When is the Strida 5 going to be available in the UK?

I’ve just ordered a Strida 3 – but now I really want/need the Strida 5. It doesn’t look good though. On the FAQ’s on the Strida UK site http://www.strida.co.uk/faqs/ it states:

In this forum it seems as though member – chop – had to ‘go behind’ Strida UK’s ‘back’ to get his hands on a Strida 5 http://stridaforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=67&highlight=#67 – why?

What do people suggest? Perhaps if enough people request the 5.0 they will start supplying.

Cheers
Shaun

I’m considering a Strida 5, but the Australia/NZ retailer has not replied to inquiries about it.

However, I’m vacationing in Canada and the States in June, so I emailed the Canadian retailer and got an instant reply - they’ll be getting the Strida 5 in June, but will continue selling the Strida 3 as a lower-end model.

The Dutch retailer is also doing this. Wonder if they’ll continue stocking the 3 once their current stock runs out?

I would imagine that once the current crop of 3s is sold that all Stridas will go over to the welded BB version as it would make no sense to continue with the complicated plastic BB, only an opinion, don’t quote me!

Is there anything about the Strida 5 that makes it costlier to make than the Strida 3? Or is the higher cost more a case of “it’s the new model” or “it’s better, so we’ll charge more”?

I am not sure how all of this will pan out, The Strida 5 I bought from Amsterdam was €498 including folding bars & pedals, rack, bell, 1 mudflap & 2 mini LED lights, that’s probably less than the cost of a Strida 3 in UK (as you have to buy everything as an extra and pay for assembly)
In Paris the Strida 5 is exactly double the price of the Dutch Strida 5!
Strida UK are saying they are having a problem with the price difference so I’d expect it to be a good deal higher priced.
Still really annoyed that they wouldn’t let me buy it direct even though I’ve bought 3 Stridas from them already (1 x Strida 2 & 2 x Strida 3)
When I originally asked about the Strida 5 Strida UK said that the pictures of the Strida 5 were a Strida 3 that had been customised by a Japanese owner. Yeah, right!

am amazed (but not surprised) that a uk design, and originally constructed bike has a new model (strida 5) that is UNAVAILABLE to loyal strida users…look after your own strida, really bad customer service -there’s no excuse.Why can you buy it in the Nederlands for a fair price?
Poor show!!

There may be commercial reasons why Strida UK isn’t yet selling 5’s.

Clearly the Far Eastern market finds Stridas very appealing, but the UK tends to be very traditional, so initially selling in Korea, Taiwan, Singapore makes great sense.

I can assure you from personal experience that Strida UK service is excellent. If one buys a Strida from the UK office they will certainly look after the buyer. Sadly that is not the case for some other UK folder suppliers…

I’m not 100% sure that the strida5 is better than Strida3 (OK IAM biased as a happy 3 owner :smiley: )… I take my strida on planes quite a bit, and it gets a hard life - I put it in the bag, with a bungee holding together and a padded envelope over the ball joint. That doesn’t stop gorilla bag handlers droping, putting it under suitcases etc. but in about 5 or 6 round trips the bike has been fine - and Damn useful for getting around and getting to know new towns.

What helps are the plastic (nylon??) wheels - which just spring back, and the fully enclosed drum brakes. If I travelled with a Strida5 (or many other bikes with metal spoked wheels - i am sure they wouldn’t stand this treatment - and would get bent. The discs would be particularly vunerable.

I go envey those with Strida5 - as they DO look very cool - but for now my good ol 3 suits me best.

Im looking at buying a strida… but i dont want to buy a 3.0 if 5.0 will be out soon… any ideas on a release date to the UK?

I think 5 may be out in Q1 2008 … BUT if US market is anything to go by 3 will be much less money … 3’s plastic wheels / hub brakes are more durable - eg as hold luggage. But 5’s are much more bling and sexy :smiley: