Strida
Encyclopedia
Portable bicycle
A portable bicycle is a bicycle that has been designed to be small and light enough for easy carrying. It is usually dismantled to make a convenient bundle and the frame often has a folding action to facilitate this. The design of a portable bicycle involves a trade-off between easy of carrying...
, belt-driven
Belt-driven bicycle
A belt-driven bicycle is a chainless bicycle that uses a toothed synchronous belt to transmit power from the pedals to the wheel. The belts are typically made by the same manufacturing companies that produce timing belts for automobiles, machineries, and other synchronous belt drive...
, folding bicycle
Folding bicycle
A folding bicycle is a bicycle designed to fold into a compact form, facilitating transport and storage. When folded, the bikes can be more easily carried into buildings and workplaces or onto public transportation or more easily stored in compact living quarters or aboard a car, boat or plane...
with a distinctive 'A'-shaped collapsible frame, designed by UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
engineer and designer Mark Sanders. The first model, Strida 1, was released in 1987 and the latest, Strida 5.2, in 2009.
Advantages
Aimed primarily at commuters and city dwellers whose storage space might be limited, the Strida is designed to be simple to use, quick to fold, and easy to maintain. A folded Strida can be wheeled on and off trainTrain
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
s and bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es easily, and can provide greater mobility between other forms of transport.
A distinctive characteristic is that the Strida folds into a "wheeled walking-stick" that can be pushed along, much like a folded pram
Pram
Pram may refer to:*Pram, Austria* Pram , a musical group* Pram , a type of shallow-draught, flat-bottomed ship * A type of dinghy with a flat bow* A type of wheeled baby transport...
/baby-buggy whose folding concept provided the inspiration for the design.
Other notable characteristics include:
- a greaseless kevlarKevlarKevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
belt that replaces the traditional chain drive to avoid mess (see belt-driven bicycleBelt-driven bicycleA belt-driven bicycle is a chainless bicycle that uses a toothed synchronous belt to transmit power from the pedals to the wheel. The belts are typically made by the same manufacturing companies that produce timing belts for automobiles, machineries, and other synchronous belt drive...
) - minimalist design (single speed, aluminium-triangle frame, etc.)
- low-maintenance brakes (drum brakes on the Strida 1, 2 and 3; disc brakes on the Strida 5 and later versions)
- 16-inch wheels, upgradable to 18-inch wheels.
Disadvantages
The single sided wheel mountings and belt drive make fitting gears (eg dérailleur or hub gears) more difficult than on chain driven bikes with conventional forks. The use of front mounted Schlumpf gear gets round this problem. Hobbyists in Japan have fitted 5 and 7 speed gears.History
Strida was the major project for Mark Sanders masters's degree 1983 to 1985 at Imperial College LondonImperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
, and Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
. The course, IDE, (Industrial Design Engineering, now called Innovation Design Engineering ). A joint course by both institutions for engineering graduates to specialise in combining creative engineering with creative industrial design. The project is recorded in detail in the master's degree thesis. The aim of the project was to simplify bicycles and especially folding bicycles. It was inspired by the Maclaren baby buggy which folds into a thin form, with its wheels together at the end, so that can be rolled instead of being carried.
In 1985, Industrial Property Rights Ltd, (run by James Marshall, former manager of golfer Greg Norman
Greg Norman
Gregory John Norman AO is an Australian professional golfer and entrepreneur who spent 331 weeks as the world's Number 1 ranked golfer in the 1980s and 1990s...
) licensed the design. The name 'Strida' was suggested by the 8 year old son of one of the company directors, this was adopted and preferred to the suggestion 'Blake' by a PR consultancy. Production of Strida 1 started in 1986 originally in Springburn, Glasgow. Strida was launched a Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
London in 1987. Approximately 3,000 Strida 1 were made in Glasgow - these are recognised by a welded steel rack, later replaced by a nylon injection moulded rack, which remains in production.
In 1988, production moved to Long Eaton in Nottingham (near the Raleigh Bicycle Company
Raleigh Bicycle Company
The Raleigh Bicycle Company is a bicycle manufacturer originally based in Nottingham, UK. It is one of the oldest bicycle companies in the world. From 1921 to 1935 Raleigh also produced motorcycles and three-wheel cars, leading to the formation of the Reliant Company.-Early years:Raleigh's history...
factory, which by then was in decline). Sturmey-Archer
Sturmey-Archer
Sturmey-Archer is a manufacturing company originally from Nottingham, England. It primarily produces bicycle hub gears but has also produced motorcycle hubs....
developed a 2-speed, front-mounted gear which was prototyped and tested but never made in production. Strida won all three UK Cyclex Bicycle Innovation Awards in 1988 (Best New Product, Most Innovative, Best British Design). Approximately 17,000 Strida 1 were made in Nottingham. Most were sold in Japan and UK, with smaller quantities in USA, Australia and Germany.
