Sorry…. Double message
Hi, Strida-World! (Especially to the BSA boss! :-D) I ended up in this land a bit by chance. Since 2003, I’ve abandoned diamond-frame bicycles, dedicating myself only to recumbents: semi-recumbents, recumbent gt (Flux s-800) and then trikes (Atomic Zombie Warrior). That remains my focus; I’m also one of the administrators of the “Bici Reclinate Italia” forum. But I’m always very curious… I had seen a Strida online in the past and it seemed at the very least an interesting object, even if I found it very expensive. In recent years, the concept of “intermodality” fascinates me. I live in the historic center of Venice (gondolas, canals and … feet!) and I keep my mechanical fleet in Mestre. I think that often we become passionate about things we have to put more effort into, and that’s a bit what happens for me with vehicles: two old cars (Subaru Forester €3 280 hp - Citroen Xantia V6 Activa), a very dated motorhome (Karmann MB100), an aged but still valid motorcycle (Honda VFR 1988)… The cars are starting to have traffic restrictions due to pollution; the motorhome too. Furthermore, to go and get my vehicles, I always have a 3/4 km walk on the mainland. Then, in the summer, it would be nice to go to Lido (the island where the Venice Film Festival is held, where you can drive cars and bikes: 14 km x max 1 km) bringing my bike from home by motorboat, rather than renting one there. And so, even though I’m now spoiled by the comfortable seat of recumbents… if you find something extremely compact to keep in the car or camper or in Venice, why not try it? And maybe cheap! On this subject, the folders aren’t really that cheap and used Stridas here are normally sold for around €250, with exorbitant peaks of €450 and more…
But a few days ago I came across a rather neglected ad; it seems like the typical ad from a person who found themselves with a “thing” they don’t know, don’t use, and just want to get rid of. And they do so by asking for a minimum price. So, why not? I get some information; they say it’s been used very few times and it’s like new; “everything works”. The rear fender is missing, but the tires seem original and still new. So, even though it’s 500 km away and only pickup is planned, I buy it and send a friend to pick it up. The friend, by the way, is going today: so for the moment, I’ve only seen my Strida in a photo. A gamble, maybe… but it was worth a try. From there, I immersed myself in reading Stridaforum. I understand that my Strida is almost certainly a 3.2, also because officially only those arrived in Italy. I’ve read a lot and I’ve formed this idea: the 3.2 is an excellent link. Pros: same frame as the later ones, with geometries revised compared to Mk1/2; cons: brakes that are difficult to service (while the front freewheel is still for sale). The risk is there…
The first thing I’ll do is change the saddle. I read a lot and came to the conclusion to buy this one: https://www.tradeinn.com/bikeinn/en/selle-royal-drifter-plus-relaxed-saddle/139551123/p I would have loved a Brooks, but it could take me a lifetime to break it in. For now, the Royal should do: it’s wide and sprung, two fundamental requirements on a bike where you sit very upright. If I wanted to change the plastic wheels with 16" BMX ones to fit Big Apples, could I do it or is that an option only for Stridas with a rear hub?
I’m a bit worried about adapting to riding the Strida, but … only a bit: actually I really trust that my habit with recumbents will make it easier. I have a feeling there’s an affinity: on recumbents, all your weight must be on the seat; if you grip or hang onto the handlebars, they become impossible to ride. I think it’s the same on the Strida: I believe if you try to transfer weight to the front wheel, the vehicle becomes unstable like my semi-recumbent was, which I learned to ride holding the handlebars with two fingers. So I’m confident I’ll adapt quickly…
I’ll try to transfer my usual penchant for lights onto it. I’m also thinking of fitting it with a set of turn signals: I have them on my direct-steering trike (they are necessary, because having a brake for the front wheel on a slope you can’t let go of the handlebars to signal a lane change) and I find them great; I’ll see if I can fit them on the Strida too.
The last thing that could really appeal to me is the ATS Speed Drive: I’m of the idea that the more uses you can cover, the better. Especially related to use with the camper, knowing I could handle a bit of a climb would be great. I’ll wait and see if I use the Strida enough… Sure, the ATS isn’t cheap either, but given how little the bike cost me, the purchase could be justified.
