Wow 
Always fancied a Strida (for something like 20 years!), finally after moving office I could totally justify one as the walk from the station is that bit further.
Have only had her for a day, so not many miles yet, but have covered city traffic commuting and negotiated the hill I live on; up, and down (about a mile long, with 1:10 incline at steepest point).
It is definitely a bit skitish, haven’t entirely got the hang of pulling away yet, still a bit wobbly, and in the first ten minutes of getting it I pulled away and turned (T junction) but turned too enthusiastically and found myself practically dragging the front wheel along sideways before straightening up a bit, think I came pretty close to going over the handlebars.
It’s really quick to accelerate, but with single, low, gear it does run out of speed quickly too. So far I’m finding about 10mph as a good cruising speed, on even the slightest downhill it coasts quicker than it’s worth peddling so I sit back and enjoy the ride.
Being mostly used to MTBs I’ve found going uphill is an experience - no changing down to ridiculously low gears. I attempted riding up the hill I live at the top of on the LT for the first time today, the steepest section 1:10 for about 600ft had my heart pumping, but it was do-able - much to my surprise.
The bike seems to be well built and well thought out, it shows it’s benefited from decades of development.
I couldn’t ride it on the way home yesterday as it’s dark before I finish work and I hadn’t thought to bring lights with me, so I ended up in a busy London pub for the evening, safe in the knowledge I could carry it on to the tube and buses with no bother. The floor of the particular pub I ended up in was littered with Bromptons, my Strida attracted several strange looks.
While certainly not as compact, it is half the price, faster to fold/unfold, and has the bonus of disc brakes, oh and it’s easier to move around in it’s folded state too! Bromptons are so common in London these days it’s nice to have something different.
The only problem I have at the moment is the rear mudguard is so close to the belt that it intermittently rubs. Any advice on moving the mudguard out of the way? The noise is annoying and I don’t really want to have to replace it too often.
Very pleased to have ‘joined the gang’, and looking forward to my daily commute a little bit more now!
