A bike that really travels
When bike industry veteran Hanz Scholz began planning his trip to Europe in 1987, he had visions of pedaling across the continent's scenic stretches and conveniently packing his folding ride away in a suitcase when it was time to board a plane or train.
When he began shopping for the folding bike, that idyllic vision began to fade.
"He was very disappointed by what was available," said Chris Rutkowski, of Oregon-based Bike Friday. "They concentrated more on the folding part than on the bike part and he didn't feel like they were real bikes, just interesting toys."
So Scholz — whose brother Alan Scholz invented the Burley trailer after the birth of his daughter — set out to build his own fold-up bike: one compact enough to fit into a large suitcase, but high-quality enough to tackle steep hills and long, rugged stretches.
Five years later, the first commercial orders for Bike Friday were rolling in, and today the company produces 14 different frame types, ranging from long-distance touring models to three-person tandems and recumbents.
Unlike its fold-up predecessors — often one-size-fits-all models available in retail stores — all Bike Fridays are custom made to meet the rider's size and component/color preference. Each model fits into "the maximum standard suitcase that an airline would carry without casting a glance at it" so its user need not pay an extra fee at the airport, said Rutkowski.
While initial prices prompted instant sticker shock amongst regular Joe riders, recent models such as the Metro, designed for bike commuters who need to bring their bikes on the bus, range as low as $675. On the other end of the spectrum, the Twinaire titanium-beam racing tandem runs for about $8,000.
While its tiny 20-inch wheels — about the only feature that differs from that on a normal bike — may raise the eyebrows of bike snobs, Bike Friday officials and fans insist that "improved aerodynamics" make up for the smaller wheels.
Several gear reviewers have backed them up.
Notes Susan McGrath, who took a New World Tourist model to Cuba for a recent review in Adventure magazine: "While the rider quickly forgets he or she is riding anything but an ordinary high-performance bike, nobody else does. . . . How did I manage? Beautifully. (It) has a climbing gear Granny could get up Denali in."
For more information on Bike Friday, call (800) 777-0258 or check out http://www.bikefriday.comon the World Wide Web.