Side view of loaded Bike Friday New World Tourist folding bicycle
The Bike Friday New World Tourist has earned a reputation among some cyclists as the quintessential travel companion for long-distance adventures. Its compact wheel size, easy step-over frame, robust load-carrying capacity, and remarkable ability to fold into a standard airline suitcase—potentially saving significant baggage fees—make it undeniably appealing to globetrotting cyclists.
But does this folding bike genuinely live up to its acclaimed status? Driven by this question, I embarked on a journey to discover the reality behind the hype.
My Journey Begins: In the summer of 2008, I acquired a Bike Friday New World Tourist, initially envisioning it for short excursions, such as an 8-day cycling trip to Aruba in the Caribbean. Never did I anticipate that this small-wheeled folding bike would become my primary vehicle for an extensive 9-month tour across Central and Eastern Europe. Yet, that’s precisely what unfolded.
Since that purchase in mid-2008, my New World Tourist has become an almost daily ride. It has accompanied me for over 250 days of cycling, endured 4 airplane journeys, 35 train rides, voyages on 2 boats, and countless car and truck transfers. It has tackled diverse terrains, from smooth pavement to jagged volcanic rock, ice, snow, mud, and cobblestone streets. I’ve ridden it loaded with gear and unladen, with the optional suitcase trailer and without. After this extensive and varied experience, I feel equipped to offer a comprehensive review and share my in-depth assessment of the Bike Friday New World Tourist.
Here is my detailed review of the Bike Friday New World Tourist, exploring its features, performance, and suitability for bike travel enthusiasts.
Customizing Your Bike Friday: Parts and Personalization
Ordering a Bike Friday is a distinctive experience. Crafted by Green Gear Cycling in Eugene, Oregon, these bikes are largely custom-built. This means you can tailor a Bike Friday to your specific body geometry and equip it with virtually any component configuration you can imagine. From selecting your preferred gearing and handlebar style to determining the precise frame size, the level of personalization is remarkable.
This bespoke approach, however, necessitates time. If you are ordering a custom Bike Friday, it’s essential to place your order well in advance of your planned tour.
Bike Friday typically quotes a build time of 5 to 9 weeks for their bikes. Upon order placement, they provide a “promise date,” guaranteeing the delivery timeframe of your customized bicycle.
My recommendation is to allow ample buffer time between your bike’s arrival and your tour departure. Adapting to a small-wheeled bike, especially when fully loaded, can take some adjustment. Bike Friday advises spending “a few days getting acquainted with your new Bike Friday” before embarking on a long journey. However, some riders might require a more extended familiarization period, particularly when combining the unique feel of a folding bike with the weight of touring gear.
When I ordered my New World Tourist, time was a constraint, leading me to opt for a used, stock model instead of a fully customized build. This decision offered some cost savings but meant compromising on certain preferences.
The image at the beginning of this review showcases my New World Tourist. As you can see, it features flat handlebars with basic plastic twist shifters. While these shifters might be chosen for space-saving reasons on a folding bike, I find them less than ideal for extended touring.
Ideally, I would have preferred a different color, perhaps black or gunmetal gray, and specified a triple chainring setup at the front. The triple chainring would provide a wider gear range, crucial for tackling steep climbs often encountered on global cycling tours, especially when carrying luggage.
This underscores the importance of planning and ordering your Bike Friday well in advance. Had I planned my Aruba trip further ahead and placed my order sooner, I could have obtained my truly desired configuration.
Customer Service Experience: Is it Personalized?
A significant aspect that distinguishes Bike Friday (Green Gear Cycling) is their commitment to custom-built bicycles. This business model places a premium on exceptional customer service. Unlike companies mass-producing stock bikes for global distribution, Bike Friday has a unique opportunity to excel in customer interaction.
Anecdotal evidence from online discussions suggests predominantly positive customer service experiences with Bike Friday. However, my personal experience, while admittedly difficult to share given my connections with individuals within the company, leads me to believe there’s room for improvement.
When purchasing a custom bike from a smaller company like Bike Friday, I expect a heightened sense of care, reflecting genuine interest in my cycling adventures and overall satisfaction with my purchase. Yet, during my order process, this feeling was somewhat lacking.
Perhaps my familiarity as an experienced bicycle traveler and website owner at BicycleTouringPro.com influenced their approach, leading them to treat me differently than a typical customer. However, in reality, enhanced service would have been even more appropriate. Now, in writing this review, I must honestly state that their customer service didn’t quite reach its potential.
While no specific negative incidents occurred, and I don’t believe the company is inherently flawed, I maintain that a company specializing in custom bikes should strive for customer service that surpasses all expectations. It should solidify the customer’s feeling that choosing to do business with them was an exceptional decision. Bike Friday has the potential to achieve this level of service, which I believe would further boost their sales and ensure unparalleled customer satisfaction in the future.
