Now that I’m moving to a bike-friendly city, I’m really looking forward to getting some mileage out of my foldie. The irony, of course, is that I’ll have a place to keep a regular old non-folding bike, so I’m questioning if the foldie is the best choice. It probably is – it’s the best-riding bike I’ve ever owned. I may have loved my old Schwinn dearly, because it was the best-fitting bike I’ve ever had – but the clunky shift mechanism and the fact that I couldn’t easily find someone to work on it made it less than perfect. The foldie both fits and rides well, so it’s kind of a no-brainer.
Still, I’ve been keeping an eye out for other small bike options. By small, I mean 24″ – I’m both vertically-challenged and super uncoordinated, so it’s critical that my feet touch the ground easily. Recently I saw a girl riding a Coco bike down my street, and I immediately became intrigued.
Apparently Forge bikes are made specifically for Target, but they are supposed to be a cut above the usual poorly-made big-box bikes. I’m skeptical; I had an incident some years back in which my big-box Huffy comfort bike seized up on me while I was riding the Long Beach bike path, causing me to fly ass-over-teakettle into the sand. They don’t sell these in the stores, at least not around me – has anybody seen one in person?
ETA – Welcome, everyone who came here via Not Martha! The recommendations are much appreciated; however, I’m looking for feedback about the Forge Coco bike specifically. I know there are lots of great bikes out there, but this is the one I’m curious about.
June 21, 2009 at 8:00 pm
I never would’ve guessed Target. Interesting. I’m going to check these out during my next visit.
July 20, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Oooh it’s lovely! I’m also interested in any info about this bike!
July 20, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Pretty neat. Unfortunately I’ve not seen these in person or known anyone who has one. As a fellow short person, can I recommend either a Pashley or a small-framed Batavus model? I have the 48 cm Batavus Entrada Spirit and love it. Good luck!
July 21, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Would you consider a used bike? My hubby found a high-end Gary Fisher bike on Craiglist for a fraction of the cost. This purchase was after paying retail for his FIRST Gary Fisher and having it stolen
July 21, 2009 at 10:50 pm
Not sure about down there, but up in Seattle we have bike stores that build used bikes to your specs. I am having one rebuilt now, and it will cost under 300. It is a used bike, but a comparable one would cost 500+. I wouldn’t but any bike that couldn’t be easily fixed by a bike shop.
July 22, 2009 at 8:39 am
I am barely 5’2″ and have recently bought a Giant Trans End and can not express how excellent it is! The fit and way it sits is perfect for my “stature”!
July 22, 2009 at 9:23 pm
A Townie by Electra – used. They are incredibly well balanced and feature flat foot
technology and forward pedaling for stability!
Popular so should be easy to find:
http://www.electrabike.com/home.php
July 31, 2009 at 8:48 pm
My husband looked at the pic and the first thing he noticed was there’s no back fender. Could be an issue if it’s wet where you are. The Target reviewers love it, I’d buy one myself but it wouldn’t fit me.
August 3, 2009 at 6:38 am
I just ordered a Forge Coco, and I was looking up to see if anyone had gotten one and blogged about it, and I found your question.
I can’t wait to get it and try it out — I’ll stop back here in a week or so and let you know how it goes!
August 18, 2009 at 5:47 am
Sorry for the delay… I finally assembled the Coco! Today I’ll ride it for the first time, but I don’t have a helmet yet, so it won’t be far.
The bike totally fits me — I’m 5′ 5″ (with stubby legs) and I can sit comfortably on it and both toes touch the ground while seated. I have the seat almost all the way up, and it easily adjusts with a quick release lever.
Also, the handlebars are very cool — there’s stitching detail on them that they don’t show online.
Anyway, the bike arrived in a box that’s really too narrow for it, so the bolts on either side had torn through the box (there’s no padding around the bike!) My heart just sank, and the FedEx guy did a total ring-the-doorbell-and-run.
Luckily there was no real damage to the bike, so I pulled it out and started to assemble it… it took me three hours! If I had known anything about bikes, it would have taken 30 min. But now that I did it, I’m confident enough to do basic maintenance and adjustments, so doing it myself was totally worth it.
That’s it so far! It’s very cute with awesome details, looks well-made, and fits me comfortably. I’ll give a quick update after I take it for a ride.
I’m a bit of a scaredy cat about riding it, because I kept falling off my last bike…
August 18, 2009 at 11:15 am
Ok, I went for a spin, and I’m a bit wobbly on the bike, but that’s just me and my bad balance.
It’s great being able to touch the ground while sitting. I’ll have to get used to the pedals being slightly forward, and I’m still getting the hang of steering. But the push-button shifter works great, I feel more confident on it than on my old bike, and I think by fall I’ll be going for longer rides.
Here’s a few photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phosgraphia/sets/72157621951454613/
August 18, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Love the pictures! It is a very different-looking bike; glad it sounds like you found your perfect match! I like the grip details.