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Darren Alff, young internet entrepreneur and self-professed bicycle touring expert, purchased a Friday and hit the long and macchiato-filled road for 9 months across Europe.
 DARREN ALFF ULTIMATE NEW WORLD TOURIST REVIEW - by Darren Alff THE Bike Friday New World Tourist is thought by some to be the ultimate travel bike for long distance tourists. It’s small wheel base, low-step over feature, fully-loaded capabilities and its ability to fold up and fit inside an airline standard suitcase (thus saving you huge amounts of money when flying with your bicycle) are certainly appealing features for any world traveler. But does the bike really live up to its reputation? Since purchasing my New World Tourist in mid-2008, I’ve been riding the bike almost every single day since then. In that time, I’ve spent more than 250 days on the bike, traveled with it on 4 airplane trips, 35 train rides, 2 boats and a handful of cars and trucks. I’ve ridden on paved roads, volcanic rock, ice, snow, mud and stone. I’ve used the bike loaded and unloaded, with the optional suitcase/trailer and without. And after all of this, I feel like I finally have enough information to properly review the bike and give you my full assessment. So, here it is. My complete review of the Bike Friday New World Tourist Editor's note: Darren is neither paid nor sponsored by Bike Friday - he purchased the bike himself - generously provided this review. We thank him for his enthusiasm. |
It was mid-April. I'd been cycling through Europe on my New World Tourist for nearly four months, arriving in Split early that morning and now attempting to board a boat bound for the nearby island of Korcula. I'd been warned that the boat I needed to take would not allow bicycles of any kind, but I hoped my small-wheeled folder would come to my rescue – as it had done numerous times over the past few months. But the captain wasn't on board. "No bicycles!" he screamed once again. "But look!" I said, quickly removing the front and rear panniers and folding the bike in half. "It's a folding bike. It's really, really small ... and won't take up much room." The captain was impressed - I could see him mulling it over in his head. "Okay," he said finally. "Give me bike." It worked! Bike Friday had saved me yet again. Had I failed, I would have been forced to spend three extra days cycling down the Croatian coastline before taking a ferry from a different port. But once the sea captain saw that my folder could be carried on board just like any other piece of passenger luggage, he was converted. Moments like this make me extremely thankful I purchased a Bike Friday for my nine-month tour through Europe. |
 Pictured right: Stealth camping with on a Friday I purchased my Bike Friday in the summer of 2008 for a short 8-day trip to the island of Aruba in the Caribbean Sea. I planned to use it on similar trips and excursions, never expecting to use it for my 9-month bike tour through central and eastern Europe. After the bike performed so well in Aruba, the next step was taking it overseas on my longest bicycle tour to date. When I cycled Europe the first time in 2006, I had seen other folders on the road, so I knew I'd fit in with my Friday this time around. Traveling to Europe with this bike meant no oversized baggage fees, nor fees for most of the trains and boats I would take through Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. Since purchasing my Friday just one summer ago, I've spent almost every single day with the bike in some way, shape, or form. I've traveled with it on 4 airplanes, 35 trains, 2 boats and in a handful of cars and trucks. I've ridden it on paved roads, volcanic rock, ice, snow, mud and stone. I've used the bike loaded and unloaded, with the optional suitcase/trailer and without. And in just a few short months I'll have completed a 14-country journey by bike through some of the Europe's most spectacular locales. |
I had heard about Bike Friday years ago – when I first started cycling. But I wasn't sure at whether a folding bike was for me. I could certainly see the advantages, but could this bike really live up to its reputation? In short, it has exceeded my expectations. I thought that carrying a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, clothes, food, computer and other travel gear on a tiny folding bike would be impossible. But this is an area Bike Friday knows inside out. My New World Tourist is capable of carrying panniers front and back just like my full-sized touring bike. There are two water bottle cages built in, just like most touring bikes on the market, plus fenders and optional handlebar bag and/or trailer. If you opt for the foldable rear rack like I did, you'll pack the bike easier and faster. Folding bikes that can handle the demands of a fully-loaded bike tour are few and far between. My New World Tourist has been my sole companion for the past nine months and I couldn't have asked for a better travel companion. More great pictures in his Ultimate New World Tourist review |