In 1991, production moved to Casa Hipolito, a Portuguese Manufacturer. At this time Strida Ltd. were developing a baby buggy as a second product.
By 1992, 25,000 Strida 1s had been produced.
In 1993, the British Technology Group BTG
BTG
BTG plc , a public limited company is an international specialty pharmaceuticals company that is developing and commercialising products targeting critical care, cancer, neurological and other disorders...
, a company that licenses and commercializes medical innovations and other UK technology, controls the rights to Strida through 1995.
In 1997, Roland Plastics, a UK firm, purchases the rights to produce Strida and moves production back to Wickham market in the UK. It releases Strida 2 a year later.
In 2000, Strida wins I.D. Magazine’s Annual Design Award, Sail Magazine’s Pittman Award for Innovation and Safety, and the British Design Council
Design Council
The Design Council is a United Kingdom non-departmental public body incorporated by Royal Charter and registered as a charity.Registered charity number 272099.- In the beginning :The Design Council started in 1944 as the Council of Industrial Design...
Millennium product Award. Steedman Bass, of Boston USA, purchases the rights to produce the Strida. With Mark Sanders, Bass begins development of Strida 3 as described by The Open University course 'Design and designing' (T211).
In 2002, in order to meet increased demand, Bass moves production to Taiwanese manufacturer Ming Cycle. Strida 3 is launched, with an inaugural shipment of 2000 units to Italy. Ming begins to establish distributorships in Korea, Japan, Netherlands, France and the U.S. Development starts on Strida 5.
In May 2003, The Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
newspaper ran an article that pictured Viscount Linley
David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley
-Ancestry:-External links:* * * *...
riding a Strida 3.
In March 2006, Ming Cycle take over ownership of Strida rights.
In November 2006, a Strida 3 was featured on the UK television programme The Gadget Show, alongside the Sinclair A-Bike
A-bike
The A-bike is a type of folding bicycle invented by Sir Clive Sinclair in the United Kingdom and released on 12 July 2006. It weighs and folds to 67×30×16 cm, small enough to fit in a rucksack....
.
In 2007 the Strida 5 won a design award at the Taipei International Bike Show.
Strida 5 includes upgrade kit of Strida 3, and adds disc brakes, eccentric belt tensioner, metal spoked wheels and high pressure tyres.
A 2-speed gear option was added in 2009, based on cableless, Schlumpf front crank operated epicyclic gearbox.
Series
The Strida is made by Ming Cycle in Taiwan. There was a key patent which covered the early Strida 1 onwards. The U.S. version of this patent was filed in 1986 and expired in 2006, which means only the mechanism used in Strida 1 and 2 of the product is now in the public domain. Several other aspects of the latest Strida 3 to 5.x versions are currently covered by patents in various countries, including the folding handle bar system US7243573, hub and locking system US7367632, front joint system US7681900, with other patents pending. The Patents, Trademark, Copyright and other IP are owned by Ming Cycle, Taiwan. Some components of the Series 3 to Series 5 machines are interchangeable but other significant components and sub-assemblies are not. Series 5 and Series 4 (Mini) machines have a freewheel mounted in the conventional position on the rear wheel (In Series 3 the freewheel, a commonly available ShimanoShimano
Shimano, Inc. is a Japanese multinational manufacturer of cycling components, fishing tackle, and rowing equipment.In 2005, the company had net sales of US $1.4 billion. Bicycle components provided 75% of its sales income...
18t model, is part of the metal and plastic bottom bracket/crankset assembly) and a metal bottom bracket shell which incorporates an eccentric housing to adjust belt tension. Alternative folding handlebars which give more knee clearance for the taller rider are available for the Series 5; these may be retro-fitted in place of the standard folding handlebars on Series 3 and Series 4 (Mini).
- Strida 1
- Strida 2
- Strida 2.5 (with folding handlebars)
- Strida 3
- Strida 3.2 (snubber bearing to prevent drive belt slippage)
- Strida 3.3 (wire wheels)
- Strida 5
- Strida Special Edition
- Strida Elite Edition
- Strida Mini / Strida 4 (for smaller riders)
- Strida SX (with 18" wheels)
- Strida SD (2-speed version)
- Strida MAS (Mark Sanders Special Edition)
- Strida LT (with glass fiber reinforced nylon wheels)
A number of illegal (and often unsafe) unlicensed copies of Strida are manufactured in several countries (China, Thailand), and are often sold with names such as "Folding bike Strida" or STRDA. Ming Cycle continuously prosecutes importers of such ungenuine products..
External links
- Strida.com Official Website
- Ming Cycle Strida Manufacturer
- Inventor Mark Sanders talks about the Strida on Google Video
- Pre-Strida, RCA bike & young inventor in 1985 (YouTube)
- Masters' Thesis June 1985 - Strida Description of the design and engineering of the bike that was later to become 'Strida'. Thesis for Imperial College, and Royal College of Art's joint Masters Degree in Industrial design Engineering (IDE)
- Business Plan December 1985 - Strida