_800x600.jpg)
_800x600.jpg)
_800x600.jpg)
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is it that the price of BERNDS bikes is so high?
- Is the rolling resistance with small wheels not greater than with 28" wheels?
- Are BERNDS bikes not larger and heavier than other folding bikes?
- Where can I test-ride a BERNDS?
- Can child seats be fitted?
- Can a child ride along on a BERNDS tandem?
- Does the belt last as long as a chain?
- Can I carry luggage and if yes, how?
- Why does BERNDS use 20" wheels?
- Why is it not permitted to use suspension seatposts and sprung saddles?
- Why do BERNDS bikes not have full suspension?
- Why does the rear wheel touch the mudguard? Doesn't it get broken?
- How safe are the folding handlebars?
- With the small wheels, do you not have to pedal more?
- Why do the handlebars wobble about so much? Which way should I steer the handlebars?
With the small wheels, do you not have to pedal more?
A widely-held prejudice which we can dispel completely.
We compensate for the smaller circumference of the 20" wheels (roughly 1.30 m compared to about 2.00 m in the case of 28" wheels) by using a correspondingly larger chain wheel.
What decides the pedalling speed (or more accurately the cadence) is what is known as the development (or rollout). This is the distance in metres which you cover with one revolution of the pedal crank. This distance is determined by the relationship between the chain wheel and chain sprocket, and in the case of hub gears, in addition by the transmission ratio within the hub, and finally by the circumference of the wheel.
With the appropriate transmission ratio to a 20" wheel, at any given speed, you always pedal just as fast or as slow as with a 28" wheel.