Bike Friday Silk

I've previously mentioned about upgrading my Dahon into a Bike Friday. Bike Fridays are supposed to ride a bit more like a "real" bike than a center hinged Dahon, and they can take normal components, and they are made in Eugene, Oregon, land of my birth. I almost ordered a new BF frame this fall, but I resolved to wait and hold out for something used. Resale value on folding bikes--of just about any brand--seems pretty terrible. That's helpful for us secondary market shoppers.

I finally did stumble across a Bike Friday in my size. I almost passed it, because the Craigslist ad didn't mention the size, and it looked short. But it turns out it was a custom for someone with short legs but a long torso, with a 60cm ETT. Just right for me. Driving home from Detroit one afternoon, I made a detour east of Toledo to pick it up.

It was a Bike Friday Silk:

The Silk wasn't my first choice of models. I would rather have a derailer drivetrain, so I can tinker with parts from my bin. But, for a folding bike, having a belt drive does make for a simple, clean fold.

It was also black, which violated my rule of "no more black bikes." Again. That's one price of buying used.

Since folding bikes are adjustable for height, it was relatively easy to make it tall enough for me. A 450mm long seat post got me high enough, and I used a 350mm 28.6 seat post with the head cut off to raise the bars to match:

Actually, I just reused the stock seat post while I waiting for my new part to come in:

The Silk model has a super easy fold. One quick release connects the rear end of the bike and the seatmast to the main frame. Open that, and the whole rear frame, from bottom bracket to rear wheel, flops forward to rest next to the head tube, while the seat mast also folds down. This is nice for two reasons:

1. The belt drive stays on the front gear, a must for belt drive but also great for a chain drive

2. Nothing needs adjusted after folding (no change in seat height).

My bike also had a hinged stem, which folds to the other side. This is nice in theory, but in practice the aftermarket bars hit the frame, making the whole package quite wide:

Oddly, after building dozens of bikes, this is my first build with an internal gear hub. The Alfine 8 didn't work quite right during my test ride, so the seller knocked off a few dollars. I ended up ordering a new shifter, which mostly seems to have solved it. At least to my level of tuning ability. Still, I didn't really get along well with the IGH. The shifting didn't feel as direct as my derailer bikes, the Alfine 8 has some large steps in the middle of the range. I thought as a long time single speed I wouldn't be bothered by these jumps, but I was. 

The Silk did have a very smooth ride. It does feel more solid that my Dahon, without the whole bike shimmy when I shake the bars. But in the end, the Silk isn't the model I wanted. With both bikes in my stable, I found I preferred riding my old Dahon. I decided to sell the Silk and spend some of the money on upgrades for my Dahon. That didn't quite work out the way I had it planned. Stay tuned.