Bought From: UnicCycle, Forel, Switzerland
Price: about £3,000 in Swiss Francs
Time Owned: 4 weeks
Local Terrain: Vertiginous (1,400 to 3,000m)
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Strengths:
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Weaknesses:
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Summary:
When men get to a certain age, they’re supposed to dream of buying a Porsche (see the film ‘Lost in Translation’). This is the ecologically sound alternative. The Flyer’s performance is simply astonishing and I use it at every possible opportunity, and then some.
Photos attached below.
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Overall Rating (out of 10) : An emphatic 10
Price: about £3,000 in Swiss Francs
Time Owned: 4 weeks
Local Terrain: Vertiginous (1,400 to 3,000m)
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Strengths:
- Strongly built by Swiss artisans, which partly explains the price
- Crank-assistance from the Panasonic motor works very well up mountains and with the wide spread of gears in the Rohloff hub, it will go up absolutely anything
- Goes like the wind in 14th gear and assistance is quite marked up to about 35 kph. Assistance is limited to 45 kph
- Can freewheel at dangerously high speeds (60 kph+) downhill and still feel stable, helped by its 28" wheels
- It feels like riding a normal upright bike except that it’s going twice as fast as you would expect. Especially noticeable when overtaking gorillas on MTB’s
- Very high quality spec (Rohloff 14-speed hub, Magura HS33 hydraulic brakes)
- Very well equipped with accessories (integral B&M high power lights, bright even in broad daylight, heavy duty Pletscher rack, good lockable front suspension)
- Comfortable saddle and very comfortable handlebar grips with a broad flat section for resting your palms on
- First service at three months is free
- Different and rare, even in its own country (only 70 made a week of all models). People smile and wave as you sail past, which they never do to the numerous Porsche and Ferrari drivers up here
- Easy to use
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Weaknesses:
- Quite heavy – turn the power off and it’s noticeable, uphill at least
- The infamous switch between 7th and 8th gear is there but can be managed
- Slightly noisier than a normal bike (especially when in high power mode) but there is usually so much wind noise in my ears I don’t hear it
- In this terrain, with my low level of fitness and in the rarefied mountain air, a battery is only good for just over 20 km and about 800m of vertical climbing, so for longer trips a spare is essential.
- Expensive, even by Flyer standards, but what the hell?
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Summary:
When men get to a certain age, they’re supposed to dream of buying a Porsche (see the film ‘Lost in Translation’). This is the ecologically sound alternative. The Flyer’s performance is simply astonishing and I use it at every possible opportunity, and then some.
Photos attached below.
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Overall Rating (out of 10) : An emphatic 10
Attachments
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