THE FOLDING SOCIETY
The Airnimal Chameleon - Road Test Report
My previous attempt a few weeks ago to visit Cambridge to test
the Airnimal having been thwarted by the local train to New
Street not running, I decided this time to ride all the way to
New Street for the test on 4th November. Even that arrangement
seemed in danger of being unsuccessful, since the state of the
railways at present, especially at weekends, makes all train
journeys uncertain. Accessing the web pages suggested the service
should be running, but experience earlier in the week left we
with no confidence that the web pages were accurate. Attempts to
ring National Rail Enquiries were a complete waste of time - a
pre-recorded message still stated that they are busy, and
try ringing later, then hangs up, after suggesting an incorrect
web page address as another source of information!
For this outing I chose to take the Bike Friday Pocket Rocket
- not at all convenient on the train (at least compared with a
Brompton), but good for the 16 Km ride to New Street, and nearest
of my bikes to the Airnimal for comparison purposes. The ride to
the station was uneventful, and the train to Cambridge left on
time. Folding the bike was not too much of a pain, and it was
reasonably easily stowed in the luggage space on the class 15?
train.
On
arrival at Cambridge (on time), I eventually managed to
disentangle the light and speedo from the wheel and reassemble
the bike. Waiting for me were not only Richard Loke and an
Airnimal, but also Malcolm Clarke on a Fold-It. A short ride took
us the Richard's house. While we set up an Airnimal for me to
ride, and adjusted the Rocket for Richard, Malcolm decided
to join us on the ride, and went back home to switch from the
Fold-It to a AM GT - with a Rohloff hub.
Before describing the test ride, we'll summarise the
specification - you can find more complete details on the very
comprehensive web site at http://www.airnimal.com
. [Photograph: Richard Loke with the Airnimal Chameleon
at Wimpole Hall]
To put the machine in perspective, it's easiest to quote the
first paragraphs from the web
site: "Most folding bikes put portability high on the
agenda, with the ability to ride far and fast taking second
place. Airnimal Designs has taken the opposite approach. With the
Chameleon we have aimed to design a bike that rides like a
high-quality machine, yet folds very compactly for travel.
Quickness of folding was not one of our main design criteria, as
we thought there are already excellent bikes on the market that
achieve this." Admirably put, and no nonsense trying to
pretend the bike is perfect for every conceivable purpose. If you
want a bike for rail-assisted daily commuting, and the trains you
would use require bikes to be folded, this is not the ideal
machine for you - best choose a Brompton! But if you want a
really good, fast, enjoyable road bike, which can be folded, this
is a strong contender.
Specification
The Airnimal comes in two frame sizes - Size 1, the smaller,
and Size 2, the larger. The main dimensional difference is frame
length, the Size 1 being equivalent to a top tube length of 52
cm, wheelbase 96.5cm, and size 2 being equivalent to a top tube
length of 56 cm, wheelbase 99.5cm. The frame itself is aluminium
7005-T6 alloy. A range of stem sizes and seatposts proved other
adjustments, which should suit riders from about 5 feet (1.52
metres) upwards.
