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The Bantam Friday is a model especially for Little People and other rides with a small inseam measurement. This press released was written for the Little People of America Quarterly. 12 December, 2006: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Little and Littler: Performance Bicycle Specifically Designed for Little People Bike Friday, manufacturer of the world's leading performance travel bicycle, has released a custom, proportionate bicycle for short-statured cyclists who seek the level of performance available in a regular, full-sized bicycle. Like all Bike Friday's signature models, the Bantam Friday is custom fitted to the individual rider, quick folds into a soft bag, and packs into a standard Samsonite suitcase for airline travel,which can be optionally towed as a trailer on touchdown. The extra low stepover height of the design is suitable for riders with an inseam of as little as 13", depending on components chosen. Bike Friday prides itself on fitting the widest range of cyclists to a bicycle, having pioneered the Petite Friday concept for the smaller, lighter rider. The Bantam Friday can be configured the same way as the company's popular New World Tourist (touring) or Crusoe (recreational) models, including a choice of 8-27 speeds, custom frame sizing, color and components. It folds and packs into the towable TravelCase, a Bike Friday hallmark. To date, Little People have had to settle for less than optimal children's bicycles, which lack custom fitting and are quality componentry. "Not to mention having training wheels, Batman or some other kid-related decorations", noted a recent adopter, Dennis Healy. The Bantam Friday is constructed from ultra-light tubing used in the company's sub-20 lb racing models, giving the bicycle a sprightly ride while making it easy to lift and transport. Bike Friday is no stranger to the Little People fraternity, having filled several special orders since attending the Little People National Conference in Salt Lake City, 2002. One of the first adopters was Little People of America Communications director Dan Okenfuss. "I wanted to ride the 110 mile El Tour de Tucson with my 6'4" brother Chuck and keep up with him," says 4'6" Okenfuss. "I wanted a serious road bike." Bike Friday built Dan a 27-speed Pocket Rocket, a scaled down version of the company's classic road model. "It's light enough and I kept up with Chuck all right!" he says. Bike Friday co-founders Hanz and Alan Scholz hail from a racing background."Performance that packs has always been the dual design intent of our bicycles," says designer Hanz. "A truly custom fitted bicycle that you can always have with you." The twelve-year old Eugene company is renowned for innovation; Alan Scholz founded Burley Design Cooperative, where he invented the famous purple and yellow Burley child trailer, and Bike Friday makes the world's only tandem that breaks down into a single bicycle. The company has custom built several tandem and single bicycles for cyclists with physical concerns associated withparaplegia, Down's Syndrome, thalidomide and blindness. The flexibility in sizing, adjustability and overall 'human friendly' design, based around a nimble 20" wheel diameter, make it rideable by small children, petite women and the elderly - a recent new customer being 80 year young Dianne Buskirk. No rider is too tall either - the tallest rider is a 7'1" basketball star. Recent customer Judy Badner writes: "I have achondroplastic dwarfism and am 47 inches tall with a 16 inch inseam. I decided to order a Bike Friday last year because it was a well-known company with some experience in making bikes for people with dwarfism. However, I had some doubts since the people with dwarfism on the website were significantly taller than I was. However, I did order a Crusoe Petite 9 and have been riding it with great pleasure for the past 14 months. Last weekend, I participated in the 2006 Chicago Bike the Drive 30 mile ride. It was a very enjoyable ride and I was able to complete it in the alloted time, something I would not have thought possible a few years ago." Now that the Bantam Friday is here, riders even smaller than Dan, Dennis and Judy can hang with the pack. Thank you to the Little People of America Executive for naming the newest, neatest Friday! More Special Fridays: http://www.bikefriday.com/specialneeds |
