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Main
Date: 17 Apr 2007 15:22:10
From:
Subject: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
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Anyone have opinions on Bike Fridays new Tikit model
folding bike?
Its a folder designed along the lines of the Brompton
to be a very "quick folder".... and to assist in
cycling as a form of transportation over a car
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Date: 21 Apr 2007 16:37:29
From: jbollyn@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
On Apr 20, 11:54 pm, Ryan Cousineau <rcous...@sfu.ca > wrote:
> In article <1177074941.262358.76...@n59g2000hsh.googlegroups.com>,
>
>
>
>
>
> "jbol...@gmail.com" <jbol...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Apr 20, 12:28 am, Ryan Cousineau <rcous...@sfu.ca> wrote:
> > > In article <1177001683.082543.226...@p77g2000hsh.googlegroups.com>,
>
> > > "jbol...@gmail.com" <jbol...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > On Apr 19, 10:49 am, Alan Hoyle <a...@unc.edu> wrote:
> > > > > On 18 Apr 2007 16:16:23 -0700, jbol...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> > > > > > I get the feeling that BF (the company) is mostly a passion of the
> > > > > > owners. They just love to design, make and sell custom folding bikes.
> > > > > > They can afford to indulge their passion, without always having one
> > > > > > eye on the bottom line. A great business model, if you have the
> > > > > > resources to pull it off.
> > > > > > On second thought re: my earlier post, I think perhaps they have not
> > > > > > firmly decided on a base price for the Tikit. Maybe they first want
> > > > > > to
> > > > > > see what kind of market interest there is in this new model.
>
> > > > > I was at Bikes @ Vienna in northern Virginia this past weekend (bought
> > > > > a folder for my fiance'), and they had a Bike Friday Tikit there. It
> > > > > looked pretty cool and the folding process was really neat. They were
> > > > > asking ~$1200 for it, which was out of our price range (we ended up
> > > > > picking out a Dahon Vitesse with a Sturmey Archer 5 speed internal
> > > > > hub; she loves it so far).
>
> > > Get Horizontal, Play Ultimate.
>
> > > > Chinese labor is much less $ than what American workers earn. From
> > > >www.dahon.com:
>
> > > > ...our bicycles are assembled in our factories in Taiwan, Macau, the
> > > > Czech Republic and China...
>
> > > The Chinese need it more. And what do you have against our friends the
> > > Czechs and Taiwan (ROC)?
>
> > > --
> > > Ryan Cousineau rcous...@sfu.cahttp://www.wiredcola.com/
> > > "I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
> > > to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos- Hide quoted
> > > text -
>
> > > - Show quoted text -
>
> > Begin sermon:
>
> > The brave new world of the global economy makes goods and services
> > cheaper. The most efficient provider is rewarded, and the others get
> > bought out or go out of business. I think Dahon threw in the Czechs
> > and Taiwan to make their choice of labor more palatable to Americans.
> > Unless I miss my guess, the bulk of their labor is provided by China.
> > Those laborers are typically paid barely enough to survive. The
> > businesses, and the Chinese government, ravage the environment,
> > treating the air, ground and water like limitless sewers. So their
> > cost of doing business is much lower than in the USA. Those workers
> > will work hard every day, until their dying day. Pensions? Quality
> > health care? I doubt it.
>
> > At some point, Americans will realize that buying cheap Chinese goods
> > is making a deal with the devil. More and more American workers will
> > be displaced. It does not matter much to me personally, because my job
> > is a secure as job security gets.
>
> > None of this matters much to most Americans. All they care about is a
> > good bike at an (artificially) low cost. Until it is their own ox
> > being gored.
>
> > End sermon - J.
>
> I always wonder about two things when hearing this sermon:
>
> 1) what did the workers do before?
>
> 2) what shall they do after?
>
> --
> Ryan Cousineau rcous...@sfu.cahttp://www.wiredcola.com/
> "I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
> to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Wandering thoughts on a Sat afternoon, by someone who has way too much
free time:
What I am saying, is the global economy, with the Free Trade
Agreement, is a two-edged sword. Wall-Mart if full of cheap Chinese-
made stuff at affordable prices. A great many Americans enjoy a nice
lifestyle as a result, because those same products made strictly in
the USA would tend to be much higher-priced, for the reasons I listed
earlier.
The other edge of that sword, is some American jobs, companies and
entire industries are going to be displaced by China, India, whatever.
This has already happened to industries like cars, steel, textiles,
etc. More recently, it is happening to anyone who does their job 'over
the wire', like customer service, tax preparation, etc.
Why is this topic appropriate in a bike forum? Because bike sales and
support is the quintessential neighborhood business. I still recall my
dad and I in the Schwinn bike shop, buying my first bike. I always
thought that bike was too big, but dad said I would grow into it. I
think dads always say stuff like that.
So small American companies like BF need to focus on their target
customer. They can't compete on simply a price basis with companies
like Dahon.
