Here is a new folding bike for me to modify! It is the new Birdy City by Pacific Cycles, which is the entry level spec for Gen 3 Birdy folding bikes. Although there are many different component grades, all of them have the same frameset. Therefore, if I plan to change everything on the bike, might as well get the entry level model to save some money.
Many years ago, I tried the Birdy when it first came to Singapore, and I was very impressed with the suspension. However, I have never bought the bike as it was quite expensive compared to other folding bike options, plus the folded package always seemed awkward to me.
By chance, I happened to see a great offer by Mighty Velo, which had a good discount on some of the Birdy bikes. There was also an offer by Qoo10, which meant that when I combined the offers, there was a discount of more than SGD 700. This created a pretty irresistible deal, which is why I finally decided to buy the bike.
What's nice is that we can specify the colour of the bike frame for every spec, since the bike shop only assembles the chosen frame with the chosen component spec when you order it. It only takes a few days for them to queue and build up your bike, so the wait time is not a problem.
There are so many nice colours to choose from, but I finally chose this sky blue which looks really nice. In fact it looks very similar to the shade of blue used by Shimano.
Before I remove and modify any components on the stock Birdy City, I will first study it closely, and also do some test riding. This is to allow me to compare the ride feel and performance before and after the upgrades.
On the website, the Birdy logo is actually black, which I prefer over this silver logo with white borders. The logo is not painted, but is just a sticker.
Stock cockpit of the Birdy City.
Shimano Sora BL-R3000 brake levers and Sora SL-R3000 9 speed flat handlebar shifter. Basically the default for any good quality 9 speed groupset.
For eagle-eyed Birdy fans, you may have noticed the handlepost (stem) that I have on my bike. It is the fixed type which is non-telescopic.
There are 3 types of Birdy handleposts. From left to right: 10 degree telescopic; 21 degree telescopic, and 19.2 degree non-telescopic.
The default Birdy handlepost is either the 10 degree or 21 degree telescopic type, which allows the handlebar height to be adjusted. However, I am very sure that I don't want or need to adjust the handlebar height, since I always want it low for a sporty position.
Therefore, I decided to trade in and top up the price difference for a fixed 19.2 degree handlepost. It is easier and less wasteful to have the desired handlepost installed in the first place, instead of having to buy and change it afterwards. As a side bonus, I believe the fixed handlepost should be lighter and more rigid than the telescopic type.
Stock Birdy seat post (diameter 34.9 mm) with a big rearward offset. It can be reversed as I will discover later.
Quick release clamp for the seat post, made by Tranz X.
Nut on the seat post clamp for adjusting the tightness of the clamp.
Seat post is also laser marked with height markings for convenience.
Stock drivetrain on the Birdy City, with a 1x9 speed setup.
Birdy branded stock aluminium crankset, with a traditional 5 arm chain ring mounting and double sided Driveline chain guards, for the 52T chain ring.
The chain has to avoid the rear triangle in both the lowest and highest gear, which means that chain line and cassette size is critical to avoid chain interference.
Shimano Sora RD-R3000 rear derailleur and Shimano CS-HG400-9 11-32T cassette, with Shimano CN-HG53 9 speed chain. Nice to see a Sora 9 speed drivetrain (except for crankset).
Square taper bottom bracket to match the crankset. Note the chain tensioner clamped onto the outside of the bottom bracket shell.
Latest chain tensioner by Pacific Cycles, which works much better than the old type that is bolted onto the cage of the rear derailleur.
Here is just the first part of the introduction, as there are just so many details to share on a new bike. In the next post (check out this main index page), I will share more on the brake components, as well as the rear and front suspension of the Birdy folding bike.
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