Future Tikit: Ride Report

Before putting my Bike Friday Future Tikit to the test on the mean streets of Oakland and the politically-correct (but just as mean) streets of Berkeley, a shake-down ride was in order. Sunday provided an opportunity for a short, but thorough test that uncovered some good things, some not-so-good.

Cruising along it's easy to forget the Future Tikit is a folding bike with smallish, 16" wheels. It feels much more stable than the Brompton I owned for many years and even the Dahon with 20" wheels that I've test ridden. Climbing hills and standing in the pedals reminds you the Tikit's wheels are small, but you can stand in the pedals and climb hills. For stability and rideability, the Tikit is hands down the best folding bike I've tried.

The Tikit's Nexus 8-speed internal hub is quiet, smooth, and simple. The only change in riding style is that you need to slightly reduce pedal force while shifting. Unlike a derailleur system, if you have to stop unexpectedly with the Nexus you can downshift (or upshift for that matter) while stopped.

Instead of the more expensive Gates Carbon belt drive system that is installed on my Stop Cycles Proletariat, the Future Tikit uses the CDRIVE made by a division of Delta Cycle Corporation. CDRIVE is less expensive because the front and rear sprockets are precision molded plastic rather than machined aluminum. The CDrive is not suitable for mountain biking applications and it stands to reason that plastic components are not as durable as aluminum when it comes to stump-jumping and abrasion from mud. Plastic components may give some cyclists pause, but for a commuter bike all I can say is so far so good.

I'm 5' 11", 32" inseam, and 34" sleeve so I ordered the large frame size Tikit. After a short five mile ride, it was clear a longer handlebar stem was needed to get some weight off my wrists and get my lower back more engaged. While Bike Friday's manufacturer says that handlebar stem replacement/adjustment is covered under warranty, I was hesitant to get into it with them after the schrader versus presta fiasco. By the way, I've not heard a single word from the company since I received my bike. So I did a quick trip to REI and had a new, longer stem for $20 that same day. And the results were immediately noticeable.

The only thing good thing I can say about the Bike Friday minimalist foam handlebar grips is that they are lightweight. For my purposes, they are worthless and while I was at REI, I procured a pair of Ergon GP1 grips. I had installed Ergons on my old Brompton and found them a great addition. The Future Tikit has a Shimano Nexus grip shift so some modification of the right Ergon grip was required. I already had experience trimming Ergons when I installed them on my Brompton. The best tool for the job? A PVC pipe cutter!

Before Cutting ...

Cut wisely, Grasshopper!

Viola!

Ergon installed

Bike Friday makes a folding rear rack for the Tikit that provides the ground clearance to carry a full-size pannier. The rack folds ingeniously and doesn't interfere with folding the bike. I've been using the Ortlieb Downtown 2 as my flight bag and while it's not ideal, it holds my iPad, my headset, and various supplies. It's also waterproof and it quickly snaps onto the Axion rack on my full-size Proletariat bike. Unfortunately, the Ortlieb bag bottom clip doesn't engage with the Tikit's folding rear rack. For now, I carry a bungee cord to secure the bottom of the bag to the rack, though there may be a better solution for the long-term.

Inelegant, but workable

Yesterday provided the ideal opportunity to integrate the Tikit into my work day. I was scheduled to teach at the Oakland Airport from 2pm to 4:30pm, but then needed to be at the Livermore Airport to teach at 4:30pm. Even if I pushed the lesson in Livermore to 5pm, there was no way I could make it in time through rush-hour traffic. The solution:

1. Ride Tikit to the nearby North Berkeley BART station
2. Ride BART to the Fruitvale Station
3. Ride Tikit from Fruitvale to the Oakland Airport
4. Load Tikit into the Piper Arrow for the first flight lesson
5. Have first student drop me at the Livermore Airport
6. Store Tikit in my second student's car
7. Teach the second flight lesson
8. Have second student drop me at the nearby BART station
9. Take BART back to Berkeley
10. Ride Tikit home

For pilots who want a bike they can take with them on a small plane, the Tikit will work with some caveats. One advantage of the Brompton is that it folds small enough to easily fit through the baggage door of a Cessna 172. Not so with the Tikit, though it will fit easily through the front doors and can be strapped onto the back seat.

My first flight was in a Piper Arrow and while I could have gotten the Tikit into the baggage compartment, it would have required lowering the seat. Instead, I chose to secure the Tikit onto the back seat using the aircraft's seat belts.