Blackstridaaustria pimped my Strida LT

Strida Forum Riders Reports
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This week I made a pilgrimage to Vienna by train.

After a thoroughly mail consultation Chris had ordered parts for my Strida LT. We met up in the remarkable folding bike store ROTA EXPLICARE of Chris’ good friend Mike:
dasfaltrad.at/kontakt/

Before:

After:

It now looks like a steam punk bike.

Chris built in for me :

The Strida touring handlebar with brown leather handles and copper ending disks. This wide handlebar makes riding the Strida much more safe. No wobbly feeling anymore.

Strida’s spring-loaded brown leather saddle. It’s an one hundred percent improvement. Before with the standard saddle crossing sidewalk borderstones or riding on cobble stones caused migraines because of the severe vibrations and shocks. Now it’s a much smoother ride.

A very important part for me: the Strida side stand.

Strida front and back light with AAA batteries. I haven’t tested the lights by night yet. I’ll report later how they do their job.

The lights can stand rain by the way. I chained my Strida overnight outdoor at the poles of my tent at the campside where I slept in Vienna. There was a thunderstorm and it rained heavily. The lights still work.

Black aluminium luggage rack. It’s handy. When I traveled back home my backpack was filled with the old saddle, the origin plastic luggage rack, the original short handlebar. (“You never know what will happen in the future. So take it all back.”^^) So I had to fix my tent on the rack:

As an amazing surprise Chris added a Clip that enables a better way to fold the Strida. Chris, would you mind to explain the details? I’m not able to describe it reasonably.

Though using the clip I still managed to defold the strida inaccidently on the train. But I’m a tad clumsy. So that might be just me. I’ll add a shoe lace to bind the Strida together for transport next time.

I’ve forgotten to take a pic of the folded Strida with folding clip. If Chris doesn’t add one I maybe add a pic later.

As for the transport of folded Stridas: They are … inconvinient. And the pedal cranks rotate when you push your Strida around. But everyone will get out of your way when you push your folded Strida in front of you.

And when you believe in your Strida which I take for granted when you’ve bought one, it’s part of the fun to part the crowd at the railway station pushing this hurdy-gurdy in front of you.

Mike, the owner of the folding bike shop in Vienna, gifted me a cute little bell. Because we agreed that it’s bad for my reputation to say furthermore ringeling whenever I pass pedestrians.

And that was not the only gift I got. Chris gave me the hook wrench you need to tighten the tooth belt. And the Strida saddle came with a little goodie-bag with two wrenches.

Next time when I’m in Vienna I’ve to have some room left in my back-pack. Because I urgently need the stylish umbrella stand where you can park in your folded Strida. Chris, do you happen to have a pic of this adorable piece?

1 Like
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Hi Neon,

many thanks for your kind report.
Mike and me were indeed pleased to have met you :smiley:

That plastic thingy is the Strida frame clip (Part nr.: ST-4219), it will help you to save the Achilles’ heel of your Strida, the rear joint.
Here’s more info and also images of a folded Strida:
https://stridacanada.ca/strida-bikes-rear-hinge-explained

What you saw was an orange “Cyclehoop” stand,
Cyclehoop Stand for the Strida
not that cheap, but good quality and very heavy.
For me personally disappointing that it doesn’t fit 18" wheels.

You’re always welcome, hope to see you again some day :mrgreen:

Cheers,

Chris

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Thank you for your natural cordiality, Chris. I felt welcome. And I’ve never laughed that much in a bike store before. The way Mike deals with his customers is unique.

At the latest when I want to replace the plastic eccentric of my Strida LT by an aluminium one I will come at Vienna again.

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Yes, humour is actually very present at Mike’s store all the time :smiley:
For him is the personal contact highly important - and also the reason not to sell bikes online.

No need to worry about the plastic eccenter; I remember only one report of a broken plastic version :wink:

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That"s one too much … :imp:

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My LT folded with the clip


The clip

Folded with unfolded touring handlebar. So the whole thingie is too wide for commuting. It bothers the other commuters and the Strida will often get stuck between two rows of seats. At least that’s what happened in the train(s) on my way back home from Vienna. :blush:

Folded and with docked handlebars. That’s kind of okay for commuting. But it’s difficult to push the bike without the handlebars.

And the long and heavy handlebars tend to flap and dangle when they’ve the opportunity to do so. That’s not ideal but maybe it’s just a matter of practice to deal with it:

Don’t mistake me: I love my Strida. I just wouldn’t have bought it for commuting because folded it’s still huge and can barely be kept under control.

I use it to ride from my ground floor apartement to town. I park it in my winter garden and hardly ever fold it …

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Reminded on that in several months it could be that you laugh :smiley:

It is fully Ok to use the clamp lever when the bars are in folded position :wink:
Just try it - that should stop wiggling even if the lever is not completely closed :question:

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Okay maybe you’re right. I’ll report in some month …

I’ve to admit I was exhausted on that train ride back. Had this big heavy bagpack to drag around. Travelled barefoot because I had fallen off my Strida in front of Mike’s bike shop and my swollen foot didn’t fit in the shoe. It was not my day. :confused:

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Owning a Strida is like having a cute little dog: People speak to me, want to know how the bike can be folded, tell me about their own bike preference, want to marry me and the like.^^

Today I chained my Strida to a street light in town. When I came back from shopping there stood a father and his teenage son in front of my bike and discussed how it might be folded.

While I allowed the son to test drive the Strida the father told me about his private recumbent bicycle garage. His wife joined us and we all had a pleasant talk.

Next I parked in front of Aldi. When I came back to my Strida a man inspected it curiously. We talked quite a lot about this and that and he invited me in a really nice hidden cafe.

And that’s just what happened this afternoon. Whenever I ride on my Strida to town people want to talk with me.

Tipp: When you’re a loner or a single - buy a Strida and the world will love you. :sunglasses:

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My Strida tends to … ehm, self-expression. I’ve described the problem here:

Now I’ve put two black shoe laces in my backpack to tame my wild little iron pony in public transport:

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The shoe laces came in so handy on my latest trip with my little pony. I had announced the tour here:

The Strida tried to unfold itsself everytime when I crammed it in suitable niches on my train rides. Though the magnet locking clasp is pretty strong. But I didn’t fold the handle bars, so every twitch at the handle bars unlocked the magnet clasp.

Luckily the shoe laces worked well. They held the folded Strida together.

The combo Strida, me and public transport will never perform very well. The folded Strida is too long and I never know where to grap it when I have to carry it. A folded Sridas also needs a lot of space.

In my opinion commuters are better off with a Brompton or the like. But I don’t commute and I :heart:love​:heart: my Strida.