But the really annoying thing about Dahon is how 'green' they claim to
be, on their website. Anyone who knows anything about global pollution
knows that Chinese cities and industrial areas are the cesspools of
the world, basically unlivable by American standards.
I chose BF over Dahon, because I knew I would think of Chinese
pollution whenever I looked at my bike. I paid the extra cost of a BF,
because I can afford it.
My curse is, my parents gave me a conscience. I can't just take the
money and run, guilt-free. Most Americans can't afford to follow my
suit, or they simply chose not to, for selfish reasons - Saint J.
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Date: 22 Apr 2007 19:49:47
From: Andrew Price
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
On 21 Apr 2007 16:37:29 -0700, "jbollyn@gmail.com" <jbollyn@gmail.com >
wrote:
[---]
>But the really annoying thing about Dahon is how 'green' they claim to
>be, on their website. Anyone who knows anything about global pollution
>knows that Chinese cities and industrial areas are the cesspools of
>the world, basically unlivable by American standards.
Isn't the Dahon factory in Taiwan, rather than mainland China?
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Date: 20 Apr 2007 14:31:16
From:
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
On Apr 20, 11:08 am, Alan Hoyle <a...@unc.edu > wrote:
> Bike Fridays
> anywhere close to our price range don't have the fast, no-tools
> break-down feature. I think we can all agree it would be better to
> have a bike that actually gets used.
"Fast" is a matter of degree.
Our Bike Friday New World Tourists do their "quick fold" in, oh, maybe
a minute. It unfolds in maybe two minutes. No tools required.
In quick-fold mode, the bike won't fit into it's travel suitcase, but
that's not usually my objective. It quick-folds small enough to lug
onto a train or stow inside a car's trunk. And the full suitcase fold
takes me only about fifteen minutes, IIRC.
- Frank Krygowski
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Date: 20 Apr 2007 06:15:41
From: jbollyn@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
On Apr 20, 12:28 am, Ryan Cousineau <rcous...@sfu.ca > wrote:
> In article <1177001683.082543.226...@p77g2000hsh.googlegroups.com>,
>
>
>
>
>
> "jbol...@gmail.com" <jbol...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Apr 19, 10:49 am, Alan Hoyle <a...@unc.edu> wrote:
> > > On 18 Apr 2007 16:16:23 -0700, jbol...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> > > > I get the feeling that BF (the company) is mostly a passion of the
> > > > owners. They just love to design, make and sell custom folding bikes.
> > > > They can afford to indulge their passion, without always having one
> > > > eye on the bottom line. A great business model, if you have the
> > > > resources to pull it off.
> > > > On second thought re: my earlier post, I think perhaps they have not
> > > > firmly decided on a base price for the Tikit. Maybe they first want to
> > > > see what kind of market interest there is in this new model.
>
> > > I was at Bikes @ Vienna in northern Virginia this past weekend (bought
> > > a folder for my fiance'), and they had a Bike Friday Tikit there. It
> > > looked pretty cool and the folding process was really neat. They were
> > > asking ~$1200 for it, which was out of our price range (we ended up
> > > picking out a Dahon Vitesse with a Sturmey Archer 5 speed internal
> > > hub; she loves it so far).
>
> Get Horizontal, Play Ultimate.
>
>
>
> > Chinese labor is much less $ than what American workers earn. From
> >www.dahon.com:
>
> > ...our bicycles are assembled in our factories in Taiwan, Macau, the
> > Czech Republic and China...
>
> The Chinese need it more. And what do you have against our friends the
> Czechs and Taiwan (ROC)?
>
> --
> Ryan Cousineau rcous...@sfu.cahttp://www.wiredcola.com/
> "I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
> to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Begin sermon:
The brave new world of the global economy makes goods and services
cheaper. The most efficient provider is rewarded, and the others get
bought out or go out of business. I think Dahon threw in the Czechs
and Taiwan to make their choice of labor more palatable to Americans.
Unless I miss my guess, the bulk of their labor is provided by China.
Those laborers are typically paid barely enough to survive. The
businesses, and the Chinese government, ravage the environment,
treating the air, ground and water like limitless sewers. So their
cost of doing business is much lower than in the USA. Those workers
will work hard every day, until their dying day. Pensions? Quality
health care? I doubt it.
At some point, Americans will realize that buying cheap Chinese goods
is making a deal with the devil. More and more American workers will
be displaced. It does not matter much to me personally, because my job
is a secure as job security gets.
None of this matters much to most Americans. All they care about is a
good bike at an (artificially) low cost. Until it is their own ox
being gored.
End sermon - J.
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| | |
Date: 21 Apr 2007 04:54:34
From: Ryan Cousineau
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
In article <1177074941.262358.76920@n59g2000hsh.googlegroups.com >,
"jbollyn@gmail.com" <jbollyn@gmail.com > wrote:
> On Apr 20, 12:28 am, Ryan Cousineau <rcous...@sfu.ca> wrote:
> > In article <1177001683.082543.226...@p77g2000hsh.googlegroups.com>,
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > "jbol...@gmail.com" <jbol...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > On Apr 19, 10:49 am, Alan Hoyle <a...@unc.edu> wrote:
> > > > On 18 Apr 2007 16:16:23 -0700, jbol...@gmail.com wrote:
> >
> > > > > I get the feeling that BF (the company) is mostly a passion of the
> > > > > owners. They just love to design, make and sell custom folding bikes.
