Dear Strida owners,
This is probably my last topic on this forum as, after 4 years of almost daily use, I have sold my Strida LT upgraded with a Schlumpf SD, and replaced it with a Dahon Jetstream P8.
Although I really appreciated the ingenious folding mechanism, the incredible accelerations, the powerful disc brakes and the unique look of the Strida, I have decided to sell it for the following reasons:
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The 16" wheels are definitely too small to cope with the poorly maintained Belgian roads. The comfort is bad but it also makes the rides hazardous and forces me to continuously scan the road 5 meters ahead of the front wheel. Any pothole or bump in the road surface can indeed seriously destabilize the bike if it has not been anticipated by the rider. This also limited my maximum downhill speed.
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As I use the bike outside of town, I sometimes do ride with a strong head wind, which drastically reduces my top speed and makes the trip painful because intermediate gears are lacking between the low and the high gear. Furthermore, the upright riding position is definitively not suited for a dynamic ride, but rather made for urban use and for short trips.
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I am fed up with the design errors which could easily be solved by the Strida engineers: non sealed freewheel mechanism attracting dirt like a magnet, seizing snubber bearing because it is not water proof, rear joint preload mechanism damaging the frame and losing its effectiveness with the time because a 0.1 EUR washer is deliberately missing.
For that reason I would hesitate to recommend the Strida if the future owner is not willing to work himself on the bike, or if he can not rely on a good Strida dealer. I bought mine on internet and managed, thanks to this forum and to my mechanical skills, to solve the various issues by myself. No single bike dealer from my region would have been able to do it for me as the Strida contains very few standard bike components.
A last point which makes me angry: the price of Stridas, especially the Evo models, has become excessive in view of what other brands are offering. Is it the price of the compactness of the bike?
Just consider that my well equipped, fully suspended, 8 speed Dahon Jetstream is 600 EUR cheaper, is lighter (12.4 kg) and rides much better (20" wheels) but is less compact, I admit.
I am convinced that the Strida is the ideal folding bike for urban use and combined with bus or train commute, but that is not the way I have been using it.
I would like now to specially thank Blackstridaaustria who has become the real pillar of this forum. Thanks to his ingenuity, his gold fingers and his willingness to help, he has been managing to answer many of our questions and to find solutions to the various problems.
I wish you all the best.
Bietrume
. I will for sure keep an eye on this forum, and might intervene if I have usefull information to share.