Inhabitat

Help us become a zero-emissions household! My husband walks to work, I ride the subway. Our 6th floor walk-up apartment (only 400 s.f.) highly discourages us from keeping normal bikes. If I had this awesome folding bike I could ride the 47 blocks to work, never ride the subway, and also stop feeling excluded when my coworkers do bike-centric activities together! Help me inhabitat, you’re our only hope!
[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/99044db4dad4427d6f7ca7298b980ac9.jpg[/img]

Because I am going to San Francisco in a month, and need a unique ride to help me dominate the city. Plus it can be a carry on!

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/9b5f504dbbbd21a9f5b98d453c0624e9.jpg[/img]

While out on a cycle run…I stopped and parked my bike for a quick cup of tea to heat me up…this was great timing…as soon as I got to the cafe the heavens opened and the rain came flooding down. Once it had cleared and paid my bill I returned to get my bike…hmmm…I though things usually shrank in the wash !!! I’m still trying to work out how to reach the pedals ???

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/6789ccfe02542b003bd1e06670275b58.jpg[/img]

This is a touchy subject for me right now. My husband and I started a company several years ago selling green building material. We were fairly successful at it too. But now in a time of economic crisis, when banks are not lending money and are calling in all of our loan notes and constructions has come to a halt. We are preparing for the inevitable, to live in the RV that we purchased that was meant to provide comfort while at the beach for the day. We plan to travel around a bit to find a town where we can add to and be a part of a community. A place that we will be able to afford to start over. To purchase a house, start a business find a good school system and get involved in the community. (sidenote- we are currently working with someone to have the RV converted to hydrogen!)
In preparation for this new chapter of our lives, as we sell off our household treasures, we will be replacing things with the best gear to suit our future lives. Things that are light, compact and portable. The Strida SX Limited Folding bike would be a special treasure that my husband, daughter and I will cherish forever!
[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/99aeb5fc11e4f3cc69e0c81c4bf55f58.jpg[/img]

This is perfect for a grey haired old guy- my dad- working his way up and down the eastern coast- from Maryland to Marathon (Fl), Most cities have expensive transportation for retiree’s on a limited budget. Folding up this super cycle into his inflatable row boat, this would allow him to explore new sites, get supplies from the farmer’s market- or simply find that elusive motor part or sail patch to help him get to the next town.

My bike got stolen twice because of parking it outside, I don’t have space for it inside unless I have a tiny bike!!!

I need this bike for three reasons:

1. I live in Portland, Oregon where it rains continually for nine months of the year. I need a bike like this one with a high seat so that my full-length raincoat doesn’t get caught in the gears.

2. Everything in my apartment folds or rolls up.

3. I am fifty-something years old and don’t have health insurance. A bike would keep me alive longer so I can keep resisting evil insurance companies.

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/414eb48993902f991b5d4ae596a95e28.jpg[/img]

Photo by Forest and Kim Starr

Being a landscape designer at a Landscape Architecture firm I am often the advocate for sustainability when put into meetings with Architects and Engineers that are in the mood to pave the world. Unfortunately the mini van that I inherited from my parents is far from the image of sustainability that I preach. To complicate issues further, my firm, like many design firms across the country right now has cut my salary to get through tough times. As a result I have had to move (with my wife and 1 yr old baby) into my in-laws’s house. Everything I own is in a small storage locker across town and I now share a bedroom closet with my wife and baby with very little room for storage to spare. Please help me keep my old van off the streets and grant me the ability to travel to work and meetings in a sustainable way.

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/ce55a863d76473102dbf2b6b995c25c8.jpg[/img]

That’s a beautiful, and seriously under-used, Perth bike path within a stone’s throw of the city, filmed just the other day. If I had an eye-catching Strida, particularly along this busy stretch of road, I might be able to make plenty of other residents consider riding instead.

(Also, the Strida costs about the same as my insurance company just told me my car is worth >_< )

Like many of my commenting peers, I am OVER the subway commute. Alas, my Midtown building doesn’t have a place to store full-sized bikes. If I had this bike, I could bypass this issue and just store it underneath my cubicle. That’s right. I said it. Cubicle. *shudder*

So why do I need this folding wonder? To survive in cubicleland, of course. :)

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/7ca7895058b9e9484368c0d288a4f17a.jpg[/img]

We live in a tight space (photo of laundry room where bike would live) with almost no storage and a baby on the way. This would be a great bike for our neighborhood and a great vehicle for my daily commute from home to work. I just got a new job, and would love to be able to stash my bike on the train, and then under the desk while I work!

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/6c916fae632c721bb1f0e2b918a0d077.jpg[/img]

Burro got caught in some wire and fell in the well. Woke up to the other burros braying, “BURRO’S IN THE WELL!” Surenuf there was a burro in the well. Despite the diminished urgency from Timmy being safe in his bed we still felt it prudent to right the situation (as I hope you know, wells are not the burros natural habitat). Hellatime getting it out but we wrangled together a motley crew (the county animal control guy showed up very hungover so he played a lesser role than his title might suggest) and got her free. She’s fine and we didn’t have to shoot her (burros are better than horses in that respect) but now I need that strida right quick because that stridas not going to ride itself.
[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/c16aa44bdc3c5b620c9d14b69b3732e5.jpg[/img]

Salut à tous !
I’m a bike lover but sometimes it’s not so funny in Paris when I got stuck in this bloody mechanic door ;)
Well, I’m joking, but here, It’s forbidden to bring your bike inside subway or buses and even though we could, there’s not enough room for it. Secondly, I live on a 5th floor by stairs only, so my loyal bike sleep outside and some part of it often miss in the morning, this is also Paris ;)

Folding and light weight bike is the solution.
And also it’s a very good looking product, which is perfect to ride, so that people want one and leave their cars at home. The green revolution is on his way …

I’m not stuck anymore, so no use to send someone, thanks, but the strida folding bike is welcome ;)

Charlie

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/60758a5ae54065f1065bcf89604ea6fe.jpg[/img]

This hill is just one example of where my shoes take me, and living in Honolulu there is a whole lot more. And for the last 5 years, a battle has been waged everyday in the late afternoon at the street that rises toward my grandma’s, which lies on the steep pinnacle of at least a good liter of sweat and day long pain from shin splits. I hope that with a Strida I would finally be able to tame this hillside, never again to hurt myself, while still being able to fight against the incline in an eco friendly manner. This hill serves as my workout and unfortunately the sole reason for the degeneration of my shoes. My shoes serve as a main means of getting me about, I could greatly benefit by using a convenient bike like the Strida, shaving of time in my efforts to jog to work and back.

With a Strida my life will be STRIDAfied, making it easier to get to work, to come home, and practically everywhere else; if you want a better reason JUST LOOK AT THAT HILL!
PLUS I have actually managed to live WITHOUT A CAR, How many Americans can attest to that?

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/5b5fa49d3c0f33280d44007f9059a3eb.jpg[/img]

This is our 1968 Schwinn Twinn Tandem, upon which we ride around Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, where my fiancee Danie and I live. We’re getting married on August 1, and it won’t be a stylish marriage (we can’t afford a carriage). We do look sweet, though, upon the seats of our bicycle built for two.

Why do we need a Strida? Well, after we get married we are moving to Oxford England, where I’ll be going to graduate school. Between the wedding and grad school (not to mention our careers in public education and academic publishing), we’ll be just about broke by the time we get to Oxford. We certainly won’t be able to pay the shipping costs for the Tandem, which weighs about 80 lbs, and we’ve been fretting about how we’ll afford bikes once we get there. Part of what drew us there is the fact that it is one of the most bike-friendly places in the world. As you can see from the wool cycling cap and tweed jacket in the photo, I have spent this past year accumulating my Oxford bike wardrobe. Now all we need is a bike!

Why the Strida? Well, ever since we saw one darting around the streets of Boston, we have been in love (with the Strida. We’ve been in love with each other since we first met on an elevator in our office building). We have had many conversations (really!) about the Stridas we will buy some day, once we settle into our car-free future life, to take with us on the commuter rail into the city.

