What's in the Box?

Posted by Trisha at 09:00 news Add comments
Nov 032009

I suppose it’s past time I revealed what the two-wheeled object in the box I was tracking last Tuesday is.

Meet the Jango Flik.

me and the Flik

The Flik and me

So far we haven’t had too much time to get to know each other, but our inaugural ride to the coffee shop caused quite a stir. Peter from Jango told me that these test bikes are the first Fliks to hit the streets in North America.

I’ll be riding the Flik for the next month or so around Nashville, to see what it’s like to have a folder (and measure how it compares to the Dahon I’ve ridden in the past), before sending it back to Jango. Like some other people we know, LGRAB was offered the test bike in exchange for nothing but a promise to provide an honest review, so look for that once I’ve had some more time with it.

Until then, you should know that the Flik is also very popular with cats. Especially small black-and-white ones.

walter2

Walter wonders what this is

walter

Where's Walter?

And of course Willie had to get in on things.

willie

Wary Willie investigates

Cats aside, the bike has 8 gears, rear suspension and a nifty folding mechanism that will soon be documented on our YouTube channel. Anyone with questions about the Flik, comment away!

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  • http://www.slowbikemiami.com Daniel M. Perez (Slow Bike Miami)

    What a cute folding bike. I’ll be checking for that review.

    …

    What? I’m not saying I’m gonna get a folding bike. Not yet. Maybe. ;-)

  • http://cyclinmissy.blogspot.com Cyclin’ Missy

    Wow! Cute bike! I’m really curious to hear how it handles. I like that it has the little rack. Nice touch.

  • philippe

    Psst, the kickstand…

  • http://imaginarybicycle.blogspot.com/ Emma J

    Have you tried the bike friday? My husband loves his, but i’m unconvinced by those little tiny tires.

  • http://www.chipsea.blogspot.com ChipSeal

    How much does it weigh?

  • http://lovelybike.blogspot.com Lovely Bicycle!

    (Cats! Bike and cats! That is going in the bike and cat gallery!)

    That is one strange bike, and you look strangely good on it. Also a little like you are on a mini-space ship.

    I too am curious about the small wheels. Looking forward to your review. How long are you keeping it for? I may be given a bike to test in the end of November, and I was thinking that at least 2 weeks would be needed to really get a sense of what it is like to live with it and ride it under different types of circumstances. But I suppose it depends how obsessive one wants to get with the review!

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Trisha

      I love your bike and cat gallery. :)

      Not sure how long I’m keeping the bike yet, but it will be at least a month. I agree about the 2-week minimum for a basic review. What are you getting? Can’t wait to find out.

      • http://lovelybike.blogspot.com Lovely Bicycle!

        A.N.T. has offered me to test and review the new version of the Lady’s Boston Roadster (!). A month would of course be even better than 2 weeks, but I am afraid that if I like it I won’t be able to give it back.

  • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Dottie

    You look so hot in that picture! The flik is a great accessory :) Can’t wait to hear all about your adventures.

  • http://lacyclechic.blogspot.com Cosmo

    I checked out the Flik at interbike, but the fold is so big it didn’t really look public transit friendly. I am looking for a bus ready foldable. I can’t wait to see how it works out for you.

    • http://lacyclechic.blogspot.com Cosmo

      Oh and you do look hot. Great boots.

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Trisha

      Ooh, good idea — I should try to take it on the bus.

      You’re right, it’s not a terribly small fold, but it is easy to maneuver — rolls easily and when it’s folded, it stays folded.

  • http://Pedalandcoast.blogspot.com Sox

    What a cool bike. Very striking!

  • http://suburbanbikemama.blogspot.com/ Mamavee

    finally! thank you. I went MIA from blog reading for a few days and came back thinking SURELY I’ll find out and last night when I took a peek there was no mention. Phew. I thought I missed something.

    It does look really neat and you look great on it! can’t wait for the review!

  • http://lululetty.blogspot.com maria

    Wow, looks like an amazing bike!! So cool that you get to test drive it around.

  • Carolyn

    Neat bike! I want to get a folding bike in the future, to take around in my travels. I’ve seen Bike Fridays, which are pretty cool. But this is neat too!

  • Andrew Duthie

    Trisha, let me know if you’d like to compare this to a Bike Friday tikit. 24 speeds (max), folds in 5 seconds, packs into a large suitcase for no-extra-charge air travel. I’m happy to bring it by or meet up; just need it back by Nov 10 for a trip!

