Bike Friday customer reviews

Writing from Frisco, Colorado, elevation 9100' where I use my stealth black New World Tourist to cruise from my home to the Town's marina docks. It fits easlly onto my boat, pedals effortlessly up the Main Street and is easy to get on after a couple of beers at the local saloon. It is the babyboomers dream machine! Chances are that I will order Bike Friday #2 as soon as I get finished negotiating colors with the girlfriend. regards, Rob

How cool is our Tandem Two’sDay!

We ordered it at the end of 2005 and picked it up when we arrived in Miami on 15 March 2006. It then travelled with us wherever we went for the next 9 months – 5+ months in North America, 3+ months in Europe before calling in through China and Hong Kong on the way home to Australia. We ordered a bright yellow one with the two suitcases and the trailer frame. While we wandered round mostly in vehicles or public transport, we had rides in various places.

We will not forget rides in Florida, Chicago, Kansas, Virginia, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nanaimo (BC), Oregon (including the North West Tandem Rally in Corvallis), Washington, the Canadian Rockies (Jasper to Lake Louise), Ireland, France, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. Our bike has been named Banana Split (BS) due to its colour and the concept of it “splitting”.

At times he was confined to his two Samsonite cases (such as in Nova Scotia, England and Hong Kong). There were other times, we used the clever folding capabilities and put BS into the trunk of a Camry, a Chev Monte Carlo, the tray of a Chev Silverado, a Peugeot 307 and even a regular VW Golf! We were able to put BS together (or take it apart for air travel) in a tad less than an hour. However its fantastic folding feature took us 5 to 10 minutes. There were times I managed to take someone else for a ride but by and large I was happy to have Fay on the back.

BS flew all the way FREE! Just part of our luggage, thanks to the One World syndicate of airlines. When we arrived back in Australia, he was allowed straight in without any duty, tax or even being quarantined! Our tandem Two’sDay certainly turns heads back here in Australia. Oh, our top speed last year was 79.8 kph down a hill on Gabriola Island off Vancouver Island, BC. [Written October 2007].

I just finished a 10 day bicycle tour by myself the first two weeks in mid-coastal Maine.

This was my first bicycle tour on my BF Pocket Llama and I used the suitcase trailer system for the first time. I brought a milk crate as a carryon for the airplane, fashioning a shoulder strap with my bike cable lock. I could carry the trailer wheels in it and lighten the load in my luggage. It also made a great stool to sit on while assembling and disassembling the bike. I have toured using panniers in the past with other bikes so the trailer was new for me. I LOVED IT! the bike handled better, no fish tailing or sluggishness particularly when I got out of the saddle to ride. Was very nice and easy to detach for those days I stayed in one place and took day trips.

My milk crate made for a great basket on the rear rack, securing it with Zip ties. By the way, keep lots of extra heavy duty zip ties with you - saved me. Some of the rutted roads rattled some of the screws out of my rear rack and the zip ties came in handy (my extra screws are itting on my dining room table at home...) and worked well.

I got a flat on one of my trailer wheels within the first 6 miles - big shard of glass. Took some time to figure out how to get the acutely angled tube nozzle out - one must twist and turn the tube perpendicular to the rim for it to get out. But glad I had an extra wtih me. I felt the trailer sucked up rough roads pretty well considering no suspension so that was not an issue at all. I only felt tugging with heavier load and usually only on climbs or dips, but certainly nothing to stress about - ended up mailing all my camping gear home as the campsites were mostly closed this time of year; those that were not were quite far from biycle friendly roads, grocery stores and restaurants. Made a huge difference!

I took a leg strap that was all yellow reflecting tape and velcro-d it to the rear of the suitcase/trailer across which I am sure saved me one nite I ended up riding in the dark for an hour after finding camping areas closed along the way. I did have a rear red flashing lite on the back of the milk crate as well.

I had no squeaks, or creeky sounds come from my bike on the trip. The trailer system made for ease of putting the bike and suitcase onto a train fully assembled (people were unbelievalby friendly in Maine - I had a bike shop give me a free t-shirt asking me to wear it for advertising) - to bypass 40 miles I had already done, so I could tour elsewhere. I was also glad I had the very lite weight fenders.

My BF has also become my bike of choice for commuting. If ever I get caught somewhere later than planned, it is easier to cram into a friend's car if need be. I look forward to more adventures on my Pocket Llama. A very comfortable ride!

I purchased my BikeFriday NWT in July 2004 and have had a never ending list of problems with this bike from day one. Here is a list of some of the problems experienced: The bolt that holds the front derailleur assembly was stripped and fell off when I unpacked the bike on day one. The bike was received with no shim in the seat post so that the seat could not be fastened tightly The chain broke after one month's usage. The rear brake cable broke after 7 months usage. The chain guard (the black part) was set too far from the small inner front sprocket, and failed to keep chain on when I shifted to the low gears. Then the chain got jammed, and I had to loosen the black chain guard to release the chain. I finally removed the chain guard from the bike - too much hassle. Screws came loose (got lost) on the Travelcase suitcase causing the handle to get loose. I recently ordered a new replacement rear cassette to replace my worn cassette after 3 years and BikeFriday shipped the wrong size cassette even though they told me that it was identical. Yes, I still ride the bike, but the never ending problems that keep occuring is discouraging since I thought I bought a custom fit, super bike.

Bike Friday responds:

Dale appears to have a frame that is slightly too big given his age.  His suggestion - that as most of our customers get older (60 and up -  Dale is now 67), they will require a smaller frame and more up-right  position - is very valid, and we try hard to be mindful to specify bikes with these criteria in mind.

We are pleased to hear that Dale's wife is happy with her bike.Cheers, Hanz and Hugh
 

Just want to drop a note that the PR-Pro arrived on time and I put some miles on it while in Wisconsin. The directions for unpacking and repacking were great, and the digital photo showing the bike in the case is a nice touch. Most important, the bike handles and rides great. I did some big climbs and steep downhills and unless I look down I forget I’m on the smaller wheels. I’d say it feels a little different but after a few miles you don’t notice. I even had to ride some gravel to get to the pavement and it’s not a big deal. I’m back home in Anchorage AK and looking forward to all the adventures the bike will undoubtedly lead to. Please let the team at the shop know there is another happy and evangelistic rider!