A Strida would be perfect for us now, though! Its convenient foldability would make it easy to bring it with us on the flight to the UK, and its unique design means that we could both ride once we get to Oxford (regrettably, not at the same time). All of our bicycle problems solved, just like that!

As Americans in Europe, also, we would like to be ambassadors of the best, greenest America that we are trying to build, not the gas guzzling country that so many see us as.

Thank you for reading our story!

Tony and Danie

I borked my bike. Clearly the machine earned it’s keep, and someday will get the reconditioning it needs. For now I don’t have the time to hunt down a replacement bottom bracket, or the money to buy a custom one with the french threads the frame requires.

The combination of bus and bike transportation is perfect for me as I routinely move between my office, studio and home. All located within about 6 miles with some significant hills (the picture was taken halfway up a pretty steep one) and lots of rainy weather. I also go on lots of scouting excursions taking photos for various design projects that I am working on.

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/1861a29aeaeb45d5322f70a61b098d7f.jpg[/img]

Dear Inhabitat, if you were to give this bike to me you would enable me [bold]reduce my yearly carbon footprint by 16.416 pounds![bold] This is how:
I am an architect with an expertise in sustainability practicing in NYC. Starting this Fall I will be teaching green design courses to architecture students at the New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury on Long Island. I have been a proud city dweller to date, never owned a car. Unfortunately the school, even though just outside the city’s boundaries is set in an entirely suburban, car-based context. It is absolutely impossible to get there by public transport alone as the closest train station is almost 4 miles away from the school. The only way to avoid a car commute is to take a bike on the train. I own a beautiful old dutch bike that i use to get around Brooklyn, but it is the heaviest, clunkiest bike I ever owned, I can barely push it over the bridges into the city. Moreover LIRR wont allow non foldable bikes on peak trains. So, my dilemma is that unless I own the Strida Folding Bike that I can take on the train, I will have to drive. But how can I convincingly teach sustainability if I do not lead by example and show these aspiring designers that even in suburban Long Island there are inventive ways to reduce reliance on the automobile…? Please help me solve this dilemma! To further make my case I have conducted a comparative carbon footprint analysis of the two commuting options (see below)
The amount of carbon reduction that I would achieve with the Strida Folding Bike is equal to the carbon sequestration potential of approximately 365 trees, year after year!
[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/c1a3a0fdbba6eba822ceee86c64205ba.jpg[/img]

I left my bike in the mountains and sold my car. The Strida fits into my lifestyle which incorporates, LEED building practices, local food suppliers and exercise. I’m an avid triathlete, I love riding and I love exploring the city, especially on a hopeful Strida.

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/melani.jpg[/img]

I got the ultra small, ultra light, zippy fast ride, & mighty good looks! but no one is taking me seriously? I must be on the wrong set of wheels, because it certainly can’t be my mighty good looks.

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/c1eec341f63858c3283b60d26fbb3b53.jpg[/img]

I’m an industrial design student currently on an internship in Bangalore, India. Because I’m on intern wages, it means that it would take me over 3 months to save up for this bike even if I didn’t spend money on anything else!

It takes me an hour to walk to work through the polluted streets and this would allow me to get home quicker, as well as saving me from contributing to that pollution when I take an auto-rickshaw home on those days when I’m just too tired to walk.

I live in a 6 person flat with 8 other interns and while it’s cosy, there is no space to fit a full size bicycle. They all either walk because it’s close enough or get picked up by company buses. The size of it would also allow me to take it as part of my luggage when I return to my degree in the UK (I have £15,000 debt so far because of University) and keep cherishing it for years to come.

Adding to this I’m currently working at a company designing a range of ultra eco-friendly toys that will be appearing in the US in September :) Please pick me Inhabitat! Even the guy on the photo, who’s photo I took this weekend, has a bicycle. I can’t even afford that one! :(

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/7eb17157a6c2cccadbb65e7865eb8319.jpg[/img]

My roommate is a well-known voiceover actress whose “studio” is in our shared storage closet. Believe it or not, the stuff she records in there actually ends up broadcast on the national airwaves. She’s what I call a “reluctant environmentalist” and has tolerated my recycling obsession and even a worm compost. Now I have to do her a favor by making more room in the closet for her to record without a bicycle seat smashed into her elbow.

I bought this bike more than a year ago for an organized bike ride in NYC. I’m well under 5 feet tall and only had one day to find a bike that would allow me to reach the pedals. Sadly, the posting on Craigslist was misleading, the picture was different than the actual bike, and the previous owner yelled and bullied me into purchasing it on the spot. The chain was broken by the time I returned to my neighborhood and according to the repair shop, only worth 1/5th of what I paid for it. After a stint in bicycle rehab, it sort of survived the bike ride. I haven’t been able to use it since then because it has ancient messed up gears and is too heavy for me to navigate up the stairs in my walk up NYC apartment with the narrowest hallways ever! Since then, I’ve been forced to take less environmentally desirable modes of transportation.

Much to my roommate’s chagrin, the bicycle ended up making its home in the only home available in our tiny NYC apartment. Her closet “studio” – mere millimeters away from her recording space and gear. It’s tangled up in a bunch of wires and the handlebars are obstructing the sound mixer. My bike hasn’t seen the sunlight since spring 2008 but if I take it out, there’s no way it will fit back in!

My roommate is so excited at the prospect of not having to share her already cramped legroom with a bicycle wheel while reading scripts to her clients. Please help me help her, and also help myself exercise my commitment to keeping the “air”waves free of VOC’s.

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/roommatemic1.jpg[/img]

On September 29th, I am riding my touring bike 300 miles from NY to DC on the CLIMATE RIDE 2009.

Hundreds of rides will be sharing our message: ride a bike for a healthier planet!

With the lovely Strida, I would continue to spread this message with a fundraiser auction to fund the Climate Ride. My team must raise $5000.

The Stride and Inhabitat would be linked to one of those most exciting cycling events linking policy and strident efforts in DC– I’d love to showcase the Strida at our event!

For more information, go to http://www.climateride.org

Cheers!

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/396193bccaf88bbb2c21184614fa1d08.jpg[/img]

Elizabeth

Photo post take 3,008! Clearly a man who has this much trouble posting his picture needs help, and clearly if his son needs to push him to work, a bike would help the cause. Won’t you be so kind as to help?
[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/324bf3a23c734fc34f2c8271f5e67884.jpg[/img]

As you can see, space is at a premium on here on the third floor (walkup). If I had a Strida I could keep it inside, which would be nice for me and might just save the life of a pedestrian passer by in the future.

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/41533e56a224373551489486821c17fc.JPG[/img]

I once had a beautiful electric bike that I saved for months to buy. And then my garage door got stuck open and, when they couldn’t cut through my lock, the thieves took my bike apart and, as you can see in the picture, left me nothing but an intact lock and some tools. My renter’s insurance called it a “motorized vehicle” and wouldn’t cover it. I’m a poor PhD student in my 11th year of college with no money for a new bike. Now I’m adding to the gridlock and air pollution of Los Angeles. Help me make my eight mile commute by bike again and be a model for Los Angeles of how to go green!! (And, help me not have a third bike stolen because this one can be taken inside!!) [img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/d58fdbb8bc7802a5237e291ccd079a71.JPG[/img]

This is what’s left of my bike after a car drove into it (and me). Fortunately I did not suffer much, but my bike is total loss…….

…and since I am from Holland, THE bike-country of the world, you can imagine I definitely need a bike. And even more since I am commuting by train everyday you can imagine that this Strida would be the perfect solution for me to commute to work:
It would be great to cycle to the train station, fold the bike, hop on the train, train to Haarlem, then unfold the bike and cycle the last km to work.

And naturally I would look very cool on a Strida! :)

So I would be extremely grateful to be awarded a Strida!
[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/bike12.jpg[/img]

last week, my bike was stolen from in front of the San Jose Caltrain station. Now I must walk.

Walking is so slow, man. So slow.

