how could a Pocket Rocket weigh 11.5kgs / 25.3lbs??

[Lugwork]

I had a badly older Bike Friday the frame (SN 1112) of which was so
battered that I sent back to BF for a repaint.
the only decals it had on it originally were "Bike Friday" - no obvious
model name as they do now. (I expect this was a very early frame)
when it came back (beautifully sparkly and new looking) the BF team had
labelled it "Pocket Rocket Pro"
Out of curiosity today I weighed it.
I understand that a current PR should weigh 23.5lbs / 10.7kgs
while a Pro should weight 21.5lbs / 9,8kgs

This beautiful beast though weighs in - complete - at a whopping 25.3lbs
/ 11.5kgs

so It cannot be a "Pro"

I've written BF Service asking if they have any build details on this
frame.

But I also thought maybe someone out here has insights into the
different weights of different generations of Bike Fridays

Peter Stock
Toronto Canada

[John Thurston]

First, that is a gorgeous looking result!

Second, I think this is a classic case of 'your mileage may vary'.

The current 'Pro' may weigh as little as 21.5lbs / 9,8kgs but Bike Fridays are custom bicycles, and their weights are going to vary. And the weight of the bike models is going to vary from year to year as the construction methods change. Here are a couple of my observations:

• A frame number of 1112 is probably from the early 90s. That's 30 years ago, and I'd expect the manufacturing and material choices have improved with time.
• As far as I know, there was no 'Pro' model at that time. So I suggest what you have is a custom 'Pocket Rocket', and the painter chose to re-label it 'Pro' 
• 25.3lbs / 11.5kgs ain't bad for a complete folding bike. What did the frame/fork/riser weigh when you had it stripped to send to for painting?
  

-- 
John Thurston
Juneau, Alaska

[Larry Newman]

John’s age guess seems right. I purchased my Pocket Rocket in 1994 and frame # is in the 1500s.

—

Regards,

Larry

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another great conversation from the Bike Friday Yak!
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[Peter Stock]

And... BF Service replied very quickly.

"The seatmast on that bike is very heavy. On the early bikes, those VERY thick seatmasts were used and it was not until later that the designers learned that it was way overbuilt. It must weigh 2 kg. Everything else is pretty light I think. If you take it off and weigh it you'll know what I mean." 

Mystery Solved 

peter stock
toronto canada

[Rob MacLeod]

Hi Folks,

Like the others, I agree with the variability of size and weights. However, more important, I noticed a huge improvement in geometry when I switched from my own 1995 Pro to a 2010 replacement, the one I still ride. I cannot claim it was lighter, but I suspect the newer one is, but it just rides so much better than my original. This might also be a source of the weight difference you are seeing.

Cheers,
Rob

[John Thurston]

Now that the weight question has been addressed, I'll ask a couple of follow-up Qs

• Was any overhaul work done on the pivots, by you or Bike Friday? I'm assuming new pivot pins were installed, but did the 'ears' require any work?
• Did you send a painted, or plain, pile of parts?
• Did you have Bike Friday perform any modifications to the frame and fork while it was stripped?
  
• About how much money was the work? I don't need a precise accounting, just a general idea . . $100s ? $1,000s ?
  

-- 
John Thurston
Juneau, Alaska

[robert clark]

FWIW I got a few small parts powder-coated  ...   the greatest cost I was told was the Power

 to heat the closet  sized chamber to Pizza Scorching temperatures .. to melt the powdered plastic.

If the color you want is popular enough to  hang in there with a bigger order from someone else,

then the cost per item can be lower...  

[robert clark]

The powder coating will have flaws  any where the metal has been Touched  with your hands

because of skin oils  

so hand them over  knocked down into separate parts  but as is, 

given any surface treatment prep done will just be repeated, to have the surface 

clean as possible...  

I put bolts  in threaded holes .. they will be discarded when I got it back..

rather than get out the tap set to clean off the threads when I got the piece back.

[robert clark]

Nothing weighs less than a part not installed, basically..