J
Jessica
US
Review
Review of Flatbike, Inc.
J
Jessica
US
May 28, 2019
5 stars to both bike and Bob
5 stars to the bike, and 5 stars to absolutely phenomenal customer service from Bob, who patiently traded 20 emails with me covering every single question and worry I had. I ordered a 20.5" 702 Commuter frame, which ended up being slightly too large for me. Bob gave me suggestions on making the frame fit, taught me how to use a quick-release skewer, and recently hunted down a demo bike in the 19" size which I look forward to test riding soon.
The bike itself is very cleverly designed. The aesthetics are not bad - it is clearly modern with thick tubes, but it's not a bad looking bike, and the black color is surprisingly sleek. As advertised it really does fold in less than a minute once you practice, and fit into the back of a cab with tons of room to spare - a godsend when you have poor time management and need to haul yourself and your bike somewhere in a hurry. The folding aspect comes in handy even if you don't have time to fold it completely - e.g. just a slight "bend" in the frame makes it much easier to carry on narrow and steep old staircases. I haven't tried to carry it into a restaurant folded, because where I live there are places to park outside every shop and I would just get asked to leave the bike outside.
My only complaint is that coming from a vintage upright English 3-speed, I wish this bike was a bit more of a true commuter, as out of the box it feels more like a bike you'd ride while wearing spandex :) But I understand that bigger tyres, fenders, swept-back bars etc. would affect the folding mechanism and the weight. I look forward to settling on a size so that I can start adding accessories and making it into a true workhorse. Just have to make sure it doesn't get stolen - seriously, the folding is so darn cool.
Receipt photo:
Date of experiance: May 28, 2019