the reason why i wanna change from tern to BF/Tyrell. The compromise is the larger folding footprint.

Other factors come into play too. Tyrell has a very aggressive riding position (may not be comfortable for ppl with neck/back problems) with very sleek and lightweight frame. The total weight is <9kg. I have seen Tyrell FX/FSX zooming past me with ease even when I was cheonging at 32kmh along coastal roads. It is generally at least 2 plus kg lighter than normal folding bikes so there will be a big advantage.

But of course, the engine does matter. Whether one can sustain high speed for long distance will be the key. If my 16" brompton can sustain 28-30 kmh along the whole of changi coastal, i am sure most other bikes can as well. The amount of effort to maintain 30 kmh on my 16" brompton is way higher than maintaining 30kmh on my 22" tern.

 

[TheoDR]

actually i wonder what are the differences for foldies.... why some are faster then others

the geometry? frame stiffness? gearing?


personally, tire pressure makes quite a lot of difference....

Probably frame stiffness and tyre pressure. Also, the closer you are sitting, relative to the bottom bracket, means that you can put more power to the pedals.

Visualise it as stomping down on something when you're directly over it, vs stomping down while you're some distance away from it.

Probably also why, if neglecting aerodynamics, time trial bikes are faster than road bikes.