Riding Dynamics: Addressing Small Wheel Concerns
Riding a Bike Friday bicycle
One of the most frequent questions I encounter when riding my Bike Friday is, “Do you have to pedal more to move that thing?”
My response is always a clear and simple, “No!”
No, you don’t exert more effort pedaling a Bike Friday. It rides remarkably similar to a standard 26-inch or 700c wheeled bike. Bike Friday explains that “it’s all in the gearing.” The gear ratios on a Bike Friday are carefully calibrated to match those of full-sized bicycles. Therefore, one pedal revolution on a folding bike translates to approximately the same distance covered as on a full-size bike.
So, rest assured, riding a Bike Friday does not necessitate extra pedaling effort.
Handling and Twitchiness
The second most common query about the Bike Friday is, “Does it feel twitchy due to the smaller wheels?”
The honest answer is, “Slightly… initially.”
Upon my first ride, the bike did exhibit a degree of twitchiness. It wasn’t alarming or unstable, but it did evoke a sensation of slight unfamiliarity, like a bear attempting to ride a unicycle for the first time.
However, this initial twitchiness diminishes rapidly within minutes of riding. After about five days of regular use, the twitching sensation practically vanishes. On smooth, level roads, it becomes virtually imperceptible.
Having now accumulated over 250 days of touring with my Bike Friday, I no longer perceive any twitchiness whatsoever.
The only scenario where the smaller wheel size presents a minor concern is when navigating large, uneven cracks or potholes in the road surface. The smaller wheels are somewhat more prone to getting caught or struggling to roll over such obstacles compared to larger wheels.
Overall Ride Feel
For those unfamiliar with folding bikes, the question often arises: “What does it feel like to ride?” My typical response, particularly regarding the New World Tourist configured with flat handlebars, is that it closely resembles riding a mountain bike.
Once you acclimate to the handling nuances and the occasional attention drawn by a small-wheeled bicycle (more on this shortly), you genuinely forget you’re riding a folding bike at all. For me, my Bike Friday has transcended being merely a “folder.” It’s simply my bike! And it feels just as natural and familiar as my mountain bike back home. It’s difficult to articulate further; it just becomes a normal bike in use.
The Visual Aspect: Expect to Turn Heads
One aspect to be prepared for when riding a folding bike like the Bike Friday New World Tourist is the attention it can attract. In certain regions of the world, you might encounter curious glances and stares from passersby.
In countries like Switzerland and Austria, folding bikes are relatively common, so my Bike Friday elicited minimal attention. However, in places like Montenegro, I observed adults and children alike stopping and staring, intrigued by the sight of someone moving swiftly on such an unusual-looking bicycle.
When you invest in a folding bike like a Bike Friday, it’s important to acknowledge that some people will notice and occasionally comment on your bike. If you’re comfortable with this occasional attention, it’s not an issue. However, if you prefer a bicycle that blends in more discreetly, a folding bike might not be the ideal choice.
Folding Capabilities and Portability: A Traveler’s Dream
Bike Friday New World Tourist folding packed in suitcase travel case
The advantages of owning a folding bike are undeniable, particularly for the avid world traveler.
A bike that folds offers unparalleled flexibility for transportation via train, plane, boat, and car. Crucially, it often allows you to avoid the substantial excess baggage fees commonly levied on passengers traveling with full-size bicycles.
The Bike Friday New World Tourist excels in this realm. It’s a fully capable touring bicycle that conveniently folds down to fit within a standard airline suitcase.
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve flown with my Bike Friday on four separate occasions and have never encountered any issues at airports. I’ve never been charged extra baggage fees for the bike, nor have airport security or baggage handlers raised any concerns.
It’s worth noting that many airlines are increasingly implementing checked baggage fees, or at least charging for second checked bags. Therefore, the era of flying with a folding bike entirely for free might be evolving. However, the costs associated with transporting a compact folding bike within a standard suitcase are highly likely to remain significantly lower than those for a full-size bicycle.
One of my primary motivations for acquiring a folding bike was my frequent air travel with bicycles over the years, and my anticipation of continued bike travel in the future. I sought a bike that could accompany me on my travels without incurring hundreds of dollars in extra fees each time I flew. In this respect, the Bike Friday New World Tourist has proven exceptional.
Folding Speed and Practicality
However, the time required to fold the bike and pack it into its travel suitcase is not as instantaneous.
Initially, I anticipated a rapid fold—perhaps 12 seconds or less, akin to Bike Friday’s Tikit folding bike. However, the New World Tourist is not designed for ultra-fast folding.
