Introduction and question

Strida Forum General Strida Chat
21

Whoa guys. That’s a lot of adivces in very few posts. You are great !

I summarize:

  • Frame clip is higly recommanded. To get quickly if not included in the box.
  • Freewheel is already aluminium. No worries until first symptomes show anyway.
  • Regarding Tubes and tyres. I am new to bike so I have to learn every bit. I will carry at least one tubes and a pump. And I will get patching kit for home (I never did it, so why not learning it now ?). In that way I could change the tube outside and get to home easily to patch the punctured one - .
    -What about tyres ? Do they have to be replaced at each in case of puncture ? My guess is that unless it is a big hole (damage coming frrom big screw, big nail…) or tube petrudes when inflated , tyres will be OK. At least to cover the <8km per day of daily riding. Right ?
  • Clean the bike frequently especially after use in bad weather and focus on belt, freewheel, rear hinge…
  • To get a spokewrench. Not emergency.

Rain yes. When feasable of course. For the terrain, only macadam and very few pavements portion. Why ?

22

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:

23

Willie already nailed it :smiley:
For our area here I’d say Kojak (or Strozzapreti) for summer season and Innova for winter - that’s it.
You will notice very soon that the Kojak’s traction is very limited on wet surfaces or sand; please watch out!
Also you won’t feel well with 7 bar or more on cobblestones :wink:

And the taxi/public transport flat tyre fixing “method” is also my first choice :laughing:

24

Got it.

On Strida.fr, which is official distributor for Luxembourg, I can get the Innova for 44€ each + pair of 18’’ tubes for 4€ each + shipping cost for a total of 108€.
I will try to ride as it is first, with the Kojack, as weather is great currently (amazing post-summer here, I guess it is the same for you BSA ?) and forecast are still optimistic. I want to feel it before to do some “mods”.

Willie, regarding quality of the road. Luxembourg is quite good. Especially Luxembourg-ville, the capital. Where I live this is bit less smooth because it is more rural but still very good when comparing to close neighbours such as France (where I grew up), Belgium (even worse)… And I will limit my interaction with the “gutter”. Basically, my road are as follows:

From home to train station :

  1. option 1 : 100m on the road. Then join a park, crossing tramway rails. To ride along the park (1.5km) on a long straight line that is large enought for a big truck and a bike to cross. It is smooth. No poteholes. It is used by bicycles and pedestrians and frequently cleaned.

  2. option 2 : just reach the train station via normal road (but in that case there is a bridge to cross with a steep hill)

Train : +/- 20 min.

Then from train station to work:

Option 1) Take the funiculaire, join a long, flat and new bicycle lane (around 1km). Then join a park and (this is in my opinion the “trickiest” part) ride with leaves covering the ground during fall, humidity and even fog (slippery) for around 1km. Also the road isn’t as flat but that’s again very acceptable. My office is a villa in the park.

Option 2) Stay down in the valley, ride until elevator (smooth road and few paved) for about 1km. Take the elevator, and join the same park than option 1) but at a different entry point.

Option 3) Take any vertical moving vehicle to join upper city (funiculaire/elevator) and join the road instead of the park.

As you can see I have many choices. Let’s wait and see. Anyway, my birthday is only the 19th of October. So it is possible that I have to wait to use the bike. AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH :confused:

25

Yes, you’re right; here also a wonderful autumn :smiley:
Just, to be honest I preferred recently most of the time my motorcycle, a 32 year old single cylinder Yamaha :sunglasses:

Edit: That type…

26

Now we are talking! :wink:

27

I’ve just received the strida. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
It is gorgeous :open_mouth:
My wife loved it right away.
They call this champagne but it actually closer to a gold mate paint. But not in a mate way. :unamused: . Don’t really know if I am clear…

I haven’t had the time to try it and won’t be able to do it before next Saturday as I am leaving fro Paris 2 days for the Auto Show tomorrow.

I had the time see that : kickstand, ringbell, fenders, mud flap, aluminium freewhell where present but no frame clip. 2 small keyring that act as blinking light
Light scratching visible on the frames but totally acceptable for second hand. No sign of wear on pedals or freewhel, tyres are in very good condition. The bike is nearly mint.
Try to fold and unfold it. OK. Need to get the “snap the left handbar” trick.
Changed the seat height. Twice because I was way to low the first time. It is not the easiest system. Anyway once set, this shouldn’t change.
Wheels don’t wooble.
At first everything seems in perfect working conditions.
I lied, I’ve tried but in my dinning/living room :laughing:
Positions seems comfortable. I am surprised.

I am happy men.
I post an update after testing this weekend.

28

Hello guys,

After few days of daily commute, I want to share a quick feedback on my Strida SX.

As already said before from an aesthetical point of view, it is beautiful. The black and gold color is a net combination. Not low profile for sure but hey, this is not a low profile bicycle from the start. I wish all the Chrome parts would have been colored in black (handlebars, break lever, crank arm, brake calipers are not black). Anyway, all the black version of these parts exist in accessory parts if needed. We will see later for the customization because nothing is cheap.

