After a painful cycling tour overseas with some off-the-shelf folding bikes, bicycle builders and brothers Alan and Hanz Scholz recognized the need for inspired, cyclist designed bikes that could fold to travel with you anywhere. Up to this point, no one offered a high quality folding bicycle that was custom built to fit the rider’s size, style, or component choices. After a lot of building, riding, and tweaking the two came up with the very first suitcase packable Bike Friday: a performance-driven travel bike that could hold its own on the ground and in the air.
Since those early days Bike Friday has expanded its line up of bikes to include folding tandems, cargo bikes for carrying kids, and a lightweight urban commuter that fits in a backpack. And while Bike Friday continues to grow in new and interesting directions, our Pocket line of travel bikes remains at the core of the company. That’s why we love hearing from customers who travel with their bikes, especially if they travel a lot! Sally C. from Michigan recently reached out to us to share photos from some of her worldly adventures:
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The bike has been great, rides like my 650 road bike. This bike has been to Italy, France, Switzerland, and Germany in addition to Taiwan. It has been pedaled up mountains but I find the descents the worst part. My descent problem is getting worst as I age due to arthritis combined with small hands. My impossible design request is a coaster brake! After all that climbing I definitely have the leg strength. No, not a drag brake, coaster would have better modulation. In all my climbing, I have walked only twice. On 14%+ that went on for too many kilometers, and one 12% grade where I didn’t notice I was still In The big ring.
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The Switzerland/France border was 2011. We rode from Lake Leman drinking Avian Water from it’s flowing source. Climbing from that side is much easier and very relaxing as you pass through quaint ski towns.
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This is just climbing north from Montreux, Switzerland.
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This is Cul de la Croix in Switzerland. You can see me doubled over after reaching the top. My son wanted me near the elevation sign.
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Southern tip of Taiwan was this past December (2016). While we did circumnavigate the island, we had to use some trains to avoid the heavy traffic megalopolis of the West side. We did cross the northern part of the island, and if Garmin is correct that day totaled 15,000 ft of climbing.
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This was in Taiwan. Got the station name for those interested in the trip.
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Thanks Sally for sharing your adventures with us- it’s always great to see the amazing places that people go with their Bike Friday!
To learn more about Sally’s intrepid, mountain-crushing road bike, the Pocket Rocket follow the link to the Pocket Rocket bike page.
