Super Dave

Hi,

I'd like to hear how the Pakit is working out for people. I purchased the Pocket Llama for travel but I find it take longer than I would prefer to break down and set up.

I'm curious about the Pakit.

Thanks,
Dave

linberl

Quite a few PakiT owners here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bikefriday/

Super Dave

Thank you very much. I submitted a request to join the group.
I appreciate the link,
Dave

kayak4water

I bought my Pakit via a kickstarter campaign with 11 speed Alfine, Gates Carbon drivebelt, electric assist. I like electric assist for that last 300' climb to my house on a warm (or hot) day when I just don't want to get home overheated and soaked with sweat. The 2 batteries for the motor are 98 w each, so current FAA regs will permit you to take it aboard. When you order they ask if you are aggressive, relaxed or in between. I said in-between, because I'm not a criterium racer, but when it arrived, I found the cockpit cramped and my back end hurt on a long ride from sitting too upright, even on my beloved Brooks saddle that I moved over from my road bike. The saddle that comes with the Pakit is a WTB Volt which also hurt on much shorter rides than the Brooks, likely from poor fit plus upright posture.

Bike Friday is helping me with fitting the bike to be more comfortable.

The breakdown for putting next to my desk is about 60 seconds. To fit in a Samsonite, you additionally remove the seat post, which is a quick release. I also remove the stem from the front mast, but that's pretty quick with a 4 mm Allen wrench--you might be able to fit it better than I did without that step. It comes with folding pedals. It should all fit in the same case as your Pocket Llama. Mine fit with the rack and rear fender attached. My only problem was the hub motor had a solid axle which made it not fit in my suitcase. It was just an inch high no matter where I put the wheel and even with a pedal removed. If I made a box for the bike, I'd add just that inch so I wouldn't have to put the wheel with my other gear & clothes--the airlines weigh the box, but they don't measure L,Wt. and Ht.

I have a New World Tourist, and I found the breakdown and build, into and out of the suitcase, a bit of a time eater. I'd want to get to the airport or train depot much earlier than I'd have to with a Pakit.

Hope that helps.
Jef f

linberl

My understanding is that the stem is a fixed size on the Pakit - not adjustable at all. I know you can get some adjustment by using a riser stem, but how is BF getting it lower for you? Are they redoing the stem? Since you have a NWT (as do I) did you give them the measurements from that for how you like to ride? Or did you just select "in between" instead of providing your custom measurements? Because I would think having a BF already the fit on the new one would be easy to dial in...

fietsbob

Tikit was their Fast fold bike with the 'hyperfold' cable releasing the bar mast clamp, as you folded the seat mast forward
releasing the rear wheel fold, which slacked that cable..

Pakit has replaced that bike in their line up of bikes made.. you get the bike sized as a set of specifications as you order it..

[ I got my Llama NOS, from the company, and Tikit, (& Brompton) used, 2nd hand, private sales.. ]





....

tdonline

Kayak, what's the weight of the bike with rack and fender?

kayak4water

linberl,
they asked for my inseam, height, weight. I chose in-between because I'm not Christopher Froome, but I pedal instead of coast on the downhills. I don't think they went on my NW Tourist measurements.

I add that when riding the NW tourist, I often use the H-bar part of the handlebar, because I felt cramped with my hands on the grips on par with the nearly straight bars that come with the Pakit. . On the Pakit, the bars are higher than the seat, though the seat mast has no markings that permit one to consistently set up when unfolding.

I believe they might cut another mast, but I have to confirm with them.

kayak4water

tdonline
the bike with rack, rear fender, front hub motor, two Ligo batteries, battery bag, other motor stuff and my Brooks B17 saddle: 34.4 lb.

