Music professor and public health specialist becomes Malaysia’s official Bike Friday dealer.

HEY Foldies!

In this issue, we meet Dr Andy Ng.
He’s the man responsible for retailing Bike Friday folding bicycles in the country.

Doc Friday is in the house: Andy, showing off the Bike Friday hyperfold Tikit.

To begin with, I first met ‘Doc’ Andy several months ago at Johnny Ng’s ‘My Bicycle Shop’ in BU 4, Bandar Utama, Selangor.
The introduction was a Bike Friday ‘Hyperfold’ Tikit (a compact commuter folding bike) and the two-seater tandem.

Fastest-folding Bike Friday: The hyperfold Tikit.

It takes two to tango: Doc Andy and his partner Daisy Lee on a Bike Friday tandem.

This was brought in to introduce the brand, a respectable North American manufacturer specialising in folding bikes.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Bike Fridays have been around for more than two decades and the first person whom I came to know riding this particular folding bike is Mr Yeoh Chee Weng, a veteran cyclist and proud owner of the Bike Friday Pocket Companion.

For the folding bike enthusiast, Doc Andy is now selling the Tikit, New World Tourist (a folding bike specifically-built for touring), the Pocket Rocket (road bike) , Pocket Llama (built like a tank) and the future Tikit (belt-driven with an internal hub gear).

“If you love touring, you’ve got to try the New World Tourist! Its the best folding bike ever made for the tourer,” said Doc Andy.

To get a feel of the Bike Friday bikes, I was invited by the good Doctor to try out the Bike Friday Pocket Llama 2012 select.
Priced at RM8k a pop, this is one of the toughest and most robust folding bike ever made.

Built like a tank: Samo test-riding the 2012 Bike Friday Pocket Llama Select.

Handling was superb as it comes with a 24-speed drivetrain including a pair of mechanical disk brakes.
What I like about the Bike Friday Pocket Llama was its simplicity and ease of use. While its not that compact folded, the Llama is a bike built to survive.

And if you are an experienced folding bike rider, the Bike Friday Pocket Llama can be customised according to your specifications.

AN AWESOME DUDE!

Doc Andy is one who listens to his customer.
On a typical sales consultation session, he would spend time with the customer to discuss on how and what is the best way to suite the cyclist’s needs.

The commuter’s choice: Andy demonstrating the Future Tikit at his showroom in Bandar Utama Club.

Each Bike Friday itself, is a work of art. The bikes are hand-made in Oregon USA and is guaranteed for life. And being a passionate man himself, Doc Andy also joined the local foldies here for their rides.

He said that such are good experiences gained to gauge the folding bike scene. With a good attitude and fuelled by passion, I have a good feeling that the man’s business will go a long way.

SEEING IS BELIEVING

If you demand a lot from a folding bike and are willing to pay for it, give Bike Friday a try. Doc Andy’s store: My Family Cycle Services can be accessed on Facebook and their blogsite: http://myfamilycycles.blogspot.com

BF’s roadbike: Johnny Ng and the Bike Friday Pocket Rocket at his shop in BU4, Bandar Utama.

Give the man a call and he’ll gladly arrange a test-ride. The Bike Friday bikes ranges from RM4.5k to RM10k depending on specification.

By Samo
samcheong@gmail.com