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Helix Update?

Old 01-13-19, 11:53 AM
  #1451  
Revoltingest
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Originally Posted by Gibsonsean
Not just lighter but larger and prettier. I think it depends on what gearing will suit you best and the rest is nice to have. All the upgrades are standard on backer bikes - one of the reasons I chose to buy out a backer rather than go with a pre-order - so i don't have the comparisons to hand.
Interesting....I didn't notice a different size.
If my choice results in lower overall gear ratios,
that's fine...better for off road riding.

But I do like pretty components.
I wonder....the Wolf Tooth is a direct mount.
Is the standard Helix chainring the same or something clunkier?

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Old 01-13-19, 03:14 PM
  #1452  
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Originally Posted by Revoltingest
Interesting....I didn't notice a different size.
If my choice results in lower overall gear ratios,
that's fine...better for off road riding.

But I do like pretty components.
I wonder....the Wolf Tooth is a direct mount.
Is the standard Helix chainring the same or something clunkier?
I'm just going by one of the backer updates re being bigger

The standard is the chainring that comes with the SRAM NX 1x crankset. Only the chainring is replaced for the upgrade i believe. However this is referred to as a steel chainring and the current nx1× seems to have an Al chainring so don't know how useful.

Are there no pics/details on the checkout pages?
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Old 01-13-19, 04:11 PM
  #1453  
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Originally Posted by Gibsonsean
I'm just going by one of the backer updates re being bigger

The standard is the chainring that comes with the SRAM NX 1x crankset. Only the chainring is replaced for the upgrade i believe. However this is referred to as a steel chainring and the current nx1× seems to have an Al chainring so don't know how useful.

Are there no pics/details on the checkout pages?
I saw no pix.
The standard chainring must be aluminum.
Steel doesn't seem a likely choice by Helix, and the weight difference was small.
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Old 01-14-19, 09:46 AM
  #1454  
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Originally Posted by Lalato
In theory we'll get our first reviews in 2 months. What a time to be alive!
Really? Wish I could share your enthusiasm.

Ubfortunately there are so many things other than bikes happening on this planet, and most are hardly positive.

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Old 01-14-19, 10:34 AM
  #1455  
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Originally Posted by avole
Really? Wish I could share your enthusiasm.

Ubfortunately there are so many things other than bikes happening on this planet, and most are hardly positive.

All the more reason to find some joy where you can, a way to escape it for a little time...
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Old 01-15-19, 09:57 AM
  #1456  
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Well, , equally you could try to do something about it .

Buying a bike probably isn’t going to create much joy, and escapism isn’t either.
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Old 01-15-19, 10:31 AM
  #1457  
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Originally Posted by avole
Well, , equally you could try to do something about it .

Buying a bike probably isn’t going to create much joy, and escapism isn’t either.
Ehh....biking reduces carbon emissions. And buying a bike and doing something about the world's problems are not mutually exclusive, lol. It's possible to do both.
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Old 01-15-19, 10:39 AM
  #1458  
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Avole, you must be really fun at parties. Also, your sarcasm meter really needs to be recalibrated.

That said, we've been following this thread with all its drama for years now. For about a 6 month to 1 year stretch it was probably the only reason I checked into the Folding Bike forums. The resolution of this story is just as good and compelling as your favorite TV show... except the end result here is that people get bicycles and can go out and have fun on them. What's not to like about that?

Last edited by Lalato; 01-15-19 at 11:20 AM.
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Old 01-16-19, 08:00 AM
  #1459  
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This "manufacturer" just doesn't seem very honest or trustworthy to me. I'm not sure I would risk riding a bike he was involved with in any way.
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Old 01-16-19, 10:28 AM
  #1460  
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Originally Posted by wesgreen
This "manufacturer" just doesn't seem very honest or trustworthy to me. I'm not sure I would risk riding a bike he was involved with in any way.
Curious what you are basing this assessment on...just that it's a very late crowdfunded project? Are you familiar with crowdfunding? Lots of projects are late, but the untrustworthy ones just take your money and completely disappear.... typically, the really late ones (years late) are being made by perfectionists, often without experience in bringing a project to fruition, but with design or engineering skills. It's not all that hard to tell if a bike is made properly (as far as I know).
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Old 01-16-19, 10:31 AM
  #1461  
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Originally Posted by wesgreen
This "manufacturer" just doesn't seem very honest or trustworthy to me. I'm not sure I would risk riding a bike he was involved with in any way.
Don't worry. No one is going to force you.
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Old 01-18-19, 04:01 PM
  #1462  
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Coming back to the tire problem, it seems that the Kenda Kwest is very difficult to find and that there are no other tire in ETRTO 507x40 available (excepted some NOS of the ETRTO 507 Kojak).

Instead of choosing a narrow ETRTO 507 wheel size, it would have been better to choose the ETRTO 540 wheel size for which there are several relatively narrow tires available.
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Old 01-18-19, 06:19 PM
  #1463  
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It's disc, so you will probably be able to swap wheels to 540. I expect he took this option into account during development.

Thanks
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Old 01-18-19, 10:52 PM
  #1464  
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Originally Posted by linberl
Ehh....biking reduces carbon emissions. And buying a bike and doing something about the world's problems are not mutually exclusive, lol. It's possible to do both.
I was referring to the childish nature of the post.

You also need to check your facts re carbon emissions.
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Old 01-18-19, 10:56 PM
  #1465  
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Originally Posted by Lalato
Avole, you must be really fun at parties. Also, your sarcasm meter really needs to be recalibrated.