> > > > > They can afford to indulge their passion, without always having one
> > > > > eye on the bottom line. A great business model, if you have the
> > > > > resources to pull it off.
> > > > > On second thought re: my earlier post, I think perhaps they have not
> > > > > firmly decided on a base price for the Tikit. Maybe they first want
> > > > > to
> > > > > see what kind of market interest there is in this new model.
> >
> > > > I was at Bikes @ Vienna in northern Virginia this past weekend (bought
> > > > a folder for my fiance'), and they had a Bike Friday Tikit there. It
> > > > looked pretty cool and the folding process was really neat. They were
> > > > asking ~$1200 for it, which was out of our price range (we ended up
> > > > picking out a Dahon Vitesse with a Sturmey Archer 5 speed internal
> > > > hub; she loves it so far).
> >
> > Get Horizontal, Play Ultimate.
> >
> >
> >
> > > Chinese labor is much less $ than what American workers earn. From
> > >www.dahon.com:
> >
> > > ...our bicycles are assembled in our factories in Taiwan, Macau, the
> > > Czech Republic and China...
> >
> > The Chinese need it more. And what do you have against our friends the
> > Czechs and Taiwan (ROC)?
> >
> > --
> > Ryan Cousineau rcous...@sfu.cahttp://www.wiredcola.com/
> > "I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
> > to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos- Hide quoted
> > text -
> >
> > - Show quoted text -
>
> Begin sermon:
>
> The brave new world of the global economy makes goods and services
> cheaper. The most efficient provider is rewarded, and the others get
> bought out or go out of business. I think Dahon threw in the Czechs
> and Taiwan to make their choice of labor more palatable to Americans.
> Unless I miss my guess, the bulk of their labor is provided by China.
> Those laborers are typically paid barely enough to survive. The
> businesses, and the Chinese government, ravage the environment,
> treating the air, ground and water like limitless sewers. So their
> cost of doing business is much lower than in the USA. Those workers
> will work hard every day, until their dying day. Pensions? Quality
> health care? I doubt it.
>
> At some point, Americans will realize that buying cheap Chinese goods
> is making a deal with the devil. More and more American workers will
> be displaced. It does not matter much to me personally, because my job
> is a secure as job security gets.
>
> None of this matters much to most Americans. All they care about is a
> good bike at an (artificially) low cost. Until it is their own ox
> being gored.
>
> End sermon - J.
I always wonder about two things when hearing this sermon:
1) what did the workers do before?
2) what shall they do after?
--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@sfu.ca http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos
|
| | | |
Date: 21 Apr 2007 08:53:04
From: Pat
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
>
> I always wonder about two things when hearing this sermon:
>
> 1) what did the workers do before?
>
> 2) what shall they do after?
>
> --
> Ryan Cousineau
You may "wonder" but you don't care, do you? I guess you might when and if
it impacts your livelihood. Until then, it's just "too bad for the other
guy."
I don't know about Dahon's customer service, but the people at Bike Friday
are terrific. They even sell other, smaller items for less than many
retailers. If you doubt this, check out their prices for Thomson seat posts
or SPD pedals. In the meantime, you can tell yourself that you are glad you
settled for second best.
Pat in TX
|
| | | | |
Date: 22 Apr 2007 07:18:00
From: Ryan Cousineau
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
In article <58umqlF2ig90eU1@mid.individual.net >,
"Pat" <Pat@starrynight.com > wrote:
> >
> > I always wonder about two things when hearing this sermon:
> >
> > 1) what did the workers do before?
> >
> > 2) what shall they do after?
> >
> > --
> > Ryan Cousineau
>
> You may "wonder" but you don't care, do you? I guess you might when and if
> it impacts your livelihood. Until then, it's just "too bad for the other
> guy."
Well, the answer to your question is "yes, I do care."
But I was mainly speaking of the workers in China.
It's interesting that the rise of China as an economic power has been in
lockstep with not only an era of boom times in the West, but also of
(for most economies, and the US especially) an era of historically low
unemployment.
In other words, the displaced employees are doing something.
I shan't speak for what, but note that the recent trend has been for
companies like Toyota to be very happy with their US manufacturing
facilities.
Perhaps more importantly, there's an awful lot of top-quality design and
engineering work being done in the West. Indeed, what we deride as "made
in China" junk is often designed in China, or designed badly, or built
in the second-rate factories, or whatever.
Meanwhile, the good stuff is designed by top-flight designers, probably
living in North America or Europe (or Oz/NZ...). It's still built in
China, but by the better kind of factories, and with closer management.
