seibaatgung

Anyone have one? Thoughts? I'm considering one but it's over twice the cost to have 3 speeds instead of one.

Winfried

I bought one second-hand to test it out. It was the one with 18" wheels.

Even with three speeds, I wouldn't recommend the Strida for trips longer than a few km/miles, and on relatively flat terrain.

I didn't like the gear box, because 1) you can't raise the pedal after stopping without changing gear, and 2) there's no gear indicator so you never know which gear you'll be using when starting again.

Like on recumbents, you can't stand on the pedals, so watch out for speed bumps and potholes.

And that's besides the awkward position, the instability at low speed, and the lack of frame-mounted bag in the front + tiny rear rack (→ backpack.)

The only good thing about the Strida is that uses a belt drive and disk brakes, and it's fast to fold.

It's just too limited.

If you can get one for cheap like I did, you can always sell it back if you don't like it and not lose money in the process.

seibaatgung

can't you raise the pedal by pedalling forwards?
How little were you able to get it for?

Winfried

It works like coaster brakes, which I don't like for the same reason. But to each his own :-)

Half its price new, and I could resell it a few weeks later for the same price, so it was like a free test.

It would be nice to have at least a gear indicator on the handlebar, but maybe the frame prevents running a cable. A gear hub with a wider range would be even nicer, but the single-side frame prevents that option, hence the gear box in the bottom bracket.



As for carrying a bag on the frame, the Klickfix Caddy adapter works, but it has to be installed rather high up or it messes the fold when the two tubes pass each other.
Besides sitting high up, it affects the steering, so that solution is significantly less practical than frame-mounted bags à la Brompton.

All in all, the Strida has too many weaknesses in its design, so I'm not surprised to see few of them in the city.

seibaatgung

One thing I think the Strida would strongly benefit from is a key-locking closure mechanism. The frame is literally a triangle that snaps together. There is no fork nor a pair of stays in the frame that can be locked to a bike lock - but the entire frame could serve as a lock if the closure mechanism that secures the head tube to the down tube could afterwards be locked with a key.
My primary issue with coaster breaks is the risk of failure/smoking. Not a big deal for good parts but why take the risk when hydraulic disk brakes literally work as well as those on a car?
You a distributor?
Maybe they're saving that tech for a new version they can charge more for.

Winfried

No, just a rider who likes folders.

I'm no engineer, but I guess a Shimano/Sturmey-Archer gear hub in the rear wheel would require a major overhaul of the frame. Considering even Brompton — that only sells about 60-70,000 bikes a year — is reluctant to make that kind of move, I doubt Strida will.

IMHO, for the same kind of money, a basic folder from Dahon, Downtube etc. is a better option.

seibaatgung

Actually it depends. If you have to fold the bike everyday it might be worth it to get the Strida which can fold in 3 seconds and can be tugged.

tcs

The key word being 'recommend'. Seong Woo Kim rode his Stride across Alaska and Canada. Régis Fender rode his across the Sahara and on a long cycle tour north of the Arctic Circle. There are other cats in SE Asia who've toured on their Stridas.








Buy a single speed, add an Efneo 3-speed crankset.

seibaatgung

Brompton too large for their microflats?
You have one @tcs?

Winfried

I know, but it's a bit of a stretch, don't you think?

Over here, I see a lot more Bromptons and other folders than Stridas, although there's a distributor right here.

I've actually ridden that three-speed bike for several weeks in different terrains, which is why I can't recommend it for the reasons mentioned above.

$500 + retrofit + second-and single speed Strida ~$1,000.

How does the gear inches on the Efneo compare with the three-speed SA gearbox in the Strida EVO? Worth the bother?

Since price seems to be an issue for the OP, not sure it's a good idea. For that money, a mid-level folder seems a better, more versatile alternative.

tcs

seibaatgung

Do you have the whole chapter?

tcs

No, sorry. I've just found bits and pieces of the whole series here and there on the 'net.

Blackstrida_A_

Wait, wait...mate, I think you mixed something up here or got Winfried wrong:
What he was referring to with "roller coaster like" - that was meant regarding the method of shifting the KS3 drive (by pedaling backwards).
There is certainly no risk of a smoking gear drive.

Regarding the brakes, and I hope that Winfried will agree in this point, too - I mean they are really good and fully sufficient for this bike.

Me neither!
I've never liked that backwards pedal shifting.
But I can tell from the very, very rare rides on my EVO that one gets used to it after a while and there's no need to count 1-2-3-1-2-3 any longer.

Exactly!
Some of these each (EVO riders) told me that they think it would be very convenient to have a drive without any cables because there is also no need for any adjustment.
Moreover that appears the drive very clean and it is relatively simple to replace.
I think that are valuable arguments for the KS3.
Personally I'm more attracted by the efneo GTRO drive.


All that data is still at Stridaforum, first pinned post within the first section, you've been the last poster.

Strida EVO with 16" wheels
(tyre size 16 x 1,5)

Gear inches:
in low gear: 42"
in middle gear: 53,3"
in high gear: 67"

Metres of development:
in low gear: 3,11m
in middle gear: 3,95m
in high gear: 4,97m

Strida EVO with 18" wheels
(tyre size 18 x 1,25)

Gear inches:
in low gear: 47,2"
in middle gear: 60"
in high gear: 75,4"

Metres of development
in low gear: 3,45m
in middle gear: 4,38m
in high gear: 5,51m

Strida efneo GTRO with 16" wheels
(tyre size 16 x 1,5)

Gear inches:
in low gear: 42,7"
in middle gear: 61"
in high gear: 76,4"

Metres of development:
in low gear: 3,16m
in middle gear: 4,52m
in high gear: 5,66m

Strida efneo GTRO with 18" wheels
(tyre size 18 x 1,25)

Gear inches:
in low gear: 48"
in middle gear: 68,6"
in high gear: 85,9"

Metres of development:
in low gear: 3,51m
in middle gear: 5,01m
in high gear: 6,28m

@seibaatgung

Consider Strida like a beautiful lady; she might be capricious and dislike longer trips, perhaps your and her character simply mismatch.
She does not want to be left alone and romantic strolls during rain are not her thing.
Maybe you fell in love with her just by seeing her at images, I don't know.
However - I'd strongly recommend to meet her personally, go out together and see what happens!

If you can't stop grinning during your very first ride - then you are caught.
Approved.

Do you know how many chapters there are in sum?
Is that above an image of chapter 8?
(I believe to have chapter 5 complete.)

Best wishes,

Chris

tcs

Okay, I found this.

But, and it's a big but, there are pop-up ads galore, including some for Anna, a lovely young woman who - not to be prudish but just trying to maintain internet standards - should pull her pants up, and Maria, who should put on a shirt.

Anyway, 'Oritatabu' is a manga about a girls' folding bicycle club. Really, I'm not putting you on. The Strida is introduced in chapters 8 and 9:

https://rawkuma.com/oritatabu-chapter-8/

seibaatgung

Precisely, which is why backpedaling to shift gears seems like a wiser design than to break.

Human_Amplifier

Smitten