Digital Got a Bike Friday
Fantasy Springs, a new area in Tokyo Disney Sea has opened today. The process to enter the area is a bit of a pain, so I’m wondering when I can go visit the place…
In other news, Blue Lug opened the Bike Friday Shop on a beautiful Friday.
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Have you already seen this post?
We are very excited and honored for this opportunity. I hope you guys are pumped as well.
Bike Friday Japan will be opened on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only for the first few months or so, to keep things easy.
I will be joining the Bike Friday team, so come say hi!
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Bike Friday, we’ll do another post of the details. Stay tuned.
If I’m going to help out the shop, I would need to ride the actual bike and actually know what their bikes are about, so of course I bought myself one. (what a convenient excuse to get a new bike!)
Therefore, I’m writing this blog to show my Bike Friday build.
Long time Blue Lug Blog readers may not be familiar with the bike, so I hope you find this interesting.
*BIKE FRIDAY* New World Tourist
Out of all the cool selection of their bikes, I chose the “New World Tourist”. The most popular model.
As the name suggests, it is a small wheel touring bike. This seems be the most basic/standard model in their selection, imo.
I think it’s so popular due to the wide range of styles that we can build this into.
The frames are handmade in the states, so I first sent some measurements of myself to them and they came back with a suggested geometry. This was my first order, so I went without changing anything from their suggestion.
It may sound like the ordering process is complicated, but everything was surprisingly easy. I think it’s best to go with what they suggests and don’t overthink it.
(That being said, if you have a specific idea down, you should definitely let them know)
I was also super impressed with how fast they make the frames.
You can choose the frame colors from their stock colors. You’ll be surprised by their options.
We’ll have all the color samples at the shop, so you can see what the actual paint looks like and choose.
I chose a bright yellow since I have never rode a yellow bike before. So far, I really like this yellow color scheme. It kinda reminds me of a yellow cab or an American school bus. (No, I have never been to USA)
I’m also thinking of having Konno from Cook Paint Works paint it however he wants, just to see what he will do. Speaking of Konno, he also got a Bike Friday frame. I liked his unique build so keep your eyes peeled for that too!
Look at this tiny 20″ unicrown fork. Ain’t it cute?
You can choose from rim and disc brakes. I chose rim brake because I just love rim brakes.
I also have a Brompton. The biggest difference compared to Brompton is that Bike Friday bikes can take all types of components.
Brompton bikes require a lot of specific parts designed for Bromptons, whereas Bike Friday bikes can be built with the kind of parts that we usually use on our Surly and Crust builds, which I really love about Bike Friday. You can build their bike with parts that are laying around your garage.
I in fact took the bottom bracket, headset, derailleur and other parts from a different bike.
For the cranks, I went with the *MIDDLEBURN* RO2 road x-type crank, because I always wanted these cranks. The X-type cranks with 24mm shafts are Shimano compatible. Which makes using the *PHILWOOD* outboard bottom bracket possible.
You don’t see these types of silver cranks much these days, so I think we will be carrying their brand for a long term. I could put a front derailleur, but I will be riding this one for commuting for a while so I went with a single chainring for now.
I chose a flat bar for the same reason as the chainring. However, I am very interested in installing drop bars like a “real touring bike”. We’re currently out of stock for them, but we have an original low rider rack, so I’m excited to rebuild this bike into a tiny rando bike.
We have the 406 and 451 types for 20 inch wheels and this New World Tourist takes the 406 wheels, so there are a lot of options for tires. The “Pocket Rocket”, the road frame of BF takes the 451 wheels, which are slightly bigger than the 406. Issue at the Kamiuma store got the Pocket Rocket for himself, so he should be writing about his bike very soon.
*VELOCITY* dyad 20″ rims laced with *WHITE INDUSTRIES* T11 road hub .
I thought the easy spinning free body of White Ind. hubs would be perfect for a small wheel bike like this to make the first pedal even easier. I highly recommend White Ind. hubs if you will be building Bike Friday with custom wheels.
The folding process, perhaps the most important feature of their bikes works by releasing the QR located near the seat tube. The saddle “bows” and the rear end of the frame folds like so.
Then, release the QR near the head tube. This will make the whole cockpit to come off.
To compare the folding process with Brompton, my honest thought is that Bromptons are easier to fold.
Yes, it is easy to put back, but you’re taking the whole cockpit off, so yeah. I bet it would be nothing once you get use to it though.
I’m enjoying each of benefits for both bikes so far though.
These small details are the best. I love seeing all the thoughts that go into these handmade frames.
You will be satisfied with how the bike turns out without a doubt, since it will be made based on the measurements of yourself. Size matters you know?
I’ve been commuting with this bike everyday. This thing rides really good. It’s not slow at all event it is a 20 incher.
Again, the bike is foldable, so if you’re struggling for storage space, or can’t find a right frame that matches your size, Bike Friday is definitely a great new option.
Many of the Blue Lug staffs have already got their own Bike Friday bikes, so come check them out if you are interested. We are all welcome for test rides.
I’m still obviously very new to their bikes and I’m just starting to get to know their products, but I will learn more and try my best to suggest the best option for you.
Bike Friday Tokyo Opens today. Hope we can provide more tasty builds in the future!
