Here’s a design straight out of Europe…Biria’s “Easy Boarding Top 3” city bike. With its innovative step-through frame and comfort features, the bike is ideal for around-town errands, neighborhood cruising and light commuting.
Here are the manufacturer’s specs:
Frame – Aluminum 7005 – 40 cm (15.5″) and 46 cm (18″)
Fork – Hi-Ten unicrown
Rims – Aluminum
Tires – 26×1.75
Gear – 3-speed Shimano Nexus internal gear with coaster brake
Stem – Adjustable Aluminum
Handlebar – City cruiser
Brake – Rear coaster foot brake and front alloy v-brake
Weight – 31 lbs.
Colors – Red, pearl white, Satin Blue, Aqua Blue, brushed aluminum, black
Standard – Chain guard, kick-stand
Option – Rack, fenders
Biria’s wild stepthrough frame configuration — no leg-swinging required. Just step across and GO!
I’ve only ridden this bike around the block a couple times…it was a Valentine’s Day gift to my wife. She’s the one who spends a lot of time on it, so we figured, “what better way to get a review of it than let her use her own words?” So, here goes:
This past Valentine’s Day, I was presented with a lovely Biria “Easy Boarder” bicycle by my most thoughtful husband. I wanted a utilitarian commuter bike that would serve as an errand-runner as well, but would also cater to my girlie need to wear a skirt if I damn well wanted to. The Biria delivers, baby!
This is not a bike designed for the “extreme�? sport enthusiast. It weighs approximately 622 pounds and does not at all make you look like an ass kicker. It does not inspire you to perform “sweet jumps�?. But it rates high on the Eurochic meter, with a very styling leather seat and matching handlebar grips. It is, indeed, easy to board with its cutaway frame, and the covered drivetrain makes grease stains on the hemline unheard of.
Three speeds are all I need on the relatively flat terrain of the Tampa urban jungle, and there’s plenty of room on the handlebars for pimping your sweet ride with a Basil basket. That basket comes in especially handy on account of the frame is too chunky to affix a bottle cage. Not a problem for me, as I’m sort of gawky (in the most charming and feminine way possible, of course) and fear colliding into whatever may be handy as I struggle to pull my squeezie bottle free. I’ve also got some flashy panniers on the backend, ‘cause I’m a girl what likes to accessorize.
The only source of irritation is the coaster braking system. For those who are in the habit of backpedaling whilst you coast, you could be in for a nasty surprise as you come to a screeching halt. It does, however, have a front brake that is of the more conventional handlebar variety, which I favor in order to avoid horrible 7th grade flashbacks.
All in all, I am thrilled that Jack beat the crap out of that 70-year-old couple that were eyeing my fine German-designed machine and snagged it for me first. I ride it to work every other weekend and get to feel invigorated while I’m looking all snazzy. Now if I could only master cycling no-handed so I could randomly flash the “jazz hands�? to passing motorists, I’d be the coolest girl ever!
Euro-chic, indeed…stylish and functional for those who aren’t in a hurry to get anywhere fast and who appreciate some comfort along the way.
Popularity: 41% [?]
You nice bike is only second to you great review. Enjoy that great bike.
computer cyclist.
Very cool indeed. I love the step through look. Although I’d be interested in knowing how it would handle a curb. It looks like it would high center on you. Not that it’s made for the North Shore MTB crowd, but the occasional curb is within the realm of the average city rider in these parts.
Great review. I love the step through frame. I was just complaining about that this past week. I love to commute in skirts (these are actually commuter specific with bike shorts underneath) and I hate it when all the pervs gawk thinking they’re getting a peep show at my chonies when I throw my leg over the bike. Sure would be nice just to step through!!
The “stepthrough” part of the frame IS pretty low, and although I don’t think Leah is a curb-jumper, I do know that rolling the bike over a threshold (like in a neighbor’s garage workshop) will cause that low part of the frame to high-center.
Based on that alone, I think that the frame’s stepthrough portion should have a good bit more ground clearance built in than it currently does, but which would still allow easy boarding.
I don’t consider myself a performance enthusiast by any means, but I still think this bike is a “little” to heavy to be practical. I made up my mind when I read that you wrote that “It weighs approximately 622 pounds”. I think I’ll try to find a bike that weighs less than 3 times my own weight.
(In case you missed it, I’m just making fun of what I’m sure is a typo.
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[...] Biria “Easy Boarding Top 3? — Guest Review (Bike Commuters) [...]
Not a typo…it was an intentional “fun poking” at the incredible weight of this bike. Manufacturer says it weighs 31 lbs…but in reality it is much heavier! I’ll see if I can get it on a scale to test out how much it really weighs.
Excellent ride IMHO…my bride tried one and like the concept (she wears skirts A LOT) but they didn’t have the ultra small size in stock and were not sure when or if they could even get one. The design is a proven one in DK and NL. Definitely not for off roading
[...] the following bike alert from our friend Jack Sweeney: Some dirty bastard scofflaw made off with my wife’s Biria yesterday from the employee parking garage at Tampa General [...]
I read that this bike was stolen on the front page and I have a few questions.
How was the bike secured? What locks were used and what was the bike attached to? I presume that the employee garage is a pass card secured building? I ask because my girlfriend is starting to commute to her job at ACH and may be in a similarly vulnerable position.
