Thursday, September 17, 2009

4 small wheels for Borneo

Wondering which bike to use for a trip can be a real unnerving, even sleepless affair. Such was the case for our upcoming Borneo adventure. After much thought, discussion and evaluation, these will be our rides - for myself and the missus.

Le Cappuccino by KHS

This is a highly modified KHS Cappuccino with some very high end bits from "once upon a time" era like a 92 XTR RD, Ultegra front hub and a host of quality recycle parts and brand new Schwalbe Marathon XR tires etc that my buddy Chris skillfully put together. When I asked him what foldy should I use for the trip, he very generously offered this beauty! Best of all, it comes with a double chain ring for those steep hills, and is able to carry 2 full size panniers.

Le Tikit by Green Gear Company
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My other ride is the world's fastest folding Bike Friday tikit commuter that I have toured with before. This bike re-defines the role for 16" wheels and it has been modified with a 44t chain ring for better climbing ability. There is a fellow tikiteer in Bike Forum who prefers to tour on the tikit instead of the other more "accomplished" BF range like the NWT, Pocket Llama et al, so that says a lot for this baby Bike Friday. But it will be a rather challenging trip, and I'm holding my breath to see if the tikit can cut the mustard.

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A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. Proverbs 17:17

Photo credits - CW

4 comments:

Nat said...

The tikit does look very nice in white. Is that a double up front? or Maybe you retained the chain guard and dropped the front ring from a 53 to a 44 eh. Seems to me it is set for the long haul...

BTW, only front rack? Not carrying much stuff on your trip this time? Or maybe loading your missus bike and you are taking it easy :D

Vik said...

Have fun..=-)

jogya03 said...

nice folder, how hard the trip was ?

Unknown said...

Fantastic blog!!! Thanks! You have an enviable stable of folding bikes. I have to ask which is your favorite? I'm in the process of figuring out which one would work best for me and my wife. My short list consists of the BF NWT, Llama, Tikit and Dahon Speed Pro TT. We're hoping to do some credit card tours of 1-2 weeks maybe in England, France or Belgium this year. I'd love to hear any thoughts you have... help. I really liked the ride of the TT and was a little disappointed in the squirrely feel of the Tikit handlebar stem. I'm going back to test ride the Tikit again because I want to give it another chance - it was my #1 choice before the test ride - now I'm wondering if I'd prefer one of the 20-inch bikes. Very tough decision when you can have only one! I had ruled out the BF 20-inch bikes until the new handlebar stem came out this month. That's a great solution for folding - similar to the Dahon strategy - so the Llama and NWT are back on the list.