Never used a folding bike before, but I was able to feel the qualitative aspect of the moving part. The cinematic is nice and everything click into place with a satisfactory sound.

First thing was to change the seat height. Apparently, there is now an easier version of the seat mount with quick adjustment. Mine is the old version. It is the third time I change the height. It seems that I have long legs in comparison to my size. Now, I have found my setting so I should not move it anymore.

First ride was hazardous. Especially to set off. The small size encourages setting off anywhere, even on a crowded sidewalk, which is not a good idea finally. Once you understand that you do not put your weight on the arms to ride it is much better.
Now that I have the right height and the 18’’ kojack properly inflated, it rides wells. Set off is quick. On flat, I reach quickly the max speed. On small hills, you need to push on the pedals but no problem with that I have good legs.

The bike started rapidly to make some squeaking noise going uphill and when pushing on the pedal. I have tightened the bolt of the locking latch and the noise disappeared this morning. One of them was a tiny bit loose.

As already underlined everywhere, breaks are powerful. I had to loosen them a little bit.

Overall, that is a wonderful piece of engineering. Fold is quick. Bike is comfortable to ride (not comparable with more traditional bike of course especially on cobblestones). Where the bike shines the most, it definitively in the train itself or in the stairs of the train station. No need to wait for elevator anymore if train is already here. It draws a lot of attention especially during the fold/unfold process. Strange feeling is that I don’t have the impression to carry a bicycle with me. It is like I feel lighter when I am hoping in train. I can sat and put the strida under the luggage storing area or even next to me in standing position. Very strange feeling compared to my heavy-duty electric scooter or even to other commuter in traditional bicycle. You do not annoy other commuters. I kind of forget about it. Which is much appreciable but weird in a certain way.

The little thing that is bugging me, but that is really a little thing is the angle of the seat. This seat is lightly tilted toward the front (the front part of the seat is pointing down while the back is pushing me upward) Moving the seat forward does not help (it is on the rearrest setting for me). I found that a French user had the same problem on the net.). Changing the seat by the gel version have not solved the issue for this person. I am thinking to upgrade the spring-loaded version or the very lightweight one such as:
https://www.strida.dk/en/product/strida-leather-saddle/
or
https://stridacanada.ca/product/strida-light-weight-saddle/

But that’s a minor issue. Really. I am sure that I’ll get used to that fairly quickly.

other than this I have ordered spare tubes and frame clip. I should get them quickly. I will wait for the “winter” tyres as road isn’t slippery yet.

At the end, it is a very nice little thing. Ride are fun and zen as you don’t look for speed. Very nice birthday gift.
Regards,
Victarion.

29

Hi Victarion,

regarding black parts; I mean for some it does make sense to rework them instead of buying new parts. Anodizing aluminium isn’t that expensive (as far I can tell due to years-long experience with a local company) → Black anodized Strida parts
Sure, there is some disassembling work to do (which can be a little tricky, for example reassembling of the brass rods of the steering bars) but with a few hints no big problem I guess.

Yes there was a tilted saddle in France, too.
Unfortunately we didn’t find the cause if I remember correctly - my suspect is still a faulty saddle with rails which were bent the wrong way.
(That is, for my personal meaning, easy to explain: Ming cycle’s quality control department doesn’t work always the way it should.)

Overall; really great that you like her :laughing:

30

Thanks BSA for the tips regarding aluminum anodization. I haven’t thought about it. I will look for companies when the time of the mods will come.

Other than this, yesterday I have tried to go back home with the Strida without using train since we have still some good weather. 18km in total. I was a kid again :laughing:

Bottom line: totally feasible. People who says that this bike isn’t a bike, well… :mrgreen: No muscle (quadriceps) soreness at all and no (too much) butt soreness. What is true is that I need to change my seat. The extended stearing bars could be a nice addition too but aren’t mandatory to me. By the way the black version you’ve shown would be terrible on my bike :wink:. What is certain is that I need to find a solution to sat higher and more at the rear. No emergency, but this would considerably improve the ride in my opinion.

And the choice of seat is so vast that it is difficult. Race-type/lightweight, spring loaded or even noseless…?
:sunglasses:

31

Just the bent ones are not available in black by Ming as far as I know.
But no reason to worry - I have to visit my anodizer anyway soon and there’s a lonely bent steering laying around here :wink:

Please note that not all saddles fit the Strida seat molding - whenever possible try your new seat before buying!

