------------------------------------------------------------ New bike, (circumlunar), 08/27/2018 ------------------------------------------------------------ My wife bought me a new bike, which arrived in the mail last Friday. It is a Citizen folding bike, Tokyo model[1]. Though I am woefully unqualified to write any sort of meaningful bike review, I'll attempt to give my initial impressions for the curious. I tend to be verbose, so this will probably be long for a basic review. For the tl;dr folks, none of this matters anyway: I'm planning on having fun riding this thing and I'm pleased with it, and that's all you need to know. I chose the Tokyo model because it was the lightest of the Citizen bikes with the smallest wheels but with multiple gears (16" wheels, 30lbs, 6 speeds.) I was tempted to go with the Rome model, which is 10lbs lighter and still has 16" wheels, but with only 1 speed. The Rome is belt driven instead of chain, and that seemed interesting as well. But, I just felt like the gears would be important for the many hills where I live. Since I saved a bit on the bike, I added the carrying case and the airless tires. To keep some organization in this post, I'll review the bike in sections: Size ---- The bike has two sizes: folded, and unfolded. For obvious reasons, the bike arrived in the folded position. The first thing I noticed was that the overall bulk of the bike was greater than expected. Having worked in marketing for a large brand in the past, I realized immediately that my perception had been based on the marketing materials, which tended to focus on the folded bike from only one angle; dead on from the side. Had the company pictured the bike from the top looking down, I would have had a more realistic expectation. Of course, realistic expectations are not the goal of marketing. All in all, I can't complain about the folded size. Volumetrically, the bike is going to take the space it takes. No amount of folding can change than, no matter what the Transformer movies try to get away with. Once setup and adjusted for my height, the size of the bike is such that it is not terribly distracting. I was worried that the bike might feel too small for a grown man, but it doesn't feel that way to me. I appreciate the very low center of gravity, with most of the height only in the seat and handlebars. I wanted small tires to reduce the folded footprint. I'm not sure if that is what they do, but I'm happy with the tire size. I should probably measure the thing, or find some comparative reference object to help convey the size to you. Better still, I'll just snap a quick photo of the bike in the bag sitting next to a piano and then I don't have to think about it[2]. While I'm at it, I'll include a few more photos as well[3][4][5][6]. Weight ------ The bike is supposed to weigh 30lbs, minus a small amount for the airless tire upgrade. I haven't bothered weighing it as it seems to weigh about what it should. The weight is not problematic when unfolded and in use, nor when folded and being moved around. It is easy enough to lift and put in the page (which unzips fully open, and also packs in upon itself and zips into a tiny bag you can hang from the frame while riding.) The only issue I have with weight is relating to the bag / carrying case. I really like the bag a lot, except for the handles. The made the handles just a little too long, so that when you lift the bag off the ground, you have to pull it up beyond the natural hang of your arm to carry it. This would, of course, vary based on height and arm length, but I imagine it would be even worse for someone <6' tall. The handles are just barely long enough to put your arm through and sling it on your shoulder. They should have made the handles/straps just a bit longer or just a bit shorter. It's not really a weight issue, but it does impact how the weight is experienced. I should also note that I really don't know how 30lbs compares to other bikes, at all. I don't know if that is considered heavy, light, or what. Adjustability ------------- I was worried that I wouldn't be able to adjust the seat and handlebars to a comfortable position for an adult man. On the other side of that equation, I had considered buying these for my whole family so we could ride more together,but I was worried that they also wouldn't adjust down for my shorter wife and for my kids. I'm glad to say, this model works well for myself, my wife, and my youngest son. The seat has a surprising (for me) amount of adjustability. The post can drop all the way down through the open bottom of the frame; from the pictures, I thought the frame would be closed at the bottom, and that the post might have to be cut to accommodate a shorter person. I have no idea if the post can normally drop below the frame at the bottom or not. I doesn't seem like the best idea in the world to have it sticking out down there, but it is possible. The post is long enough to accommodate someone taller than myself. Perhaps there is some industry standard post length; in any case, the seat adjusts to fit everyone in my family, tested with myself, my wife, and my youngest. The handlebars adjust well, though they don't have as much downward play because of the way they fold. They go up more than high enough for myself. There is a marking on the post for the handlebars that says "min height," and for the bike to work well for my son I have to go below that. I'm not sure what the problem really is in going lower, you do already go lower when folding the bike up. I did like that the handlebar post was channeled, so there was no play in it. I recall as a kid having to