Interesting as I'm seriously thinking of one of these as a perfect commuter bike I could leave outside the wards. They hire them in Manchester so I'm going to get one for 24 hours and see what they're like in the hills of rossendale, the gearing seems ok at 31". I'm just worried about the weight and internal brakes being capable on three or four mile down hill sections and over heating / brake fade.
Sorry for the late reply.
The paper bike is indeed the perfect commuter if the commute is not too hilly. I've got the single speed one, can do short steep hills ok, no doubt the geared version is much better.
Good points of this bike: always ready, just pump up your tyres once a week. Never needs cleaning, chain can be left undisturbed for months riding in torrential rain, brakes perform impeccably in any weather, no need to change pads till the 10.000 mile mark - according to the manufacturer, Nick, whom I met a couple of times.
No worries about failing batteries, the dynamos are adequate for an urban commute - you may want to supplement them if riding unlit paths.
Once the balloon tyres start to roll, it takes minimal effort to keep it going, kept up with @
Mad Doug Biker on his racer once, on a very flat cycle path I must admit
The bike is also a a focal point of interest if you want to pull another cyclist
Bad points:
Mine weights 3 stone, it is though an earlier model, one of the first 3 built. Maybe the newer ones are lighter.
Mine has no rack eyelets, you can however easily fit a basket. Again, newer models may differ.
It is very prone to rust. Repairs and cable changes are difficult: I crashed on it, broke the rear mudguard fixing, got a new one from Nick, but the mechanic had a hard time removing the broken rusted fitting, eventually had to saw it off.
Inner tube changes at the roadside are impossible, however I never had a flat using the bike almost every day for the potholed commute since last summer.
It rattles
I understand a brand new one costs in excess of a thousand pounds - got mine ex demonstration model from the local bike station for 300.
If you are willing to spend that kind of money for the perfect commuter, I am sure another more flexible and lighter bike with hub gears, chain guard, hub brakes and dynamos could be found.
Hope this has helped
