Strida EVO3 with 18" wheels?

Hello

I just saw the EVO 3 with 18" wheels available new for €1,100/$1,500

Previously, I test-rode the EVO 3 with 16" wheels and found it too slow. The documentation for the 18" says that it can go up to 45km/h (28mph).

Did someone try that EVO3 18"? Is it fast enough for day-trips, or is it only meant for riding in the city?

Thank you.

Hello Winfried,

welcome at Stridaforum :smiley:

Out of curiosity; could you please tell me where did you find this information?

Of course can an 18 inch EVO go up to 45 km/h, maybe even up to 60 km/h - very similar to a 16" wheeled EVO…
But perhaps YOU will get in trouble if you have to pedal the required ~ 129 revolutions of the crank per minute?
For a 16 inch EVO you just need to reach a cadence (= revolutions of the crank per minute) of ~ 144.

It’s a simple calculation:
45 km/h are 45 000 m within one hour…
that means you have to travel 750 m per minute.

Now you will need the gear ratios of each bike, you can find them here:
Gear ratios information about different models of Strida
The last (or highest) gear will be of interest for high speed, please note also that the 2nd gear of the two speed Stridas (SD, MAS) is identical to the 3rd gear of the three speed Strida (the EVO).

The next step is to multiply the gear ratio with the tyre circumference - the result is the development in meters, that’s the achieved distance per one revolution of the crank;
Amuro Lee did that already for us - thanks once more!

The (rounded) numbers for the last (or highest) gear of Strida EVO, Mas or SD are
for 16 inch ~ 5,2 m and
for 18 inch ~ 5,8 m

(Disregarded are here different tyre circumferences due to different tyre widths.)

Last step is the division of the distance per minute through the achieved distance per crank revolution to get the number of the required revolutions for a certain speed (in this example 45 km/h).

So, you will need to pedal with a 16 inch EVO (750:5,2 =) ~ 144 crank revolutions per minute and with an 18 inch EVO (750:5,8 = ) ~ 129 rev/min, doing that for a whole hour you would in fact ride with a speed of 45 km/h.

Source: http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ca-g.html#cadence

Solving this theoretical problem from the vice-versa direction, it would look like that:

Assuming that you pedal with a (far more) realistic cadence of 90 revolutions per minute:

Development multiplied with the number of revolutions per minute multiplied with 60 (for one hour).
For 16 inch EVO: 5,2 m x 90 x 60 min = 28 080 m/h = 28 km/h
For 18 inch EVO: 5,8 m x 90 x 60 min = 31 320 m/h = 31 km/h

Said in different words: You will - at equal cadence - ride with an 18 inch Strida about 11,5 % faster than with an 16 inch wheeled one.
In theory…

Yeah, sure…
The 3-speed Strida
Regarding speed I couldn’t notice any difference to my 18 inch Schlumpf powered two-speed Stridas, there’s just one more gear between high and low gear of the speed drive.

Thanks much for the infos.

I saw that information written at the Strida booth at a bike convention.

So 30km/h is a more realistic top-speed on the highest gear of the 18" EVO3 Strida.

Would you recommend that model for day-trips (eg. 60-100km/day), or is it really a city bike for short commutes?

Sorry, no idea…

For your (for me unimaginable) distances I’d look anyway for an electric (folding) bike… :blush:
I’m much more bike mechanic than rider, distance to work is just 2 km (one direction) and I ride at optimal conditions only (not too warm/cold, not windy, no rain…), otherwise I prefer to walk…

All I know is that it must be possible:
To The North Sea

Thanks for the link. I’ll ask Tom which Strida he got, but will probably give up on Strida and look at Dahon/Tern instead.

Tom__'s Strida is a MAS (that means two speed) and it is retrofitted with 18" wheels,
this version has (in the high gear) exactly the same gear ratio as the 18" EVO.

I’d suggest you read something about the “small wheel vs large wheel” discussion,
the following links might be interesting for you:

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_wheel_bicycle

Source: http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-524435.html

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,-200758,00.html

Source: http://cyclingabout.com/index.php/2011/12/700c-vs-26-inch-wheel-size-for-touring/

For my money, it would be (for your planned high distance rides) advantageous to choose a bike with full size wheels - because comfort will be an important criteria - if it has to be a folding bike, maybe something like this:



Dahon Espresso D21



Dahon Jack D24

Winfried,

I would definitely consider the Strida as a city bike for commutes not longer than 10 km, it really excels in urban environment . Of course you could exceptionally make longer trips, but the seat position, the wheel size and the number of gears make it less suitable for longer trips.