> I don't know about Dahon's customer service, but the people at Bike Friday
> are terrific. They even sell other, smaller items for less than many
> retailers. If you doubt this, check out their prices for Thomson seat posts
> or SPD pedals. In the meantime, you can tell yourself that you are glad you
> settled for second best.
My folding bikes are:
1) 20"-wheeled "Auto Mini" with Sachs Duomatic kickback-shifting hub.
2) 1970 Graziella 20"-wheeled tandem with Sturmey Archer drum brakes and
3-speed hub gear.
I have settled for 138th and 247th best.
--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@sfu.ca http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos
|
| | | | |
Date: 21 Apr 2007 15:25:34
From: Bill
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
Pat wrote:
>> I always wonder about two things when hearing this sermon:
>>
>> 1) what did the workers do before?
>>
>> 2) what shall they do after?
>>
>> --
>> Ryan Cousineau
>
> You may "wonder" but you don't care, do you? I guess you might when and if
> it impacts your livelihood. Until then, it's just "too bad for the other
> guy."
>
> I don't know about Dahon's customer service, but the people at Bike Friday
> are terrific. They even sell other, smaller items for less than many
> retailers. If you doubt this, check out their prices for Thomson seat posts
> or SPD pedals. In the meantime, you can tell yourself that you are glad you
> settled for second best.
>
> Pat in TX
>
>
I didn't see the beginning of this thread, but it did hit a nerve.
Being put out of work by off shoring has hit me hard since I work in
electronics. This has been a result of moving first, manufacturing, then
engineering to China. Software (most of it) is done in India (just like
the Dell call centers). My last software only job in 1998 had me as a
software tester trying to break the software and find bugs between
Netscape on a PC and a SUN Unix system. At the end of the day I typed up
a report that was sent to the 'programming group' in India. I never got
to fix or actually program anything.
As you all know, damn near anything you buy these days is made in China,
each of which used to be a good American job. It used to be Japan, but
even they are outsourcing to China because Japanese labor costs too much.
Bikes too.
It's a nasty spiral downward for this country and anyone who can't see
that is just plain brain dead. I make a point to spend the extra dollars
to buy 'non-Chinese' goods, but with 300 million other Americans not
caring, it is a losing fight.
Bicycle point...I bought a water bottle for my bike and put it in the
refrigerator for about a month. When I took it out to use for a ride and
took a 'test' drink I gagged on it since it tasted like plastic.
They sell us junk and laugh all the way to the bank, so to speak, about
us stupid Americans buying their crap.
We did it to ourselves.
Bill Bala
|
| |
Date: 19 Apr 2007 16:31:57
From: jbollyn@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
On Apr 19, 4:02 pm, Will <waller.will...@gmail.com > wrote:
> On Apr 17, 4:12 pm, Dane Buson <d...@unseen.edu> wrote:
>
> > Well, it's cute looking, and practical (for certain applications). But
> > I can't find a monetary value for it anywhere. These things are not
> > considered in a vaccuum generally.
>
> The price is in the orange-ish box about 1/2 way down the page...
>
> $1195
>
> http://www.bikefriday.com/tikit-launch
You are absolutely right, but as I say, BF is trying to do their web
site design and updates on the cheap. Potential customers should not
need to hunt for the price. I think that is called, in business-speak,
customer focused - J.
|
| |
Date: 19 Apr 2007 14:02:49
From: Will
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
On Apr 17, 4:12 pm, Dane Buson <d...@unseen.edu > wrote:
> Well, it's cute looking, and practical (for certain applications). But
> I can't find a monetary value for it anywhere. These things are not
> considered in a vaccuum generally.
The price is in the orange-ish box about 1/2 way down the page...
$1195
http://www.bikefriday.com/tikit-launch
|
| |
Date: 19 Apr 2007 09:54:43
From: jbollyn@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
On Apr 19, 10:49 am, Alan Hoyle <a...@unc.edu > wrote:
> On 18 Apr 2007 16:16:23 -0700, jbol...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> > I get the feeling that BF (the company) is mostly a passion of the
> > owners. They just love to design, make and sell custom folding bikes.
> > They can afford to indulge their passion, without always having one
> > eye on the bottom line. A great business model, if you have the
> > resources to pull it off.
> > On second thought re: my earlier post, I think perhaps they have not
> > firmly decided on a base price for the Tikit. Maybe they first want to
> > see what kind of market interest there is in this new model.
>
> I was at Bikes @ Vienna in northern Virginia this past weekend (bought
> a folder for my fiance'), and they had a Bike Friday Tikit there. It
> looked pretty cool and the folding process was really neat. They were
> asking ~$1200 for it, which was out of our price range (we ended up
> picking out a Dahon Vitesse with a Sturmey Archer 5 speed internal
> hub; she loves it so far).
>
> -alan
>
> --
> Alan Hoyle - a...@unc.edu - http://www.alanhoyle.com/
> "I don't want the world, I just want your half." -TMBG
> Get Horizontal, Play Ultimate.
