The Birdy from the German company Riese und Müller is a full suspension folding bike with superior road performance and some off road potential. The Birdy's fold allows it to retain a jointless main frame that is solid and stable. The use of an aluminium monocoque frame makes it very, very light. The use of a swingarm both front and rear allows full suspension and folding. All this adds up to a bike that's light, fast and fun to ride.
Although the Birdy enjoys all the generic advantages of any folder - namely compact portability, it is best suited to those who seek a faster ride and to cover longer distances than the Brompton. It does not have quite such an easy or compact fold as the Brompton, but it is lighter for lugging around!
The Birdy is a configurable cycle - like the Brompton. Simply choose your colour, transmission option and accessories. The accessories can also be added on at a later date. All our stock Birdy's come with mudguards and a kickstand, both of which we strongly recommend, though we are happy to accessorise to your own specification.
Colours for this year are matt anthracite, red, yellow, cream and black, and if you opt for the Birdy Alfine or Rohloff Disc, you can get polished aluminium!
A Birdy for less than £1000 - only just, but now you can buy the Birdy C2W with your cycle to work scheme (most schemes have an upper limit of £1000). Suddenly it's an achievable bike!
The bike has 8 speed derailleur gearing with a twist shift and has mudguards, which is nice because they are normally an optional extra. This is a great basic Birdy and is really what we have been waiting for - great for commuting and leisure rides.
Our only quibble is with the tyres which are somewhat low in quality and pressure - we would recommend upgrading them immediately!
Frame type: Full suspension monocoque
Sizes available:
Colour/s: Anthracite, red, cream, yellow and black
See full specifications on the manufacturer's website