Friday, October 17, 2008

Erkle Bike

Function over fashion. That's my favorite saying. Mainly because my choices in life are seldom fashionable. And this is all about function. The folding Dahon mu xl sport is fashionable however, and well engineered. It also provides a swift and fun cruise to work from the train. Thumbs up for geometry, I find it to be a comfortable ride.
Fresh air and a bit of stress relief at the end of the day are an added bonus.
Folding bikes are the only legal way to board a rush hour mbta train with a bike. Therefore not get stuck in traffic jams. I get my (short) ride in in the morning and the afternoon - and totally veg-out on a north bound train after work.
Though, people along my route from the train to work have offered their unsolicited thoughts on what they obviously consider an odd looking bike for an adult to be riding. I had an apple thrown at me last week! First time fruit was tossed my way. I turned and asked the two Hispanic men why it was they were wasting food. They laughed, so I got out of there before anything else was hurled at me.
So, of the half dozen 20 inch midget bikes I was looking at, I picked the Dahon mu xl Sport. Jamie at Western Cycle ordered her up and she arrived in a week. No assembly required. Out of the box and on to the road.
Some features include, a shimano nexus 8 speed internal hub (works sweet), ergon grips; (very nice addition b/c the smaller wheels ride a little harsh, good to have the wide palm platform the ergons provide). Quick disconnect pedals, (the left one has popped off accidentally three times, I think that I'll be slapping on a regular set of peds soon). Other features include; A kick stand! Kore i-beam saddle, sks fenders, stainless steel chain, an integrated brake handle/bell, and ability to fold in 10 seconds with out tools.
Almost went with a Strida - But the smaller wheels and the ball joint link had me worried. Also, I needed the freedom to jump a curb to get the heck out of the way of a Boston Cabbie. The single speed design and belt drive almost won me over.

6 comments:

rick is! said...

that is a seriously manly bike. are you traveling more for work now? that thing would be much better for travel I would think.

Andy, R&D said...

Yup. A fair amount of travel. All over the place, only down side is I don't see anything but the inside of an airport. Rockland Maine on the list.

rick is! said...

oh man, if you're in rockland and have some time you have to go to the snowbowl. I'm sure I could come up with a suitable bike for you and we could hit it. fun place to ride.

Big Bikes said...

I think you should treat it like a folding BMX bike. All it needs are pegs and a Gyro.

-t

John Hurley said...

Wow!....now that's good

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