BikeKraft

rosiebud

BTW, I received a conformation email From Citizen Bike.
My Barcelona will be here Monday August 2nd.
The rider is your size.
I have to help my daughter move that day so I'm not sure if I'll
get to put it together right away, but soon after!

rosiebud

No other reviews on the Barcelona?

BluePlate55

rosiebud- I'm 5'2", and I got the "medium" size (though it sounds like they're not offering different sizes anymore). It's really a good feel--I feel very stable on it. I've had many friends who are a bit taller than me (5'5" to 5'7") take it for a ride and say it felt comfortable to them, too. However, my hubby let a very big and tall friend (near 6' and about 250 lbs) ride his Gotham 2, and the friend said it simply felt too small, so there's probably a limit to what a small-framed bike can do (though these folding bikes always amaze me, so maybe not)!

Someone posted earlier about the Dahon Glide, which is really the only bike I can see competing with the Barcelona for my love. The Ciao is too similar and priced so much higher that I don't think I'd want to pick it over the Barcelona. The Glide, however, by being a tad bigger and also having more speeds, etc., seems like a really great bike. Any word from those who've tried it on how small it folds compared to the Ciao/Barcelona? That's my main concern.

rosiebud

About about the Dahon Curve, have you tried that one yet?

stoogeswoman

After reading this in your post, I sent an email to Citizen Bike because I was wondering why they had done this. I wrote that I am 5'2" and was considering the Medium size, and wondered about the newer version. They replied (very quickly, I must say! ) as follows:

We have recently updated the BARCELONA to be more of a one-size-fits-all style. The current model is appropriate for riders 5 ft to 6 ft, so you should be in the clear!

Now I am wondering if the updated version rides as comfortably as yours - and if that means there are now 1st generation and 2nd generation Barcelonas out there!

stoogeswoman

and rosiebud, I can't speak for BluePlate55 but I looked at the Dahon Curve and, while it's nice, it doesn't have that all-important (to me!) low step-through.

Urbanis

Stoogeswoman, how low do you need to go? I have a Dahon Speed P8--the frame is similar to a Curve--and it is very easy to step over the frame (I'm 5'8" with short legs). Have you actually tried a Curve out, or are you making this statement based on a picture?

stoogeswoman

Yes, Urbanis, unfortunately a picture is all I have to go by, as my LBS does not currently have any Dahon Curves in stock; but it seems to be built similar to other models they do have in stock, and I can definitely tell you that the way the bar is positioned is too high for me to step comfortably over.

The reason I need the low stepover is because I am short, fat, and have a bit of arthritis, so I can't just blithely swing one leg over a tall frame like I did when I was, oh, 11 or 12. Those days are gone forever! But there's no reason I can't still enjoy bike riding, right? (The low stepover is actually more of an issue when I am getting OFF the bike - I have tripped over the higher bars more than once and gotten injured doing so - once, to my embarrassment, at the bike shop itself!!

Also, OK, I get that Dahons are well-built bikes and that a lot of people here really push them. However, they're not the only folders on the market and not for everyone. If you like yours, that's great. I wish I could afford a Ciao (which is similar in design to the Barcelona) but right now, I can't.

Actually, I can't really afford the Barcelona right now either! I'm just researching and dreaming.

And as my mother-in-law wisely pointed out, Cadillacs are great cars but a VW Bug will still get you to the grocery store.

Meanwhile, I am growing more comfortable and happy with my cheap little Schwinn Hinge, which worked just fine on my almost 10-mile round trip ride at the beach the other day.

rosiebud

Its almost hard to believe that I would one day give my opinion on a folder..

Stoogeswomen, I have spent the last month researching folders and trying everyone I could get my hands on.

I am 5'1" , with a short arm reach and a very bad back so I know exactly what you are looking for and need.

I just got the Dahon Eco3 and I can tell you that while the ride is great, the step thru would NOT be low enough for you. I myself needed to left my leg a bit to get off. I was in a bit of pain last night and am hoping and praying it is an isolated incident and not because I took the rid out.

So, that being said, don't get the Eco. Now, Dahon has one called the Boost. The arm reach is more then the Eco but that might not be a problem for you and there are items on the market that would bring the handlebars closer to you if that was your only problem with the bike. I have never ridden it nor do I know the price, I am just going by the low step thru from their picture on the Dahon website.

Soooo, if your Schwinn is working for you, enjoy it. I believe in the old adage, IF IT AIN'T BROKEN, DON'T FIX IT!

BikeKraft

Here is 5'-1+" Beverly on the Barcelona. The step through is particularly nice.
I'm still planning a more complete review of this bicycle

stoogeswoman

Now that looks nice, BikeKraft! That's the sort of picture I need to see, a real person actually riding the thing.

Citizen has a photo on their site of an impossibly long-legged blonde looking rather uncomfortable on her Barcelona - didn't really inspire me to pull out the credit card just yet.

