Birdy Folding Bikes, Why Choose A Birdy Folder?

this German designed/Taiwanese built Birdy epitomisesdaughter to childcare. It enabled her to accommodate
a new breed of high tech, forward-looking folding bikes.the needs of two full-timeworking parents. She can
The frame is made of sturdy aluminium and has bothdrop our daughter off, then leave the car around
front and rear suspension, offering a smooth ride,thecorner from the childcare center and ride in from
anti-dive braking and excellent handling with options forthere.
7 or 21 gears. It weighs in at a light 22 to 24 pounds.Other fellow workers, who live a little, further away in
The revolutionary dual suspension design of a Birdyanother town find multi-modal travel a good way to
folding bike introduces smoothness to each ride that isbreak up the monotony of their daily commute. They
otherwise characteristic of expensive full-sizedpop the Birdy bike in the car and drive to a handy safe
bicycles only.parking spot out of their town cycle to the railway
The first fully suspended Birdy folding bicycles makestation fold up the Birdy then travel ride the rest of the
use of one-piece solid yet lightweight aluminum frames.journey to the town they work in unfold their Birdy and
The suspension pivots take care of the foldingride in to work.
mechanism in the absence of the mainframe hinges.No hassle, no stress, a healthier fitter way to arrive to
This clever designing together with the use of 18insyour work relaxed and full of energy.
wheels make the bikes very stable and sporty.The Birdy was starting to look a bit dated, but has
The Birdy bicycles fold in less than 30 seconds withoutbeen revitalised with a new monocoque frame on
the use of any tools however it ends up like amost models: The range includes five models; the basic
collapsed gantry crane, with angular bits of metalRed with 8-speed derailleur (and old frame); Touring
sticking out everywhere. It needs some sort ofwith SRAM 3x8 hub/derailleur system; Speed with
retaining strap, since both the front and rear folding9-speed derailleur; City with Nexus 8-speed hub
sections keep flopping partly open during the process.transmission and Rohloff, with 3-speed Sturmey, no
The same can happen when readying the bike foronly joking, 14-speed Rohloff hub transmission.
packing in its case. The folded size of a Birdy bicycleFor those of the more technical minded, the Birdy has
being some 30" x 23" x 11", it is quite easy to storethe Avid Single Digit 5 V brakes and Shimano
them in small places and carrying cases.transmission. The crankset is by Sunrace, the seatpost
One of the first things you notice when you try a Birdyby Kalloy and the saddle by RM Design. Mudguards
for the first time is that it doesn’t feel like aare extra, oddly for a tourer, as is the sidestand, and
folding bike should. The frame is absolutely solid withBirdy lists lighting and other optional extras. The touring
no flexing or creaking, the riding position is very similarrack bolts to both the frame and swingarm, so the
to a mountain bike, and the steering does not suffermounting screws must pivot to compensate for
from the “small wheel syndrome”.swingarm movement. The rack looks sturdy enough,
Birdy bike fans use them with trams, trains, on theirand is designed to take Ortlieb panniers, but the lack of
boats and they have even designed a special carrierside rails means that panniers can only be fitted when
bag to go in an aeroplane hold in response to demand.the Birdy is equipped with mudguards, since the stays
My wife found that option appealing when he wasare needed to prevent the bags from fouling the
looking to combine my daily commute with getting ourwheel.