Jipe

You mean this one ?

How do you know its from the Helix factory ?

Graybayou

Note the last picture. Unfinished titanium main frame triangles identical to Helix and smallish looking wheels with Alfine hubs on a rack. In Toronto.

Graybayou

I bet anyone with access to the customer portal would be able to verify the machine.

Jipe

You are right, I didn't notice that !

Could it be that they replace by a better one ?

DigDub

Got the Kojak tires and they work nicely with the Helix.

//i.imgur.com/bxB0Po7.jpg[

mkatz

Which Kojak tires? the "slicks"?

Jipe

The Schwalbe Kojak was previously available in ETRTO507. Unfortunately, Schwalbe discontinued the Kojak in this wheel size.

I suppose that the one DigDub found were a new old stock ?

DigDub

yes, the slick Kojak tires. Rolls faster than the Kenda Kwest and is much easier to clean. The Kenda Kwest gets mud and little stones stuck in its treads,

DigDub

oh, I didn't know they were discontinued. Maybe I should get a few more then.

mkatz

My ideal tire would be flat resistant, lightweight and suitable for concrete, asphalt and "fire roads (typically dirt and/or gravel) and "comfortable". With the limited selection available for the Helix ETRTO 507 wheels, limited to a maximum diameter of 40mm/1.5", any thoughts? At my age I'm not as interested in speed as once I was; I just want a comfortable, relaxing ride without beating myself up or stopping to fix flats.

joey buzzard

Not sure if they're available in your Helix's 24" size, but after going through a spate of having unsatisfactory tyres mounted on my Swift folder as I was travelling around Europe, I bought a pair of Schwalbe Marathons in 406 size that pump up to 100psi from Box Bikes in Berlin. I was at first sceptical about them because I'd started the journey with Schwalbe Marathon Racers which I found sluggish and didn't have great puncture resistance, and at one point exasperated with these in a moment of madness I experimented with Schwalbe Kojaka which were so terrible I got a puncture riding back from the bike shop I bought them from in Nottingham England. But I looked at the 100psi Marathon tyres in the shop and their quality of construction impressed me, so I bought and mounted them then and there and they've been great ever since. Usually I wear components out quickly because I ride a lot, but I'm on my second year with these and many thousands of Kms with almost no punctures. This includes 6 months living 4.2km up a steep dry riverbed in the mountains of Granada province which I rode up and down daily. They feel pretty good on the road too. My Swift copes with unpaved track, but of course with its 20" wheels it's only truly excellent on paved roads, so I don't want a tyre that slows me down on the smooth.

Jipe

Yes, the Marathon Green are good tires. Marathon Mondial folding even better.

The Marathon Mondial doesn't exist in ETRTO507, the Marathon is 47x507 (like Marathon Plus), too wide for Helix.

That's the problem of Helix: most ETRTO507 tires are too wide for him !

univega.duder

DigDub Where did you find the Kojak tires? I've been looking for a pair but can't seem to find them. Do they inhibit the fold at all? Thanks!

DigDub

I found them on a website in Malaysia, not sure if they ship to your country. So far they fold ok, Helix has the Kojak 507 listed as a compatible tire on their customer portal, that was why I bought them.

shopee.com.my/amp/SCHWALBE-24-1.50-TIRE-85PSI-40-507-WB12-96-i.218361196.7650389477

mkatz

Helix rear wheel removal & re-installation: My Helix bike is due to be shipped in early June. As I waste time thinking about the problems that i might encounter (e.g., tire replacement, saddle angle adjustment, ...) I started to wonder about the mechanics of inner tube replacement when the inevitable un-patchable flat occurs during a ride (at night, in the rain, to make it worse). Replacing the front tube, of course, does not require wheel removal; the rear, of course, does. Given the use of a solid axle and the component that locks into the front wheel when the bike is folded, how difficult is it to remove the rear wheel? tools required? time required?

(Yes, the easy way would be to "Uber" home...)

Jonesandrew

Hi mkatz, I think you've ordered the derailleur version, so with the bike upside down, the rear wheel pops out quite easily once the axle is fully withdrawn. Refitting is more of a challenge, it's tricky to align the disc with the brake caliper, hold back the derailleur and locate the hub ends into the drop outs all at once. My suggestion would be to do a couple of practice runs when you get the bike to get familiar with the task. No special tools are required. Time taken is longer than my Cannondale Topstone Carbon 105 which has a quick removal through axle system which allows wheel removal and refitting without complete removal of the axle. There are grooves in the axle which line up with slots in the drop outs which allow this.

mkatz

Thank you! I was afraid that the Helix rear had something similar to the indexed spring used by the front wheel.

shi01

I wonder if the helix can fit 20in wheels like a mini velo.

Jipe

Yes, like almost all bikes with disc brakes, its possible to mount smaller wheels.

It will of course have some side effects like placing the bottom bracket closer to the ground.

But moving from ETRTO507 to ETRTO406 should be possible (bottom bracket about 5cm lower with the same tire width, less if wider than 40mm ETRT406 tires fit). Moving to ETRTO451 should have less impact but the choice of tires in ETRTO451 is limited.

The problem with Helix is to find/make wheels that fit.

For the rear wheel, I understood its a standard 135mm wide hub with through axle so there are wheels and if not, its easy to build a rear wheel using standard components, hub, spokes, rim.

For the front wheel, its not easy because Helix uses a proprietary front hub, no wheels available excepted from Helix, no hub available excepted from Helix. If Helix doesn't want to sell separate front hub or front wheel, the only solution is to dismount the original front wheel and re-lace it with a smaller diameter rim.

shi01

ah, thanks for replying. 20in on a helix will be a sure buy for me. Opens up to more aftermarket parts. Also loving the mini velo look,
Does it have a proprietary front hub? That will be a big turn off. What if it needs replacing?

shi01

will a DT SWISS Front hub 240 EXP Classic 6-Hole 15x110 mm BOOST Thru Axle fit? a 20in carbon wheelset will be brilliant.

Jipe

The front fork of Helix is a proprietary lefty single arm folding fork, as far as I know, it uses a proprietary front hub.

I do not think that a Cannondale Lefty front hub will be usable on Helix ?

Jonesandrew

Confirmed, I have a Cannondale Trigger and the lefty hub and axle will not fit my Helix. AFAIK the helix hub is totally unique, I've never seen anything else like it in 50 years of being around bikes.

Jipe

So, excepted if somebody accepts to dismount its original ETRTO507 front wheel to reuse the hub, does Helix sell spare front hub ?

tcs

Just buy a Burke 20!

https://www.seattle-cycles.com/products