BF Beam (Air) vs Post (Pocket) bikes

Sandy and I had NWTs for 5 years before we traded up to AGs. The NWTs were great because they quick-folded (much easier than the AGs), and they were a great ride except on the cobblestones and cut pavers of BENELUX which beat the daylights out of us and our NWTs with trailers. We upgraded to the Garvin elastomer stem shocks which helped alot.

But since we got the AGs almost 4 years ago, set up with the Softride stem shock to go with the beam, the overall ride is much nicer than the NWT, but that's our opinion. Its true that one 'bounces' and 'sways', but after a few rides you learn to get used to it and adjust your spinning accordingly. We have never been cyclists who usually stand to climb or power away, preferring to stay seated. And as was stated earlier, with the weight still on the rear wheel, we climb fairly well.

Between Nov. 03 and mid-Jan. 04, I didn't ride at all for a variety of reasons. But since getting back onto the saddle (is the SRD seat a saddle?) I have been riding both my AG and Sandy's Novara road bike, and I only re-affirmed that the AG is 1 of my 2 favorite bikes (the other is my SRD) because of the smooth and responsive ride. And Sandy hasn't ridden the Novara for several years, preferring that I keep her AG serviced and tires pumped. As to performance for speed, I'd say they were about the same. I don't worry about the weight factor either. At 185 lbs., and for being almost 50, I can still outride some of the 'kids' I ride with, both speed and distance.

My suggestion is to try both before you buy as each has its own character. I know that the BF customer reps have opinions as to the beam, particularly when it comes to speed, but it all depends on what you want to do with the bike. I still wouldn't trade my AG for a PR/PRP or a NWT, but would maybe upgrade to a AF (or maybe I should just drop a few pounds of my lazy rear and save a few bucks in any effort to go faster).

On another note, the old 3x7 hub was relatively easy to service and to add oil periodically. The new DD takes a bit more patience to get Phil's T-oil through that smaller shift pin hole. Haven't got enough miles on the SRD to want to do a major service on it yet. And with either bike, I always carry an extra pin for the hubs as was mentioned by another Yakster.

my 2 cents as well.

Cheers, Hugh
Phoenix, AZ

'00 AG blue
'01 SRD yellow & red
"Cruisin' the Globe on 2 small wheels, and towing Jakester on the weekends!" (www.geocities.com/sirflakeyjake)