bike.gang.uk

Interesting, it is a little bit tricky to order birdy on line, that is because the agreement between German inventors and Taiwan Pacific cycles manufacturer. Where are you located? Why don't you order from local distributor?

bike.gang.uk

First look of titanium Birdy III ... Modified rear?
Yes, 5900 USD listed

astage

Thanks, BUT, you may not have read my post. I already have a Birdy Rohloff and therefore don't have the money to buy another ;-). What I'm looking for is the metallic bronze R u. M badge to replace the stick on vinyl transfer that is on the front of the stem. It's the badge (I believe) similar to those on the original models. That web-site supposedly has them for USD12.

bikexpert

Try contact Pacific Cycles in Taiwan.
They may have what you need.
Pacific Cycles

qwer

That green color is dope.....nice folder collection

sicknsore

astage

Thanks, I'll look into that! They do also have a 'multi-purpose seat clamp adapter' that might solve my need for bottle mounting.
Eventually I found another E-mail address for birdybike, and even got a reply; which said their site is targeted at US customers and this caused the errors. They could send me the head badge, but it would cost USD$25 to ship - for a $12 part that weighs possibly 10grams at most.
All I was really looking for was a way to personalise the bike - because I (unfortunately) chose matt black and it really looks a bit bland - the colour selection from Riese und Müller isn't the most exciting. I have found someone producing quite nice designs of a 3D-printed head badge, but that works out even more expensive.

ttakata73

I find the Topeak bottle cage adapter pretty good once you add heatshrink to cover up the stainless metal band. Here are 2 cages on my Birdy.





I also have experimented with saddle carriers for your perusal.

glye

Hi! New guy on this forum, considering to get the Birdy Touring. The specification for the current model says it has a 9-32t 10-speed Sunrace cassette, one I haven't been able to find on the Sunrace website. Do you know anything about this? Does it mean the hub uses an XD driver body?

If so, that would make it compatible with standard SRAM 10-42t 11-speed cassettes, and even the e*thirteen 9-46t. That 9-46t is expensive, but would be exactly the gearing range I want. Such a gigantic cassette would look funny on the small wheel, but more importantly, do you think it would even work? I'm worried about the chain rubbing the frame.

The alternative would be adding a front double, or building a new rear wheel around the SRAM or Sturmey Archer dualdrive hubs. Yes, the Rohloff has the range, but it's expensive, heavy, and hard to get fixed on a tour, if something happens. The safest bet is a pure derailer gear setup.

glye

Self-replying, I got an answer from R&M via my LBS:

So the cassette replaces the extinct Shimano Capreo line, but isn't compatible with it. It is only compatible with the special Sunrace hub it fits. Sounds to me it would be better to go with an SRAM XD compatible hub, for a much wider selection in cassettes, and also allowing 10t and 9t cassettes. But no idea if the huge 42t - 50t cassette cogs would work within the Birdy frame.

Still, the Touring version it is slightly cheaper than the City version (Nexus 8 hub) so if I have to build a new wheel anyway, I might choose it.

I'm not allowed to answer private messages until I have 10 posts, so I'm answering here: Thanks. Yes, I mean the original R&M Birdy, not the Pacific.

Abu Mahendra

First things first - What gear-inch range do you seek?

glye

Hi! I want ca. 1.6 to 8 meters advancement, or in Sheldon Browns very sensible gain ratio, ca. 1.45 to 7.3. This assumes 175 mm cranks and 44-355 tyres. With a 52t chainring the e*thirteen 9-46 cassette provides this. SRAM 10-42 cassettes also work, if I go down to 48t chainring and sacrifice some high end gearing. The crucial question is frame clearance.

The original 9-32 cassette is much too narrow, but with a double crankset it should work (though 52-36 is a big jump). I have a 56-42-32 triple on another bike, that would be nice here too, with the original cassette.

Abu Mahendra

Wow, you want 20-100 gear-inches on a dereilleur drivetrain on 355 wheels? I don't have that range on my double crankset 451er. SRAM DualDrive may be just the thing for you. There's a reason it used to be speced on the Birdy Touring. I used to have 19-113GI on a 406er with it.

Have You given thought to dereilleur ground clearence? Anything beyond 1x11-36T is going to require at least a medium cage RD which, on a 44-355 wheel, is gonna be quite close to the ground.

glye

Yes, I'm also considering dual drive. I heard the SRAM one is being discontinued, but Sturmey Archer also has one, anyway. More weight/complexity than a 1x11 setup, but smaller steps between gears. Again, harder to fix if anything goes wrong on tour. Might as well choose a triple crankset, then I don't have to build a new wheel. The original 9-32t cassette won't fit on a dualdrive, I'd have to use a Shimano-compatible 11t minimum.