So… precisely: how much did I pay for my “new” Strida 3.2? € 35. What do you say… would the risk have been worth it for you too? 
2 Likes
Hello Rahab,
welcome at Stridaforum 
Many thanks for your post, really interesting to have little look into a Venice citizens life
Well, first a few important things:
Same frame; not really - if you consider the front freewheel.
Front freewheel; there’s very special tool required to get rid of the old one, jfyi.
Most likely, you meant here “…only for Stridas with rear freewheel”
but even that does not help - there is no way to mount any BMX wheels.
The single sided Strida hubs are mandatory to build wheels with BMX rims (that would be possible - but you won’t be able to find such hubs…most likely…)
There is no way to combine ATS drives with a front freewheel.
Anyway, I hope you have some fun with yours 
Uhmmm… the issue with the hubs is indeed a challenge I hadn’t considered! But, who knows… maybe some “crazy artisan” is still out there. 
Instead, now that you make me think about it, I understand that the ATS issue is a pipe dream. So the “Plan B” to allow a 3.2 to handle some climbs would be a very light electrification that doesn’t drastically change the weight. By removing the rear fender and using a quick-release bracket, maybe it would be possible to use an Add-E Lite kit weighing 1.6 kg total; the most difficult part would indeed be the mounting bracket. Unless using the rear rack mounting points to lower a bracket from there that allows contact between the rotor and the tire… but I don’t know: until I see the Strida up close, this is just “pour parler.” Has anyone ever specifically thought about mounting an Add-E? 
Anyway, for now I plan to use it as a hyper-light vehicle and I think I’ll have fun with it! Do you think the saddle I linked to would fit well?
Sorry, I couldn’t tell exactly, for the first look I’d say rather yes than no.
I believe the Add-E would work, just a custom mount will be required.
Currently, my Strida has 1.75" tires that don’t fit properly in the rim. I believe they are 406 (the bike is at a friend’s place), having read on the forum that this is the most common but incorrect size… If I were to mount 47/305 tires (Continental Urban is a tire I really like: definitely more rolling-efficient than Marathon!), would the rim support it? If I’ve read correctly, would I still have a residual problem with the wheel magnets not engaging? Thanks!
1 Like
Sorry, forgot totally to reply on this… 
Impossibile Signore!
Mentioned dimension meets exactly the border of the chances for nowadays plastic wheels - so it can’t be told if the Continentals will fit. You have to try to find the truth.
Also I’m unsure about that. Are you sure that his model has already wheel magnet and counterplate? I believe to see the older plastic clamp version, similar (or equal) to the Strida Mk1.
I’m going to see and pick up the Strida tomorrow. A dear friend bought it for me from the opposite side of Italy. Then, on Sunday, I have a 20 km ride planned to test it.
I don’t think it has the 305 tires because my friend, in the meantime, tried to inflate the tires but couldn’t manage it in any way, because the tire bead wouldn’t seat properly.
In recent days, I did a lot of research on tires and I’ve identified two models that I would like to try. It’s not entirely true that there isn’t much choice overall; rather, the problem is that those for the Strida are common sizes only in Asia, while nobody imports them here. However, it’s also true that today there are e-commerce platforms that bring us closer to Asia. I found many models from the manufacturer CST that aren’t mentioned in this forum. CST is a giant tire manufacturer that works for many Western brands and owns the Maxxis brand; the quality of its products is considered superior to that of Innova and Kenda.
In the 16" - 305 size, I really like the “1653” and “1959” models; however, there are also the “1777” (40-305) and the “C1763”, with a more traditional tread pattern.
In the 18" - 355 size, I saw these: c3030 18X1.95 MTB - c3022 18X1.75 - c3016 18X1.75 - c1959 - c1576 18X1.75 47-355 road - C1446 - c1213N 18X1.75 47-355 and 18X1.95 53-355 and 18X2.125 57-355.
