*tikitTM* World's Fastest Fold with the Famous Friday Ride

No quick releases, latches or twiddly knobs - comes complete with saddle, pedals, fenders and integrated transit cover (shown right). Tap, swish, click and go! Watch movie clip of hyperfold tikitTM

The basic tikitTM, features a traditional "twiddly knob" to secure the stem (see arrow) - just a few extra seconds to fold. Otherwise identical to the hyperfold tikitTM. Comes with saddle and pedals; fenders (shown) and transit cover are optional extras. Watch movie clip of Model T

THE tikitTM: WORLD'S FASTEST FOLD WITH THE FAMOUS FRIDAY RIDE.

WELCOME to a new, easy-to-use, perfectly sustainable personal mobility device, that just happens to have the same quality ride you expect from a Bike Friday.

Watch videos of it being folded and unfolded. There are now also videos of being folded while waiting for the train, being folded to get on the bus, and being folded in the middle of the street. More videos on the YouTube bikefriday channel. If you read German, you might check out the blog of our dealer and see his website's cool "tikit window"!

tikitTM REVIEWS

AtoB magazine November 2007 review

Alan Durnington review on Sightline.org Trailer touring with the tikit. A bit of disclosure ... Alan Durning is a researcher and Journalist who started the North West Environmental Watch Institute, now called Sight Line. He and his staff reasearch and write books about resource use and suggestions of changes and solutions to make the world a better place. Some of his books are "The Car and The City" and " The Secret Life of Everyday Things". He and his family of 4 live car-free in Seattle. Alan Scholz and Hanna have both heard him speak and have a lot of respect for his work. He now flies around the country giving lectures on different aspects of sustainable living, as well as lobbying for change in laws and taxes. Bike Friday loaned him a tikit, trailer and suitcase to use on his lecture trips and around Seattle.

Alex Wetmore review Aug 2007 He tinkered with it and we don't mind at all!

Folding Society (UK) Review, Jul 2006

Velovision's coverage at SPEZI 2007

tikitTM TALES

Just the tikitTM for work, rest and um, play by Eric Berlow

Just the tikitTM for a Japanese train station locker

tikitTM video tidbits - a YouTube playlist

November 2007: The tikit on trial in NY Around the block and into shops, restaurants, security buildings and more? BF Customer Evangelist Lynette Chiang puts it to the test

Oct 2007: Rebecca Haldeman test rides a tikit in Paris

Sep 2007: Alan talks up the tikit at the BF Homecoming/Cycle Oregon'07: (YouTube, 5mins) | Download (9 Mb)

July 2007: A Parking tikit in Cambodia and more tikitTM tales by Alvin Lee

June 2007: tikit wins the Round*Up 2007 Fast Folding Showdown

Holy helmet, Alan Scholz clocked 40 mph (at ~ 1:40) on it at Desert Camp 2007!

100th tikitTM rolls off the line The world just can't get enough

READ ALL ABOUT IT the tikit launch, Feb 1, 2007 | Launch email

Bike Friday Expanded Mission - Get your Tikit off the Carbon Express

Car Free and Carefree on a Friday - the 99.9% bicycle way of life

Commuting on a Friday - Burn Carbs not Hydrocarbs!

tikitTM PRAISE

Wow – the Tikit you sent me is a very sweet bike! I had a chance to put it together once the kids were a sleep. So far I’ve had one nice, long ride on it – it feels a lot like my Pocket Rocket Pro The bike will definitely make commuting a little easier. - Chris La Palm, MN

As I posted to the Yak shortly after geting the bike, I like the
ride. I ride a one hour / 26 km commute each way. I've done
this eight or ten days now. There is no significant difference
in ride time by comparison with any of my big wheel bikes. It's
lighter in the steering than my other bikes, but quite
manageable. It feels responsive. Steering is very stable at
speed. I reckon I've pretty well got the fold down to the nominal fivesecond action. It's probably quicker for me to fold and bring the bike indoors at work than it was to lock it ... - Paul Webb, Australia

The Tikit is a very nice ride. I like my Brompton ride; what seemed at
first "twitchy" compared to a full size bike, I now think of as
manuverable & responsive. But the Tikit feels smoother. More like a full
size. It is just better ... I didn't really understand the comments about Brompton brakes until that ride. I think the Brompton brakes are satisfactory. But the ones on the Tikit are waaay better: more powerful and easier to modulate as well.Weight seemed about the same. Folded size is definitely both smaller and more regular (i.e. "square" with no parts sticking out) on the Brompton, but it's not a huge difference ... - from a folding bike forum

