I have written an e-mail to strida.co.uk suggesting some improvements on the design of the futher generations of Strida, e.g. add an internal-gear hub on it, make the tubes/posts extendable just like the Sinclair A-bike to make it more compact when it is folded.
Here is their reply:
dear amuro
thank you for your email enquiry and interest in Strida.
strida was designed to be a zero-maintenance, ultra-light, “a to b” bike. for flat terrain, you can ride the bike indefinitely - on steep hills the range is limited, though one owner rode the strida the length of new zealand.
because the bike is so light, it doesn’t take much energy to pedal and the gear inches have been optimized through both application of theory and extensive test riding. interestingly, we learned after finalizing gear ratio that the one spec’d was the same one on all the british postal service single-speed mail-delivery bikes. - 56 gear inches.
in short the terrain found in such cities as new york, and london is suited for the strida.
we recommend taking a look at the evaluation provided by journalist tim pestridge, who experimented with replacing his 24 speed bike with a strida for his daily 11 mile daily commute. see pestridge.com/strida3.html
when evaluating whether you’ll need gears or not ask yourself what sparked your question and where would you anticipate using bike?
for most city commuters gears are far from essential.
p.s. following is more chatty response offered by mark sanders, inventor of the strida, to a customer inquiry in 2005 on the subject:
“Yes I have made several prototypes of geared versions, 2 speed & 3 speed, these were also retro-fittable … but no plans for production … most people prefer the simpler, lighter, fuss-free single-speed strida… which has a lowish 56” gear. I found the only real benefit to the geared versions was faster decents, hill climbing was only marginally better, with a lower gear."
“Try a Strida as it is - single speed suits its uncluttered, clean and minimalist design philosophy… Strida IS fast in its natural urban habitat ! For example in London its as fast as all but the lycra boys, its also about overall journey time and ease of use … which includes near instant folding (5-7sec), and convenience when folded (just wheel along - no carrying and no bruised shins).
Strida.co.uk has a 60-day money back trial - so If you find you can’t live with it, chop it in for a conventional folder of which there are plenty to choose from - all very similar, ‘F’ frames.”
we thank you for all your comments and confirm that they have been forwarded over to management. we do appreciate feedback.
if you need any further information regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us.
kind regards
debbie - strida customer services
