bike or die

Kwiggle, manual, spare tires & tubes, D-lock 1000

Shipping box
Its been a week now since I've had my Kwiggle, but it took about 2 months past posted shipping date to get to me, some of you might remember my first thread about looking for my first folding bike, first things first; they will ship to post office boxes but you'll have to pick it up at the window (maybe obviously). I was planning to ride it from the post office but I had a little too much more to carry with the spare tires, tubes, & manual, so I walked it home, it's a headturner from the box. I liked the way it was shipped, the clear plastic is elastic enough for dropping it seems.

The manual (comes in English) is a must read as we all might know by now, all the important things are in there, practice folds, proper adjustments, etc. Do not skip this or something could happen, you could damage the bike, get hurt, etc. The first thing I think I noticed about it is that the gearing is numbered backwards, & on the left side (may be a European thing?). It's not bad all in all when you get used to the idea of riding a Kwiggle, it does what I want it to, ride to work & fold it up to put in my locker (I have a classic aging locker-maybe pre 80's) with room for other items (like dinner, a coat).

Getting around town is decent, about as good as regular biking, I noticed it's not bad going over modern train tracks in town/urban areas, about the same experience as with a roadbike. The lock I started using is the Hiplok D-1000 which I think is about right for a Kwiggle, in the photo it's on the luggage rack, doesn't move much while riding, when the Kwiggle is folded up the lock can pass through both wheels. I will append to this thread since I've only ridden a few days.

univega.duder

Wow- what an intriguing bike. How is the ride? How is the fold? Can you say how it compares to a Brompton or other folding bikes?

bike or die

The ride is decent as long as you're used to it, the folding kind of gets me sometimes but it still happens. I just should have practiced that more. Since it's my first folder I can't say how well it compares to others, in my town/area I rarely see folding bikes. If you're going through a thoroughfare or someplace like a crowded subway it pulls nicely when folded up. I did want a Brompton or one of the more popular folders but it seems they're not going to fit in my locker. I'm thinking about making a clamp modification to pull trailers, I have an old Burley trailer I've used with my bikes, but I'm not sure how I'll do that yet.

univega.duder

That's really cool. Keep us posted as you spend more time with the Kwiggle. The compactness of the fold is impressive! Looks like a really unique bike.

Schwinnsta

Hi, what tire size?

bike or die

12x2.00 -like these; https://www.schwalbetires.com/Big-AppBig-Apple-11100
-but a different tread for water, speaking of water the tire fenders are great for keeping dry while going through puddles.

tds101 

Can you post more pics please. I'd love to see it folded, and maybe next to a locker (I use a locker at work).

bike or die

When I get back to work on Monday, I can take some of it folded in my locker. Of course there's the vids on YouTube which mainly helped me decide it would be worthwhile to buy.

tds101 

Funky fold,...

CEBEP

This fold will take some time.

bike or die

Kwiggle folded in locker with other items

Kwiggle folded, by lockers
I forgot for a while to get some photos of my bike by & in a locker, but here they are. Not a large locker but, a common size as found across the U.S. (YMCA etc.) -some room to spare, my hoodie is hanging in back, the word to remember for Kwiggle is wiggle, while sometimes getting it in.

bike or die

Tire change!
Well I had my first flat this afternoon, 😕 -had some other matters going on so I changed out for same standard equipment. I would have taken more photos but the process these days is much the same as with most bikes that even the manual barely mentions it, didn't want to get my phone dirty. The flat happened on a concrete bike path of all places, so no goat heads (which is rare occasions when it happens in town), only wish I had some video of it happening to share it. I'm curious if it's worth going airless though, if that's possible.

joey buzzard

So it uses rim brakes on those tiny wheels? What happens when you wear the braking surface out on a rim and need to replace it? Is that type of wheel standard on anything else besides a Kwoggle bike? Can you mount other types of wheels on the bike?

bike or die

I'll be concerned later on about the wheel rims when I get to that point, by then there might actually be closer dealers or a workaround. A local shop carries & can order the tubes & tires.

joey buzzard

Maybe better to figure that out replacements now, no? If you use the bike to commute a few kilometres a day those wheels will wear out in a relatively short time as there isn't a huge area on the braking surface. Generally the smaller the wheel the more quickly it wears against a rim brake. I estimate that if you use the bike almost every day those will last a matter of months, not years. Maybe high-end baby pram wheels would work though? Maybe that's we hat they are?

