My Obsession continues: Masi Mini Velo

The little wheel, big frame confuses me, as do the smart car analogy. Why not a little frame with little wheels, like say a folding bike from Dahon, Brompton, Bike Friday?

well…probably no toe-overlap on that! Kinda cute…I think Mark should get one painted like my Molteni Merckx. We could ride around together and he’d be my mini-me.

=) Tai

Why not a big wheeler set up?

little frame + big fork + big wheel.

@Byron

for a man who hated sloping top tubes on road bikes, you should know why diamond frame on tiny wheels….in a word, style. that and the ergonomics of the frame are more similar to a standard road bike and the normal stem makes the front end stiffer than a “handlebar mast”.

@Tai

before i am mini-me, you will give me nachos, giant asian man!

The new thing I hate is Stupid Seat Masts. That and the great disservice done to cycling consumers by flat bars. And I really dislike questions on ebay like this, “is that measured center to center or outside to outside?”

and what i hate is socks that come in s/m and l/xl, because s/m isn’t small enough.

people who don’t care about sizing are usually those who are average size. i’m not, thus i’m screwed. and i don’t want to hear about just making do.

what i want is cheaper airline tickets or the right to take a 3rd bag without paying extra. because i weigh 50 lbs less than the average American. screw you people, why should i pay to fly your bacon-loving ass cross- country?

Call me before you go so I can give you the money to get me one. I like it.

Okay - I’m now accusing you of supporting my bike habit - it’s bad when you think about going to Japan just to buy a bicycle - the Bianchi Mixte mini bike is cool :-)

You can get one of these in the US… You just need enough coin to have IF build you one :-)

I know it’s a passion thing, but my god that bike is ugly.

Dahon have quite a few of these Mini Super-bikes , most fold but one or two don’t , the Dahons are elite climbers and have advanced frames . Of course the Dahon stuff all Air Travels well and is serviced Worldwide . I own a Dahon MuXL which travels everywhere with me , i ride from airports with my Travel Pro on my rack , it’s a superb bike , certainly up to the construction standards of my much more expensive machines . Dahon has arrived !

You’ve probably seen minivelo bikes at Interbike, where Asian exporters hope eternally for a distribution deal. I saw a handful at NAHBS last year, and I see a small handful on the roads in California. I’d love it if these were more available.

@Tony

when it comes to folding bikes, Dahon definitely has it going on, but they don’t really have any of these mini-racers in their offerings. it’s a hard choice for me, since i like folders, but i’m obsessed with these little pseudo-retro bikes like the Bianchi Mini Velo, Gios, the new Masi, and Bruno.

@Yokota

actually, I haven’t seen these bikes at Interbike since i started going in 2003. Bianchi and Masi are the most likely ones to someday bring this style of bike to these shores, but the men in charge are still a little hesitant to wager money on these bikes finding their niche here.

If Bianchi or Masi wants a point man to lead a “Mini Velo Revolution” , I’m ready. either that, or I’m going to sneak one into this country and start my own insurgency.

Dahon does indeed market mini-velos in N.A. They have offered their 20” wheel Hammerhead and Smoothhound NON-FOLDER road bikes in various model years for a while now.

And what are Alex Moulton bikes, if not the orignal mini-velos?

But like Mark Twain said, to make a man want something you merely need to make it appear to be hard to obtain!

I thought we had photos of the Hammerhead, but we don’t. Jason rode one when we visited Dahon in Taipei. What I don’t get about the Mini Velos is that with a full-frame size (it’s not mini than, right?), you’re not saving any room. See this from Dahon, full size bike with a hinge that folds. That’s not intended for suitcases of traveling, but to put into a trunk or stash on a condo deck. So, Masi et al could hinge that frame and it would make more sense. Just putting little wheels on a big frame doesn’t make any funtional sense to me, other than a gimmick. I mean it’s not even a cargo bike, where a stronger small wheel makes sense.

@Byron

on the contrary, a bike with small wheels always takes up less room than a standard bike. next time take a tape measure and measure some bikes end-to-end, not wheelbase but length overall.

think about it: would you say that your titanium race bike and your titanium rain bike ride the same? you like them both, but there are subtle differences, right? well they both have those huge ass 700C wheels! take a look at the differences between a Dahon Mu XL and a Bianchi Mini Velo 9, then tell me that you expect them to ride the same because they both have 20” wheels.

besides ride characteristics: let’s face it, if style wasn’t an issue, then keirin bikes wouldn’t be a cult, there would be no NAHBS, the word “Rivendell” would only be associated with elves and hobbits, no one would ever talk about “level vs sloping top tubes” or “lycra vs cargo shorts”.

so let’s just say that it’s a matter of taste. some people will like Gios Feluca, Bianchi Mini Vello 9, and this Masi; others just won’t get it. and that’s cool. it’s not like music, where the absolute superiority of My Bloody Valentine is incontrovertible.

My apartment is bursting with bikes; the next one I buy has got to be exceedingly cool and fun to ride.