The Airnimal has 520 sized wheels - 24 inches in imperial
terms, though the actual diameter over typical fast road tyres is
22.5 inches. While these are obviously smaller than those of a
mountain bike or conventional 700C wheeled road bike, they are
also noticeably bigger than the 451's on the Pocket Rocket, and
substantially bigger than the smaller 406's etc. Some people have
expressed concern about availability of tyres, but the Airnimal
web site lists no less than 8 tyres in this size, and all are
high pressure, narrowish tyres very suitable for road use (the
widest is a semi knobbly 24 x 1 1/4 which could be used for light
off road use and heavier touring). The St John Street Cycles web
site lists two 520 sized tyres (note that thee are other 24 inch
tyres listed, but not the correct 520 size - like
'20 inches', '24 inches' is a term used to describe more than one
type of tyre, and it's important to get the right one, ie 520 in
this case). This is actually a better choice than seems available
for the 451-wheeled Bike Fridays, such as the Rocket, both in
sheer numbers and also in quality. If you like the IRC Roadlite
available for the Rocket, one of the tyres listed for the
Airnimal is also an IRC Roadlite. Richard tells me that he will
be able to supply three types of tyre, so even if the full range
of 8 is not always easy to come by in the UK, you still have a
reasonable choice (one which owners of New Series of Moultons
would kill for!). The larger wheel is chosen for ride quality
(speed, acceleration etc, rather than comfort, though generally
larger wheels help in the comfort department as well). Rear
suspension is provided in the typical Moulton Mk
III/Brompton/Birdy form, with a swinging rear triangle, but this
is 'unified' rear triangle, ie the bottom bracket is mounted in
the triangle (like a New Series Moulton), so that chain length
does not vary with suspension movement, nor with folding -
control over the chain when folding is a problem with most other
designs, and is of course why the Brompton needs the tiresome
chain tensioner, despite not having derailleur gears. There is no
front suspension, but the Airnimal comes with carbon fibre forks
as standard, which probably offer more compliance than steel and
aluminium forks, but without any loss of tautness in the bike as
a whole. Touring forks in aluminium are also available - they
allow mounting of mudguards and a front rack. Although there are
no mudguards as standard on the bike, they are available as a
modestly priced option, and the front one can be attached to
carbon fibre forks via P clips or cable ties (mounting bosses of
any description are of course a problem with carbon fibre forks).
The stiffness of the rear suspension can be altered by replacing
the elastomer (like a Birdy), but only a normal and hard grade
are currently available. At present the Airnimal is only
available in a gold colour, though a yellow version is also
listed for some time in the future.
Standard componentry is Shimano 105 - reasonably priced and
generally good performance. A triple chainset (52-42-30) drives a
nine-speed sprocket set (12-23). This gives a very good gear
range of about 29.3 inches to 99.4 inches - quite suitable for
the type of person and type of riding for which the bike is
primarily designed. Personally, as an elderly, sedate rider, I
would opt for slightly wider spacing of the sprockets and a lower
bottom gear - say a 12-27 sprocket set; Richard tells me that a
change to another standard sprocket set could be accommodated if
the buyer requested this. Brakes are dual pivot callipers rather
than V-brakes - personally I prefer this if the design enables
enough braking effort to be applied, since I find V-brakes are
usually too light and not very progressive, making it all too
easy to lock a wheel, and many designs of V-brake make adjustment
of the shoe to wheel alignment both critical and extremely
difficult to set up.
The frame has one set of bottle cage bosses, mounted behind
the seat mast - I'd rather have seen at least two sets, but it's
hardly a buy/not buy matter. Apart from the mudguards, touring
forks and the tyres mentioned above, other optional accessories
include front and rear racks, unusually reasonably priced, a
suitcase, carry-on bag, wheel bag, and (not yet available) a soft
bag for the complete bike. For my purposes - train travel - I
would opt for a loose drop-over Pertex cover - light and
very small when folded - of the kind I use with the Brompton,
Pocket Rocket and (when I had one) the Birdy. The suitcase fully
encloses the bike, but does not have the ability to be used as a
trailer like the ones for Bike Fridays, so getting it to the
start point and disposing of it at the other end could call for
some planning.
As indicated earlier, folding is less of a priority in this
design than on many folders, and three levels of fold are
possible. Actually, it's a combination of fold and separate.
First level, which is quite quick and very straightforward, is to
remove the front wheel, pivot the back end underneath, so that
the back wheel goes where the front was, remove the seat pin and
saddle, and hinge the seat post mast; the seat pin can then be
replaced in the back of the seat mast if required. The resultant
package is still bulky by comparison with a Brompton or Birdy,
but is fairly easy to carry, and would be fine for stowing the
bike in a car; throw a cover over it, and you would probably get
away with putting it on a train like this, unless you encounter a
member of train staff who got out of bed the wrong side. The
second level "fold" is more drastic, and involves
removing the back wheel and handlebars as well, but fits the bike
into a case 58cm x 58cm x 29cm. The most drastic fold, which
includes removing the front forks, enables the frame (minus
wheels) to be treated as carry on luggage on a plane, in a case
56cm x 36cm x 20cm, when (to quote the brochure) ".. it's
just the robust wheels and touring accessories which you'll have
to entrust to the baggage-handlers". I've no experience of
taking a bike on a plane, but I don't feel very confident about
letting the baggage handlers near any wheels if I can help it,
however robust they (the wheels) may be. As the design brief
shows, this is not a compact folder for daily rail commuting if
you have to fold, but it's acceptable for a weekend, or a few
days away, or a long day ride with train (or car) travel to or
from the start point. And for such uses, presumably involving
longer rides, you should have access to a really high performance
machine when you are riding.
