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Bentrideronline.com's Larry Varney, longtime Bike Friday aficionado, tests out the new '06 SatRDay. Why no helmet? 'There's a solid steel demi-baguette in my beret ... no, I do usually wear a helmet but I was so eager to try out this new bike, I just went for a quick spin.' Shot by Ron Ciminero.
UPDATE JAN 2007: Please go to the general SatRDay page for latest news on this model.
Download SATRDAY '06 INSTRUCTION MANUAL (72 pages, full color PDF):
Small (2.5 Mb, low-res pictures, loads faster)
Medium (7.2 Mb, sharper, higher res pictures, loads slower)
These manuals are also accessible from the Service Guide Document Library
RELATED ARTICLES
Getting a good 'Sit' on the SatRDay The finer points of fitting - including special note on the Touring model
Larry Unbent - a bent for an upright too!
Walter Lapchynski's Bike Blog - where one of our BF Sales Experts offers his personal viewpoints on this model
Previous discussions about this new model
MODEL UPDATES
UPDATE AUG 2006: New handlebar detail (movie clip from folding video below) a bolt has replaced the upper handlebar quick release for reasons of added strength
SatRDays with a long boom (movie clip from folding video below) if you are tall and have a long boom, you may need to remove (quick release) the seat completely to complete the fold
UPDATE APRIL 10, 2006: Please discuss with your BF Sales Expert the approximate weight of your SatRDay with your chosen accessories. The bike featured in the clips below is a lighter configuration, and packed in the Travel Case weighed in at 50 lbs. Every Bike Friday is different, based on the weight of the rider. Be prepared to stow some accessories in a separate bag to avoid excess airline charges.
UPDATE FEB 10, 2006: Field testing reveals that it is better to fold the rear end first, followed by the boom - not the other way around, as the videos and photo galleries below suggest.
FOLDING/PACKING MOVIE CLIPS Last updated Oct 2006 - Lynette Chiang
Here are folding, packing and assembly videos for the 2006 SatRDay.
For fast connections, download the movies using the Free Quicktime Player Mac | Windows -- OR click on the frames below to see them as streaming videos via YouTube.com (username = bikefriday)
FOLDING THE SATRDAY 2006 4 mins, 6.2 Mb Quicktime movie | See it on YouTube
UNFOLDING THE SATRDAY 2006 3 mins, 4.2 Mb Quicktime movie | See it on YouTube
PACKING THE SATRDAY 2006 13 mins, 19 Mb Quicktime movie | Part 1 (6 min) | Part 2 (7 min) | See it on YouTube Part 1, Part 2
UNPACK/ASSEMBLING THE SATRDAY 2006 11 mins, 15.3 Mb Quicktime movie | See it on YouTube
 +++ ADDENDA TO ASSEMBLY CLIP I: USING TORQUE WRENCH ON HIGHER END SHIMANO CRANKS - refer to above clip at 5:30 mins onwards If you ordered your SatRDay with any of the new 2006 Shimano 105, Ultegra or Dura-Ace cranks, or FSA cranks, you will need to tighten them with a special torque wrench supplied with your bike. (In the clip, Merle uses only his folding tool but he's an expert). Shimano Sora, Tiagara, and all other cranks can be tightened with a standard 8mm wrench or the little removeable adaptor that comes with your multi-tool. After tightening the 6mm crank bolts with your multi tool as shown at 5:30 in the video, you need to finish tightening correctly with the supplied torque wrench. Calibrate the wrench to 106-132 inch-pounds (12-15 Newton Meters). This wrench prevents overtightening, which is a crucial precaution for these new components. How to use the wrench: Use the vertical scale to take a gross measurement and the horizontal wheel to fine tune. For example, in the picture, 95 pounds is the closest on the vertical scale, and scrolling the wheel to 11 gives 95+11 = 106. |
SATISFIED SATRDAY FEEDBACK
I just picked up my new SatRDay Tour in Eugene today and I think it's the beginning of a great love affair. This bike is so comfortable to ride and fits like a glove. It attaches on my Xport bike rack in my Tacoma pick up short bed without requiring the tailgate to be open. Of course I'd rather be riding it but sometimes you have to transport it. My other bike is a Gold Rush, and while I love it, also, I can see already that the SatRDay has some advantages. It's 4 pounds lighter and has about a 25 inch shorter wheelbase. I'm not a terribly technical person so I cannot comment too much about the components except I know it's going to get me up any hill I care to go up. My main reason for getting it is commuting and some touring. When I get some miles on it I hope to post another glowing report. I know I'm preaching to the choir here as far as Bike Fridays go. But I have to say if you are a recumbent rider and like the Bike Friday products, you should give this bike serious consideration.
- Shirley Schoberg, Albany, OR, April 2006, via The YAK!
The new Bike Friday SatRDay Mk II, dubbed Next SatRDay, is finally out of the bag!
Nearly every day for the last year customers and others have called asking "when can I order one?" Finally after many challenges (we have been so busy that finding time to design a new bike was like getting a Hummer driver on a unicycle. We are ready to say "you can order one now".
Hanz's goal with this bike was to make it lighter, faster, easier to fold and pack as well as have more tire choices. There are 2 models - touring and sport.
General features:
* Custom fit the rider with up to 6” of seat travel.
* Fits into the new Samsonite case.
* European Fiber Matrix seat with thick foam for padding.
* Quick folds with seat intact
* Adjustable seat back angle.
Special features of the Sport model (451 wheels, for people interested in fast riding)
* 451 wheels
* Weighs from as little as 26.5 lbs (weight of the finished prototype)
* 10 tire choices ranging from 20x1” to 20x1 3/8”
* Price ranges from $2750 to $4075
Special features of the Touring model (406 wheels)
* Adjustable boom (the Sport model will not have an adjustable boom)
* 17 tire choices ranging from 20x1.125" to 20x2.1"
* Price ranges from $2675 to $3050
Can't wait?
It's so new the formal specification is not on our website yet, as Alan finalizes the best componentry configurations. However, feel free to call our salesteam on 1-800-777-0258 to discuss and get your production slot reserved for your next recumbent trip.
A Note on Naming
We asked customers for suggestions of names and received hundreds of creative ones like "Weak Ender", "SatRday Knight" and "SatRDay Market" (a good name for a shopper bike). Thank you! Hanz came up with the clever "Next SatRDay", a favorite with some people at Bike Friday (like me). However, some customers suggested that it be simply called SatRDay Tour and SatRDay Sport - and at Bike Friday, customers win. So unless there are loud noises otherwise, these names will probably be used on the decals. - LC
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Shortcut to this article: http://www.bikefriday.com/satrday-about