Bikes in Shopping Carts

We've always had a soft spot for folding bikes. Having grown up in Poland, where folding bikes were simply what many people rode, I learned to ride on a friend's folding bike, and my own first big bike was also a folder. When Chris and I opened Rapid Transit Cycleshop, we desperately wanted folding bikes to be part of our menu. Unfortunately, back int he early 90's, there were no folding bike manufacturers willing to have a practical working relationship with a bicycle retailer.

At last, in 1997, a company that was then known as Burley Design Cooperative began distributing the German-designed Birdy Bike. Back then, we were publishing a shop newsletter, and we wrote an enthusiastic review of what it was like to use a folding bike around Chicago. Here's the gist of it (from the Fall/Winter 1997 issue):

"For years, I have been keeping a keen eye out for a folding bike that would offer uncompromising performance and easy foldability, and solve two of urban commuters' chief dilammas: how to keep it from getting stolen, and how to bail out because of bad weather or other factors. Until this year, virtually all performance folding bikes were designed primarily for touring. In other words, they ride well, fold compactly, and travel equally well, but the folding and unfolding takes time. A commuter bike should ride and travel well, but the folding should be a snap.
I finally found my prize... The main benefits of the German-designed Birdy are versatility and freedom. It does everything that a high-quality city bike should do. It enables the rider to delicately maneuver in heavy traffic, and to push big gears on an open road. And then it folds into a small package in 20 seconds flat.
The folding feature opens up a lot of unexplored possibilities. The Birdy may fit into your life in completely new and unexpected way. For utility, the bike is unparalleled. You can take the train to the general vicinity of where you want to go, unfold the bike and run errands or go to work. Don't bother with a lock. In less time than it would take to secure it, you can fold it up and bring it inside.
I have personally been all over the city of the Birdy. It's accompanied me inside a barber shop, retstaurants, bars and even traffic court. It's been at parties and get-togethers. I've ridden it on bike paths and in downtown traffic. I've carried it in a shopping cart at Jewel while getting groceries. I've take it it on CTA trains, and thrown it in the back of my car with ease.
The versatility offered by the Birdy is nothing short of liberating. I step outside my house to determine which way the wind is blowing. If it's favorable, I hop on the Birdy for the entire 8 mile commute. If not, I ride two miles to the train and ride the CTA. The bike allows me to get on and off public transit at any time I choose."

Now, nearly eleven years later, folding bikes are available from a variety of manufacturers, and are becoming an increasingly common sight in the city. The Birdy, of course, is still available, with much the same design as the one we reviewed over a decade ago. It's still a good  bike. But it faces stiff competition from companies like Dahon, who innovate like crazy to keep up with growing demand for their product; and BikeFriday, who, having developed what may be the quintessential urban folder, the Tikit, is taking internet marketing to new levels. (But, despite their widely publicized adventures, including putting Tikits in shopping carts, I do believe we were there first...)

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