It came with a WTB Volt saddle which weighs 11.5 oz The Brooks, 18.7 oz.

bargainguy

I thought Bike Friday sent new bike owners an adjustable stem along with the frame. Then the rider could dial in the right amount of height and extension, send the adjustable stem back to BF, and only then a stem was made to order. At least this is what happened with me when I purchased a bike from BF. Maybe the process is different now, or maybe the Kickstarter campaign bikes are different than the norm, I don't know.

tdonline

Oops, totally forgot you have the e-assist version. Thanks.

tdonline

Interesting--that's actually quite a good idea, if a little involved. But if one is going to buy a 4 digit bike untested, this is the next best thing. The non-adjustable stem dampened my excitement with the Pakit.

linberl

BF got back to me a on a couple of questions. They can change out the chain rings so I could get 74-28 gear inches on the 4 speed hub; very similar to my current bike and/or the 8 speed der in total range.

The "reach" stem is flippable so for me it would make sense to have them set the stem mast height based on the stem in the most downward angle position so I could "raise" it later on. There are stems with varying degree of angle that can be used.

Apparently on the order chart online, you can pick "in between" OR you can specify the measurements of your current bike that you like. If you specify measurements, then you get exactly the same distance/height/reach for the bars.

The "fit stem" program where you send in the adjustable stem for a custom fit stem applies to the swan neck stems I believe. And it does cost extra.

tamnalan

I just bought a Pakit. The handlebar height is easily adjustable downward by simply sliding the stem down on the tube but for safety purposes, the tube should be cut to length after fitting. The stem tube is basically an assembly with one tube sliding inside the other. The upper tube is the one I shortened.



EDIT: I'm new to this forum and maybe misunderstood. My Pakit doesn't have an adjustable stem, but it is easily tailored to my riding preference.

I got my Pakit with a 4-speed hub & belt drive. The chainring has 55T and the cog is 24T. The Sturmey Archer adjustment instructions are a little vague. It says to shift into 2nd gear and then adjust cable tension to align two yellow marks, but there are a bunch of yellow marks to choose from! Note that some of the marks are "dimples" and some are "slots". Looking from the rear of the bike (and NOT the side), simply adjust the cable tension to align the two yellow slots. The cable tension is adjusted at the shifter.


I'm very happy with this Pakit. It's my first foray into folding bikes but it's exactly what I wanted. I wanted a "local knockabout bike" for traveling and that is exactly what this is. I used MKS Ezy superior Esprit pedals - with them, the bike quickly folds without tools into a 30" hard side suitcase.


It would be nice if the seat tube could be marked from the factory for quick setup - agree with the other poster above.

invisiblehand

Yes ... if you get a swan stem post. Otherwise, it's kind of a waste given how easy it is to cut a tube and/or get another ahead stem.

linberl

How do you like the e-assist from Grin Tech? They are also offering a kit for 20" BF like my NWT which I am considering. What kind of range do you get with 2 batteries? And, is it throttle only or pedal assist as well?

tdonline

Pakit rolled whilst folded:

kayak4water

linberl
I like it well enough, though for going up the steepest approach to my house (>35% grade) the front wheel motor hub just peels rubber bc I can't put enough weight on it. Sometimes, too it'll peel rubber on the flats. On much lesser grades it does well, though I haven't figured out what level of power I should use for any given situation--the Bafang hub motor will chatter sometimes before giving a smooth output. ebikes.ca offers the same package for some $$ less. I might have been able to save $300 if I'd known what I needed. Installation is really simple from what I can tell. I'd have preferred a thumb activated throttle rather than a twist grip throttle. I've already ordered two additional batteries for my motor. the 98 KWH batteries are carry-on friendly for commercial flying--my wife is taking my bike on Air Canada soon.

If you've already got a bike, I'd think about a mid-drive, as it spreads the weight across both wheels and you don't have to deal with the wires when traveling. Also, as I may have already mentioned above, the solid axle for the front drive prevents getting the wheel into the travel case. Mid-drive source: Lunacycle.com

Cheers!

kayak4water

One thing I should have thought about when considering a Pakit: I got the Carbon Gates drive for its greaseless "chain" when I forgot that hot waxing a normal chain would have given the same "clean".

