Introduction and question

Hi Victarion,

I think this is your choice and the distance/route you ride in and depends on your roads. For example to consider:

  1. do you ride on really clean roads? Does it have sharp nails, broken bottles eg., sharp glass, etc? These will cut your tyres or cause punctures. For me in Singapore we are lucky to have clean roads and I NEVER had a single puncture on my Strida for approx 14,000 km… (I did on my other bike though)
  2. what route will you take, how far will you go out of the city areas, will you be riding in areas with NO taxi?
  3. check out my rider’s report and you see I have a pump and a small bike saddle bag (where I carry a cheap patch kit and spare tube inside). I ride up to 70KM and I love riding in the really early hours of the morning - in roads where there is no street addresses or people aka Nature Reserve.

Basically what I am saying is if you are doing short trips in the city - and have a problem with the bike, you can simply FOLD you bike - call a taxi - put the bike in the boot of the taxi like luggage and go home. Fix it at home or a local bike shop. A punctured tyre is cheap to fix – in Singapore it’s approx 3-4 Euro. I was once out 45km from home on my Strida and a thunderstorm rolled in – I did JUST that. A taxi home.

Depending on your country - you can even bus/train it with the folded Strida. For me it is allowed in Singapore on all buses and trains. When folded it is smaller than a baby stroller or pram!

If you are like riding in secluded areas with no taxi coverage etc… get a saddle bag, patch kit, spare tube (x2 preferably in case you roll over glass or nails and they burst both your tyres). The Strida bike is the easiest of bikes to repair tyres because the frame only attaches to the wheels on ONE side (not both like in a conventional bikes. You do not even need to take the wheel off. (refer to my youtube in past post).

So you got some options :laughing:

You do not need to replace the tyre UNLESS you ran over something super large and sharp that it cuts your tyres. Tyres are generally really tough! You need to be super unlucky - like run over a sharp blade or shard of glass that it cuts your bike tyres open. Usually most punctures is a small nail that just protudes in… in which assess the tyre. If no gaping hole you are fine just replace the tube and you are all set. (A set back of some time to replace tube, and cost of tube). Or as I mentioned in Singapore it costs 3-4 Euro to replace by a bike shop (maybe more in Europe??).

Unless your roads are really strewn with litter and nails/glass - you be unlucky to get punctures. Think of all the people walking especially ladies with open heels - if that cuts your bike tyres - what does it do to people…? So generally I would not expect a puncture especially on clean roads or if you are allowed to ride on paths in your country.

If you ride on the road (wear a helmet! And have bright lights for visibility) and do not ride in the “gutter”… where most of the rubbish is pushed aside to (sharp nails, etc).

I say this only because in my country the general maintenance of bikes is almost ZERO. A simple wet rag (I used an old bath cloth cut down to size), wipe in < 2 mins all the road dirt, and DONE. No more than 2 mins. Don’t let road muck, grime, etc dry and cake up on the bike. It will save your investment and keep things clean and moving. If I rode my conventional chain bikes in the rain, I need to degrease my chain and drive train (cassette, crank, etc) and do a total re-lube - takes 10-15 mins for me) and is a messy affair. This is the beauty of the Strida low maintenance bike.

This is important as it can determine which tyres are best for you. The Schable Kojak is a tyre I used currently but because it is a “high pressure racing slick tyre” — it has NO treads. I hate this tyre when in the rain as I slip (and it’s dangerous) when I ride over WET metal plating like manhole covers. I avoid them at all costs when wet. The Kojaks excel in dry weather in my personal opinion. They are good quality tyres - just not great in wet or snow. This is the tyre you are getting.

The other tyre I have on my other Strida is the stock standard Innova which is lower pressure at 85PSI and has a tread pattern. It rolls less well than the Kojak marginally, and makes a bit more noise due to the tread pattern but is fine.

I do not have experience with the Strozzapreti.

For now I say enjoy your NEW bike and get to ‘know how it handles’.

All the best on your new Strida which I assume arrives today. :wink: