Guess it depends where you are. Where I am, reaction is split among kids (half laugh and point, half call out and say how cool they think it is). I have had stares from adults, but never really what I would call a negative reaction. Maybe the negs are just too polite to say anything.
I usually get asked at least a few times a week where it can be bought, how much it costs, etc, especially on weekends when I’m shopping at the market! Too bad my card holder fell off and I lost all the business cards, but hey, it’s not like I was getting a commission.
My SLO has also been performing well over recent times. I took it to Spain on a plane and used it on a walking tour to carry the gear of my girlfriend and myself. You can hang a lot of stuff on an SLO or a real Strida come to that. I shipped it in the aircraft hold in its soft bag and it suffered a scratch as well as one of my blinky lights being smashed by the tender attentions of baggage handlers or being stuffed under half a ton of samsonite cases, but it all still works just fine.
Oh - it couldn’t be ridden in the conventional manner, but a few times I did straddle the whole kaboodle and let it roll down hill - me with my legs sticking out the side like a man on a donkey. It wasn’t elegant, but having pushed the bike and baggage uphill (about 70 - 80 pounds weight) I felt duty bound to enjoy the kinetic energy I had built up. Unfortunately this was not great for my companion’s morale as she was left behind to trudge on her own while I disappeared laughing into the distance… Still - it beats turning all that effort into heat by holding the bike back on the brakes.
It was a great way to carry a fair bit of luggage on a walking trip, and we could pack it into the luggage compartment of several buses as we made our way to the start and from the finish points. In its soft bag, the SLO never raised a second glance, neither did it at the Easyjet check ins.
For accuracy, I should point out that a Strida or SLO in its soft bag goes on Easyjet as oversized luggage and I did pay a fee for transporting the bike. What I meant above was that there was no problem about taking it as hold baggage. Low cost airlines like Easyjet charge so little for the tickets, that you pay extra for hold baggage or items like bicycles. Since the passenger tickets from a northern UK airport to Barcelona were only £40 each way, paying a mere £15 to take a bike with you is not a problem. Last autumn, I got a round trip from Newcastle to Barcelona and back for just over £40. That’s 2200 miles. Paying £5 each way for a rucksack in the hold is not an issue at these prices.
On buses around Spain, the SLO was put in the luggage hold in its bag, just like a case or a backpack.
I agree - i’ve never had any hassle taking a strida on airlines. I usually say ‘sports equipment’ and they assume golf clubs, but if they ask I tell them its a folding bike and it gets hardly a comment. Some airlines (eg BA) carry bikes for free so in that case its worth mentioning its a bike to keep the rest of the luggage allowance.
I have just purchased a fake on Ebay cgi.ebay.com.au/A-Frame-Folding- … 27ad03568a
I will see it some time this coming week.
it cost $200 Au. a genuine Strida sells for around $1000 here.
I am pretty heavy, and am a little concerned as to how the SLO will handle my weight… time will tell I guess.
I will keep you posted… Trev.
Good luck and welcome to the SLO (Strida Like Object) Club.
I have had my SLO 13 months. Like you, I am on the heavier side. Six foot and 14 stones of Prime Pomme!
Only problem I have had was the rear wheel (which needed replacing with a genuine one). I found I was breaking a lot of spokes with the copy wheel. Also one of the pedals has started to make a noise - so I think that’s on the way out!
Other than that the bike has given loyal daily service for 13 months now.
I have ridden my SLO home from work (to my bus stop), a distance of just under 3 miles twice. it feels a bit “loose” to me (workmate reckons it flexes a lot when watching from behind), and the belt seems to jump if I pedal too hard. I do find the bike to be a little nervous/ difficult to control.
One of the folding pedals has expired already, it fell on the road.
I really dont think that this is the folding bike for me… to be fair though, I am at the heavier end of the spectrum, with someone lighter, the bike would be a better thing.
I will fix the pedal over the week end, probably replace them with stubby pedals… I will also be looking for a more sturdy folder.
To be fair, the bike is a cheap knockoff, not a genuine Strida, and it is not all bad, The way the Strida like object folds is brilliant, it caused a lot of interest when I had it at work, with all comments being positive, but like everyone else I have shown or talked about Strida to, nobody was aware of its’ existance.
Trev.
