Bike Nirvana
Yet another cycling blog
Classic Birdy
February 26, 2015
The Pacific Cycles brand was introduced to me by a friend and I learned that the store selling them is just walking distance from my office. In fact, it was just at the opposite road parallel the ramen place.
I finally reached Bikes Per Minute and got my eye on the red Classic Birdy as I find it visually appealing and being the least expensive of the Birdy series makes my initial purchase light on the pocket.
It was on sale! So there, I bought it and took it home.
While not as compact as Brompton, the Classic Birdy folds small enough to fit the boot of my vehicle and the ride is very comfortable with its front (spring) and rear (elastomer) suspension absorbing road imperfections very, very well.
It's a hair less than 11kg with its 18 x 1.5" wheels coupled with Shimano Acera 8-speed drivetrain and the Tektro V-brake provides good stopping power although the front brake squeals.
With 52/11 gears I'd get a gain ratio of 5.92 which would yield 22.8 km/h at 60 rpm. That's good enough for riding short runs around baranggay Bel-Air.
Off to the ramen place the following day. Here's the bike nicely tucked away in a corner at Mendokoro Ramenba waiting area.
So far, so good. As long as I am concious about the perils of cycling in a busy city like Makati to stay away from trouble. I am excited to ride around the MOA grounds next time.