Thanks much for the infos.

This Fall I plan on doing some longer rides with my EVO, I am sure 100 to 150 km would not be a problem. I have changed the saddle to the Strida leather saddle with springs and the Strida bended handle bars. My longest ride this summer was 35 km and my average speed was 24 kmph. It was a push but I think if I slowed down to 20 kmph I could ride all day. I would like to dispel the myth that the Strida is only good for short city commutes.
I just need to find a free day and go and not look back.
cheers Bill http://stridacanada.ca/

I found the same ergonomics issues as with other bikes that need to be adjusted after first ride. Seat pinching hamstrings, adjust the seat back on the rails or use narrower longer nose seat.
Bars were naturally fine for me on the Strida, but usually I raise them for other bikes.
I didn’t find on-road issues to going all day.
The unavoidable limit to 100% performance/endurance compared to my other bikes is the inability to have seat height to maximum leg muscle use, as you can’t stand forward/off the bike to ground level standover, and hop up for crank level clearance.
I’ve got a seat height that is a one-legged standoff I’m comfortable with, and 23km trip doing comparable speeds and trip time and effort as other average bikes I have.
I know there is “more in the tank” if I could get confident mounting and dismounting the bike from the rear. I have tried but it didn’t come easy, the vision of falling on ass with broken coxic was at front of mind. This would need practice to avoid bringing the Strida brand into disrepute with an unfortunate youtube video of parallels to failed sexual assault or a case for Negligent Driving Occasioning Grievous Bodily Harm to any bystanders breaking my fall =P

Apologies for a necro resurrection of an old thread as I joined this forum somewhat late.

I conur with this post from Bill for sure!

Check out my posts on my rides with my new lover - my Strida EVO. Doing anything from 40Km to 70Km. I can do longer but don’t have the time… it’s a very easy bike to ride. I also have changed the saddle but in this case to the Brook Flyer’s leather saddle with springs and the Strida extended handle bars (not the bent).

Link to thread: [url]Photos of Stridas in Hong Kong]

Thanks for the input.

At this point, the longest day I did on my six-speed Brompton was 150km, but I was totally exhausted. OTHO, I can ride 100km several days in a row just fine.

Considering the Brompton is closer to a regular bike in terms of body position (distance of handlebar to saddle), I doubt I’d be able to do 100km days with a three-speed Strida… but I might just try for science’s sake :smiley:

Great to hear - I love hearing stories of long rides on “small wheel folding bikes”. Where I am I see alot of small folding bikes (mostly cheap China-made knock offs with 20" wheels) but real original Bromptons and Strida’s are rare. Brompton is popular in terms of a Brompton-rider’s club in Singapore but other than a few - most are middle aged guys with a “spare tyre on their waist” riding no more than 20km because they are cash-rich. (apologies for those that are NOT!)

Bromptons in general pending the model etc is roughly TWICE the cost of a Strida EVO – probably because we in Asia (close to Taiwan) whereas Bromptons are from UK. I did see your post on the comparision — if they cost the same I would definitely consider a Brompton also although I do like the Strida very much.

One point I am upset on Bromptons though. There is a bike called “Flamingo” which is a 99% replica copy China knock-off selling in Bike Shops in Singapore - for a fraction of the cost (costs the same as a Strida LT). I hate knock offs - so many a times I see a “Brompton” but it’s not a real Brompton. It puts me off buying a real Brompton as a result.

I THINK you can! :smiley: The Strida EVO is such an easy bike. It may depend on your body structure as I agree it’s more “A” frame vs conventional bike. Out of the 4 bikes I have Strida is quite comfortable for me. As stated - the only thing I miss is “riding whilst standing”. I DO STAND on the Strida EVO – but not pedal just cruise - for bumps etc and it’s totally fine.

The 70KM is an easy ride also and I can do it days on end – the challenge is the time it takes. I am using the Strida as I am in a small apartment (space is an issue and so is the wife nagging!) and it’s for exercise etc. I normally cycle for cardio in the mornings and then shower, and head off to work. The time it takes for 100km would mean I need to leave home at probably 3AM :smiley:

Maybe I’ll do it on a weekend! :smiley: :smiley: