Alan Wilkinson, The author, is in no way associated with Strida or Roland plastics.

I bought the Strida-2 myself and have used it every week day for 5 months before writing this web review.

Strida’s design is not new. This is a design that has been manufactured (on and off) for about 10 years. The question is. Why is this novel British built machine so rare on London’s streets? Read on.

Strida-2 does not look, feel, fold or ride like any other foldable in the current marketplace. It has a simple "one catch" design. The Strida-2 design is known as an "A frame". It has no chain, no gears and is a mono-fork (front and rear). All in all, a pretty odd machine. I’ve seen many machines described as "The ultimate folding bike". None deserve it but Strida certainly has a niche here and a lot of advantages over "fold and carry" type designs.

I get as many "second looks and smiles" on the Strida-2 as I do riding my recumbent. Probably more. It certainly is an odd looking machine because it challenges all other bicycle layouts in one major way. It has no crossbar. This gives the Strida-2 a very weird appearance as the top of the "A frame" appears between the crotch of the rider. I have to say, I’d HATE to have to feel the results of running head on into anything (even as low speed) with that bar right there.

The 12 spoke plastic wheels are also quite novel on an adult bike, more normally seen on kids’ BMX bikes. The minimalist frame has a monofork front and rear. This means that only one side of the wheel is attached to the frame facilitating easy tyre change (a-la your local Mod’s Lambretta or Vespa motor scooter). This is a great idea but in practice has a few problems. The Frame is a very simple affair, utilising the same diameter tube for the top two tubes and a slightly larger one for the bottom tube.

To avoid all of the issues surrounding the regular bicycle chain such as maintenance, weight and grease, Strida-2 utilises a carbon fibre tooth belt drive. The idea of this takes a little getting used to but once you’ve ridden it for a while, all doubts disappear. This really does work and I suppose, if belts are good enough for Harley Davidson, they’re good enough for the Strida-2!

 Another off-the-wall design feature is the location of the free-wheel. Normally this is located in the centre of the hub of the real wheel but on the Strida-2, the free-wheel is located inside the bottom bracket. The effect of this is that the belt and belt-wheel are turning when the bike is moving, whether you are pedaling or not. The pedals are not directly attached to the front belt-wheel as a regular bike’s pedals are attached to the front chain-wheel.

I have never seen a bike so quickly and easily folded as Strida-2. It is pretty amazing from that point of view. Most other foldable designed appear to have started from the premise of a complete machine, then the designers put the links in to facilitate the folding into as compact a space as possible. Strida-2 appears to have been designed "from folded" with the opened and rideable machine being the afterthought.

I can fold Strida-2 in less that 3 seconds and unfolded it in the same. Strida-2’s manufacturer claims "Foldable in 7 seconds" which is very easily achievable.

Strida-2 does not fold into a suitcase size as do most other foldables but into a stick. Both wheels clip together once folded. This does have the advantage that you can wheel Strida-2 even when it’s folded. No matter how light a foldable is, wheeling it has to be better that carrying it.

Roland Plastics claim that the Strida-2 is 22lb. It is but can anyone explain to me why it feels lighter unfolded than folded? The Strida-2 can be wheeled when folded. This is a definite advantage over the "suitcase" type folders where you have to carry the bike.

As the brochure says, this is a commuter short hop bike. Don’t even think about riding big distances on this bike especially if you’re in the big/tall category. It just isn’t rider friendly enough.

Strida-2 really comes onto it’s own in the "less than 3 miles" category.

Not having gears can be seen as a disadvantage but you have to view this in perspective of Strida-2’s minimalist design. There really does not appear to be anything on the bike that is superfluous to its needs.

This Bike is quiet. Not the ticking of a free wheel or the humming of a chain disturbs the silence.

The ergonomics of the bike is by no means perfect and the rider does suffer a little in the persuance of the ideal minimalist quick-fold commuter machine. The riding position is a little odd and for someone of my height (5’11’’), an ideal leg length adjustment is not achievable but I can live with what I got.

The A-Frame design with the saddle attached to the rear tube does have a large impact on the weight distribution of the Strida-2. Strida-2 is very heavily loaded at the back end compared to just about any other bike I have ever seen. The shorter you are, the larger this imbalance becomes. In practice, this has not caused as much of a problem as I expected. Be careful of pulling "Wheelies" on the Strida-2. The front wheel is pretty light and will come up without too much provocation. Be especially careful when riding over speed humps in the road or you may end up being "spat off the back". Also note that because of the A-frame, the front wheel only has to come up about 15 degrees or so before you reach that "fatal overbalance" point. This problem is nowhere near as pronounced as the original black Strida I tested a long while back.. I can only guess that the Strida2 frame and wheel-base is slightly bigger than the original Strida.

Th frame is not one solid, welded, triangulated piece. This does cause it to flex a little when you pedal. The bottom bracket molding has a tendency to swivel slightly around the bottom tube. If this swiveling becomes excessive, it’s likely that you need to tighten up the main Allen bolts that hold the molding to the bottom tube.

 You cannot stand up on the pedals to ride Strida-2. The bike’s balance and geometry simply does not permit it. If you’ve got really steep hills where you live, you might well expect to have to get off and wheel the Strida-2 up them. Strida-2 is set up with quite a low gear ratio so hill climbing is possible but high speeds are a problem when you simply can’t pedal that fast.

You cannot ride this bike no-handed, but this is a reflection on the stiffness of the front steering coupling (which has no headstock bearings) as opposed to the Strida-2’s steering geometry which appears to be pin-perfect and pretty stable. The handling of Strida-2 is steady, even on steep and relatively fast down hill bends. It does feel a little weird at first though. And again, beware of that stiff steering coupling. A dab of silicone grease it a good idea on the pin.

 Strida-2 has an annoying habit of getting your trousers wet. This is due to the small stubby mudguards. The same guard is used front and rear and just isn’t long enough at the back to put the water from being picked up from the road and spitting up. A shame really. Probably just another inch length would fix this problem. Earlier versions of Strida-2 (as seen on Roland Plastic’s pamphlets) used a different molding for the front and rear guards leaving the mudguard mounted reflector to deflect the rain. On the version I have, the reflector is mounted on the rack. I can only assume that this is one of those "specifications are liable to change without notice" type things.

A "work around" is to always carry something in the rack but make sure it’s plastic covered because it will get soaked on a wet day!

The brakes work well and the weather has no effect on their performance at all. Having plastic wheels has precluded the option of regular rim brakes on the Strida-2. The designer has opted for hub brakes and these really are a revelation. They are pretty tidy too, especially with the brake cables being router internally to the frame. My only gripe with the hub brakes is that they require quite a lot of travel from "free" to "lock" and this is nearly the whole sweep of the brake lever. However, once you’ve adjusted them and got used to them, they work really well and are smoothly progressive. The rear brake appears to somehow more "spongy" than the front in feel. Inspection shows that Roland Plastics have re-drilled the hub-brake’s lever, making the attachment closer to the hub so that less travel is required.

Strida-2 is 95% there as far as the finished product is concerned. The brochure says that the frame is "bonded" (a term normally meaning "glued") but it sure as hell looks "welded" to me. The finishing of the joints is good. The paint job is good. It’s the small things that detract from what appears to be an inherently "quality" machine.

a) I found that the seat pin locator holes were not drilled in line leaving the saddle hanging off to the left. I simply re-drilled the holes and relocated the pins. This fixed the problem.

b) I found that the saddle had a tendency to swing from left to right as the whole seat mounting molding twisted even when the seat-molding clips were tight. This molding is 2 pieces. The twisting was made much worse when I raised the seat to adjust the riding position.

I fixed this by re-drilling the seat pin locator holes higher up the frame so that they were closer to the top of the molding and used a small aluminum bolt to lock the 2 halves of the seat mount molding together.

c) The rear monofork or axle has a tendency to twist under weight. The effect of this is that the rear tyre tends to wear more on one side than the other. The rear tyre, being heavily loaded, does wear pretty quickly anyway and this makes the situation worse. Don’t expect any more that 500 miles per rear tyre!

I have found no work around for this issue. Riders less than my 13stones (200 pounds) may not experience this problem.

d) One of the Allen bolts used to fix the lower steering link in position started to come loose. If these bolts were to give way, the frame would instantly collapse on the rider. I’ve nicknamed these bolts my "jeesus bolts" because should these come undone, "Jeesus" is just about the last thing I would be able to think before smacking the tarmac! I tightened it and check these regularly.

e) The belt-wheel cracked when the lower frame tube came loose and hit the floor when I was wheeling the bike along (folded). The edge rim split and there is now a 4 inch gap where the rim of the belt-wheel has broken away. The belt-wheel rim does cut a larger diameter than the outside of the belt and I can think of no reason for this. Maybe it should be a smaller rim, that way should this accident happen again, the belt would hit the floor, not the belt-wheel rim.

This might be an issue depending on how you choose to fold and unfold the bike. The belt-wheel rim does sit on the ground when the bike is folded and sat flat on the ground.

f) The belt started to slip.

Loosen the main Allen bolts that hold the bottom bracket molding to the frame and tighten the small adjuster nut at the back of the molding a couple of turns. Re-tighten the main bolts. Problem solved.

Be careful no to over tighten this nut. Over tightening the belt makes the bike harder to pedal and wheel along. You also risk breaking the pin by over tightening it.

The bike is delivered ready assembled.

There is very little to do except set up the seating position and ensure that the tyres are correctly inflated.

Finding the right seating position can be a little tricky. The seat mount mold slides up and down the rear A-frame and that causes alteration in the whole seating position of the bike, not just the leg-to-pedal length. Shorter leg length leaves the rider further back on the bike whereas longer moves the rider forward.

The handlebars are not adjustable so the shorter person might find the handlebars uncomfortable high and the taller person vice versa.

Even though I re-drilled the seat pin locator holes and located them higher on the frame, I did find that there is a limit to this as an adjustment. If you go too far, your knees end up banging on the handlebars!

There is a note that is included with the Strida-2 saying that if you want to make your Strida-2 "British Standard", you have to swap the brake levers over. The Strida-2 is assembled to European/USA spec (Left lever, Front brake) and it’s up to the customer to change this if required. I will do this but don’t think I should have to. The manufacturer knows where this bike’s being shipped to, right???

I can only guess that Roland plastics have Strida-2s assembled in job lots so they all have to be identical to cut down costs. Maybe when higher production rates are achieved, a ready-built-for-Britain version will be assembled (Left lever, Rear brake). You’re probably think I’m making a bid deal out of a little issue, but I’m a devout Anglophile and little details like that matter to me. This is a BRITISH built bike right?

Due to the Strida-2’s unique frame layout, adding regular add-ons presents a challenge. Thankfully, Strida-2 comes with a specially designed rack as standard. Getting a regular one to fit would be a total nightmare. However, lights, bicycle pumps etc. all present their own challenge especially if you don’t want them to look out of place with the design. I’ll leave you to figure that one out.

Strida-2 is a really stylish machine. You won’t fail to get noticed. Is it also a clean machine (no grease) to it’s suit-friendly except for that problem with the rear mudguard.

Much of the Strida-2’s style comes from its simple design. 3 tubes, foldable into a stick.

It would be nice to see styling options for Strida-2s. Different colours would be nice. The older Strida was "Black only". Strida-2 is Grey/Silver only with the only optoions being differrent coloured mudguards. What would a Strida-2 look like with a Chrome Frame and clear plastic parts or maybe even an in-your-face flourescent yellow/pink mix?

I can only hope that Strida-2 does not go the way of its predecessors and that production increases to allow Roland plastics to offer different options. If there are any customised Strida’s out there, email me a picture!

In a nutshell. If you buy a Strida-2, expect to maintain it yourself. No regular bike shop stocks them, stocks the parts or will even have a clue how to tighten the belt should it start to slip.

Roland Plastics do have a full maintenance manual available (£5.99). It’s a pretty flimsy affair but has most of what you need to know to perform maintenance on the Strida-2.

Strida-2 is manufactured and shipped directly by Roland Plastics.

You won’t see them in your local bike shop. Roland Plastics had mine to me within 3 days of ordering.

Price 350 UK pounds at time of writing, tax included. (600 US-Bucks but god only knows how many "Euros" that is)

The best bits: Quickly and easily foldable, No greasy chain, wheelable when folded, lightweight.

The worst bits: No gears, uncomfortable for distance, Rear tyre wear rate, stiff steering.

I may even buy another so that I can customise this one. (Chrome and Black I think).

So, in answer to the question posed at the start of this article, Why don’t we see more of them on the Streets?

It just has to be the old British disease. We can design good stuff, manufacture good stuff. But can we Market good stuff?

Strida-2 is not yet en-masse on the streets because not many people know about it and you can’t get it at your local bike shop. Word of mouth is Strida-2’s only friend. If you do buy one, expect people to be regularly stopping you and asking about it.