Comments on: The Ultimate Bike Friday New World Tourist Review

By: Jen

Jen — Sun, 20 May 2012 20:50:26 +0000

I’m touring in South America with a NWT. I didn’t have the trip all planned out and we’ve ended up on unpaved loose gravel roads mainly. It has definitely not been the best bike for these types of roads and I am wishing perhaps I had purchased a pocket llama. I’m wondering what tires folks are using with the NWT and if they’ve faced problems on gravel roads with mainly loose rocks and even sand.

thanks

By: walin

walin — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 10:53:02 +0000

I put my giant chiron27 foldable in a carry bag – with paddings around the gears, etc, of course, and when I arrived at Yangon airport, unzipped, folded the bag and stored it in my pannier. I find its a convenient way to bikepack…

http://shopping.howei.com/index.php?route=tips/tips&tips_id=42

By: Bicycle Touring Pro

Bicycle Touring Pro — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 06:28:45 +0000

I do think the Bike Fridays may be a bit slower than full-sized bicycles (especially on steep downhills, etc), but for long-distance touring the small difference in speed is almost unnoticeable and is really not that important.

I have found that my Bike Friday is surprisingly stable on downhills and even in off-road scenarios. You just have to get used to the bike and then you will feel comfortable zooming around on it – unloaded or fully-loaded!

After thousands and thousands of miles with my New World Tourist I’ve had no problem with the rims getting excessively hot while braking. And as far as I know, Bike Friday does not offer Disc Brakes (probably because they are larger and take up more space), but I could be wrong… and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them offering disc brakes in the near future.

By: Phil

Phil — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:35:43 +0000

I once toured on a Specialized Rock Combo with the 26″ wheels and found this bike to be extermely stable, but quite a bit slower than a touring bike with 700 cc wheels and 700X32 tires. How does the BF compare as far as average speed?
Is the BF stable on steep, curvy descents when carrying a big load? Also, I would expect the rims to heat up more quickly due to braking on long, steep descents? Does BF offer disc brakes?

By: Tomas

Tomas — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:46:01 +0000

A couple of options: Local storage units rent for $30/month. Warmshowers members will sometimes offer storage. Local bikeshops can be help in locating storage.
I have pulled the trailer on several long trips and don’t find it as much of drawback as other people do. There is some advantage in using the trailer: It is waterproof, it is bear and vermin proof and is lockable when parked curbside. I did a trip of 960miles through the canadian rockies with the trailer and after day one didn’t notice it was there.