Day two impressions of my Strida bike (see below for background):
I should start by stating what the purpose of my purchase was. I commute by train between New York and New Jersey, USA which is about 15 miles. Although my house is very close to the train stations, the destination station in New York City is 1-2 miles from work, so the bike would be nice for this leg. Additionally, I’d like to use the bike for getting around town, to do everything from going to church to picking up a few groceries. My regular bike, a Bianchi Eros road bike, is too valuable and too loaded up with touring accessories for these purposes. A simple, foldable bike for short distances seemed the perfect solution.
Incidentally, I’m 6 feet 3 inches tall and weight about 190 pounds – definitely on the high end of Strida’s range. Even in it’s highest position the seat can’t be adjusted in the same way you’d adjust a more conventional road bike, but since the bike is only intended for short distances it doesn’t bother me much, even with my problem knees.
I took the bike on it’s first ride today. It was an exhilirating ride. One guy on the sidewalk shouted “Nice bike” and another approached me at a stop light and asked a few questions about where to get one. This thing is it’s own rolling advertisement.
The ride, for having such small wheels and an aluminimum frame, is surprisingly supple. It seems the seat is mounted in such a way as to bounce a bit, cushioning your butt. Even over the local cobblestone streets in the SoHo section of New York City (e.g. Mercer Street) the ride wasn’t bad and handling was good. Normal handling reminded me of being 7 years old again (a beautiful thing) what with the fixed gear and small wheels. You don’t steer so much as you careen, very much like you’d see a young child riding a bike. I thought this was a function of age and motor development but I guess it’s more a function of bike design.
Though the bike is small and folds into a relatively small size I’m still hesistant to take it onto a crowded subway train, even in it’s bag.