Now, time to unfold the bike frame and put the rest together. The center clamp which allows the frame to fold is the same style as is found on other high-end folding bikes. Once the frame was in it's unfolded state, I could then put on the rear tire. It too has a quick release fitting on it which makes the bike better to fold. Then, put on the front tires and secure the bolts with a provided hex tool. Then, stretch the seat fabric on the seat frame. Attach to frame using quick-releases. Initial assembly took about an hour to figure out, most of it with the rear pannier rack (the instructions were, well, interesting). However, once assembled and adjusted to taste, the folding and unfolding can be done very quickly. As for size, with the rear wheel off, it fits nicely in the back of a Subaru station wagon. However, fitting two of these at once in the back might be challenging.
Now, comes the fine tuning. Being a folding bike, the major components such as the derailleur, gearing and disc brakes are already installed with cables run to them. The front and rear shifters are twist types. The front brakes, being disc type, work very well! The crank pole can also be put in or out and is secured by a hex bolt fitting which works well. The steering controls also have other adjustments so handle orientations can be easily adjusted in several ways. The pedals allow the feet to be secured to the crank and the clips seem to work well.
I also got two panniers with the bike. The nicer one was apparently thrown in as an "extra". It was nicer since it stands on it's own rather than attaching by bolts to the seat. As for folding the bike, I found I only did it when transporting it by car. First, the seat is removed then the frame can fold in on itself to reduce it's length. Pedals can stay on. Folding can be done either with the rear wheel on or off. That solves a mystery for me since I could not figure out from the photos how the bike could be folded as shown in the pictures. Turns out the photo was with the bike taken apart - not folded.
Now, comes the fine tuning. Being a folding bike, the major components such as the derailleur, gearing and disc brakes are already installed with cables run to them. The front and rear shifters are twist types. The front brakes, being disc type, work very well! The crank pole can also be put in or out and is secured by a hex bolt fitting which works well. The steering controls also have other adjustments so handle orientations can be easily adjusted in several ways. The pedals allow the feet to be secured to the crank and the clips seem to work well.
I also got two panniers with the bike. The nicer one was apparently thrown in as an "extra". It was nicer since it stands on it's own rather than attaching by bolts to the seat. As for folding the bike, I found I only did it when transporting it by car. First, the seat is removed then the frame can fold in on itself to reduce it's length. Pedals can stay on. Folding can be done either with the rear wheel on or off. That solves a mystery for me since I could not figure out from the photos how the bike could be folded as shown in the pictures. Turns out the photo was with the bike taken apart - not folded.
POST REVIEW
Now that I've had the bike for a while, I can definitely say it was a good purchase. There are some little picky things. I did need to use two bolts of my own for the accessory pannier (but I'm not complaining too loudly because it was the better one thrown in for free) and the lack of valve adapters was annoying. The chain idler wheel also concerns me a little since it seems a little flimsy but so far, no problems and it also looks like it can be replaced if it fails. Also I had a small cushion and a plastic "S" shaped thing left over. After looking at the two pieces, I found it was the headrest for the top of the seat.
Now that I've had the bike for a while, I can definitely say it was a good purchase. There are some little picky things. I did need to use two bolts of my own for the accessory pannier (but I'm not complaining too loudly because it was the better one thrown in for free) and the lack of valve adapters was annoying. The chain idler wheel also concerns me a little since it seems a little flimsy but so far, no problems and it also looks like it can be replaced if it fails. Also I had a small cushion and a plastic "S" shaped thing left over. After looking at the two pieces, I found it was the headrest for the top of the seat.
As for the drive system, the rear derailer sometimes shift on the lows when cranking on moderate hills unless I hold the shifter to prevent that. The front shifter doesn't have that problem. I suspect there is a spring tension setting somewhere to fix that. The twist grip shifters make this sort of a non-issue since I frequently change gears as terrain changes anyway. Although I can't put a mirror on top of the shifter, I can put a mirror on the steering bracket which is just as effective. It also looks like I could put pushbuttons on top of the shifters for turn signals if I wanted. That would have more styling than the present toggle switch arrangement I now use. The gears also have quite a span. They range from very fast to a high torque hill-crawler. I find I can cruise comfortably at 17mph on flat ground without being winded. With the addition of reflectors and turn signals, I find the bike visibility due to being low doesn't seem to be an issue with automobile drivers.
The cargo capacity is where this bike really shines. I've attached a milk crate which is strong enough to hold most anything that can be found in a grocery store. I frequently also have a backpack on top of that which contains a coat & basic tools in case of a breakdown. It might just be me, but even with all this stuff, it's easier traveling with this bike than my two wheeler.
