The Bike Geek

About me: I’m an avid cyclist, I ride road, mountain and I commute to work on a bike. I’m 5′7″ and about 170lbs.

My commute: My commute varies from 30 miles to 8 miles roundtrip. I ride the streets of Whittier, Santa Fe Springs, Norwalk, South Gate and Downey. I also use the San Gabriel River Trail to ride to work. My commute is 99 % flat, just a few underpasses and a couple of small rollies.

The Bike:KHS F20-R Foldable road bike.

The Specs:
Frame: Crmo frame
Fork: 1-1/8″ blades
Headset: A-Head 1-1/8″
Rims: Silver anodized alloy
Hubs: Silver anodized alloy Q/R
Crankset:Truvativ 3-Piece 170mm crank, 53/39t chainwheel
Stem: Forged alloy 2-bolt
Rear Cassette: 9-speed
Seatpost: Alloy 26.0X410L
Shift Levers: Shimano Sora STI
Brakes: Tektro Dual Pivot
Color: Gray Mirror
Extras: Bell, Bullhorn handlebars, rear shock, kickstand

MSRP Price Range:$999.00

Bike Highlights: The F20-R is a super versatile, super fast, super fun bike. The strongest point of the bike is of course it’s capability to fold. Folding the bike is extremely easy, unlatch the frame lever and fold! That’s it! You can also detach the stem and remove the seatpost if necessary.

The bike weighs around 24 lbs, not bad for a foldable bike that has a rear shock and 3 piece 53/39 Crank. That’s right, the F20-R features KHS’ softail technology that adds a .5″ rear shock that takes the edge of the bumps allowing the rider’s back to become less fatigued. With a 53/39 Crank and a 9 speed cogset, the gearing allows the rider to go fast on the flats and easy on the knees on the way up a climb. You can install water bottle holders in two places, the frame and the stem. The bullhorn bars really enhance the look of the bike, the also allow the rider multiple hand positions.

Bike Lowlights:Pedals. A better choice would be clipless or clipless/platform pedals. This bike really begs to be ridden fast.

The Ride:With a shortbase and small diameter tires the F20-R does react quicker to steering input. Once I got used to it, I was able to flow thru traffic with ease. The rear shock really works as a vibration dampener, I never felt any bobbing or bottoming sensation. This bike can really move while riding on the big ring, I was able to reach 18-21 mph confortably in the draft. The bike does feel like a road bike, so some comfort is sacrificed but its all at the compromise of speed.

My opinion:
I’m a sucker for ’specialty bikes’, Why? simply because they are different. Really, who likes to ride the same bike that everyone else is riding? Sometimes different does not mean functional or efficient, this is totally the opposite in the case of the F20-R. The bike excels at being efficient, functional, pratical and fun. This bike is truly a ‘do it all bike’ in a small package. I often get asked what is the advantage of having a foldable bike, well, if you live in an apartment with limited space, if you drive a car and don’t want to invest on a bike rack, if you fly and would like to take your bike with you, if you have an RV or boat, if you ride the train… And I’m pretty sure there are plenty more.

I easily put over 100 miles on this bike, and truth being, it has become one of my favorite bikes.

Bottom Line:
The bike’s MSRP is $999, which is less than what some other foldables of this type go for. If you are in the market for a high performance folding bike, then look no further, the F20-R is for you.

For more information on this bike, visit www.khsbicycles.com