Disassembling the New World Tourist for packing involves Allen wrenches, approximately 15 minutes, and a bit of practice. The process includes not only folding the frame in half but also removing the front wheel, detaching both front and rear racks, removing fenders, and unscrewing water bottle cages from the frame.
When I first acquired the bike, I documented my initial packing attempt on video. The result was a 90-minute video chronicling my struggle to fit the bike into its case, ultimately succeeding only after removing the water bottle cages.
By my second attempt, the packing time reduced to around 30 minutes. And now, after numerous train and plane trips, I can pack and unpack the bike in mere minutes. Remarkably, the bike tends to maintain its gear adjustments reasonably well during transit, minimizing the need for derailleur adjustments after unpacking.
While the fold isn’t the absolute quickest, for a touring-oriented folding bike like the New World Tourist, often used with racks and fenders, perhaps lightning-fast folding isn’t paramount. The balance of packability and touring capability is well-struck.
The Folding Hinge: Strength and Design
Bike Friday frame connector
Some reviews of the Bike Friday New World Tourist have mentioned the folding joint or hinge as a potential weak point. However, based on my experience, I disagree. The hinge itself appears quite robust.
In my assessment, the less robust aspect of the New World Tourist’s design isn’t the hinge itself but rather the quick-release mechanism that secures the rear half of the bike to the front half (as illustrated in the photo above).
This quick release point can feel somewhat ambiguous in terms of tightness. Sometimes it feels excessively tight, while other times it seems too loose.
With a little practice, you develop a feel for quickly and correctly setting the quick release and securely locking the bike halves together. However, for new New World Tourist owners, this aspect might initially cause some minor concern.
Gear Carrying Capacity: Touring Ready
Touring bicycle that folds and is small
One might assume that carrying a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, clothing, food, computer, and other travel essentials on a small folding bike would be virtually impossible. Yet, this is another area where the New World Tourist excels.
Just like a conventional full-size touring bike, the New World Tourist is designed to accommodate panniers on both the front and rear. Additionally, an optional handlebar bag and/or trailer can be utilized for increased carrying capacity.
The frame includes standard mounts for two water bottle cages, similar to most touring bikes. And if you opt for the foldable rear rack, as I did, you further optimize space when packing the bike for travel.
If your goal is a folding bike capable of handling the demands of fully loaded bike touring, whether with panniers or a trailer, the New World Tourist is well-suited for the task.
The Suitcase Trailer: Convenience vs. Practicality
Bike Friday trailer
Initially, I was uncertain about purchasing the optional suitcase trailer for my Bike Friday. However, I eventually acquired a used one, primarily to assess it for this review, as I considered it a crucial element in understanding the bike’s overall travel narrative.
Both the suitcase and trailer are sold separately and represent a somewhat significant additional investment, especially considering it’s essentially a plastic suitcase mounted on a basic aluminum trailer frame.
I utilized the suitcase trailer during my Aruba trip. Here are my observations:
As a suitcase, the Samsonite case offered by Bike Friday is excellent. The bike fits securely inside, and airport personnel have never questioned it or its contents.
However, the suitcase’s performance as a trailer is a different story.
My experience pulling the trailer in Aruba was frankly unsettling. On narrow, winding roads with heavy traffic and no shoulders, the wide “travel case” trailer, as Bike Friday terms it, proved to be not only a hindrance to riding but also a potential hazard. Cars would slow down behind me and then veer into oncoming traffic to overtake me and the wide trailer.
By the time I reached my hotel, just six miles from the airport, I was convinced, “There’s no way I could imagine pulling this trailer for days on end!”
Two primary factors contributed to my negative experience with the Bike Friday trailer:
Firstly, its width is excessive. It extends significantly into the traffic lane. On narrow roads lacking shoulders, the trailer forces you to ride almost entirely within the lane, compelling vehicles to slow drastically before attempting to pass. This situation is inherently dangerous and contrasts sharply with the riding experience using panniers or a narrower trailer, such as a BOB trailer.
Secondly, the trailer’s construction feels somewhat flimsy. It’s not purpose-built as a bike trailer; it’s essentially a suitcase bolted onto a basic aluminum frame with two wheels.
The concept is appealing and might be adequate for short trips on dedicated bike paths or roads with ample shoulders. However, if you’re contemplating the suitcase trailer as your primary luggage transport system for extensive round-the-world cycling tours, I would strongly advise reconsidering.
Travel Across Modes: Trains, Planes, Boats, and Cars
Folded Bike Friday on train
I’ve touched upon this point earlier, but it warrants reiteration: the Bike Friday New World Tourist is purpose-built for global travel. If you frequently travel by plane, train, or boat, this bike might be an ideal choice.
