Here's the New World Tourist I just received from Bike Friday in Oregon. I designed the NWT as a folding version of my Rivendell Atlantis: Brooks B-17 saddle, Nitto Noodle handlebar, Silver bar-end shifters and MKS sneaker pedals.

Naturally, the two bikes differ. The NWT's Sora/Tiagra drivetrain is cheaper than the Atlantis's, but works great. The NWT requires V-brakes for adequate pedal clearance. The V-brakes, in turn, require Travel Agent pulleys to work with Dura-Ace brake levers. Because of its 20-inch wheels, the NWT has larger chainrings than the Atlantis, a narrower-range cassette and a short-cage rear derailer for better ground clearance. Gear ratios on the two bikes work out about the same, however.

The NWT's brakes feel rock-solid, as does the rest of the bike. Two features add to the bike's locked-in feeling. The Kalloy seatpost has tiny detents in the seat level adjustment, and the front derailer mount is a braze-on instead of an adjustable clamp. While I prefer infinite adjustability, both of these setups work well.

A couple of changes from earlier Bike Fridays include improved routing for the front derailer cable, and dual seatstays in place of a monostay. I improved the bike's lighting by replacing the headlight's stock 2.4W halogen bulb with a 3W bulb. Peter White says to do that if you're not running a taillight off the hub dynamo. Kudos to Bike Friday for providing a braze-on for the battery-operated taillight. I ride the bike mostly on errands around town. Kids at the middle school where I tutor yell "Cool bike!" when I arrive. I feel like a kid myself on this bicycle, balancing for minutes at intersections and cutting tight corners on sidewalks. The bike is fun to ride in tight spaces because it has no toe overlap. When it rains, I practice figure eights inside my two-car garage with one car still there.

ADDENDUM 11/07:

I changed the 52-42-32 of the Sora crankset to a 50-44-32. To make that work, I had to replace the Tiagra triple front derailer with a Tiagra double. The new 50 and 44-tooth chainrings are much more useful than the originals. .

Eric Nye
Covington, La.

ericnye@hotmail.com