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I agree with John T ... but I agree with John T, and have put my money where my mouth is: There is 1 block of 15-18% grade on my route home from work that I cannot climb on my Quest 2 (559) if the road is not not perfectly dry (perhaps half the time here). My choice on wet days is to either...

I run 1.5-inch (37/559) tires on my Quest 2 I run 1.5-inch (37/559) tires on my Quest 2. The sidewall says the manufacturer is WTB (Wilderness Trail Bikes). The tread is slick along the center with a slight grooving on the curve away from centerline. I've got more than 3000 miles on these guys...

one data point re fairing speed increase There's a hill I roll down every day on my way to work, so I've tested the speed gain without fairing (summer) and with (winter). This is on my Quest 2. Unaccounted-for variables include tire pressure (mainly). I approach the crest as close to 15mph...

One thing to check ... One thing to check is the pushrod that controls the SRAM hub. It sticks out the right side, and is moved in and out through the mechanism in the external click box. This is a rather weak aluminum rod, easily bent, and it will interfere with the mounts on many (most? all?)...

I use orange electrical tape I use orange electrical tape to cover/prevent cable chafing, and generally to attach things to my Quest. A variety of these uses are seen in the photos linked below...

You're doing great! This will come. Hi kgantz - This is perfectly normal. My experience was quite similar to what you describe. It was at least a week of parking lots and quiet, wide-open streets before I felt comfortable enough to try even light traffic. Lot of swoops. It's a really...

SRAM and Bike Friday In fact, I'm a longtime customer of Bike Friday and have bought many things from them over the years. Check out their stuff and you might become a customer too. They make what is probably the best mini-folding bike around. Now, SRAM is well-known for being...

Tried lubricating the dual drive? I had a similar problem, and lubing the dual drive helped. But unlike 1happyreader above, the manual from Bike Friday (link below) says to use some Phil Wood oil on the shifting rod, not internally. Lie the bike on its left side, remove the rod, put a...

Who made your fairing? Hi Hamish - With you on fairings for raingear. Yup, they help speed but mostly it changes the whole experience of daily commuting in a rainy climate (in my case, Seattle). What a pleasure to have dry feet! It's also a lot warmer - too warm for summer use, in fact. I...

connecting suspended and non-suspended parts = fail Hi Hugh - Charles is right. I originally built a setup like yours for my Quest 2. It worked fine for a while but the constant flexing of the curved connectors to the seat post eventually broke them by metal fatigue. Now I use the...

I think 26" wheels ride better I agree with Charles about the gear ratios, but think, in general, that larger wheels ride better: * You sit a little higher: in traffic every inch of visibility helps. I'm talking about your ability to see cars and ride defensively. You're at a disadvantage...

another upside-down photo solution Thanks, Eric. One solution is to put the photos on another site and just post the link. That has the advantage of being able to put up higher-resolution images so we can see more details. I've done this for photos of my Quest fairing mounts (links...

you'd think someone with this technical acumen ... you'd think someone with this technical acumen ... would've figured out how to post right-side-up photos by now. The first ones, ok, but c'mon. It's not that difficult. They're hard to look at. BK

16-foot (diameter) easy circle First, I agree with Charles and Jeremy. You've just been riding the thing for a few weeks! I was 6 months and more than 1000 miles into it before I felt really comfortable on it. It's not pedal steer (that goes away quickly) but just having the mass (bike+rider)...

here's one more guy ... Here's one more guy who pedals (hard!) through tight turns. Especially if you feel like you're about to fall into the turn. Then a hard push feels like holding yourself up. I need to measure out some lines in a parking lot and find out how tight a circle I can...

I've been enjoying riding no-hands for much of my commute, and go for miles without needing to touch the handlebars. I know I'm slower that way, but it's fun. With my hands free, I can text, take photos, eat lunch, ... (not really). Lately it occurs to me that this gives a test of the...

why not use regular (full) fenders? Why not use regular (full) fenders? A fender extending forward of the steering column helps keep your drive train clean. A normal fender fits very well on the rear wheel. What's the problem? But ... on the Quest 2 at least, there isn't much...

SRAM push rods available at Bike Friday I agree about the fragility of the SRAM push rods. After I bent mine, I found replacements at bikefriday.com (Eugene Oregon) for the trivial cost of $3.50(US) for 2. They use these hubs in their folding bikes and have a good stock of many such parts...

open palms! open palms! Another hearty endorsement of open palms. This will teach you all kinds of things about how the bike works. Especially, it will teach you that "pedal-steer" is much less of a deal that it might appear. Unless you're climbing a steep grade or accelerating hard, pedal...

wood under the seat There are TWO pieces of wood under the seat, one under each mount point. They do not change the angle, just lift it up about 3/4 inch. When I ride with the fairing (during our rainy season, roughly Oct-Apr), I need to see over it. The extra 3/4-inch gives me just that...