Chinese labor is much less $ than what American workers earn. From
www.dahon.com:
...our bicycles are assembled in our factories in Taiwan, Macau, the
Czech Republic and China...
J.
|
| | |
Date: 20 Apr 2007 15:08:56
From: Alan Hoyle
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
On 19 Apr 2007 09:54:43 -0700, jbollyn@gmail.com wrote:
> Chinese labor is much less $ than what American workers earn. From
> www.dahon.com:
> ...our bicycles are assembled in our factories in Taiwan, Macau, the
> Czech Republic and China...
Between the two of us, we have four US-built bikes: (2 Treks and 2
Cannondales). I think we've done plenty to help the US worker, and we
bought the Dahon from a local bike shop. Besides, Bike Fridays
anywhere close to our price range don't have the fast, no-tools
break-down feature. I think we can all agree it would be better to
have a bike that actually gets used.
Going back to bikes, do there exist folding, SPD-compatible
clipless pedal? The Dahon's platforms might be preferable in the
general case, but if they exist, they might be worth looking at.
If they're the platform/SPD variety, even more so.
-alan
--
Alan Hoyle - alanh@unc.edu - http://www.alanhoyle.com/
"I don't want the world, I just want your half." -TMBG
Get Horizontal, Play Ultimate.
|
| | | |
Date: 20 Apr 2007 11:41:17
From:
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
Alan Hoyle <alanh@unc.edu > wrote:
>Besides, Bike Fridays
>anywhere close to our price range don't have the fast, no-tools
>break-down feature.
isn't that what the Tikit was designed for.... fast and
clean folder?
|
| | |
Date: 20 Apr 2007 05:28:59
From: Ryan Cousineau
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
In article <1177001683.082543.226310@p77g2000hsh.googlegroups.com >,
"jbollyn@gmail.com" <jbollyn@gmail.com > wrote:
> On Apr 19, 10:49 am, Alan Hoyle <a...@unc.edu> wrote:
> > On 18 Apr 2007 16:16:23 -0700, jbol...@gmail.com wrote:
> >
> > > I get the feeling that BF (the company) is mostly a passion of the
> > > owners. They just love to design, make and sell custom folding bikes.
> > > They can afford to indulge their passion, without always having one
> > > eye on the bottom line. A great business model, if you have the
> > > resources to pull it off.
> > > On second thought re: my earlier post, I think perhaps they have not
> > > firmly decided on a base price for the Tikit. Maybe they first want to
> > > see what kind of market interest there is in this new model.
> >
> > I was at Bikes @ Vienna in northern Virginia this past weekend (bought
> > a folder for my fiance'), and they had a Bike Friday Tikit there. It
> > looked pretty cool and the folding process was really neat. They were
> > asking ~$1200 for it, which was out of our price range (we ended up
> > picking out a Dahon Vitesse with a Sturmey Archer 5 speed internal
> > hub; she loves it so far).
Get Horizontal, Play Ultimate.
>
> Chinese labor is much less $ than what American workers earn. From
> www.dahon.com:
>
> ...our bicycles are assembled in our factories in Taiwan, Macau, the
> Czech Republic and China...
The Chinese need it more. And what do you have against our friends the
Czechs and Taiwan (ROC)?
--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@sfu.ca http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos
|
| |
Date: 18 Apr 2007 16:16:23
From: jbollyn@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
On Apr 18, 12:35 pm, Dane Buson <d...@unseen.edu > wrote:
> jbol...@gmail.com <jbol...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Apr 17, 4:12 pm, Dane Buson <d...@unseen.edu> wrote:
> >> m...@privacy.net wrote:
> >> > Anyone have opinions on Bike Fridays new Tikit model
> >> > folding bike?
>
> >> Well, it's cute looking, and practical (for certain applications). But
> >> I can't find a monetary value for it anywhere. These things are not
> >> considered in a vaccuum generally.
> > However, I suspect they are programming their website in-house. So
> > they have inadvertently failed to include a minor detail like base
> > price for the new Tikit model. In my previous emails to BF senior mgmt/
> > owners, I have always advised that they focus on American Made, and
> > BF's outstanding customer service, from people who speak ENGLISH as
> > their native tongue. And NOT focus on price; because frankly, no small
> > USA company can compete (on simply a price basis) with Chinese-made
> > folding bikes. (But Good Luck if any after-sales support is needed.)
>
> Oh, no doubt. It's just one of my (many) pet peeves when manufacturers
> say "Here's this cool new model we're selling on our website!" Then
> they don't include any details as to cost and their pricing list has not
> been updated to include it.
>
> Not that I'm interested personally, as I have a folder already.
>
> --
> Dane Buson - sigd...@unixbigots.org
> Q: How do you put a phone down, Mike?
> A: You're a crappy instrument on a noisy POTS line. You don't have CID, you
> don't do anything useful, and your dial drops pulses. I'd be better off with
> something from $CHEAP_ASIAN_VENDOR.