[Thailand] Due to its light-weight, high pressure tyres and decent gearing, my tikit could climb those long hills with ease, outperforming even a brand new rental MTB that Chris rode. It flew down the hills swiftly and confidently too. But more impressive was its ability to handle off-road. I was surprised on a trip to the waterfall at how well the tikit took to the beaten tracks paved with stones, sand and the occasional mud. It was almost like using a Honda Civic to cross the Amazon jungle only to discover that this city car is actually a Hummer in disguise. My tikit also attempted a small river crossing! Once again, the tikit surpasses my expectations. What a fantastic piece of engineering this bicycle is. And of course when it was time to go home, a quick 10-minute job was all it took to pack it back into the Samsonite. - Alvin Lee (pictured), in Thailand

The fold on this bike is amazing. With a little practice (it took me about 5 tries to get the hang out of it) it folds down in a few seconds ... Once folded everything is secured nicely by a single latch and there are no traditional quick releases ... The fold protects the drivetrain (and keeps the greasy chain away packed away in the middle). More importantly it doesn't put the handlebars in the middle which makes converting to drop bars possible. This is not true of many folders by Downtube and Dahon - Alex Wetmore (see his full article in Review section)

... Upon my departure, I had to lift the tikit high over my head in order to avoid bumping other diners and I heard cries of disbelief (What's that? A bicycle?) from people at the restaurant. As I unfolded it and rode off, I'm sure they were wishing they had a bicycle as versatile as mine, instead of spending the rest of the evening waiting for a taxi ... - Rebecca Haldeman in Paris

tikitTM FAQ

Q: What size will fit me?
A: Small fits riders 4'10" to 5'2", medium 5'3"to 6', large 5'9"-6'6". The Effective Top Tube is 50cm (small), 55cm (med), and 60cm (large). The Large is built with a slightly thicker tubing to handle the larger riders. Other than that, they are the same.

Q: Does the front rack come standard?
A: The front rack and showercap (cover) are optional accessories. The fenders, brass bell, saddle and pedals come standard.

Q: Can you pull the Bike Friday TravelTrailer?
A: Yes! Simply use the BF axel hitch and tow away ...

Q: How fast is the fold?
A: 5 seconds flat (original model) or less with a little practice. No fiddly quick releases, latches or 12-step program to fold it. The new Model T with 'twiddly knob' takes about 10 seconds longer.

Q: How small does it fold?
A: The tikitTM folds into a 15"x24"x35" space - about the size of a small suitcase, or a trio of cases of beer/soy milk, whatever's your poison.

Q: How much does it weigh?
A: No heavy lifting - it's 24 lbs, and you can push it along on its own wheels like a cart (or 'trolley' if you live outside the USA).

Q: What colors/sizes do you offer?
A: More than ever before. Read about the Built To Order tikit

Q: Will it fit in the BF soft TravelBag too?
A: Yes, it will fit in the Standard or Compact TravelBag nicely. This is good if you wish to cover it more completely or protect it more when transporting it.

Q: Can you roll it with the showercap cover on?
A: At the time of writing, yes, but only if you have the front rack. The rack acts as a frame to hold the cover. Without the front rack you have to roll it uncovered, or carry it covered, for which there is a webbing handle on the main tube.

Q: How does it compare to other folding bikes?
A: We believe it to be one of the fastest if not the fastest folder. It comes with more sizing options than any other folder. 'the famous Friday ride' refers to that fact you can ride it greater distances in comfort than most folding bikes, so can be used as a light tourer. It folds down smaller than any Bike Friday to date, but is not the absolute smallest fold on the market. Decide on your priorities in a folding bike, and choose accordingly. See the tikit On Trial experiment.

Q: Where is the serial number?
A: The serial number is either on the stem folding plate, or under the bottom bracket, which is the newer location. If it's on the stem, you have to fold the stem down and look on the inside of the lower folding plate.

Q: Is there a lifetime warranty on the tikit frame?
A: You bet!

Q: My tikit doesn't seem to stand up by itself when I fold it.
A: Read about the overlatch bolt (for pre-Feb 2008 models)

RELATED LINKS

Viktikit a customer blog

Run off the rails in San Mateo Why train commuters need a tikitTM

Fred weighs in Our office mascot comments on recent developments