In terms of cost savings during air, train, and boat travel, the Bike Friday has surpassed my expectations. I’ve never incurred extra baggage fees for the bike on airplanes. And I’ve only been charged for bike transport on three train journeys in Europe, totaling less than $50 for all three tickets combined.
Admittedly, on a couple of occasions in Europe, I encountered trains and boats that officially prohibited bicycles of any kind, folding or not. However, even in these situations, I managed to board with my Bike Friday, likely due to its folding nature, which made it appear less like a standard bicycle.
Aside from these minor instances, traveling with the Bike Friday has been remarkably seamless.
The crucial question remains: “Would I recommend the Bike Friday New World Tourist to you?”
Before answering directly, let me outline the changes I would make if I were to purchase my Bike Friday again.
Personal Customization: What I Would Change
If I were to re-order my New World Tourist today, I would definitely incorporate these two modifications:
- Triple Chainring: I would opt for a triple chainring at the front. This addition would provide a lower gear range, significantly easing climbs on steep inclines, a common occurrence during global bicycle tours. While my current bike lacks this feature, Bike Friday does offer New World Tourist models with triple chainrings.
- STI Touring Bars and Shifters: I would replace the flat handlebars and twist shifters with STI touring bars and Shimano STI lever shifters, similar to the options Bike Friday showcases on their website. This upgrade would offer more hand positions for long-distance comfort and improved shifting ergonomics.
Recommendation: Is the Bike Friday New World Tourist for You?
“Yes! I wholeheartedly recommend the Bike Friday New World Tourist.”
It’s true that the bike requires a short period of adaptation, and as a folding bike, it won’t appeal to every cyclist.
However, if you are a frequent traveler seeking a bicycle to accompany you on your journeys, this is an outstanding option. If you desire a bike capable of long-distance touring, performing comparably to any other loaded touring bike, the New World Tourist is an excellent choice. And if you need a bike that can handle diverse conditions, from smooth pavement to challenging rocky or icy surfaces, the New World Tourist is a fantastic all-around performer.
I’ve received emails asking, “If you could own only one bicycle, would the New World Tourist be it?”
My answer: “Probably not.”
For the past year and a half, the Bike Friday New World Tourist has been my sole bicycle. It has endured varied weather, diverse road surfaces, and numerous forms of public transport. But if faced with the prospect of owning only one bike for life, I wouldn’t quite choose it.
The New World Tourist is undeniably a superb bicycle, but full-size bicycles certainly have their place. For some cyclists, the New World Tourist might indeed be the ultimate travel bike. For others, like myself, it stands as one of many valuable bicycles in a diverse collection of non-motorized transport options.
Photos From My Bike Friday Adventures
Finally, I’d like to share a selection of photos from my travels with the Bike Friday New World Tourist. These are just a few from the thousands I’ve captured over the past year while cycling with this versatile bike. Enjoy!
Red bike friday new world tourist folding bicycle in swiss forestCycling through the serene woods of the Swiss countryside.
Man in ski clothing next to loaded bike friday touring bicycleWinter touring demanded full ski gear, including a face mask and ski gloves, for comfortable riding.
Bike Friday New World Tourist folding bicycle handlebars in the snowNavigating icy and snowy conditions with the reliable Bike Friday New World Tourist.
Darren Alff sits next to his Bike Friday New World TouristTaking a well-deserved break in the woods with my fully loaded Bike Friday touring companion.
Loaded Bike Friday folding bicycle on train with panniersEffortless train travel with my fully loaded Bike Friday, panniers and all.
Folded Bike Friday New World Tourist on trainThe compact folded Bike Friday New World Tourist stowed on an Austrian train.
Bike-friday-new-world-tourist reviewEnjoying a leisurely day ride near the magnificent Schonberg Palace in Vienna, Austria.
Bike friday folding bicycle inside hotel roomThe Bike Friday’s small size made hotel room storage in Salzburg effortless and hassle-free.
Red bike friday new world tourist on bridge in austriaCrossing a picturesque bridge in Innsbruck, Austria, on the vibrant red Bike Friday.
Folded bike friday bicycle at train station with four panniersThe New World Tourist folded and ready for boarding a train to Slovenia, fully equipped with four panniers.
Bike Friday Darren Alff profile photoRelaxing on church steps in Croatia with my trusty New World Tourist.
Light touring with bike friday new world touristLight touring adventures in Aruba, 2008, showcasing the Bike Friday’s versatility.
If you have any further questions about Bike Friday, the New World Tourist, or any aspect of this review, please feel free to leave a comment below. I’ll be happy to respond.