> - Warwick answering Mike Andrews in asr- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
I get the feeling that BF (the company) is mostly a passion of the
owners. They just love to design, make and sell custom folding bikes.
They can afford to indulge their passion, without always having one
eye on the bottom line. A great business model, if you have the
resources to pull it off.
On second thought re: my earlier post, I think perhaps they have not
firmly decided on a base price for the Tikit. Maybe they first want to
see what kind of market interest there is in this new model.
Perhaps one should not think of BF as just another bike manufacturer.
In my experience, they do business quite differently from other
companies - J.
|
| | |
Date: 19 Apr 2007 15:49:13
From: Alan Hoyle
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
On 18 Apr 2007 16:16:23 -0700, jbollyn@gmail.com wrote:
> I get the feeling that BF (the company) is mostly a passion of the
> owners. They just love to design, make and sell custom folding bikes.
> They can afford to indulge their passion, without always having one
> eye on the bottom line. A great business model, if you have the
> resources to pull it off.
> On second thought re: my earlier post, I think perhaps they have not
> firmly decided on a base price for the Tikit. Maybe they first want to
> see what kind of market interest there is in this new model.
I was at Bikes @ Vienna in northern Virginia this past weekend (bought
a folder for my fiance'), and they had a Bike Friday Tikit there. It
looked pretty cool and the folding process was really neat. They were
asking ~$1200 for it, which was out of our price range (we ended up
picking out a Dahon Vitesse with a Sturmey Archer 5 speed internal
hub; she loves it so far).
-alan
--
Alan Hoyle - alanh@unc.edu - http://www.alanhoyle.com/
"I don't want the world, I just want your half." -TMBG
Get Horizontal, Play Ultimate.
|
| |
Date: 17 Apr 2007 18:12:03
From: jbollyn@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
On Apr 17, 7:58 pm, "jbol...@gmail.com" <jbol...@gmail.com > wrote:
> On Apr 17, 4:12 pm, Dane Buson <d...@unseen.edu> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > m...@privacy.net wrote:
> > > Anyone have opinions on Bike Fridays new Tikit model
> > > folding bike?
>
> > Well, it's cute looking, and practical (for certain applications). But
> > I can't find a monetary value for it anywhere. These things are not
> > considered in a vaccuum generally.
>
> > > Its a folder designed along the lines of the Brompton to be a very
> > > "quick folder".... and to assist in cycling as a form of
> > > transportation over a car
>
> > Well, I know that the Brompton is exceptionally popular with multimodal
> > train commuters. Not so much with the long distance cycllists.
>
> > Of course, that presupposes some decent trains or buses...
>
> > --
> > Dane Buson - sigd...@unixbigots.org
> > Forgive him, for he believes that the customs of his tribe are the laws
> > of nature!
> > -- G.B. Shaw
>
> On Apr 17, 4:12 pm, Dane Buson <d...@unseen.edu> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > m...@privacy.net wrote:
> > > Anyone have opinions on Bike Fridays new Tikit model
> > > folding bike?
>
> > Well, it's cute looking, and practical (for certain applications). But
> > I can't find a monetary value for it anywhere. These things are not
> > considered in a vaccuum generally.
>
> > > Its a folder designed along the lines of the Brompton to be a very
> > > "quick folder".... and to assist in cycling as a form of
> > > transportation over a car
>
> > Well, I know that the Brompton is exceptionally popular with multimodal
> > train commuters. Not so much with the long distance cycllists.
>
> > Of course, that presupposes some decent trains or buses...
>
> > --
> > Dane Buson - sigd...@unixbigots.org
> > Forgive him, for he believes that the customs of his tribe are the laws
> > of nature!
> > -- G.B. Shaw
>
> Bike Friday (Green Gear Cycling) is an excellent company. BF has gone
> well out of its way to help me with my stock Pocket Tourist, which I
> wrecked through my own manic recklessness (hit a 6" curb directly at
> full speed). My replacement frame is working great. They customized
> the replacement frame to accommodate my height and weight (6'4", 225
> lbs), AND paid the shipping. All of which was well beyond any warranty
> requirements. Kudos to BF!
>
> However, I suspect they are programming their website in-house. So
> they have inadvertently failed to include a minor detail like base
> price for the new Tikit model. In my previous emails to BF senior mgmt/
> owners, I have always advised that they focus on American Made, and
> BF's outstanding customer service, from people who speak ENGLISH as
> their native tongue. And NOT focus on price; because frankly, no small
> USA company can compete (on simply a price basis) with Chinese-made
> folding bikes. (But Good Luck if any after-sales support is needed.)
>
> Having said all this in boring detail, BF's bikes are very
> customizable. So anyone who is considering a BF purchase, needs to
> call them on their toll-free #. And, you need to ASK for whatever
> specific upgrade you want. IMHO, they are very flexible in their bike
> configuration, but YOU need to have the bike experience and expertise
> to know what to ask for.
