Pocket Llama

Built with a higher bottom bracket than the New World Tourist for greater rock-clearance, the Llama is designed as an off road machine. The forks and rear triangle are made from larger diameter steel tubing to boost stiffness and durability for touring and expedition rides. We tend also to specify the Llama for bigger, more powerful riders who naturally give their bike more stick, and need the sturdiness that the Llama has to offer. It's important to note that, despite a notable upgrade in strength, the Llama does not suffer from an equal increase in weight - the engineers amongst you will already know that doubling a tube's diameter increases stiffness by a factor of eight, so a small increase in weight results in a significant increase in stiffness without piling on the pounds.
The Llama benefits from Bike Friday's custom-sizing program where your own body measurements and those of your favourite bike can be merged together producing an outstanding bike that packs into a case and can be taken onto any GB train or coach free of charge. Folding takes about ten seconds for the quick fold, if you just want to get it onto the train or into the back of the car. Alternatively getting the Bike Friday Llama into a suitcase will take around fifteen minutes, which is significantly easier than the real thing as they have a tendency to bite and spit, and no body has managed to fit a Llama into case small enough to take onto a bus yet anyhow.
The type of gearing components we put on Llamas varies from a 9 derailleur system to the tough and potent 27 speed SRAM Dual Drive units. The Dual Drive system, which is a combination of a three-speed hub and an eight or nine speed derailleur, offers a very tidy way of fitting a full compliment of gears onto a folding bicycle. If you prefer a full derailleur set up then we usually fit a combination of mountain and road bike transmission components to achieve higher gearing equivalent to that a conventional wheeled bike. We generaly fit either normal mountain bike flat handlebars or Bike Friday's 'H-Bars' which give a bar-ends position and a more upright cruising position. Both bars have the ability to be split in half for easy stowage and both types can take derailleur or twist gear shifters. As with the majority of Bike Friday bicycles, if you get a Llama custom-made by us you can choose your favourite colour from a range of primary, metal flake or pearlescent finishes, and custom select every component right down to the last nut and bolt.