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/96b788c6e66c401f5eb2b9e4e429965e.jpg[/img]

It’s hard enough having to ride my extremely heavy bike 11 miles to school every day, its very hot, I have to carry all my books and the hand-me –down bike I ride weight 60 lbs. I am not one to complain until last week!! My parents are nice enough to let me store the bike in the garage hanging from the ceiling and it is very hard to get the bike up but at least I can store it. Keeping it in the garage has never been an issue until last week. My father’s boss had to store his new car in our garage and I guess the vibrations from the garage door made my front come loose and the bike fell on the car! I am so in trouble! The estimate to repair was $8000 and I have to pay it. Being a college student is hard enough to maintain grades and be on time to class everyday on my heavy Junker bike. I have been working summers ad saved up money to buy a Strida, and I had $700 saved, now I have to pay it all to fix the damage my bike made by falling on my dad’s bosses car and I don’t have a bike to ride to school. My life really sucks. A light weight bike would be great for storing in my small room and I could take it everywhere, plus right now with not having any money nothing would make me happier than a Strida. The promotion alone would be huge for Strida on campus everyone knows and everyone loves that I ride a bike to school and work everyday. Just doing my part.

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/why-i-need-a-strida.jpg[/img]

Thanks for considering me!

Paul Schneider
Negotiable@gmail.com

Phoenix just recently opened a new Light Rail – a revolutionary move toward better public transportation in our huge city. Living bike riding distance from the first Light Rail stop, I was super excited about being able to take my bike on board in order to make the trips to and from downtown – avoiding being on the roads during DUI times of the night, getting exercise and avoiding the use of a car. I stalked the light rail web site before it was even under construction, so excited that they had plans to accommodate bicycles.

But then I took my bike onto the light rail when they opened, and the driver informed me that you cannot bring your bike on unless it fits in the space along the walls where they’ve got designated bike storage containers. These hollowed-out areas have hooks on the ceiling where you are supposed to hook your front tire and hang your bike.

Ordinary bikes hang with plenty of space below the rear tire, hanging securely from the hooks. My current bike, however, is too long and the back tire rolls around on the bottom, resting often on the rear fender. Not only that, but the hook is not securely able to hold the front tire because it is too long overall, and so when the driver hits the brakes or the gas, the bike teeters back and forth, threatening to fall over and land on whoever is sitting near the bike storage area.

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/0bbc621e9c12b70167a59c27b249304e.jpg[/img]

What’s worse, the drivers told me that I cannot even BRING my bike on unless I can put it in this area, because they say that a bike standing in place blocks the path too much. This makes it so that if I do manage to squish my bike in and make it downtown, if it is crowded on the way home, I might not be able to board any of the trains home and become stranded downtown. Also, between the weight and the length, it’s dangerous and oftentimes barely possible to even get the bike up on the hook, or down from the hook, in the 8 seconds or so that the drivers tend to keep the doors open at train stops.

In essence, the whole system that’s currently risky would become totally doable if I had this folding bike instead! And as a result, bicycling in combination with public transportation would become a regularly doable event. I would become the talk of the town with my snazzy bike, rolling it into and out of the doors with no problem, regardless of who else is on the train or what the status is of the bicycle storage containers!

Pimp out a Stridex? How about a foldable (yes, foldable) set of bamboo panniers? Talk about synergy- the ul;timate in transportation combines with the most eco-friendly, efficient, and renewable panniers on the planet.
Whoa!

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/2f01b39fbab62496b7a950fc45e56de9.jpg[/img]

Martha Cashman Sculptor in Cork Ireland, anyone who has google earth can see my dilemma Cork is a city full of hills and even has the steepest in the country while takes a bit of getting used to. I lived in Boston and brought my Cannondale back from many years of happy trips there but sadly she is on her last legs or tyres I should say.. She gets lots of comments as you can not buy them here so I feel as a designer I will now again need to set the trend and think I would Cut a Dash with the Strida. Cork needs this Strida as it is the Real Capital after all and is a real trendy city, come visit you’ll see what I mean..