On the road
So how did the bike perform on the road? On my way to
Birmingham, and then in Cambridge, I had been distinctly
conscious of the rather harsh ride of the Pocket Rocket, so the
first thing I was looking for on the Airnimal was how it rides.
Rear suspension is via the now common method of a hinged rear
triangle bearing on an elastomer - simple, maintenance free and
light. The elastomer can be changed to suit particularly heavy
riders - I rode with the softer version, but at my (very light)
weight a softer elastomer would have been better. Richard
commented he had rarely seen so little deflection of the
elastomer - I think this is not just a question of my light
weight, but a fairly gentle and smooth riding style, perhaps
influenced by 35 years of riding Moultons! Nevertheless, the rear
suspension proved effective at taking the sting out of bumps, and
for a fast road bike of this kind, most owners are likely to
prefer a firmer ride to one which is too soft. More interesting
potentially was the behaviour at the front - no suspension, but
carbon fibre forks. CF forks are potentially lighter, stronger
and more resilient than steel or aluminium. I was most impressed
by the performance on the road - the front end felt stiff, but
with enough compliance to take the sting out of bumps. Overall
the ride, while not in the Moulton or Birdy class, was quite
comfortable, and definitely more comfortable on British roads
than the Pocket Rocket, or indeed the NWT. While it may lack the
ultimate comfort of fully suspended, softer, systems, it has the
advantage of no bobbing, bouncing or diving when pedalling fast,
working hard on hills, or braking. I would add that on some
surfaces where just the top dressing had gone, where even a New
Series Moulton is not very happy, the ride was as good as
anything I have used, both from the point of view of overall
comfort and lack of high frequency vibration.
Being in Cambridge, the terrain was very flat, with only a
couple of quite gentle hills, for which the middle ring of the
triple chainset was adequate. In fact the gearing was a bit on
the high side for me, and I hardly needed the biggest ring
either. The gear change, with Shimano STI levers, was superb,
though I had some difficulties remembering just what to do to
change gear, the operation being distinctly different from that
of the Campag system on the Rocket.
The bike felt extremely free running and was certainly the
equal of the Pocket Rocket in this respect, perhaps even better.
Also, like the Rocket, it was an exhilarating ride - fun, and it
encourages you to ride faster. Perhaps it's significant that I
commented towards the end of the ride that it felt as though the
wind had been behind us all the way - it wasn't of course, but
the bike ran so freely that it felt that way.
The
bike I rode was shod with narrow road tyres (though not the
fastest ones available). These had only a light tread, comparable
with the Roadlite or the Primo Comet, but they seemed to have
plenty of grip on the road, and certainly ran freely enough. I
doubt if I would want anything more sporting for my type of use,
though if I were to use the bike in a more "touring"
mode, something a shade wider with a bit more tread might
be more suitable. Richard tells me that there is a very free
running semi knobbly tyre available which would meet that
requirement. [Another picture at Wimpole Hall: Malcolm and the
AM GT on the left, Richard with my Pocket Rocket in the centre,
and Richard's friend Jim with the Airnimal on the right. This is
the Airnimal I was riding, but the seat was raised for the photo
to look more suitable for Jim - he was actually riding a slightly
older Airnimal with the larger sized frame. ]
Handling generally felt very good - very stable, but still
very responsive, and I immediately felt comfortable and confident
with the bike. The combination of the rather larger wheels, rear
suspension and carbon fibre forks meant that rather than slowing
down, standing on the pedals out of the saddle, or watching the
road for irregularities and steering round them, as I had on the
Rocket on the way to Birmingham, I could largely ignore the road,
apart from potholes, which I would avoid even on my Moultons or
Marin full-suspension mountain bike. The brakes proved quite
adequate and were very progressive and controllable.
