©Barry Sandland/TIMB – Flaunting the weight of the Ahooga foldable.
“There are always decisions to make when you look for a folding bike. I wanted something a little stiffer, like mountain bike and the X-type riding. It is a faster bike. If I had my way, I would have the handlebars lower so you have a more aggressive, racing position. But I have already changed the crankset for something stiffer, harder to ride. I do not want an electric bike. I like to pedal the bike.”
Notes: I have seen this rider before. He was in a Critrical Mass ride a couple of months ago, jumping his folding bike over street furniture, hopping onto the sidewalk and back down again, treating it like a BMX ride. It was far from conventional and showed a lot of what the Ahooga foldable could do with a range of riders. I could not get to him on the Critical Mass ride, he disappeared into the peloton. But I knew who he was when I found him a few weeks later.
He also has the same idea for the bike that I have. I would have a far flatter cassette. I am not interested in a wide range that is standard on just about any bike on sale today. If you can ride them, flat cassettes are faster. But you lose the extreme range. And, for some, the changes in gears are so subtle, they find no enjoyment in the incremental changes. Add bulbars – those short, protruding stems seen on many mountain bike. I am tall enough that the handlebars would be low, if I want – and I do.
But any bike should be pimped to the riders specifications. That is what makes a ride more comfortable. And the more comfortable you are, the more often the bike will be used. Oh, then it turns out he is one of the mechanics at Ahooga. So no surprise that he was so articulate about the bike.
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This Is My Bike 