In this picture you see the relic of my bike.
I have it since 1991 but it doesn’t work anymore..:(
I need more money to fix it than buy a new one.
I bought a new bike last summer but someone stole it from my house just 1 week after I had bought it.I didn’t even have the time to enjoy it! I reported the incident to the police but they did nothing about it.
So I can’t afford to buy another bike. I live in Athens and transportation here is awful.The foldable bike is the best solution because I can carry it and take tha metro railway for very long distances.It is THE ideal vehicle for the city, but too expensive to afford.
This specific bike is one of the best designed I have ever seen. Minimal and practic at the same time, I assume that it will solve tha problem to transportation for every citizen.

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/28123040ab365cb06a1000361be587d6.JPG[/img]

I could definately not only use but promote on so many levels. I am the ATNI Youth Ambassador for Tribal Youth in the NW part of the US and this would be a great idea to utilize against diabetes. I am also the son of the late Lance Jones-I lost my father to Leukemia in 2007. I had tried my best but the message is to keep on going and the bike would inspire people and grab attention to share message. The picture is of me in the yellow (LIVESTRONG>>YEAH), my little brother Jay and my wonderful gram-Marlene White. AWWESOME BIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please give me this practical bike, so instead of driving one of these:

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/ccae5bf3e27dbc5231259fcc4a950395.gif[/img]

to college, I can use a bike/train combination that would be alot more eco-friendlier than this old blue monster.
I would be using the train already, but it is a bit far away, 25 minutes walking, but with a folding bike I’d be there in no time, exercise a bit and be eco-efficient.

Cheers from Zagreb, Croatia
Bruno

Top 10 reasons why I need THIS folding bike:
1. I have muscle problems and cannot lift the heavier folding bikes (including my husband’s, which is a lot heavier than the Strida).
2. I live in a walk-up and need a folder to carry up my narrow stairs.
3. My apartment can’t fit non-folding bikes (unless I get rid of either our dog or the stove!).
4. I would be a great spokesperson for biking and folders, since I talk to EVERYBODY on the street.
5. I need the exercise and other than biking and walking, I really, really hate exercise.
6. I would like to ride my new Strida bike with my husband (who has been bragging about his folding bike for years).
7. I can take it into meetings and it’s a great conversation piece (did I mention that I talk to everyone?).
8. I love hats, and it’s an excuse to get another one (ie, a helmet!).
9. We have an eco design studio here, and we walk the walk and talk the talk, but I also want to bike the bike.
10. The bike is really, really, really cute.
[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/d83f9fcae58a659e6cca24cee882fd32.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/ceee2ad9b3e3e82c0ccf4668382760e8.jpg[/img]

I look at this Strida bike with stary eyes everytime I walk past this one shop window in Venice Beach CA. It’s rad, but way out of my price range… not complaining though because I am abundant in life n general.

As I draw closer to the end of my maternity leave, I look for ways to get back into shape. The Metro is my source of transportation in Los Angeles and where my bus drops me off, I still have a healthy one mile walk to my work place. I totally love walking and gladly ride the bus in place of crowding the LA streets with one more car so much so that I gave up my Jeep one year ago.

The Strida bike would be a great workout for helping me tone up after my pregnancy.

If I won the Strida bike, I would love to make my commute to work half Metro, half cycling. The bike could easily be stored in the break room at work and wouldn’t take up any space.

I’m working on manifesting this bike!

Pick me! Pick me!

HELLO:

i am jared. i am from austin texas. i have not owned a car in all my 25 years. the metro system here only allows two bikes attached to the front of the bus; they are always full. i walk a lot. architecture/design work is not the best right now.
my shoes are wearing thin!

thank you!

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/bike22.jpg[/img]

Hello!

This is my ride; the 18-Speed FS(?) Grand Teton! I’ve been riding this bike for well over ten-years, back to 1998 when my mom got this for me at a sears dept. store for my 12th birthday!
It admittedly looks a little better than usual (I wd-40′d the crap out of it yesterday), but looks can certainly be deceiving. The tire rims are rusted to high heaven, the breaks are not in the best condition; whenever I am going downhill, the chain takes it upon itself to slip off and switch gears, and don’t get me started on the seat! Not to mention the size of the frame is decidedly too small for me. Despite the soaring sentimental value this bike has for me, I’ll be the first to admit the days of it’s functionality are numbered.
I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve got it repaired, and looked at, and the money I’ve invested in replacing random parts and so on. I’ve been in dire need of a new bike for quite some time, and the Strida Folding Bike you all are offering as bike pimpage would make my life so happy! I live in the far reaches of south Brooklyn, and my commute to the city is 8 or 9 miles depending on the route, and how fearless I am that day. There are 0 trains within walking distance to me (closest line is 3-4 miles), and bikes are not allowed on buses ever (a folding bike would come in quite handy *nudge*nudge*). I don’t have my license, and refuse to drive a car anyway, so biking and the occasional mass transit indulgence are the only ways I get around this fair city.

