Saturday, June 18, 2011

The most stylish folder?

I owned the Strida 3.3, some years ago. It is a brilliant design by Mark Sanders, a renown UK bicycle designer and it appeals with its simplicity. 3 poles put together in a triangle. Slap on 2 wheels and a greaseless belt-drive system and voila, presenting the ultimate lifestyle commuter. Never before has a bicycle look so pleasing to the eye. There is remarkable beauty in its uber stylish design but is it just looks and no go?

First, the bad news. The main reason why I no longer own it was because it used a plastic crank and BB then and its squeaking drove me nuts. Truly a design flaw but the good news is that it has now evolved into the Strida LT which promises to put "squeaky" to rest.

Its weaknesses are probably the handling which takes getting used to, mounting on and off the bike is not the easiest and its limited luggage capacity.

That out of the way, all things considered, they are a small price to pay for the most stylish design folder available now and for its ease of handling when folded. The Strida for all its quirkiness begs to be ridden, is certainly high on the fun factor and user friendliness. You just want to be on this bike somehow! It is geared to cruise a leisurely 18-22km/h which in all fairness, is a decent clip. What is the hurry anyway?

And opps, did I forget cleanliness too, with its greaseless belt that takes the yuck out of cycling. Goodbye greased stained pants! You can now wear your expensive designer jeans for the ride to get your Expresso fix, looking as cool as can be with no worries. Gee-Jay in this video did a comprehensive analysis of the Strida that is worth 6 mins of your time.


The best news is it retails for a very reasonable US$590 in Singapore and though it understandably won't be everyone's cup of tea, I think its certainly one stylish stick-folder that deserves to be in my already crowded fold once again.

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