One of the first things you notice when you try a Birdy for the first time is that it doesn’t feel like a folding bike should.
The frame is absolutely solid with no flexing or creaking, the riding position is very similar to a mountain bike, and the steering does not suffer from the “small wheel syndrome”. It is also very light. With two different stem options, you have a choice between a relaxed upright riding position or a more sporty forward position – both stems are also adjustable for height.
Riese & Muller have cleverly designed an aluminium frame with no hinges to weaken it. Instead of a folding frame, the front and back wheels fold in – and the same pivots which let them fold also provide very good front and rear suspension.
The suspension also makes the Birdy very fast – you can run the tyres at 100psi+ yet still be comfortable, and the suspension doesn’t dive under braking. Pared down, the Birdy comes in under 11kg, but it can also have front and rear racks to carry four panniers for serious touring. The Birdys all come as standard with disc brakes and hub dynamo lighting.
Yet amazingly, the Birdy still folds very well – with a bit of practice you can fold or unfold it in 15-20 seconds. There are three models:
- City with Nexus 8-speed hub gear, from £2579
- Touring with 10-speed derailleur, from £2669
- Rohloff with 14-speed hub gear, from £4069
I am interested in the Birdy GT. can you reply with pricing and availability please. Thanks
Dan Kahan
The Birdy GT is not available in Europe I’m afraid – it’s a Far-East only model.
thanks for replying on Birdy GT.
Can you give me price / availability info on Birdy Touring model instead please .
Thanks
Dan Kahan
Hi there,
Is it possible to put a Birdy fork in a Brompton, or is that a crazy idea?
Cheers.. Fred
I have done it, it is a crazy idea! Well, I made an adaptor for someone else who fitted the parts – the problem is that the Birdy fork is much longer than the Brompton fork, so the back end also has to be raised, and the whole bike ends up very high.