In conclusion; please take pity on my soul and grant me this perfect specimen of a bicycle!

Cheers,
Gabriella

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/bike-1.jpg[/img]

P.S. If you couldn’t tell from the picture, my bicycle lives on the back patio of our house, and has been hanging there all winter (I know, I know, I’m terrible!). I live with my folks and three younger sisters, so we’re living in tight quarters where there is regretfully no room to spare for my poor bike. But, a folding bike would be another story altogether. I’m just saying!

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that’s how i found my bicycle one night…all that i could safe was this, ever since there she is trying to have some fun with all this books….she got really smart since then but i could never try to put her again on the road…now she’s an artist….i really need another one, a really small, for when i’m at home can be here.. next to her =)

r | t a

Using 4 Bikes and some gas pipe might be a good way to recycle 4 broken bikes, but not exactly the best way to get from point A to point B, or to travel to another city and ride there… A folding bike would be the answer to all my questions! AND A LUGGAGE RACK?!?! WOAH!!! …Although the Tall bike IS getting a shopping cart basket installed at the bottom… there is NO comparison!

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I’m on a mission to make this world a better place. The Strida folding bike will enable me reach more people.. and my feet will be very thankful. XX

My trusty Old Schwinn Sportabout is a wreck. But rather than adding it to the landfill, it has been repurposed as a perch for my chickens – Puffin (the rooster) and Midnight. But I need a new ECO-ride desperately. The STRIDA would be perfect for my commute from Montclair, NJ to Chinatown in NYC because I can fold it up and take in it on NJTransit.

Layng

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/30a5806a844ff47e5f99207d90c35d3a.jpg[/img] | back

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My Volvo 84′ clearly isn’t making the cut anymore – a leaky transmission, bad breaks, a front hood that won’t close, a battery that needs to be sanded for corrosion every time before I start her, a burnt out window switch, a leaky sunroof, a burnout tail light, tires that constantly need air, and the kicker, a terribly inefficient, carbon-contributing vehicle!

I looked into Cash for Clunkers, but she’s over 25 years old :(

I could really use a way to get around in the city.

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/712d47c05dcf2523d0c981db75c17193.jpg[/img]

Hopefully this bike will change my dogs driving habits :-)

Cheers

This is (WAS my only ride and it’s busted… Seriously I NEEEED a bike! PWEEEZE!?!??

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Does your commute make you wish you had a flying car? Even an old, blue beater like the Weasley family’s in Harry Potter? Mine DOES!!! With this bike, I can pedal leisurely past LOTS of commuters, perhaps inspiring them to take a bike to work, too. And I can save my broom for what it’s meant for. Quidditch!

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Hey Folks!

I’m Barney and I’m little sausage dog. And as you see a little too chubby. Still, that’s nothing to worry too much – you should see my owners beer belly – but I’ll spare you the view for humanitarian reasons.

The point is we both need to exercise more as our daily walks aren’t much of a fat killer and Strida would be perfect opportunity for us to shape up a bit.

Good luck to you all and remember – stay healthy!

