Low Slung Bicyle Frame Suggestions

[Andybg]

As always Dan a very thorough reply to the post.

Can not believe how low those Biria bikes are. Just shows what can be done now with profiled frame designs rather than the confines of joining straight frame tubes.

The electric assist is definetly a possibility and having looked into the solutions that are available today it is nice to know that it is there as a future option when the needed both for my father and at some point for me (a few years yet I hope)


I think the A2B Hybrid http://a2b.ultramotor.com/en/a2b_hybrid_26 looks like a possible solution straight out of the bag. I am not sure if the frame would be low enough (no harm in trying) but it does look look like a well put together package with a unisex style frame.

I have sent your post verbatim to my father as I dont think I could have assimilated then summarised the information any better.

Many thanks

Andy

[Danneaux]

I have sent your post verbatim to my father...

Oh! Really glad if it will help, Andy.

The A2B Hybrid surely is a cleanly-styled bike with a number of innovations. Did you notice the nicely integrated kickstand mount on the left-rear dropout? Very thoughtful, especially with the elevated chainstay design that would otherwise preclude a 'stand. The headlight mount is nicely integrated, and -- yes! -- even a tiny T-bar for mounting and adjusting the angle of the panel display.

All the best to you both in your quest for a solution,

Dan.

[JWestland]

I bow to your bike knowledge and google skills Dan 

Gazelle does a U shaped framed bike marketed at older people, I saw one in a local shop here at £1200 (ouuuuuuuuch) but couldn't find an UK link.

I am curious how they solve flex issues on such mega low instep frames

[JimK]

Looks like this Gazelle comes in a 66 cm size:

http://www.gazellebikes.com/Collection%20bikes/Urban_bicycles/Comfort/Tour-Populair-Export?type=men

[Danneaux]

I am curious how they solve flex issues on such mega low instep frames

Hi Jawine! Thanks for the kind words. 

As far as I can see from hefting a few of these and looking at the (very, very few) published weight and tubing specs, a number of these bikes are made stiffer thanks to large-diameter, thick-wall tubing, and often aluminum at that. The key word is "stiffer", not "stiff". The several I tried were amazingly solid thanks to the big tubing, but the key is they aren't intended for loaded touring or for really athletic riding. For their target audience -- gentle riders who are unlikely to exert great force on the handlebars and bottom bracket -- they seem to work very well. Get it just right, and the stiffness of the large tubing is offset just enough by the frame design to offer riding comfort.

I restored a 1970 Astra (Motobecane) u-frame Folder for my father ( http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=4259.0;attach=1423 ), a popular format for folding bikes at the time. Not only is the mild-steel frame open and only mildly oversized, the hinge is placed at the point of highest stress. I am always astounded it doesn't collapse under riding, but it works just fine. The designers wisely spec'd 145mm cranks to limit pedaling torque.

I think I'd compare the large, open hoop frame of an extreme low-standover bike to the forward boom on a recumbent. No triangulation, but the big tubes make up for it.

Best,

Dan.

[Andre Jute]

Some amazingly low stepovers here. But I'm not surprised they managed to make them stiff enough to serve their intended market. It's a sort of reverse Colin Chapman Conundrum: Low stepover, thick ali tubes, stiffness, choose the right two and you can have all three.

What makes a diamond frame in ali so unpleasant to ride in the wrong circumstances is also what makes a wave frame workable. But, for the amount of visible material, the weight of these bikes will astound you you. Ali in those diameter just isn't light because the wall thickness cannot be scaled down very much, as steel can. (Well, it can, but you'd have to machine it externally or draw it internally in ridges rather than a constant wall thickness. Bike designers, an ultra-conservative lot, would go crazy at such a novel idea, and accountants will reach for their ulcer medicine at the cost. It would be much cheaper to weld up a small-tube triangulated beam.)

Andre Jute

[triaesthete]

Andre, thanks for pointing out the workcycles website on this thread.

http://www.bakfiets-en-meer.nl/workcycles-faqs-overviews/faq-about-workcycles/

They have a very interesting product and business philosophy, and the most interesting set of links I've seen on a website for ages. I'm still reading a few now...

Thanks again
Ian

[peter jenkins]

Just as an aside - how have you found it for transporting? I do quite a lot of travelling and have considered a folding bike.

Hi Andy,

Sorry for the tardy response.

Moultons don't fold as such but the TSR has an optional 'demountable ' frame. (Extra 100 GBP and about 250 grams) I went with this option as it was partly my justifiaction for purchase. The frame separates at the centre and there are cable splitters in the necessary places.    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV9VAE2g4Zk

This will allow it to fit into the boot of a small car.

Removing the pedals and seatpost and removing the handlebar from the stem then allows the bike to fit into 2 bags with the wheels still in the frame.

It takes about 5 minutes to separate and get into the bags and about twice as long to reverse the process. The bags fit the luggage racks on Eurostar and TGV.

I wouldn't recommend it for mixed commuting where the Brompton is King, but on the other hand it's a great ride and behaves very much like a conventional bike with the added advantage of front and rear suspension.

Cheers,

pj

[Andre Jute]

Andre, thanks for pointing out the workcycles website on this thread.

You're welcome, Ian. I try to put something back for all the generous help I have received here, especially when I was just starting out specifying my own components, and then later when I owned the only Rohloff for 300 miles around. I actually knew some other Rohloff owners on the net, but unfortunately on a conference where any conversation was soon hijacked by the moremachothanthoujerks and the political idiots and grudge harbourers, which made gathering worthwhile information a teeth-grinding experience, and one fraught with expensive risks. You fellows are so much nicer!

Andre Jute
I know only the best people!

[triaesthete]

As "they" ought to say Andre,


                                              "you meet the nicest people on a Thorn."


Sorry Honda,  http://www.hondanews.com/channels/powersports-heritage/photos/honda-s-1963-you-meet-the-nicest-people-ad

Thanks again
Ian