I'd do that in NY minute if I ordered another bike. I'm going to wax the chain on my NW Tourist once I get the drivetrain cleaned. (Off-topic: I keep thinking that NW stands for Northwest--been in Wash State for 15 years now)

kayak4water

Regrets, I just finished reading the last 2 ?

Range is difficult to assess bc I live on a hill. I'll do that for the flats, if I remember.

My e-assist is throttle only--no sensor for crank rotation. A good reason to consider a diy kit from lunacycle.com, bc the mid-drive can come with both. The mid-drive kit may require a brake triggered cut-off switch, as it may not sense cessation of crank movement in timely fashion.

linberl

No problem, my old e bike was just throttle and actually it was fine for my usage. I don't use it for long durations, just spurts up hills or to deal with a bit of headwind. I'm looking for an easy install where I can reduce weight by taking off everything but the hub quickly since I won't use the motor on most of my rides. They say the Pakit system can be "removed" quickly except for the wheel - have you tried that yet? And how does it do on the hill, assuming you pedal?
Thanks for your insight.

kayak4water

I have not tried removing the system except for the batteries. Wires connect four parts of the system. These parts are battery, controller, throttle and cycle analyst. The cycle analyst is the part on the handlebars where you input commands and where the system tells you battery condition and power setting. My installation was performed by Bike Friday--they bolted the controller to a bracket behind the seat tube; the weight of the system lies mostly in the hub motor and the batteries. The front wheel weighs 7 pounds 11 ounces and each battery weighs about 1 pound 6 ounces--these two components detach easily because they have convenient connectors. The bare motor weighs 6 lb. The controller weighs 1 pound and attaches to the cycle analyst and throttle with wires that dive into each part, i.e. no connectors.
When I lift the front of the bike and spin the wheel forward, significant drag stops the wheel within a couple of rotations. You gain the most benefit in weight and rolling resistance if you replace the front wheel and remove the batteries.
The performance on the hill is absolutely amazing. I can work as much or as little as I want although I haven't tried going up without pedaling at all.

I also use the motor after stopping for a break or traffic and want to get back up to speed. Jeepers I sure am lazy.

linberl

You aren't lazy! I found on my old e-bike I used the throttle to clear intersections with lots of traffic, made me feel safer to be able to get out of the way sooner. I don't think a mid drive is going to work for me because I want to be able to ride "au naturel" 85% of the time, which means removing the wheel and batteries. I don't think you can pull the weight off a mid-drive unit to ride unencumbered by the motor.
I would def do the thumb throttle as my bike has a grip shift already and it's not my favorite thing. It really sounds like their system works pretty well - and I like the idea of being able to stack batteries to increase range. I'm a little concerned about having to file down my fork dropouts to fit the axle (if you do it unevenly the wheel sits crooked) but I think I could install it otherwise. The kit is definitely more affordable than the unit from BF (which include their install, of course). Thank you for all of the detailed feedback!!!

kayak4water

linberl
Whichever way you go, seems like the install is pretty straightforward.

The e-assist flattens the hills so significantly--no, it'll never be as flat as Kansas, but I don't want that. It didn't detract any from my sense of "conquering" the 300' hill where I live--been there, done that, can still do that with my touring bike's low 24T front ring. I hate getting home drenched in sweat and love seeing the landscape move a bit.

kayak4water

Well, those electrons stopped moving today. I guess the surging that I had earlier was a sign that something wasn't right with it. It completely shut down today on fully charged batteries. I suspect the controller crashed. I was at the bottom of my 300' hill--I pedaled up every inch with minimal sweat (cool day @65 deg F).

I took apart the sleeve holding the wire junction near the controller. This revealed two more connectors that joined wires from the cycle analyst and the throttle in addition to the two connectors to the battery and the motor. A fifth connector had no wire connected--I suspect that would be for a crank sensor.

I've emailed Bike Friday. I'll likely phone tomorrow. Updates later. e-assist is too much fun to give up now!