Strida 3

Tim Pestridge's test for A to B magazine - April 2004

As an internet buyer, the experience was simple. I chose, I clicked, I bought, it arrived the next day, I unpacked, unfolded, fitted the seat, and rode. And nearly fell off. But although your first ten seconds on a Strida are bewildering, your brain reacts and reprograms your senses after another ten. It's short, rigid, nippy, and surprisingly comfy. My wife at 5 foot 7" thought it was great, because the riding position really is very upright, and the clever adjustable seat slides up and down the rear of the 'triangle' (after loosening 3 bolts) to make it comfortable for both the short and the tall (six foot is probably the maximum though). The handlebars are placed very close to your body, which at first is unnerving, but quickly becomes very natural. It's sort of steering from your stomach. None of this stretched-out-racer-style lark. I imagined I'd be thrown out of the seat upon mounting pavements and bumping over long grass, but the changes to improve the frame torsion must have worked, because it feels far more rigid than a Brilliant Micro on the road, but is still compliant enough to tackle towpaths.

You will no doubt have done the maths and realised that this bike is not without limitations. A single gear means that long distance tourers, off roaders (a sticker on the frame states no wheelies), nor racers will find satisfaction here. But remind yourself you've just ridden off on a triangle, that it's really a rolling miracle, and that one gear can be enough if you're not in a hurry, and you'll not be disappointed. Settle yourself into the bike's comfortable 10mph cruise, enjoy the gentle flex still present in the plastic crank wheel, and let the world enjoy the spectacle of a grown adult riding a polished silver coat hanger. You can spec your bike out with a whole plethora of accessories at www.strida.com, but I settled for a small plastic rack, a pair of rather short plastic mudguards, some very nicely engineered folding handlebars, and a pair of folding pedals. All models come fitted with a natty Allan key tool which fits snugly under seat (why don't all bikes have built in tools like this?). But although there's accessorise galore,in essence, less is most definitely more when it comes to Strida ownership.

Having said that the Strida is unusual in the cycling world in incorporating some features which make the bike particularly attractive to those who want a bike without all the messy, 'technical' bits. If you like to unfold and just ride, you'll like the drum brakes, which along with the belt drive are completely maintenance free and laugh in the face of wet weather. The complete lack of grease anywhere on the bike means you can chuck it around without fear of soiling your clothes, an as a pleasant side benefit means that on trips out with young children the Strida 3 doubles as an entirely safe climbing frame for them to clamber all over. Nice. It's also a doddle to keep clean unlike more fiddly folding bikes, as the cables all run in the frame, and both wheels are connected on one side only, so in theory, you can do a wheel change without taking the wheel out.

Strida have made several improvements for it's third generation, and I'm breaking into marketing blurb here, but I can report that the new folding handlebar reduces folded dimensions from 45" x 21" x 20" to 45" x 21" x 9", which reduces cubic folded volume from 10.9 cubic feet to 4.9 cubic feet! They've also increased overall frame stiffness by using 7000 series heat-treated aluminium, which sounds cool, and then there's the ultra-low-maintenance sealed bearing wheels, heat-treated aluminum in the front stem and bottom tube instead of plastic, and finally the introduction of an all-metal bottom tube, which apparently stiffens the tube and directs additional pedalling-energy into drive belt, which is good, as my friend with a Strida 2 claims his model is unwillingly to climb even the gentlest of hills.

Well, I'm not clever enough to do the full A to B road test, but to find out if it can cut the mustard, I draped a sheet over my 24 geared Dahon, hung up my pannier bag and resigned to cycle my 11 mile commute on the Strida for 1 week. I (luckily) don't have to rely on public transport for any part of my journey, so no news there I'm afraid. First morning out, I left myself a good 20 minutes extra to allow for lost time, I mean, it's got one gear right? But the difference in my arrival time surprised me. I arrived at work only 4 minutes later than usual. No drama. No stress. No obvious flexing from the frame, and I even ascended all the usual inclines without fuss. Every morning for the rest of that week the thought of riding it to work seemed like an exciting challenge that I relished. I guess it made me feel like a little kid again with a really simple bike, one gear, drum brakes, and not much else but a silly grin on my face, and on everyone else's when they saw it. It will never replace my normal day-to-day Speed Pro, nor will it carry great loads long distance, but it's fun enough that you want to just jump on and ride it. OK, really steep hills would be out of the question because of the gearing, and your legs will spin like crazy until you realise that 10-12mph is the realistic maximum pedalling speed. But do you know what? These things seem trivial when I stood back and looked at the bike. A back-to-back test with ANY other bike seems pointless.

It is a one-off in the cycling world, a design icon, something truly different in a world of conformists. I mean, who would have thought it possible to create a truly enjoyable bicycle from three aluminium tubes and a pair of plastic wheels? It's a pure form of transport, which offers sheer unadulterated riding fun in short bursts from a most unlikely looking bike. Take any one part away and the thing stops functioning, and I like that. It's one of those beautifully simple inventions that delivers more than you expect. I think you'll just know if you want one. In fact I want another one. To keep at work, hanging on the coat rack on the wall, for emergencies.

Check out the Strida website at www.strida.com
And A to B magazine at www.atob.org.uk