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Trisha

      I emailed you. Short answer–would love to! Didn’t know there was one in Nashville.

  • http://zachsbicyclecommuting.blogspot.com/ Zach’s Bicycle Commuting

    It looks like you pulled that bike out of your purse! Folding bikes definitely look cool, but by looks alone I wouldn’t think they would be good for trips longer than a mile or two.

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Trisha

      It’s actually really comfortable on my 2.5 mile commute, but I need to try it out on a longer ride. If anything bothers me about it so far, comfortwise, it’s the saddle, which isn’t made for hips and has a pretty long nose.

  • miss sarah

    Jealous! That thing looks pretty nimble!

    S*

  • http://theory.stanford.edu/~arbrad Aaron

    I’m definitely not impressed by its folded size. With 16″ wheels and based on pictures, I deduce that the inline folding scheme results in approximately a 36″ x 36″ package in its “stowed” form. I wouldn’t expect a bus driver to let me on with my big unicycle (36″ wheel, so about 36″ x 44″). I’ve had a bus driver think aloud about not letting me on with my 26″ unicycle. If I were to consider a folding bike (which I wouldn’t since a unicycle works just as well, if not better), I’d want to be confident that some power-tripping bus driver wouldn’t leave me stranded farther than I cared to ride the bike.

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Trisha

      Aaron, I didn’t know you rode a unicycle! Cool. Yeah, I haven’t measured it yet but I’d say it’s more like 30×30, give or take an inch or two. Still, not tiny. As I said to Cosmo, I’ll have to try out the bus.

      • http://theory.stanford.edu/~arbrad Aaron

        Trisha, I think there is another Aaron who posts regularly. I’m the one living in Boulder, CO, possibly not the one you’re thinking of. But, yes, I ride unicycles: a 36″ that cruises at 12-15 mph, a 26″ off-road beast, and a 24″ skills unicycle. The 24″ with short cranks (say 125mm or less) can cruise at 7-8 mph without much effort and thus is suitable (both in size and speed) for commuting via a mix of riding and public transportation, much like a folding bicycle. It also only weighs 13 lbs, much less than the typical 25+ pounds for a folding bike. And it packs nicely in standard-sized baggage for airplane travel, which only top-end folding bikes do. The time that one must invest in learning to ride is surprisingly short: about 10-15 hours to ride, and maybe the same amount again to mount without assistance.

        • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Trisha

          You’re right, I wasn’t looking at the URL. :) Thanks for the unicycle tips. I should keep an eye out for one at yard sales and flea markets — I’d like to give it a try one day.

    • http://aduthie.wordpress.com/ Andrew Duthie

      The website confirms 16″ wheels, and they say the folded size is 32.9″ x 13.1″ x 31.9″. Run the math and it means there’s only 0.9″ between the wheels when it’s folded for storage. Looks like a little more than that in the photos.

      I think one key to taking a folding bike onto no-bikes-allowed public transportation is what the folded bike looks like. The less it looks like a bike, the less trouble you’ll get. That’s one reason the Bike Friday tikit has an optional, integrated cover. An extra few seconds and you can cover the whole thing up, so it becomes an oddly-shaped duffle bag with a hidden wheel.

      • http://townandcountrybiker.wordpress.com cratedigger

        @ Andrew Duthie

        Agreed, here on our train line (Metra), I have had many run ins with the conductors. The more concealed your bike is (in a bolsa bag, for example) the less trouble, you will find.

        One aggressive conductor told me that no bikes were allowed on the trains, even though covered folders are allowed at all times. I had my Raleigh 20 folded in a large bag. I told him that it was not a bike, but a bag of bike parts. That seemed to diffuse the situation.

        • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com Trisha

          LOL. Thanks for the advice!

  • http://townandcountrybiker.wordpress.com cratedigger

    Cool looking bike.

    I have ridden (and owned) 3 different folders- a Dahon Picolo, a modified Dahon Speed 8 and a Raleigh 20. I am pretty large, so I look rather like I am riding a clown bike on the Picolo, but I have found the Speed to be OK for roughly 20 mile trips, after that the flexing of the frame gets a bit rough. The Raleigh is very sturdy and I feel that I can ride it for pretty long distances (albeit @ slow speed.) We will see at the upcoming Tweed Ride.

    I am very interested to hear your thoughts about the Flik– it looks very high tech. And I think your cats are fans already!

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