Originally Posted by
Lydah
this is super helpful, thank you
i was looking at the 8 speed with the internal gear hub and belt drive, and as i built it the way i liked the price pushed to 2300, which i would still be willing to pay for the components i would be getting out of it
im still a little iffy on getting a hub instead of a derailleur. I want to be sure that if something goes wrong with it, it can be fixed, but the idea of having a bike without the chain grease sounds fantastic. I just have no personal experience with hubs
im not brave or resilient enough to ride in snow, so the bikes always get retired in winter time, no issues there
and yes, i will be taking my bike indoors with me, i would never leave a bike outside in general lmao
From what I've read, hubs are pretty reliable. The drawback, to me, is that changing a flat tire is quite a bit more trouble and you do need to carry some additional tools with you. Now, if you aren't going off the beaten path and can easily get to some form of transit (public or otherwise) if you get a rear flat, then you can just fold the bike and pop it in a car trunk or take it on a bus and fix the flat at home. As long as Uber or friends will answer your help call, the IGH flat issue isn't really a big drawback. And if you are riding around in a lot of crud the IGH is nice, stays clean compared to a rear derailleur. Make sure you calculate your weight carefully on the Bike Friday page but including the saddle and pedals you plan to use....add half a pound for misc. bolts and nuts. If the model comes out too heavy for you, then I would call them and talk to Steve or one of the other reps - there are lots of ways to reduce weight and best done at time of purchase rather than swapping parts after. If you do decide to order one, if you give them my registration, you will get some freebies and I'll get some, too. PM for info if you go that route. I've had my pakiT 2 years and stil love it madly; it is my "car" and gets me everywhere.
Oh, and I will add that being short makes the pakiT a better choice than a bike that has only one frame size =).