Harvnosh

I test-rode the OX Pocci in Japan. It is a fun little bike.

First, it isn't really a folding bike; more like a collapsing bike. Once "folded", it is very tall. Second, being a road cyclist with a regular carbon fiber road bike, the Pocci (with 14" wheels), felt really slow. But that is expected with all smaller wheels. Third, it weighs about 25lbs. With my road bike that weighs less than that, I could easily carry it up stairs with one hand. Probably not so with the Pocci.

The Pocci is definitely a city bike built for the urban environment like most of Japan. With its short wheelbase, it was twitchy/maneuverable. This was great because in Japan, bicycle riding on sidewalks are allowed. Gotta coexist with pedestrians! Japan also has very short city blocks (in my limited experience anyway). So the Pocci's slower speed and quicker acceleration (due to its small wheels) was perfect.

It has dual suspension, and felt bouncy. I only weigh about 145lbs, so for heavier riders it might be more noticeable. They also have a harder rear suspension block as an option, but I did not get to try it. Since I have a bad back, the bounciness/suspension was welcoming. I would prefer it over no rear suspension. The Brompton with a regular suspension block is too hard on my back nowadays. The Pocci's felt good.

Overall, the ride was cushy and fun. I opted to purchase a different bike while in Japan - the Caracle-S, which is more more geared towards performance and still has an air rear suspension. But I may purchase the OX Pocci or Peco in the future for fun and more as a novelty item. Plus they come in customizable and cool colors!

crispybuttphd

I also test rode one. I went to a folding bicycle shop, and it honestly blew all of the other bicycles away, including brompton, strada, dahon, carryme and several others. It rides incredibly well, and I didn't have any butt pain at all in a ten minute test ride, which is unheard of for me. But the most important thing, it can be pushed along easily using its own two 14" tires, in a vertical position. For some reason, no other bike I have ever seen is able to do this. Even the Strada, is not able to be comfortably pushed in a vertical position, but rather is somewhat 'dragged' or pushed in a somewhat inclined position. When in a vertical position like the pocci, the weight is a non issue. Even with a bike as light as the carryme bike, it was more tiring to wheel that along because it is not in a vertical position, despite its lighter weight. When you are wheeling a bicycle for several minutes down train corridors, it really really makes a huge difference in usability. There is simply nothing like the Pocci in existance, as far as I can tell. The Brompton takes longer to fold, and the four tiny wheels are nowhere near as good, and there is no obvious comfortable way to actually wheel the bike along in folded mode. And it beats the Strada in every category, except the Strada's belt drive is nice. However the 9 speed of the Pocci makes it much more usable as a bicycle, and when wheeling the bike in its collapsed form, there is no danger of getting grease on your pants anyhow. I would never have found out how good the Pocci is without going to the bike shop and testing myself. Unfortunately I am told they are no longer being made, so if you can find one, snap it up quick!

Winfried

Apparently, available with a 4-speed gear hub or a 9-speed derailleur:


オーエックスバイクス　OX BIKES


The site says junbich� (kanji not allowed: "Some of the characters in your post are not allowed) = Work in progress

crispybuttphd

Well, I found one locally, it should arrive in about a month, I will try to remember to post a follow up review here after using it for awhile.

tds101 

The link you posted isn't working,...

OX Bikes: https://oxgroup.co.jp/bicycle/

Here's a link to the PDF on this,... https://oxgroup.co.jp/bicycle/pdf/c_peco_201712_1.pdf

Winfried

It was a link to the PDF. No idea why it got botched.

tds101 

It happens,...

crispybuttphd

I got a private message about this bicycle, unfortunately I am unable to reply because the forum won't allow anyone with less than 10 posts to reply. So basically, the private messaging system is completely useless and terrible. Never heard of or seen such a policy on any other forum.

The person wanted to know where I am located (Japan) and how tall I am (178cm). It is surprisingly fun and comfortable despite my average height. I looks like it wouldn't be, but it is very well designed. Unfortunately I am told the manufacturer stopped making these and I got lucky and got one of the last ones (from a local bicycle shop in Tokyo) apparently. You would have to search yahoo japan auctions to find one I think, the place I got it no longer sells them.

Geepig

It might be to discourage the kind of person who joins forums to spam them. It is a nuisance, but 10 posts soon come and go with a bit of interaction.
Anyway, 'never heard of or seen' is like the norm to a good development engineer or artist...