A while ago I’ve found this;
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rinsten/rinsten-spring-the-ultimate-bicycle-shock-absorber/
what do you think about that?
If the Rinsten spring fits the Strida molding there should be no more problem with the saddle nose I think. Yes, I backed it, too :unamused:

32

Please PM me when your anodized bent steering will feel alone. I am sure we can find a way to make it feel at home again :mrgreen:
And don’t hesitate to share other loneliness cases “laying around”. :wink:

I think that’s what I need. If I understand correctly, with this system it is possible to have at the same time more heigh and more body angle. In addition it can act as shock absorber so there is the possibility to buy any lightweight saddle and not especially the strida one, which look quite expensive for what it is. At first at least. Let me know if fits the Strida molding. There is one picture on the official website with a Strida having this system installed, so I should work.

33

Sure I’ll pm you; stumbled today over a pair of cranks, too :laughing:
Btw - did you know that some sorts of stainless steel and also Titanium can be blackened, too?

:open_mouth:
You’re right actually - many thanks for your attention, I missed that one:

Well…I’d love to tell whether that thingy fits or not; just mine wasn’t delivered until today.

34

:open_mouth: You are the devil right ? :smiling_imp: :wink:

I knew for the aluminum because I am passionate by knifes and this is very common to apply such process for the handle for folding knife. But for the steel, I realized it only when you’ve shown the steering in your previous message.

35

No - just his mechanic :laughing:

:sunglasses: Great - I’m collecting knives, too!

There are just a few single parts made of stainless steel on a Strida, for example the wheel bolts, but the steering is anyway aluminium :wink:

36

Fan of Spyderco maybe (spider in your avatar) ?

Other than this, I think my tubes have to be changed. I am using the compressor provided with the car to inflate the Kojak to 110psi but they don’t keep up with that pressure. That’s the second time I am inflating them in one week of use. Especially the front one that lost 1/3 of the total in 3 days. I have tried the water test on the front tube but no single air buble. Or the valve is too old or the tube itself became porous. I have ordered spare tube beginning of the week to Strida.fr but I haven’t received them. :imp:

I went to the closest bike near me, they had 18’’ tubes but not the right width :imp: :imp:. They have never seen a Strida before they were amazed by the way…

Tried also the check all bolts and I discover that one of the bolt that hold the rear brake caliper to the frame has its head not hexagonal anymore. Need to find a way to remove it and change it.

37

The avatar’s spider was in fact stolen from my first modded brake rotors - these Dirty Dog rotors.
I’ve used that design many times all over the very first black Strida.

And actually there’s a Spyderfly Balisong part of the collection; just I’m collecting not by brand - by flavour only :sunglasses:
Also I’m highly interested in automatic knives, daggers and everything made of Damascus steel :smiley:

Regarding pressure loss on tubes in Kojak size please don’t overlook that the total air volume is very small (imagine a Spaghetti noodle) compared to average sizes in usually much bigger width.
For my meaning is a reduction of 0,1 bar per day totally normal with Schwalbe tubes.
I had also the feeling that Sclaverand valves hold air better than Schrader.
At that high pressure you’re using (me too of course :laughing: ) you should keep an eye on the perfect sit of the rim bands. They must cover the nipple holes in the rims completely.
The higher the pressure - the more the bands tend to slip left or right.
Finally not a big problem because the Schwalbe high pressure rim bands (not self-adhesive tapes, caution) are available in 355er size :wink:

Sloppy work with an electric screwdriver, caused mainly by lack of time - that’s my thoughts for your bolt issue…
I’d try first to hit a hex nut into the bolt’s opening, then try to turn while applying pressure onto the ratchet. Brake bolts are glued - therefore I believe that the very first loosening movement will be the hardest.

38

I have one spyderco. Slipit Terzuola. With carbon fiber handle. Loves it. No handcraft work here but very pleasant to use.

Very nice breaking disc by the way. Loves it. That’s what I call a mod !!! I wish we had access to the same “library” of accessories and modified parts that asians do… But I would become crazy. Here in Europe that’s different. It has to be sober. Same with cars.

Regarding pressure I wouldn’t mind 0.1 bar loss per day. In that case it is more around 1 bar per day and before to put back the tube I have checked the rim band. Seems OK. I mean I haven’t noticed potrusion from any of the spokes in the rim band. That’s why I’m thinking about the valve aging. Or simply porosity. But I am not an expert. That’s my first bike.

Do you know by chance the dimension of that bolt? I want to replace it. There is also the method of the rubber band to put between the bolt head opening and the hex nut. It acts as a spacer and at the same time doesn’t slip. But if there is glue it might not be enough. I’ll try also the hitting method and let you know.

Other than this I have just ordered the rear hinge kit upgrade from Canada.

39

I think you overestimate their library on one hand - and on the other; nowadays - in times of www, we DO have access to everything (perhaps a bit more effort needed).

It is M6 x 30 mm, but a narrow head, it is not listed at the German distributors page btw.
I’d recommend either to contact your local dealer directly for that bolt or replace all four with different type - taper head stainless steel or Ti.

Did you already notice any issues at the rear hinge (creaking)?

40

Nope but I am risk adverse. I prefer to anticpate.