But since I was in a bit of a hurry, I bought two Btwin Discovers from Decathlon, 1.60", which I read here fit well; ordering the CST tires (which are easily found on Aliexpress) would have meant a rather long shipping time. In the meantime, having asked CST for info, they pointed me to an official Italian importer.
The idea is to test the Strida and then, if I like it and see that I’ll use it, fit it with better tires.
According to this summary I found online - https://ibb.co/1tH9SRdb - my Strida should be a Mk3. I couldn’t look at it carefully from the ad picture, but I’m sure I saw the new front logo. That was also one of the reasons I bought it quickly: perhaps I wouldn’t have taken it if it had been a Mk1 or Mk2. Not so much for the magnetic clips, but especially because the Mk3 frame is essentially the same as the Strida 5 and later versions: better aluminum and improved geometry. This table also shows that the Mk3 had metal rims as an option (which mine doesn’t have), although I wonder if they were model-specific or if it would be possible to fit them later on.
Meanwhile, I wonder… why does the “Strida movement” seem to have stalled? There’s an Italian Facebook group, but it’s completely inactive; and even this forum, which is the most comprehensive one around, doesn’t seem very active. Has Strida gone out of fashion? Have active importers disappeared (in Italy, Strida Roma closed down) and the parent company hasn’t bothered with it?
1 Like
Hello, Rahab san.
I live in Japan, and STRiDA doesn’t seem to be very active here.
Also, the supply of used bicycles and parts is low, and prices seem to be trending high after rising.
I think one reason for this is that distributors keep changing and are unstable.
I think one of the reasons is that Min Cycle does not have a very fixed idea of dealership, and is not putting much effort into selling STRiDA.
Recently, a new dealer has appeared in Japan and begun supplying the bike, and at the same time a new product was announced, so I feel like I’ve seen an attitude of focusing on the new Rabbit rather than our beloved A-Style bicycles.
In any case, I wish you all the best in your STRiDA life.
With respect from Kyoto,
Doranine
ドラニンさん、メッセージをありがとう。古典様式が消えてしまうのは残念なことです。まさにここで異分野融合が少しずつ前進している矢先に。
Thank you for the message, Doranine. It would be a shame for the classical style to disappear, especially just as intermodality is taking timid steps forward here.
Meanwhile, I managed to pick up my Strida. I still haven’t figured out exactly which series it is: it has the front logo of the mk 3.2, but the wheel closing mechanism uses plastic clips, not a magnet. I’ll try to take some decent photos soon. Can the serial number help identify it?
I had several issues. I had changed the tires and they were fine, but while my friend and I were trying to fold and unfold it for the first few times, we didn’t understand how… but the spherical joint came out of its housing. We went crazy trying to get it back in; it took us a while to figure out that we had to partially remove the plastic housing from the frame.
At that point, after also changing the saddle, I was ready. My friend insisted on inflating the tires with the compressor. It was night and cold. I took my first steps on the Strida, and apart from a slight initial feeling of instability, also due to the new hyper-sprung saddle, I thought I could calmly tackle the ~18 km ride planned for the next day.
But that wasn’t the case: that idiot friend of mine, as we figured out later, had inflated them to 4.3 bar. Three minutes before leaving for the ride, at 11:00 the next day, with a significantly higher temperature, the rear tire exploded while the bike was stationary. The only small consolation was that a few kilometers later, my friend suffered the same self-inflicted fate on his recumbent bicycle!
I must say the first short test intrigued me, but I felt the brakes were weak: when I picked up the bike, both wheels were rather hard to turn due to brake drag. We tried adjusting the tension, freeing them up; however, the braking is more like a gentle deceleration, which worries me, having read about the problems with the drum brakes. Furthermore, I saw that the Korean supplier is no longer active.
I saw there might be a project to remake the brakes, and I publicly declare that I’m interested in contributing. If you give me the specifications for these brakes, I can also try to see if there’s some “brave artisan” in Italy who could take on the challenge. In the meantime, are there any remaining stocks of these components?
1 Like