Although I'm not a fan of aluminium for frames (see reports
elsewhere), this one is very sturdy, and quality of manufacture
is excellent, and the bike certainly felt light when lifted. The
bike comes without mudguards as standard - fortunately this was a
dry day - we were unusually lucky in this respect. I regard
mudguards as essential - even in the worst wet weather they
provide some protection for the feet, ankles, back and bum from
falling rain and spray from the wheels - I entirely disagree with
the correspondent in the latest issue of Arrivee (The Audax UK
magazine) who argues that they are of no value in very wet
conditions on long rides. Front and rear mudguards are available
as an option. One nice thing about the Bike Friday mudguards is
that although they look rather ugly and strange, and don't
provide quite as much protection as some types, only one bolt is
needed to hold each mudguard, which means you can take them off
or replace them very easily to suit conditions - the Airnimal
mudguards are more conventional, so really you make a decision
either to fit the bike with them permanently (or for at least
days or weeks on end), or to leave them off. For a fast road
bike, the Bike Friday solution is certainly attractive, though
apparently unique, or almost so.
With a train to catch, time had run out when we got back from
our ride, so I did not have time for a detailed examination of
folding options etc - though I was given a quick demonstration.
Although you need to remove the front wheel for the first fold,
and this first fold results in a fairly large package, which is
still recognisably a bicycle, the process is very straightforward
and foolproof, and the unified rear triangle means the chain
stays under control. For this reason I'm inclined to rate it as
at least as good, and probably slightly better, than a Bike
Friday - acceptable at the beginning an end of a longer, faster
ride, particularly if the riding is over several days, but
definitely not something one would want to do several times each
day. That's entirely in line with what the bike was designed for,
so this is just a restatement of the intended use, not a
criticism. It's worth adding that the bike is very light (about
10Kg) and its extremely easy to pick it up and carry it in the
unfolded state - lift by the horizontal main tube, hook the
saddle over your shoulder.
The Airnimal is available direct from Airnimal Designs, and
you can find details on their web pages (http://www.airnimal.com),
and is expected to be sold through a very small number of
specialist dealers, such as Avon Valley Cyclery (See their
FoldingBikes web site for more details - http://www.foldingbikes.co.uk).
Price is about £1200 for the standard model without mudguards,
carriers, bags etc, or pedals (very much a personal choice,
though the same could be said of a saddle, which is
included). A pair of mudguards cost £18.80, and the front and
rear racks are £18.80 each - pleasing to see that extras are not
charged at an exorbitant rate, unlike some manufacturers.
Conclusions
So overall, how good is the Airnimal? As the web page
information and the specification make quite clear, this is not a
compact folder for rail/bike commuters who have to fold their
bikes several times a day. This is a fast road bike which can be
folded - ideal for fast day rides, audax rides, etc, and quite
capable of being used for at least medium/heavy touring. It's
difficult to make an entirely fair judgment of performance when
you are not riding on your usual roads, and the terrain is so
different from your home area, but I was certainly very impressed
by the running of the Airnimal. For the type of use for which it
is designed, I think it makes a good choice. Its most obvious
direct competitors are Bike Fridays, especially the Pocket Rocket
and Air Friday models. I don't ride very far or very fast, but I
do like a good road bike, especially if I can keep a Brompton or
(better still) SP for occasions folding is a higher priority. For
my type of riding I would rate all these three bikes very highly,
but the Airnimal narrowly gets the vote from me, based on the
ride qualities of the proper rear suspension and the carbon fibre
front forks. Looking at competitors - whether they are
folders or good quality road bikes/tourers/audax bikes etc - the
Airnimal looks reasonable value for money. We will have some more
comparisons in the next issue of FSN.
Would (will!) I buy one? If I hadn't already got a Pocket
Rocket, and was thinking of a purchase in this market sector,
then very probably. Even with the Rocket, I'm tempted ... watch
this space!
Folding Society home page
Copyright (C)2000 Ferrets Anonymous
Last updated:
8 November 2000
URL: http://www.foldsoc.co.uk/airnimalrt.html