straighten out my handlebars, which would get misaligned from the wheel in the front. That simply can't happen with the channel and the rest of the folding setup. I don't know if that will be a negative at some point or not. I haven't adjusted the brakes or shifter, they seem to be functioning properly. In any case, they don't appear to be wildly different from what you might find on other bikes. Build Quality ------------- Given the fact that this is not a top-of-the-line folding bike, but more of a middle-of-the-road brand, I am pleased with the build quality. A Hummingbird costs over 10x as much at ~$4800; a Brompton costs about 4x as much, starting at ~$1400. I expect that with those, you'll have a much more professional feeling bike. This feels just a small notch above a consumer bike. The welds look solid and clean. The paint job is very pretty and well done. All of the components look to be of reasonable quality. The seat looks pretty, but I'm not convinced that it is well constructed. The chain looks good and came lightly greased, it looks to me, with some kind of white/silver lithium grease (I have no idea what people use, I used to use a can of All-in-One household oil when I was a kid.) The pedals fold down and seem very solid (though, the way the mechanism is designed, I could see them wearing poorly.) I wish I understood the components enough to review them properly, but I think the price point of this bike would tell any serious bicyclist what they need to know. Those parts could, I suppose, be upgrade if one wanted. For me, I think they'll be sufficient. One thing I really like are the mud guards on the front and rear wheels. I had these decades ago on a bike I rode daily, and I loved them. I had friends with much sturdier bikes than mine back them, and when we'd ride after the rain, their clothes would be caked with mud splatters. The mud guards are, I think, very useful. Since I was looking at different models before deciding on this one, I think I just didn't realize it came with them. They are solid (some shake and rattle horribly, my daughter's old bike had some like that.) Hopefully they'll stay solid. Folding/Unfolding Process ------------------------- This thing is quick to setup and take down, and doesn't have much of a learning curve. You drop the handlebar and seat, fold down the handlebar and secure it, fold down the pedals, release the mid-point and fold the bike in half, and you're done. There is a magnetic link between the two halves mounted on the rear wheels, that holds the thing together reasonably well. All of the releases and joints feel solid and have more than one connection point; that is to say, if a release popped open while you were riding, there is a secondary step keeping it together still. It feels safe and solid. When folded, the bike stands on it's own; there is a small bar at the base of the frame for it to sit on, so you're not scratching anything. It does get out of balance easily though, if the rear wheels shift too much. Not a big deal, unless you want to have it free-standing on a moving train or some other situation where it would be jostled. For me, I just need it to stand up so it can have the bag wrapped around it, which is no problem at all. Riding ------ I've only ridden the bike a tiny bit so far, since life is busy. I would like to make more opportunities, with a good route that starts from my home. Still, it folds and drops easily in the trunk of the car, so I could find a route that is not too far from home as well. There is a 5 mile trail here in Fulton, MO that is pretty nice, I might just get used to driving the few minutes to that. One thing that anyone would notice with this bike- and you can see it in the pictures- is that the wheels are small, the center of gravity is low, and the steering is almost directly atop the front wheel. All of this combines to give a rather squirrelly feel to the bike, especially the first time you ride it. To be honest, I was expecting this. Years ago I had a 50cc Honda scooter, and it had the same problem for the same reasons. It didn't bother me, but both my wife and my youngest son had a difficult time getting used to it. The airless tires, so far, have been great. Reviews of such things online talked quite a bit about how they felt similar to either flat or over-filled tires. I suppose I don't have much to compare to, having not ridden in any serious way for a long time. They felt just fine to me; maybe a little flat feeling right when you start, and maybe a little tight feeling when you hit a bump, but nothing unmanageable or unpleasant- to me. Brakes are good, shifting is good (though, the handle shifter they chose doesn't have a great grip.) The seat is hard, but could be replaced... though, I've never minded a hard seat. Anything else, I wouldn't know what to look for anyway. Conclusion ---------- Without much knowledge, and without having ridden much, I'm pleased with the bike and I'm determined to have fun with it. It does what I hoped it would do: it provides an always-ready bike that I can easily transport and use. It looks good, handles well, and meets my needs. I'll continue to post on this phlog about my adventures with it! [1] http://www.citizenbike.com/catalog.asp?product_category_id=1&product_id=10 [2] gopher://sdf.org:70/I/users/tfurrows/img/citizen_bike_bag.jpg [3] gopher://sdf.org:70/I/users/tfurrows/img/citizen_bike_folded-front.jpg [4] gopher://sdf.org:70/I/users/tfurrows/img/citizen_bike_folded-angle.jpg [5] gopher://sdf.org:70/I/users/tfurrows/img/citizen_bike_folded-top.jpg [6] gopher://sdf.org:70/I/users/tfurrows/img/citizen_bike_unfolded.jpg