Originally Posted by
whollyjordan
Thanks Sangetsu! Appreciate you sharing your personal experience with a Birdy, and the info about possible upgrades.
I nearly bought a new mk3 earlier this week on a whim.. but held off to gather more data (they're about 2 grand here in the UK, not exactly small change..)
Meanwhile I went for a 15 mile ride today, great fun. But again, pretty rough going. I cringe on some of the surfaces here..
OK. So aside from comfort (which clearly the Birdy wins on ) I wonder how it would compare to my Verge x18 in regards to speed?
This weekend I'm hoping to try a Birdy (although only the budget one, based on the older frame) and maybe even a Moulton TSR.. just for comparison.
The Birdy with the straight frame lacks a bit of the sexiness of the monocoque frame, but is lighter, you can easily build an 8 kg Birdy with the straight frame. If the bike you are looking at is called the "classic", the frame has some improvements for extra strength. With similar components and tires, there will not be a big difference in speed. The Birdy does not have a front derailleur, which limits the gearing, but a derailleur can be fitted with an adapter. The straight frame Birdy can use a Dahon derailleur adapter.
I took my Birdy for a ride in the Yoyogi area yesterday, where the new Olympic stadium is being built. I kept up a road-bike pace for an hour (there is large round circuit in the center of the park which is closed to cars on holidays, and this week is Golden Week). I rode over grates, manhole covers, and other things in the road just to see how well the bid would ride over them, and it soaked up the bumps nicely. My only complaint is that the XTR brakes I am using were a little rattly when the front suspension jumped.
Here in Japan there are a variety of suspension systems for the Birdy, from the stock style spring and urethane bushing to air or hydraulic systems which can be adjusted for both compression and rebound. For myself, the stock parts work just fine. The design of the front suspension eliminates dive when you use the front brake.
I'll be taking my Birdy on a cross-country tour of Japan later this year. It offers the best combination of comfort, speed, and ease of transport (I'll be taking it to my starting point by train and bus). I've had two Birdys, two Bromptons, and a Dahon, but have stuck with the Birdy as my main ride.