That said, we've been following this thread with all its drama for years now. For about a 6 month to 1 year stretch it was probably the only reason I checked into the Folding Bike forums. The resolution of this story is just as good and compelling as your favorite TV show... except the end result here is that people get bicycles and can go out and have fun on them. What's not to like about that?
Check your definitions.

oh, and your second paragraph is nonsense, and probably a good example of why people do nothing.
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Old 01-19-19, 12:14 AM
  #1466  
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Originally Posted by avole
I was referring to the childish nature of the post.

You also need to check your facts re carbon emissions.
Biking does reduce carbon emissions. I said nothing about the manufacture of bikes. You need to read more carefully. Since I purchase my bikes used (with one exception), it definitely reduces carbon emissions in total as I am not driving. Talk about childish....I won't be responding to any more of your posts, just fyi.
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Old 01-19-19, 01:40 AM
  #1467  
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You are right, but why don’t you accept the point you yourself make about the manufacture of bikes? They are emissions/resources expensive, which was my point. You could also add that electric bikes, while they certainly improve locan emissions, are overall more harmful. If you want to keep things at that local level, then bikes+veganism is the only way to go.

Whether that is a realistic way to go is dubious. Having just returned from Vietnam, which is a lovely country by the way, you see that the bikes of the French/Key/Ho Chi Minh era have been replaced by motorbikes and scooters. That in some ways is fair enough - after decades of war and still suffering from the effects, the Vietnam deserve time - but it would be nice if the US, Australia, most of Europe could spend money on researching and solving the problem that is killing the planet. You could argue that it is too late, but we humans tend to be optimists, even if, in this case, there’s a chasm between the reality and the optimism. Yes, it is great if the amount of cyclists increase in your country by any amount per year, but how many give up their vehicles, or minimise their use, or take public transport as an altermative? I tried for many years, and that included not taking aircraft for many years, but that is an atom in the ocean.

That is why I find some comments on this thread offensive. If that is incorrect, soit. There are cases where hiding from the reality are not appropriate.
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Old 01-19-19, 05:45 AM
  #1468  
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Originally Posted by downtube
It's disc, so you will probably be able to swap wheels to 540. I expect he took this option into account during development.

Thanks
Yan
Not sure at all.

On a folder, usually all dimensions are very tight , there is no space for increasing any dimension.

If you look at the Brompton for instance, it is impossible to even put ETRTO 355 wheels instead of the original 349 because the rear wheel won't flip under the frame anymore.

Another option would be to go to something smaller ETRTO 451 for instance. There are also few tires in this size but some good and fast road tires.
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Old 01-19-19, 06:25 AM
  #1469  
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Originally Posted by avole
Check your definitions.

oh, and your second paragraph is nonsense, and probably a good example of why people do nothing.
I’m not sure I understand. What is it that you expect people like me to do instead? I’m not a backer of this Kickstarter. I’m just someone who reads about folding bikes on this forum.

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Old 01-19-19, 06:44 AM
  #1470  
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Originally Posted by Jipe
Not sure at all.

On a folder, usually all dimensions are very tight , there is no space for increasing any dimension.

If you look at the Brompton for instance, it is impossible to even put ETRTO 355 wheels instead of the original 349 because the rear wheel won't flip under the frame anymore.

Another option would be to go to something smaller ETRTO 451 for instance. There are also few tires in this size but some good and fast road tires.
FYI we have developed a new bike which accepts three different wheel sizes. I hope to release it in 2020.

It's amazing what one can do in CAD.

Thanks
Yan

​​​
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Old 01-19-19, 07:05 AM
  #1471  
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Originally Posted by downtube
FYI we have developed a new bike which accepts three different wheel sizes. I hope to release it in 2020.

It's amazing what one can do in CAD.

Thanks
Yan

​​​
We have developed a self-inflating bike using hi-res commuter recognition software using our new tbd steel/carbon logic-based material that inflates to the perfect size for each owner. Buy-in price is £27 per molecule. Expect production to start next year.
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Old 01-19-19, 08:41 AM
  #1472  
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About being green.....
Bikes are efficient.
They take far less resources to make than cars or motorcycles.
They use far less energy, especially for those of us non-electric types.
Sure, one can use even less by going vegan.
But is life worth living if it means eating like a hamster at every meal?
Nah.
Meat is good, anchovies are great, & bacon is heaven.

But what's even better than green....the color of titanium.
Soon I'll be tearing up bad roads on my Helix.
It'll be fueled by bacon.
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Old 01-19-19, 09:18 AM
  #1473  
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Do you know what a hamster eats? Do you know how much energy beef cattle require to produce 1kg of meat ? By bacon I presume you mean pigs/pork ? Are you aware how many people are vegetarian by choice ? I know you are American, where different standards apply, but would you eat meat were it not packaged in plastic so you can't see how the beast was killed ?

Have you ever tried falafel ? Anyway, enjoy your Helix, when it arrives, although I see you already list it.
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Old 01-19-19, 07:17 PM
  #1474  
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So this isn't even a Helix thread anymore. Good to know.
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Old 01-19-19, 08:04 PM
  #1475  
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Originally Posted by avole
Do you know what a hamster eats? Do you know how much energy beef cattle require to produce 1kg of meat ? By bacon I presume you mean pigs/pork ? Are you aware how many people are vegetarian by choice ? I know you are American, where different standards apply, but would you eat meat were it not packaged in plastic so you can't see how the beast was killed ?

Have you ever tried falafel ? Anyway, enjoy your Helix, when it arrives, although I see you already list it.
I live in SE Michiganistan, which has long had a huge mid-east ex-pat population.
So falafel is our state fruit.
But I'm not a fan. (They'd benefit from having babaganough on'm.)
As for the gore of butchering, I've no problem at all.
The Helix will be glorious.

Last edited by Revoltingest; 01-19-19 at 08:10 PM.
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