The Tikit Has Arrived

The BF Tikit was waiting for me at the office. The guys in the room were anxious for me to open the box, so I began without delay! What a wonderful site to see one wheel and one Planet Bike fender, clues to the blueberry bike that lie within. A short while later the bike was free from its corrugated cocoon and being assembled.

I put on the front fender, oriented the handlebar post and handlebars; put in the front wheel and replaced the brake noodle to its cradle; adjusted brakes, mounted the saddle and adjusted seatpost height, and put on the pedals (gotta remember they are little more than hand-tightened. I remembered to bring a multitool but not a pedal wrench. The best I could find in the office was a sturdy pair of needle-nose pliers, which probably did nothing at all).

Then, at lunch break, it was off for a test spin---I went whirring around the building in the dark of night. The gears only slip a little, so not as much cable stretch as I had feared. The shifter is TIGHT; it takes some effort to downshift. Shifting to a higher gear is of course easier, going to smaller cogs.

The cable slipping does matter here----I drove in, but intend to ride the bike home (via bus and Metro Rail, of course). I can easily make the short ride without much fuss from the slightly slipping gears. Tomorrow I will see if I can dial them in. Though I am a very clumsy mechanic, I can twist a barrel connector as well as anyone. Hopefully I can twist it into proper position or coax the cable into taughtness.

So how was the ride? Smooth. I like the Schwalbe Marathon tires on the bike. They seem to roll well enough and given their lower PSI than the Primo Comets on my Crusoe, they soften the ride. Compared to the Big Apples I had on my Dahon, the Marathons seem a great middle ground. I brought my floor pump and might see what is the current PSI of these tires. They are rated from 60 to 85 PSI. My guess is they are closer to 60, based on pinch feel.

I tried out the "stealth" cover. All of us at work agreed it's hardly stealth, but might just get you by when grease or dirt is the main concern of a concerned authority figure. We weren't too sure it would pass for a "french horn" as has been reckoned, especially with the blue Aardvark bike handle/frame poking out of the cover. At any rate, it's pretty darn cool that it contains its own tortoise shell. How many bikes can say that? So tomorrow, I must decide whether to rack mount the bike, or bag it and see if they'll let me on the bus. Decisions, decisions...what a great dilemna to have. Viva la Bike Friday!