>
> Just to show that I am not simply a shill for BF, I must say that the
> OEM components on my stock Pocket Tourist can best be described as
> generic junk (brake levers, brakes, pedals, derailleur, tires, seat,
> you get the idea). So if I had it to do over again, I would look for a
> friend who is seriously into bikes, on a conference call, when I
> placed the order. And not buy their stock bike (Pocket Tourist). It
> will be a disappointment for any serious cyclist.
>
> Dane: I could write a book on how CTA is a fraudulent public transit
> bureaucracy, but hey, don't let me get started.
>
> Re: GBS, I work in a univ library, but I am their IT guy, so I just
> try to keep up re English lit- J.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Yeah, well, I meant to include the following link in my previous post
http://orion.neiu.edu/~jbollyn/bike/dinotte-tail-light.jpg - J,
|
| |
Date: 17 Apr 2007 17:58:34
From: jbollyn@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
On Apr 17, 4:12 pm, Dane Buson <d...@unseen.edu > wrote:
> m...@privacy.net wrote:
> > Anyone have opinions on Bike Fridays new Tikit model
> > folding bike?
>
> Well, it's cute looking, and practical (for certain applications). But
> I can't find a monetary value for it anywhere. These things are not
> considered in a vaccuum generally.
>
> > Its a folder designed along the lines of the Brompton to be a very
> > "quick folder".... and to assist in cycling as a form of
> > transportation over a car
>
> Well, I know that the Brompton is exceptionally popular with multimodal
> train commuters. Not so much with the long distance cycllists.
>
> Of course, that presupposes some decent trains or buses...
>
> --
> Dane Buson - sigd...@unixbigots.org
> Forgive him, for he believes that the customs of his tribe are the laws
> of nature!
> -- G.B. Shaw
On Apr 17, 4:12 pm, Dane Buson <d...@unseen.edu > wrote:
> m...@privacy.net wrote:
> > Anyone have opinions on Bike Fridays new Tikit model
> > folding bike?
>
> Well, it's cute looking, and practical (for certain applications). But
> I can't find a monetary value for it anywhere. These things are not
> considered in a vaccuum generally.
>
> > Its a folder designed along the lines of the Brompton to be a very
> > "quick folder".... and to assist in cycling as a form of
> > transportation over a car
>
> Well, I know that the Brompton is exceptionally popular with multimodal
> train commuters. Not so much with the long distance cycllists.
>
> Of course, that presupposes some decent trains or buses...
>
> --
> Dane Buson - sigd...@unixbigots.org
> Forgive him, for he believes that the customs of his tribe are the laws
> of nature!
> -- G.B. Shaw
Bike Friday (Green Gear Cycling) is an excellent company. BF has gone
well out of its way to help me with my stock Pocket Tourist, which I
wrecked through my own manic recklessness (hit a 6" curb directly at
full speed). My replacement frame is working great. They customized
the replacement frame to accommodate my height and weight (6'4", 225
lbs), AND paid the shipping. All of which was well beyond any warranty
requirements. Kudos to BF!
However, I suspect they are programming their website in-house. So
they have inadvertently failed to include a minor detail like base
price for the new Tikit model. In my previous emails to BF senior mgmt/
owners, I have always advised that they focus on American Made, and
BF's outstanding customer service, from people who speak ENGLISH as
their native tongue. And NOT focus on price; because frankly, no small
USA company can compete (on simply a price basis) with Chinese-made
folding bikes. (But Good Luck if any after-sales support is needed.)
Having said all this in boring detail, BF's bikes are very
customizable. So anyone who is considering a BF purchase, needs to
call them on their toll-free #. And, you need to ASK for whatever
specific upgrade you want. IMHO, they are very flexible in their bike
configuration, but YOU need to have the bike experience and expertise
to know what to ask for.
Just to show that I am not simply a shill for BF, I must say that the
OEM components on my stock Pocket Tourist can best be described as
generic junk (brake levers, brakes, pedals, derailleur, tires, seat,
you get the idea). So if I had it to do over again, I would look for a
friend who is seriously into bikes, on a conference call, when I
placed the order. And not buy their stock bike (Pocket Tourist). It
will be a disappointment for any serious cyclist.
Dane: I could write a book on how CTA is a fraudulent public transit
bureaucracy, but hey, don't let me get started.
Re: GBS, I work in a univ library, but I am their IT guy, so I just
try to keep up re English lit- J.
|
| | |
Date: 23 Apr 2007 16:04:39
From: seanesmith@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
On Apr 22, 10:49 am, Andrew Price <ajpr...@free.fr > wrote:
> On 21 Apr 2007 16:37:29 -0700, "jbol...@gmail.com" <jbol...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> [---]
>
> >But the really annoying thing aboutDahonis how 'green' they claim to
> >be, on their website. Anyone who knows anything about global pollution
> >knows that Chinese cities and industrial areas are the cesspools of
> >the world, basically unlivable by American standards.
>
> Isn't theDahonfactory in Taiwan, rather than mainland China?