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My ride is a 1995 Miyata mountain bike. I love it. I ride it every day of the year. Every day of the year, in Edmonton, Canada. Minus 25 C is not unusual, my record was minus 33 which I would recommend to no one. It still works, even though I have now been through three drive trains, four new sets of cables, three different seats, worn out the head set, and had both wheels stolen. Oddly, I actually had one of those stolen wheels returned to me, though I needed to go to court and testify that I did not give the accused permission to be carrying my wheel down the street at 3 in the morning. My wonderful irreplaceable clunker! The Strida would totally round out my cycling madness. With it I could take it on buses anywhere in the city and wheel it into my downtown office. Woohoo, no more stolen wheels! :)

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Desperately need another STRIDA to get my eco-friendly wife off my back!
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I little over a week ago I broke my foot skateboarding and even though the bruises are fading, I’m thinking bicycling to work would be safer!
It might not be as portable as a skateboard, but this bike would be easy for me to handle up and down my fourth floor walk up, easy to carry on the train and it would feel so good riding to my job at a really great messenger bag company. I’d proudly put it on display there because its such a great looking bike!

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Hello InHabitat friends and readers!

Being able to participate just this late showed me that all of you deserve this amazing bike.
Just wish Areaware and InHabitat could sponsor some more Stridas to the amazing posts I’ve read!

Anyway, even though everyone has a strong reason, I humbly believe I’m the most desperate needer :)
Why is that? Because I’m 32 years old and I’m still single!

The truth is that I’ve ignored my look a little bit… I’m chubby and girls like mainly sexy guys, right?!
So, I’ve figured it out! I’m going to become the sexiest guy in the neighbourhood with the help of the sexiest bike in the world!!
Is there a better way to get fit but in this beautiful wheels?

I have to say I’m not a guy who had a lot of bikes…
I remember having just a couple when I was a Kid so, this will be a major change in my life and I can’t wait for it!
Leaving the car at home and comutting by public transportation and Strida! :D

So, i’m declaring to the world: If I’m lucky enough to win over this tough competition, I’ll create imediately a blog dedicated to keep you posted of my daily travels with Strida and fitness acomplishments.
Of course, you’re all invited to visit Lisbon at Portugal for my marriage :D

Thank you all so much for this oportunity and good luck everyone!

I correctly uploaded a 537 wide image and pasted the tag, but no photo in the post. Here is my second attempt. It goes with my comment a few posts above.

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/0a1ea0dce8b5f018441de0979be35719.jpg[/img]

JEWEL BOX BIKE… Mirrored confetti mosaic plus found objects. Almost too precious to ride so I need something for my morning work commute.

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LADIES AND GENTELMEN PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THIS FLIGHT ATTENDAT
IT WOULD BE A PLEASURE HAVE A STRIDA ON BOARD AND TAKE IT EVERY CITY I USUALLY GO.

WHY I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MY OWN FOLDING BIKE?

BECAUSE I TRY TO RENT A BIKE IN EVERY PLACE I ARRIVE
AND NOT EVERY CITY ALLOW ME TO DO THAT.

FOR ME THE ONLY WAY TO DISCOVER A CITY IS BY BIKE. LOOKING THINGS AT MY OWN SPEED.

LET ME UNFOLD A STRIDA BIKE AND SHOW THE WORLD A GOOD RIDE

THANKS FOR RIDING WITH ME
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I longed for a ducati but could not come up with the dosh…so i strapped an engine on to my fixie…but alas my current set of wheels churns through the petrol!

I really need this pimped out bike so i can power through the city without the fumes

fun facts >>
{1} my apartment (room) is 82.5 square feet. as in it’s eight by ten feet with a windowsill. in the photo below, notice my kitchen (a hot plate), the folding table (in the lower mid-left), the various ropes & pulleys to suspend the necessities of life, a sink and folding chair.
{2} everything I own either folds, is small or attached to a pulley system. this includes my chairs, table, bed/sofa/desk, toaster-oven/cabinet, cinderblock counter/stove/chair and climbing wall / storage area. it’s a very productive 82.5 sq feet.
{3} i’m a 23 year-old freelancer without a single set of wheels.

in conclusion, as outside my bike would be stolen and a regular bike cannot fit (like fo’ serious, apartment is 8′ wide with a bed) this beautiful folding bike would be the punctuation to my words, the cream to my peaches, the rocketship to my fledging space exploration program.

[img]http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/b361f0dea5a61ad3b834205103a877f5.jpg[/img]

p.s. I tried to replace my original photo through the Wordpress admin but couldn’t get it too work .. and am thus late with this fairly redundant re-post.