Hi,

As a recent owner of a Birdy Touring which has a derailleur and a
hub gear I can say that both work fine. I haven't found the
expedition rack especially heavy - not when it's compared to the
weight of my lap top and a load of other stuff in panniers hanging
off the back! I have a pair of Ortlieb Sport Packer Plus panniers
on the back (I don't like roll-top panniers - too ugly to put on to
the uber-stylish Birdy), often loaded for a 2-3 day trip with lap
top, clothes etc and it works brilliantly

We're also fortunate that because we drive on the left in the UK,
the derailleur is less likely to belt the kerb . . .

The other advantage of the Birdy Touring is that if you find
yourself in the wrong gear (i.e. too high) at a stop of some kind,
you can switch to a lower gear on the hub gear whilst stationary -
pedal off gently and you're away.

My commute to my nearest railway station is 11 miles, varied
terrain, part bridleway, part track and part city road and the Birdy
handles it brilliantly. Got the Schwalbe Big Apple tyres and so far
all is well in my little piece of Birdyland.

Highly recommended - folds up very quickly, bung it on the train to
London or wherever and whip it out at the other end - as it were.

Hope this helps,

Pete.

--- In birdybike@yahoogroups.com, "bty579228" <martin.nick@...>
wrote:
>
> The internal hub is very crisp, which I have on a Birdy Green.
Yes,
> the hub is heavy, and as a result I'm fitting a light saddle, and
> removing the expedition rack. The rack is ridiculously heavy.
>
> --- In birdybike@yahoogroups.com, "Geof Gee" <geoffreygee@> wrote:
> >
> >
> > One of the problems with small wheels is that the derailer is
closer
> > to the ground that standard bikes. Hence, they get damaged more
> often.
> >
> > The internal gear avoids that problem. I recall that the gear
range
> > is about the same with the two models. Note that the internal
hub
> is
> > considerably heavier than the derailer model.
> >
> > If you do decide to get the internal hub, pay for the red-band
> shimano
> > internal hub. It is considerably more efficient.
> >
> > Is it worth it? Depends on what type of riding you do (road,
> gravel,
> > packed dirt, and so on) and how much you value convenience over
> > performance/weight.
> >
> > Note that my experience with the internal hub is with a Swift
> Folder,
> > not a Birdy City.
> >
> > -G
> >
> > --- In birdybike@yahoogroups.com, "damian.greening" <damian@>
wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi All,
> > >
> > > I am looking for a folding bike that is capable of handling
the 16
> > > mile commute into central London but small enoungh to fold for
the
> > > train journey home.
> > >
> > > After plenty of research I think the Birdy is a good option,
> should
> > > handle 16 miles with ease?
> > >
> > > Here in the UK we have the Birdy Red + new models, Speed,
Touring,
> > > City and Rohloff. I had the privilege of test riding a Red, I
was
> > > impressed and the price is well within my budget at £830.
> > >
> > > Unfortunatlty the next model up 'City' at £1000 was not
available
> for
> > > a test ride. Does anybody have any experience with this model?
Is
> it
> > > worth paying an extra £170 over the 'Red'?
> > >
> > > Thanks for your time.
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > > Damian
> > >
> >
>