joey buzzard

... Interesting

I just looked up Kwggle Bike wheel replacement and came across the company's service policy. Basically they want their customers to ship the bike to their facility in Germany for all repairs and servicing.

https://www.kwigglebike.com/en_US/service-reparatur

This seems costly and time consuming to me, especially for someone outside Europe. I'd be inclined to try to find the work around, or maybe anticipate which of the more bespoke bits of the bike are likely to wear out most quickly and order replacements in advance. Otherwise I imagine one might find oneself Kwiggleless for weeks or even months for something that on a more conventional bike could be sorted out with one brief in and out visit to the local bike shop.

CEBEP

Based on photos wheels seems to be CNC machined from aluminum, not a cheap production process. I’d contact dealer or manufacturer directly to check the price of new rims/wheels so you have an idea of the bike maintenance costs.

2_i 

I tend to check availability of the replacement parts even before I commit to a purchase. Quite often the test reveals that the product is there for impulse buying only.

Waiitwi

Hi everyone... I'm from Germany and found this post while surfing the web... I also bought a Kwiggle - black, six speed - and it will be delivered to me in the next two weeks... so maybe I can give you a shout out help to provide a better understanding of Kwiggle service and spare parts.

The Kwiggle is a purpose built bike with many patents on various parts... so yes, you can't buy every part at your local store, but you can order everything you need from Kwigglebike - Karsten Bettin (owner and developer) will sort to give you everything you need...

Some parts are regularly available spare parts, such as tyres, inner tubes, brakes, pedals...

The rims and frame as a whole are specially manufactured parts to industry standards.

The rear wheel suspension is also specially developed to enable appropriate shifting for the bike.

The rims are neither forged nor CNC milled... the rims are formed from a 6mm aluminum disc.

Quote:
"In a special manufacturing process, the Kwiggle rims are made from one piece of wrought aluminum alloy with outstanding properties:

- light and stable at the same time

- wear-resistant even after many thousands of kilometers

- highly corrosion resistant

- highest running accuracy

- polished noble optics

This precision and robustness enables smooth running even at high speeds of 60 km/h."



Karsten Bettin has high demands on his bike - he also tests it in extreme situations and for long-distance suitability and will certainly continue to develop it further.

The Kwiggle is certainly particularly interesting for commuters to and from work, but it can also be used for leisure - day trips, as far as the road conditions allow it...

I myself would like to use it as a fully-fledged replacement for my previous/normal bike... of course it requires some "training" for correct handling, but it is fully ridable on „normal“ terrain.

The new "Schlupfdrive" is now installed on my bike with 6-speed gears... Here, among other things, gears are shifted on the cranks of the bottom bracket with the feet... I'm curious to see how it rides

... will see what is possible with this bike ... fun is guaranteed 😉

bike or die

Thanks for posting, there's always a good amount of critics who are just going to miss out I guess. I'll add that I was waiting since before they could ship to USA to buy mine. I'd say once accustomed to it, it can absolutely replace most commuter bikes, experiment with the seat, it comes including a hex wrench for adjustments on the go.

Waiitwi

yes, it's a slightly different/ new way of riding a bike - that's what I find so awesome... due to the posture and wobbling, it also relaxes the body and conditions muscles in the pelvic area... it's in Basically also a special training aid ... when I looked at the videos, explanations and reviews of the bike, I knew immediately that I had to have it because it suits me perfectly ... after 20 km of riding, it turns out the body adapts to the bike and as you have already written - by adjusting the saddle, you can adjust the riding behavior accordingly - not only by tilting the saddle, but also by changing the position of the seat post...
... I'm still looking for a suitable trailer for my folding kayak, because I also want to use the bike for kayaking, on my house lake 20 km away ...
... I wish you a lot of fun discovering the new driving experience 😉

Waiitwi

Now I also have my Kwiggle and the first rides were very fun 😁☀️

Ron Damon

One of the more unique bikes around. 👍🏼

bike or die

Very nice, I remember the excitement of the 1st month of riding around, still a good conversation starter & people are so intrigued, some are surprised they can keep up with others on the paths.

Ron Damon

How much does it weigh? There's a tug-of-war between folded size and weight. To improve on one, the other has to give.