Dahon has factories in many different places... including Europe,
Taiwan....China is only one of them.
I know people that work for Dahon... they are not only creating jobs
in China, Europe, South America... but have offices and are bringing
jobs to the States.
The art director and graphic designer works in one of the biggest
hippy towns in the U.S.... Arcata, CA. You can't be more green than
that.
Dahon's mission is to constantly strive to be more green than it is
every year... their far from perfect (who is? ok, ok patagonia is
close), but they are always trying to make conscious decisions about
impact and sustainability... Heck, making bikes in general is about as
green as you can get.
Here is a project that they are currently working on with Tom
Ritchey ... they produce the bikes for this but make no profit on
them:
http://www.projectrwanda.org/index.php
I know personally that they are involved in others charity programs
and constantly looking for more...
So they are trying.
I think its best to do some real research before disparaging a company
and boycotting them... just because they have factories in China.
Guys this is globalization... its here whether you like it or not...
lets just hope that these companies utilizing the manpower of the
Chinese workforce are giving back... and we as a nation better start
figuring how we are going to compete in the future... (investment in
sustainable living, education and health could be a start... not
investment in old ideologies and war)
s.
|
| | |
Date: 18 Apr 2007 10:35:38
From: Dane Buson
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
jbollyn@gmail.com <jbollyn@gmail.com > wrote:
> On Apr 17, 4:12 pm, Dane Buson <d...@unseen.edu> wrote:
>> m...@privacy.net wrote:
>> > Anyone have opinions on Bike Fridays new Tikit model
>> > folding bike?
>>
>> Well, it's cute looking, and practical (for certain applications). But
>> I can't find a monetary value for it anywhere. These things are not
>> considered in a vaccuum generally.
> However, I suspect they are programming their website in-house. So
> they have inadvertently failed to include a minor detail like base
> price for the new Tikit model. In my previous emails to BF senior mgmt/
> owners, I have always advised that they focus on American Made, and
> BF's outstanding customer service, from people who speak ENGLISH as
> their native tongue. And NOT focus on price; because frankly, no small
> USA company can compete (on simply a price basis) with Chinese-made
> folding bikes. (But Good Luck if any after-sales support is needed.)
Oh, no doubt. It's just one of my (many) pet peeves when manufacturers
say "Here's this cool new model we're selling on our website!" Then
they don't include any details as to cost and their pricing list has not
been updated to include it.
Not that I'm interested personally, as I have a folder already.
--
Dane Buson - sigdane@unixbigots.org
Q: How do you put a phone down, Mike?
A: You're a crappy instrument on a noisy POTS line. You don't have CID, you
don't do anything useful, and your dial drops pulses. I'd be better off with
something from $CHEAP_ASIAN_VENDOR.
- Warwick answering Mike Andrews in asr
|
| |
Date: 17 Apr 2007 17:02:39
From: runcyclexcski@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
This video looks nice, but the guy probably folds bikes for a living:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQscBxx7wLE
|
| |
Date: 17 Apr 2007 14:12:26
From: Dane Buson
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
me@privacy.net wrote:
> Anyone have opinions on Bike Fridays new Tikit model
> folding bike?
Well, it's cute looking, and practical (for certain applications). But
I can't find a monetary value for it anywhere. These things are not
considered in a vaccuum generally.
> Its a folder designed along the lines of the Brompton to be a very
> "quick folder".... and to assist in cycling as a form of
> transportation over a car
Well, I know that the Brompton is exceptionally popular with multimodal
train commuters. Not so much with the long distance cycllists.
Of course, that presupposes some decent trains or buses...
--
Dane Buson - sigdane@unixbigots.org
Forgive him, for he believes that the customs of his tribe are the laws
of nature!
-- G.B. Shaw
|
| | |
Date: 17 Apr 2007 18:14:35
From: Pat
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
>
> Well, I know that the Brompton is exceptionally popular with multimodal
> train commuters. Not so much with the long distance cycllists.
>
> Of course, that presupposes some decent trains or buses...
>
> --
> Dane Buson -
I know a guy who lives in Jersey and drives to a station every day to take a
train into Manhattan. He and others like him could benefit from such a
bicycle.
Pat in TX
|
| | | |
Date: 17 Apr 2007 17:33:29
From: Dane Buson
Subject: Re: Bike Fridays new Tikit folding bike
|
Pat <Pat@overtheprairie.com > wrote:
>
>> Well, I know that the Brompton is exceptionally popular with multimodal
>> train commuters. Not so much with the long distance cycllists.
>>
>> Of course, that presupposes some decent trains or buses...
>
> I know a guy who lives in Jersey and drives to a station every day to take a
> train into Manhattan. He and others like him could benefit from such a
> bicycle.
No doubt. Manhattan was one of the US cities that I was thinking about.
It is definitely one of the places that bike could be very useful.
--
Dane Buson - sigdane@unixbigots.org
"Remember kids, don't do crack, it's a ghetto drug"
- Bob Roberts
|
|
