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Birdy thread

Old 02-16-22, 09:33 PM
  #1626  
soulesss
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Does anyone have a used/new 10D Adjustable Stem (Gen 2 or below) that he/she'd like to sell? please let me know, or maybe someone can point me somewhere where i can find.

Would love to buy, or trade with my stock 10D one-pierce forging stem (silver)
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Old 03-05-22, 10:57 AM
  #1627  
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This question was originally asked in the thread Is there a Brompton style frame for 20 inch (406) wheels?, but not many Birdy owners are likely to read it there, hence the reposting in the Birdy thread. Apologies, moderators. Has any Birdy owner used the Kamoya Birdy Cheing that acts as a hook for gathering the chain slack for the folded bike? How does it mount? Does it work well? It seems to be meant for the pre-Birdy III models, as the latter model came out with another OEM solution. Thanks.
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Old 03-06-22, 01:48 PM
  #1628  
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What to look for in a used Birdy?

I'm looking at Birdies on eBay.

There seems to be a big variability in prices and age / spec.
I don't have a big budget so an older one is probably on the cards.
  1. I'm 6' 2" / 190cm — is there a longer stem / seat post option?
  2. I think I saw someone mention a 'Comfort' stem? Is that right? [This sounds good as I'm old & inflexible and I don't want a crouched / sporty riding position.]
  3. Anything in particular I should ask sellers or be looking out for?
Thanks,
Stephen.

Last edited by stephenmcateer; 03-06-22 at 01:54 PM.
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Old 03-06-22, 04:47 PM
  #1629  
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The difference between the comfort 10 degree and Sport 21 degree stem is that the Comfort has a shorter reach. Both are adjustable in height and adjustable in two 2 different reach values (there is about 20mm difference in reach between the two position).

The Comfort stem is mainly used by short people while the Sport fits for tall people, with 1m90 you should choose he Sport stem that you will be able to put on a high position if you do not like a sporty position.

The seatpost should fit for 1m90.

I strongly advise to choose the latest version Birdy III.
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Old 03-06-22, 05:41 PM
  #1630  
stephenmcateer
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Originally Posted by Jipe
The difference between the comfort 10 degree and Sport 21 degree stem is that the Comfort has a shorter reach. Both are adjustable in height and adjustable in two 2 different reach values (there is about 20mm difference in reach between the two position).

The Comfort stem is mainly used by short people while the Sport fits for tall people, with 1m90 you should choose he Sport stem that you will be able to put on a high position if you do not like a sporty position.

The seatpost should fit for 1m90.

I strongly advise to choose the latest version Birdy III.
Okay thanks for that. Useful information. Any particular reason why I should go for the Birdy III? Are the older versions much worse?
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Old 03-07-22, 04:36 PM
  #1631  
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First, Birdy II become quite old (first generation are very old).

The Birdy III folds smaller and better than the Birdy II.

The Birdy II rear swing arm had some weaknesses, some people riding too much off road had broken rear swing arm (its a problem of the Birdy: with its full suspension and wide tires, it ride so well offload that some people do too hard offroad with it, its not a MTB, its a road bike that can do trail riding, we could call it a gravel folding bike).
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Old 03-07-22, 04:41 PM
  #1632  
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Originally Posted by Jipe
First, Birdy II become quite old (first generation are very old).

The Birdy III folds smaller and better than the Birdy II.

The Birdy II rear swing arm had some weaknesses, some people riding too much off road had broken rear swing arm (its a problem of the Birdy: with its full suspension and wide tires, it ride so well offload that some people do too hard offroad with it, its not a MTB, its a road bike that can do trail riding, we could call it a gravel folding bike).
Thanks again. I will watch for a Birdy III I think. [Newer is better usually with most things.]
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Old 03-07-22, 11:30 PM
  #1633  
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Originally Posted by stephenmcateer
Thanks again. I will watch for a Birdy III I think. [Newer is better usually with most things.]
Riese & Müller made the Birdy step by step evolve and improve.

That's the weakness of Brompton that didn't make the Brompton evolve since the mk IV frame many years ago (excepted of course for the newly announced T-line)
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Old 04-04-22, 02:41 PM
  #1634  
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Just finally fixed the rear freehub of my birdy and started riding. It's great, but the bike front wheel obviously pulls to the right.

The bike is an early version in mostly good nick, been stored for a while by previous owner, so front and rear fork/frame looks like they are in good condition and have some life in them yet.

I heard the bike can get unstable at speed, but been riding slowly around my street. The wheel even moves to the right when holding the bike still.

What could be causing this? Is this common?

Thanks
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Old 04-04-22, 03:04 PM
  #1635  
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The wheel should not pull to any side when riding. This means there is something damaged in the frame or fork.

When the bike is still, the fork can go either side, there is normally no preference to go to the right.
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Old 04-05-22, 05:53 AM
  #1636  
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Sorry, probably need to rephrase. I said "pulling", I should have said the wheel is turning to the right.

Anyway, I believe I figured out the reason: the handlebar and front fork are slightly misaligned. Fork is facing slightly to the right.

So the next question is how do I realign handlebar and fork?

To clarify, this is an early 1st gen model red 7 speed. It has a non-adjustable stem with a clamp/locking mechanism for the fold. Underneath the locking mechanism there looks to be something like a seat post clamp with bolt.

Thanks, really appriciate the help.
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Old 04-10-22, 02:27 PM
  #1637  
Townerobertf
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Kickstand suggestions for Birdy BD-1?

