[Kalel]

With full pro kit and giro attack with visor, carbon shoes, etc.

Is it as fast and comfortable as a regular sized specialized venge for example?

 

[MB1]

I've seen lots of Bike Fridays on century rides and week long tours so sure, they are "ok" for 100 mile rides.

Only you can answer the second question.

 

[tihsepa]

Lame post?

Red dot?

Troll?

 

[NJBiker72]

Ok? Maybe. Depends on your fitness, tue ride and what you hope to accomplish.

It will be heavier, slower, less aero than a Venge/Tarmac or any other high end race bike. But if you are in good shape then you can finish it. Don't expect to podium and don't expect to get invited into a lot of pacelines.

 

[LAW.S.T]

I don't see why not ? bikes are bikes

 

[JCavilia]

Depends on the bike, the rider, and other factors. Not all folding bikes are the same. As MB1 said, plenty of people have done centuries and other demanding rides on quality machines like the Bike Friday Pocket Rocket.

Heavier? Heavier than some bikes, but lighter than a lot of them. Bike Friday says their Pocket Rocket Pro weighs under 20 pounds. I suspect the small frame and wheels make it more aero than a typical road racing bike. The riding position can exactly duplicate a normal bike. Obvously there are some handling differences, but these bikes are certainly made for and capable of such rides.

I'm not sure what the pro kit has to do with it.

 

[Herbie]

been there done that on my Friday. don't wear pro kit and generally not interested in how fast I ride.

 

[Herbie]

I should add that with the 20 inch wheels my high end tops out at 96 gear inches. 53/11.

This would probably slow some people on this board down. Friday has a special group made by Shimano that can compensate. It's not compatible with any other group so I elected to go with straight Ultegra. I can get it fixed at any shop wherever I travel

 

[Kalel]

So is riding a folding bike slower?

 

[MB1]

So is riding a folding bike slower?

it depends on how fast you go.

 

[Kalel]

So with same tire width and same power output it is safe to say a good folding bike like the friday pocket rocket will go the same speed as a regular road bike. Thanks.

 

[nOOky]

The only bike fit for a Gran Fondo is a $10,000 carbon bike with 88mm carbon wheels and beer cap bar plug ends. Anything else is just, well, unseemly.

 

[Lelandjt]

So with same tire width and same power output it is safe to say a good folding bike like the friday pocket rocket will go the same speed as a regular road bike. Thanks.

On perfectly smooth pavement and with freshly greased hubs it will be the same as a standard road bike of equal weight with equal gearing. Of course on rough pavement the smaller wheels have more resistance and the hubs spin faster so with a rough bearing it will matter more.

 

[bwbishop]

Go check out Bike Fridays bikes. There is a post from Rob English about racing with his

 

[spookyload]

At the Santa Fe century yesterday, I saw four Bike Fridays. they seemed to be going OK for the first half to include the majority of the climbs. The second half when we had a 30mph cross wind, they had their hands full and didn't seem like they were having fun. The guys on recumbents, to include a tandem recumbent, were plain miserable in the cross wind for fifty miles.

 

[Zeet]

Just here recently, I got totally dropped by a petite looking lady on some kinda Dahon foldable, while I was almost maintaining the 20 mph speed limit on my hybrid, near a school zone.

 

[Hertz2much]

So is riding a folding bike slower?

It's all about the engine!