Hi all,
Having thought about getting an A-Bike every now and then over the last year, I've finally taken the plunge and bought one! I got mine from www.iwantoneofthose.com (total cost was only £138.05 including delivery, since I found a voucher code for a 10% discount with a quick google search).
Being a long-time (10 years+) Brompton owner, I've been curious to see how the A-bike compares. Certainly weight-wise it is a real winner - it's just *so* much lighter than the Brompton!
I haven't had any chance to ride it for real yet, as it was delivered to my work, and I brought it home this evening strapped to the back of the Brompton. I've been practising folding and unfolding, which I haven't quite fully got the hang of yet, but I'm getting there!
One thing I noticed, and wondered if it was normal; the rear freewheel seems to have quite a high resistance. If I spin the rear wheel with a turn of the cranks, it very quickly comes to a stop (around 2-3 secs). The front wheel runs for much longer if spun. The freewheel also has quite a loud "whir" - louder than I'd have expected. Is this normal, or should I be checking for any problem? The brakes seem to be fine.
Hopefully I will be able to do a bit of riding on the A-bike at the weekend