smallwheeler

thanks, dyna. i'm well acquainted with the sram dualdrive and it's predecessor, the sachs 3x7. i used to have the sram on a bf nwt and the sachs is on my old school pocket rocket. frankly, i prefer the older sachs tin can version - it functions flawlessly and uses the standard chain-pull shifter pin assembly and not that clunky plastic click box business. I was curious specifically about the sturmey archer 3 x 8. i subsequently did some reading and it seems they are problematic. i read some reports from tern riders who had the hub (re-branded as neos). lots of complaints about slipping gears...

its a shame really. sturmey archer used to be so damn good. the first bikes i bought when i moved to new york after uni were a raleigh sports and a BSA branded girls bike. my girlfriend and i bought them at the 13th street flea market. they were 45 years old and more trouble than they were worth. the only thing good about them were the 3 speed hubs. 45 years old and they worked like they were made yesterday... i'm almost 40 and i wish i could say the same about myself...

BruceMetras

Bought this new in 1962 .. Sturmey 3 spd worked flawlessly through the years .. would be nice if that level of quality existed today from Sturmey ..

invisiblehand

I think that it's designed for a single chainring such that the derailer has a short cage. The movement of the jockey pulley accommodates the giant cog but the tension pulley only needs a 32 tooth capacity. Off the top of my head, that's reasonably close to what a common compact double with road cassette uses.

Now on my tikit, I have a 28 tooth cog with a short cage derailer and I have plenty of clearance. A 42-tooth cog would have a 50% larger radius. Since a pair of teeth will be 1 inch ... the cog will be a little more than two inches bigger.

Hmmmm ... it certainly warrants consideration. I'm not sure. The derailer will be pointed forward on the biggest cog. So the derailer won't be 2 inches lower; but it will be hard to tell without trying it since the (lateral) derailer path will be very steep to make it to a 10-tooth cog and every gear change should raise/lower the jockey pulley about 1/2 inch.

shrooms

Have you bought the bike? What's the impression?

wqlava1

I'm thinking of buying a Tikit online with pickup by a relative, but want to ascertain whether the above recall items are done. Are there any photos online of what to look for with the seat tube base and steerer tube fixes?

thanks,
Andrew

fietsbob

I got a 'season Tikit', 2nd hand ,, gear hub Sram 9 speed , internal, grip shifter ..

Hyper fold is so eager to fold , I have to tie a strap around it, so it wont do it when I don't want that..


I discussed all the upgrade and recall parts issues with the seller,

and even got a new threadless headset preload collar from the company ..

replaced the crankset, , seat post , and added my own pedals saddle ..

and stem, different to dial in reach..



...

Lalato

Andrew, reach out to Bike Friday. Let them know that you are planning to purchase a used Tikit, and would like to get details on the recall items so you can ascertain whether the bike you're purchasing needs anything.

You can also check in with Bike Friday on what it would cost for them to update the bike with the various bits for you.

Good luck

tcs

Only tikits manufactured before 2009 have the issue with the seat tube base. It involves the geometry of the 'wheel around handle'.

Early handles:



Improved full loop handle:



BikeFriday 'fix' for the early bikes:



Yes, installing this brace blocks the rider from getting a good grip on the handle. Despite that, the brace has to be installed - before the fix, some frames brokes and riders were injured.

tcs

The steerer tube issue affected all tikits. Some original steerer tubes broke, riders were injured, etc, you know the drill. BikeFriday sent out replacements. I think the red dot is what indicates a replacement tube. The replacement tubes also did not have the BikeFriday headbadge.



BikeFriday's superlative customer service took ten months and two weeks to get me a replacement headtube so I could return my tikit to use. After the recall, a rider with a replacement headtube reported a failure and injury crash on BikeFriday's Yak forum. BikeFriday subsequently discontinued tikit manufacture and shortly afterwards shutdown the Yak.

fietsbob

As I recall, pictured at the time, the fork difference was; 1st building technique, 2 tubes one over the other, ..

the 2nd version a single thicker tube, thicker on one end thinner than the other with same inside diameter..

So, solid, not sleeved over , doubled, for same function..

stepped rather than butted, which tapers from thicker to thinner.. usually maintains the same outside diameter ..






...

Lalato

The main thing I look for in a used Tikit is the aardvark upgrade. That's the one that @tcs has labeled as the "Improved full loop handle". If this upgrade is present, the likelihood is high that the bike has received all the other upgrades or was produced toward the end of the Tikit's production lifespan when the upgrades were standard on the bike.