What does FAQ stand for ?
Why aren't your models the same as riese und mueller's ?
Can I get a different colour ?
I'm confused trying to compare your models to other distributors ?
Why don't you have an internal hub Birdy model (Nexus) ?
Why do the Rohloff and Nexus bikes still need some kind of derailleur ?
What are your plans for the new monocoque frame ?
Why don't you change all your models to the new frame design ?
What tyres are available for the Birdy ?

FAQ stands for "Frequently Asked Questions". It is a term that has become commonplace on internet websites as a way of handling the most typical question that people might ask.

We realise that this does make things confusing especially when you're doing your research on Birdy models. There are several reasons why the Birdy models in different parts of the world are different. But even though this is the case, the frames are identical and all come from the same factory and are manufactured according to the same high standards. One of the main differences between the models is colour. In Australia we generally felt more adventurous with our colour choices and moved to have a lighter blue, orange and silver colours as part of our range. riese und mueller for a long time decided to stay with colours that they chose when the Birdy was first produced (1995). Because we started importing much later (year 2000), we did not feel the need to stay with any pre-existing colours.

Another main reason for differences in models is the preference of component choices. For example almost all the riese und mueller range of Birdys feature twist shifters for gear changing. For no obvious reason, twist type shifters are not seen by the Australian market as being of the same quality type as trigger shifters. For this reason, our range use trigger shifters wherever possible.

We also found that fitting an Ahead stem (80mm) to the handlebars as standard gave a better general riding position for the Birdy and allowed dealers to fine tune the riding position with alternative stem arrangements. riese und mueller do not use any Ahead stem system on their bikes.

Lastly, because riese und mueller assemble their bikes in Germany, they may have arrangements with German/European suppliers of components that we may not have access to. So if they put some feature on their bikes that for them involves a local supply, that same item would have to be imported by us from Germany which would add to the costs of our bikes.

For Australia, we are staying with the philosophy of 'a colour is a model'. So this means that a Birdy Blue is still a 24 speed bike and the silver is still a 9 speed. We have no plans to change to what riese und mueller are doing where you can now choose your model (City, Speed, Touring etc) and match it to a colour.

Yes, this is confusing. In some cases they are very similar. For example our Birdy Blue is similar to the R+M one. Our Birdy orange is quite close to R+M Birdy Red. But in other cases there are big differences. For example we have never had a Birdy White in our range. See also the answer above that addresses why the models are not the same.

In the last five years we have had very few enquiries about this type of bike. Although it is an excellent city/commuting bike and the comments about the Shimano Nexus hub are very favourable, we are unable to commit to this type of model unless there is sufficient demand. But drop us a line by email to let us know if you are interested (that's a good way to create demand).

Some people think that with internal hub bikes you can avoid any kind of chain tensioning device because the rear sprocket is fixed in size. Although this is true, it mainly applies to bikes with horizontal dropouts at the rear. The horizontal dropouts allow you to take up the chain slack without a chain tensioner. All Birdys have vertical dropouts so this approach is not possible.

In addition to this when you fold a Birdy the chain goes very slack and needs to be hooked by a special chain catcher to prevent it from falling off. This is always mounted through the lower jockey wheel of a derailleur or chain tensioner (Rohloiff have their own chain tensioner).

You may have seen the new monocoque main frame for Birdy on R+Ms website www.r-m.de. This is an exciting change that adds a new look to the Birdy. Even though the Birdy looks like a fresh and innovative bike, the frame shape is actually a decade old. R+M decided that a new look was a good idea and launched it this year coinciding with one decade of Birdy.

The new monocoque main frame doesn't offer any significant advantages over the old frame. We believe it is slightly lighter and it may offer slightly better integration with the expedition carrier.

Our plans are to introduce two new models with the monocoque frame. But the orange, blue and silver bikes will remain essentially unchanged and will not change to the monocoque frame for 2006.

We would love to, but just changing to the monocoque frame would add $200 to the retail price of the bike. We feel that our bikes are at fairly good price points at the moment and so we were not keen to increase the price by $200 across the board for what is essentially a cosmetic change. Our solution is to leave our existing models and introduce some new ones so that those who want to take advantage of the new frame design can do so.

There are quite a few tyres available for the Birdy now. In most cases we supply the bikes with Maxxis kevalr 90PSI tyres.

However Schwalbe also make several of their high quality tyre models available. These include Schwalbe Marathon (100PIS) and Marathon Racer (85PSI), and Stelivo (120psi). There is also an off-road tyre available for the Birdy.