BikeKraft

.Please wait for my review, I'm a little bit in limbo at the moment .

SunnyFlorida

Bikekraft - When you're ready to give a review, and that's when you're good and ready, I would suggest you put it in your own thread.

This one is rapidly developing a life of its own.

rosiebud - I'm so sorry that your hurting. I hope you're on the mend soon. I have some arthritis in my knees and some in my back. So I'm not exactly the most flexible person in the world.

Strangely enough though I found my new Speed D7 (yes I'm keeping it after all) not hard to climb in or out of. I did find that when I climbed out of the D7 I would first dismount, have one hand on the saddle and the other hand on the handlebar then I slowly climb out of the bike, briefly resting my heel on the frame before I pulled it over.

But then I've been cycling, on and off, for about two years now and I think I've gotten just a tad more flexible than I was two years ago.

Oh!!! I gave an initial review of my D7. Should of mentioned the Aber Hallo/suspension post too. I'll add a few lines about these two things to the review.

stoogeswomen - Aha!!! Getting folderitis? Just can't have one?

Me too!!!!!

Frankly, if the Ciao was more in my reach, financially, I would have gotten it instead of the D7. That low step feature does make it easier to mount and dismount. But then, you have this feature on your townie so you would know.

juliryngsd

i am fairly new here on this board but thought i would throw my two cents in. i have just had a total knee replacement and waiting on doing knee two. i recently purchased a downtube 8h and i find it really easy to ride and as for getting on i just lean it over towards the ground and lift my leg over. i find the gears easy to use and manage most of the hills. i have also been able to adjust the seat heighth to accomidate the new knee. and i have also been able to move the handlebars to a comfrotable position.

edwong3

Hi,

Here is a YouTube video in which the Barcelona, and the Tokyo are highlighted on a TV program called "The View".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EC-d964Nz0&NR=1

stoogeswoman

Yeah, you diagnosed me correctly, doc!

I've actually been in e-mail contact with a young lady who advertised her Dahon Glide on my local Craigslist for $575.

I had told her I'm interested; however, she's asked for a few days to think about it - because she's having second thoughts about selling it! See, she needs the money for school, but really, really loves the bike!

Which I can totally understand - can't you?

I selflessly advised her to keep it, because, you know, I'm nice that way. But I'm secretly hoping she decides to go for the $$ !

stoogeswoman

Yes, I saw that, and while I like Whoopi's comment about it being "booty friendly", I do wish they had actually shown them RIDING the bikes, not just sitting on 'em!

edwong3

Riding videos of the Citizenbike Tokyo, and Miami are available on YouTube, but I have yet to see any of the Barcelona. You may have to rely on Blueplate55, and Bikekraft's impressions about the bike. Also, remember that if a saddle isn't comfortable, you can always change it.

rosiebud

stoogeswomen, sorry about the Dahon Boost information. I did not realize it had a motor. Have you looked and tried the Dahon Ciao being it has a low step thru.
I also was considering Barcelona but wanted to try it out first before making the purchase. Maybe one day I will be able to give it a test ride/

I have not even been able to ride my Eco much yet, its been over 95 in NY with high humidity that makes it feel like its over 100.

Good luck..

rosiebud

Did you see the new Dahon Kukuxumusu

BluePlate55

HA!! I thought exactly the same thing!! She looked like she was perched there pretty awkwardly. I find that it's really comfy for my short frame, though I'm wondering about this new one-size-fits-all idea. I wonder which size they *weren't* selling enough of--the medium or the large...

As for the seat, I found I had to adjust it a bit. It came tipped forward, and I felt like I was sliding forward the whole time. I adjusted it to tip slightly up, and have felt pretty good about it but have yet to ride for more than two hours at a time. The only downside of replacing it is that the seat it comes with looks very nice and matches the handles. Style isn't *everything,* but it's not nothing, either...

stoogeswoman

BluePlate55, just out of curiosity, did you get the comfy replacement seat Citizen offers on their website (if you order the bike and the replacement seat at the same time they'll put the seat on for you)? Is that the one you're finding uncomfortable?

BluePlate55

No, I got the regular seat that comes with the Barcelona. My husband got the comfy replacement seat, however, on his Gotham 2. It's nice and wide, and surprisingly stiffer than my squishy Barcelona seat. I've heard from serious long distance cyclists that harder seats actually feel better under your bum in the long-run, while squishy seats cause more discomfort over time, and I'm guessing that's the thinking with this seat. The "comfort" seems to come from the width and the central cut-out and vent, rather than from softness.

He really does seem to like it, though since it came installed, he's never ridden it with anything else. It's black (I'll see if I can post some pics), and so it looks better with his bike than it would on mine.

BluePlate55

Here's the Barcelona seat (the brown one) and the CB replacement seat on my hubby's G2 (the black one).

stoogeswoman

Thanks! Yes, I see what you mean. Actually the brown one does look plenty comfy!