The original Deore Trekking setup looks like a long cage to me, though it doesn't say: htt¤ps://¤https://www.r-m.de¤/en-us/folding-bik.../#18B02_130411 (remove ¤ from url)
Yes, it's pretty low. I won't be riding offroad with it, but it's a risk.

Abu Mahendra

Good luck with long-cage on 355...

glye

See the original R&M setup. This is at least a medium, looks more like a long cage to me. When the manufacturer specs it that way, my guess is it works. Either way I'll measure before buying anything.



Birdy Touring

Winfried

I have a couple of questions about getting a Birdy in Taiwan

1. Is the actual price in stores for the Touring model (ie. Sram Dual Drive 3x8) US$2,150 or can it be found cheaper?
2. Is the Pacific Cycles office* the only retailer in Taiwan?

Thank you.

* (Distributor) Pacific Cycles No. 686, Yongfu Rd, Yong An, Xin Wu, Taoyuan County, Taiwan 32744(Distributor) Pacific Cycles, Inc.MAP

Abu Mahendra

i provided info on Taiwan and bike shops on the other thread. You did not acknowledge. I actually have been to, toured and visited bike stores in Taiwan, including those that sell Birdy in the capital city of Taipei. I could tell you exactly where to purchase a Birdy in central Taipei (or Bangkok, Singapore or Jakarta) and how much you can expect to pay.

Winfried

If the "other thread" the one about the KSH, I don't see any post about getting a Birdy in Taiwan.

--

Edit: Besides Pacific Cycles proper, you mentioned this place : https://www.jeslerbike.com

decanta

I've just acquired my second Birdy -- a black Speed. I'm loving it, but I still need to tweak it in a few ways. The first is that I think I need to get a green elastomer. The red one is a little soft to my taste, and the bike squeaks and bounces too much, especially if I'm up on the pedals and trying to accelerate up a hill or the like. I weigh 185 lbs., and the green elastomer worked well for me on my old Red. I'm not sure where to acquire one easily in the US. Any thoughts?

1nterceptor

I got the green block from BFold 5 years ago. I'm using it on my Brompton:
bfold.com

Birdy vs Brompton Block by 1nterceptor, on Flickr
Birdy Suspension Block by 1nterceptor, on Flickr

bhkyte

I would not consider a double or tripple chainring on a Birdie.
there is not really enough clearence for the fold.
I would also avoid a medium cage if you can.
I recomend you go for an IHG on a Birdie.
better clearence for the frame, tyres, and ground clearence for the rear mech/chain tensioner.
if I was you I would go for an afline 11.
you could consider a double chainring later if you feel you need more range.

glye

Thanks bhkyte! I have seen many pictures of Birdies with doubles, but none of them folded. I don't want to compromise the fold, and a narrow Q-factor would be nice.

But see the picture I posted above, from https://www.r-m.de/en-us/folding-bik.../#18B02_130411
Riese & Müller themselves configure the Birdy Touring with what looks like a long cage derailer. As you can see, it extends beyond the rim. I just can't believe that a company with this sort of focus on quality engineering would do that if it didn't work well. Even the City model with Nexus 8 IHG has a long-ish chain tensioner: https://www.r-m.de/en-us/folding-bik.../#18B01_120211

The Alfine 11 doesn't have the range I need, and you said a double would affect the fold. So then I'm left with:
- 11-speed 9-46 cassette (if the chainstay allows it)
- Rohloff (expensive)
- Kindernay XIV (even more expensive)
- Dualdrive or Sturmey Archer CS-RK3 Sturmey-Archer | CS-RK3 Silver

Either way I'd need to build a new rear wheel, so I might as well buy the cheapest model, the Touring with 1x10 derailer gearing.

Thanks for the tips!

bhkyte

If you go for a long cage then there in a risk of picking up debris and a tangling it in the rear cassette. I did this and snapped the rear mech , manggled the chain catcher and broke the front chain guard .
you can get away with a small cage if it's a newer model with the chain tensioner. The affine cage to the chain tensioner is not as low to the ground as a long cage .
Cassette hub make the chain line very close to big apples tyres if you fit them .
I think the chain will fall off a lot with a double front as jur reports and I found .You might get away better with a double and an IHG .
I do run an older birdie monocoque however .
just because something is available as standard doesn't mean its a good option .
Birdies are a flawed but fun design .
With compromises in other areas than other folders.
​​​​​​

bhkyte