Raiyn, please read the comments on the following post:
http://www.bikecommuters.com/2008/05/11/stolen-bike-alert-downtown-tampa/
your questions will be answered.
Raiyn,
the trick is to use two different types of locks, and make sure the most durable one (probably a good-quality U lock) is the one that attaches the bike to the rack.
Remember that nothing will prevent all bike thefts, but if you make your bike as difficult and unappealing as possible, a thief will move onto an easier target!
Ghost Rider,
While I appreciate your comments, and I hate to sound egotistical, I’m not exactly a neophyte when it comes to bikes and related topics. I’m well aware of the proper methodology involved in locking a bike.
Link for the readers, not mine but good. http://www.mechbgon.com/lock/index.html
I was more concerned about the types / models of locks involved (obviously the U-lock wasn’t defeated on-site) and the object that the bike was secured to. The other concern was over the pass key system. It’s supposed to be “employee parking” not “Random Bike Thief Land” I’ve taught my girlfriend the proper way to lock her bike, as well as registered all of our bikes with the National Bike Registry, but the thing that troubles me is that the thief had access in the first place. Answer that question and you might have your thief. One other thing to consider, does the “security” office have footage of the day / area in question? You might have better luck if you had a picture of the suspect.
Nevermind about the footage, I re-read the other comment section and saw that it was pointed at the wall. Negligent rent a cops! 6 or 7 thefts in 10 days! Unacceptable! A stink needs to be raised toot sweet.
Loved the review, just wanted to let you know it was instrumental in my selecting a Biria Top-3 for my new about-town transport! Regrets at your wife’s loss, and I’m sure the dirty bastard scofflaw will get his karmic retribution in due time. I’m leaning towards a Kryptonite lock to protect my new baby from Bay area bike bandits.
Sbrunnergirl, I highly recommend one of Kryptonite’s chain-based locks (New York or Fahgeddaboudit). The Biria’s frame tubes are incredibly chunky in all the usual places where you otherwise might want to use a traditional U lock…and a chain will give you some more flexibility in locking strategy without any of the security concerns of a cable lock. The only real drawback to a chain lock is that they are freakin’ HEAVY. Still, they’re worth their weight in peace of mind.
I’ll be sure to let Leah know that she helped someone else decide on one of these beauties…have fun and enjoy your Eurochic goodness!
Thanks for the Biria review!
We’re in the middle of a set of test rides using the Biria Easy-Boarder over here in Bad Breisig, Germany (in a non-pedal configuration) for seniors on a bike path and park along the Rhine.
We’ve got it going up against three other designs:
1) a Dahon Clone of the P-8 without pedals (Bocas Folding Bike)
2) Schauff La Luna with pedals and adult training wheels (Yep, they got ‘em)
3) Our proprietary Glider Rider MTV (ExtraBody Surface Area) Version
FYI: For those interested in promoting riding for elders/age-enriched:
Our test runs end on 14 Sept and we’ll be presenting data at the 2009 Velo-City Conference in Brussels: Velo City 2009 (Re-cycling cities) under the title:
One Year Later: Has Technology Brought New Hope to Community Bike Programs in N. America (SmartBike, Wash., DC and Public Bike System-Montreal, Canada)?
My wife and I use to ride bikes, but when we started making a family and staying busy with work, we left the bikes (and the good exercise that came with it) by the wayside. Now in our 50s, we have decided to get back on the pedals. The Biria looks like a perfect fit for us “senior cruisers”.
One problem though is we would have to load up the bikes in order to go to a somewhat “safe” place to ride (we live on a busy highway with no neighborhood roads). Can anyone suggest a rack for them?
epatriot, some of it depends on what kind of vehicle you drive, but it seems like the best way to haul a Biria is a rack that uses “wheel trays” rather than hooks that cradle the frame. Here’s an example:
http://www.mtnbikeriders.com/2008/01/24/first-impression-tuckerman-hatchback-xt-bike-carrierrack/
Thanks for the quick reply. I just found the Saris “Thelma” rack website. It looks like it might work for the EasyBoard Top 3. Does anyone know anything about the Saris?
I don’t know about that particular model, but I know that most of the other Saris racks get good reviews (Saris “Bones” springs to mind, but that one won’t work for your purposes).
I have not been on a bike for over 20 years… just purchased my Biria and let me tell you I am very pleased…. It’s very comfortable and the step through is perfect… I am 4″11 and most bikes even smalls are too high and this is just great! I’ve recommended this bike to a number of ladies and the 2 that have purchased one LOVE IT! Great for the Suncoast Trail.
I bought a biria 7 speed bike 3 years ago for over $500. I was just told by the bike shop where I bought it that one of the parts was stripped and the bike could no longer be fixed. If you buy this kind of bike, make sure you get a tune up every year. I would not recommend buying any Biria given the fact that they do not last longer than 3 years and are quite expensive. All the previous bikes I have owned lasted 15 years and were much cheaper!
Sally, I’d be curious to know exactly which part stripped and why that made the whole bike unusable…sounds like hamfisted assembly at some point (possibly even at the bike shop where you bought it), because parts don’t just “strip” on their own.
I am glad you like the bike, that is what really counts. But this bike is pretty expensive for a bike that weighs a ton, has low end components all over, and won’t fit on most of the less expensive, good bike racks. It seams like you are really paying a big price for only the Euro look.
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