What kickstand do people like on these bikes? Thanks
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Old 04-10-22, 03:40 PM
  #1638  
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Riese & Müller Birdy are factory equipped with a Minoura kickstand specially made for the Birdy: Birdy III kickstand





Last edited by Jipe; 04-10-22 at 03:48 PM.
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Old 04-10-22, 05:35 PM
  #1639  
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I had that Minoura on my Brompton and what I can say is that there had been kickstands there which were worse.
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Old 04-11-22, 02:51 AM
  #1640  
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This one is really adapted to the Birdy left dropout: its big hole is for the rear wheel quick release axle and the small hole with a bolt fits for a threaded hole in the Birdy dropout.
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Old 04-19-22, 08:21 AM
  #1641  
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Hey all, I picked up what I think is a 2nd gen/MKII Birdy. I would like to get some accessories for it. I see that Litepro makes a bunch of stuff for it, but I was wondering about fitment. I'd kind of like a kickstand, some better pedals, etc. Do any of you have any recommendations about what fits and doesn't from generation to generation?



Also has anyone successfully mounted up a set of the Vans Cult BMX tires? https://www.modernbike.com/cult-x-va...ray-camo-black

Last edited by mikesova; 04-19-22 at 10:57 AM.
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Old 04-20-22, 06:51 PM
  #1642  
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Originally Posted by Jipe
Does anybody know is (assuming using a SRAM XDR body rear wheel that I have), a 10-44 SRAM 12s XPLR cassette will fit on a Birdy (from what I see on my Birdy with a 10s 9-32t cassette, it seems to me that the chain on the 44t will rub against the left stay) ?

Does anybody know what is the maximum biggest cog size possible ? I have now 32t, would 36t ou 40t fit?

P.S. : this cassette and the XDR body are road/gravel components, not MTB components.
I have run XTR 36 and 40T cassettes on Ultegra 6700 hubs with no issues.
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Old 04-21-22, 03:03 AM
  #1643  
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Originally Posted by 50PlusCycling
I have run XTR 36 and 40T cassettes on Ultegra 6700 hubs with no issues.
Thanks for he feedback.

Can I ask you what model of Birdy you have and what is the size of the crankset chainring ?

I have now a 11s 9-34t cassette with a 50t chainring on my Birdy III and there is some space left between the chain and the right rear arm, so I am pretty sure that 36t will be OK, but 40t seems to me too much with my 50t chainring I think that the chain will rub against the rear arm on the 40t cog, a smaller one will probably help.
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Old 04-21-22, 04:33 AM
  #1644  
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Originally Posted by Jipe
Thanks for he feedback.

Can I ask you what model of Birdy you have and what is the size of the crankset chainring ?

I have now a 11s 9-34t cassette with a 50t chainring on my Birdy III and there is some space left between the chain and the right rear arm, so I am pretty sure that 36t will be OK, but 40t seems to me too much with my 50t chainring I think that the chain will rub against the rear arm on the 40t cog, a smaller one will probably help.
I have a Birdy III, it has a Dura Ace 7800 crankset with 53 teeth. Derailleur is XTR with a medium cage.
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Old 04-21-22, 05:03 AM
  #1645  
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Thanks a lot for the information.

So, 53t front + 11-40t 11s works n the Birdy III. Then a 9-39t XCX+ cassette should also work for even more range (you have an XTR cassette 11-speed CS-M9001 11-40t cassette I guess?).
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Old 04-21-22, 08:32 AM
  #1646  
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Birdy w/ knobbiesI am notorious for putting knobbies on inappropriate things, so why not a Birdy? I picked up the bike second hand last weekend and when I aired up the tires, I found that the rear one was damaged. So I needed new ones. There aren’t tons of options and I didn’t really want to spend a ton, so I opted to grab a pair of the Blackburn branded 18” x 2.125” tires at Wally World and some HD tubes. They fit, but not much room for more in the front.

Also, just an FYI, the tires seem decent quality for 14.49$ and are made by Innova but branded as Blackburn.




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Old 04-21-22, 09:48 AM
  #1647  
Jipe
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I tried to mount Vee Tire Co Crown Gem 57x355/2.25x18" and they are too big.

The usual knobbies for the Birdy are the Schwalbe Black Jack 47x355/1.9x18".
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Old 04-21-22, 04:50 PM
  #1648  
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One issue I had when I test rode it that I didn’t think about: the chain retainer thingy hits the wider tires, so I had to remove it.
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Old 04-21-22, 11:35 PM
  #1649  
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Originally Posted by Jipe
Thanks a lot for the information.

So, 53t front + 11-40t 11s works n the Birdy III. Then a 9-39t XCX+ cassette should also work for even more range (you have an XTR cassette 11-speed CS-M9001 11-40t cassette I guess?).
I am now running the 36 tooth cassette, I put the 40 on another bike. I should probably mention my Birdy runs 20" wheels. I have run a 36 tooth cassette on an 18" Birdy, the only issue is limited ground clearance for the derailleur.
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Old 05-16-22, 09:37 PM
  #1650  
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Originally Posted by RandomHajile
I’ve ordered a pair of these new Schwalbe Billy Bonkers tyres, I should have them installed this weekend for a test ride
Hey! Any long term review from you or any member here about the Billy bonkers? Curious about rolling resistance and incidence of punctures.
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