SideWinder (EZPAK): cheap foldable bike of the century

I guess this is what you can call "Chinese quality" mixed with good ol'
fashioned swindler's talk. Neither does the bicycle works the way is
advertised nor it is what is meant to be for people of such height...

EZPAK
EZPAK Folding Bicycle

Weighing in at only 22.5 lb., the EZPAK frame is made of aluminum alloy
with a highly polished finish for maximum corrosion resistance. Unique
design prevents flex and maximizes pedaling power. Its double chain
wheel design enables this 12" wheel-sized, folding bike to be pedaled
at the same speed as a 24" wheel-sized bike. It folds to just 26" x
11" x 20" without the use of tools and stores easily in your car
trunk, boat, dock box, or anywhere. Its seat post can be adjusted in a
few seconds to fit riders from 3 ft. to 6 ½ ft. in height. It can
accommodate riders from 30 lbs. to 300 lbs. in weight.

The EzPak folding bicycle is built for people on the go: Students,
Travelers, Commuters. Its light alloy frame fits easily into its own
carry bag. Adjusts for riders young and old, from 30 to 300 lbs. The
double chain drive with 12"wheels allows.... more

http://www.sidewindercycle.com/store...p?idProduct=22

Here's the letter I sent to them:

Well, Linda, I feel eaten by the lion...

The "made in China" tiny bike disappears under me and I can barely go
faster than a crawling walk when I'm only 6'1" 220 lbs and you
advertise so much more. Maybe some more realistic numbers would be 5'5"
150 lbs. If someone 6'6" 300 lbs can ride it, they may also be able to
ride a kid's tricycle. Good luck in hunting!

PS: I may decide to post it around.

NOTE: I'll try selling it to see how much it fetches. Hey, or maybe
some of you may want to buy it for a few bucks less...

Why does that look soooo much like a 20-year-old Dahon??

Brian wrote:
Why does that look soooo much like a 20-year-old Dahon??


On what group? I didn't see it on R.B.M

ATTN P T Barnum
donquijote1954 wrote:
I guess this is what you can call "Chinese quality" mixed with good ol'
fashioned swindler's talk. Neither does the bicycle works the way is
advertised nor it is what is meant to be for people of such height...

EZPAK
EZPAK Folding Bicycle

Weighing in at only 22.5 lb., the EZPAK frame is made of aluminum alloy
with a highly polished finish for maximum corrosion resistance. Unique
design prevents flex and maximizes pedaling power. Its double chain
wheel design enables this 12" wheel-sized, folding bike to be pedaled
at the same speed as a 24" wheel-sized bike. It folds to just 26" x
11" x 20" without the use of tools and stores easily in your car
trunk, boat, dock box, or anywhere. Its seat post can be adjusted in a
few seconds to fit riders from 3 ft. to 6 ½ ft. in height. It can
accommodate riders from 30 lbs. to 300 lbs. in weight.

The EzPak folding bicycle is built for people on the go: Students,
Travelers, Commuters. Its light alloy frame fits easily into its own
carry bag. Adjusts for riders young and old, from 30 to 300 lbs. The
double chain drive with 12"wheels allows.... more

http://www.sidewindercycle.com/store...p?idProduct=22

Here's the letter I sent to them:

Well, Linda, I feel eaten by the lion...

The "made in China" tiny bike disappears under me and I can barely go
faster than a crawling walk when I'm only 6'1" 220 lbs and you
advertise so much more. Maybe some more realistic numbers would be 5'5"
150 lbs. If someone 6'6" 300 lbs can ride it, they may also be able to
ride a kid's tricycle. Good luck in hunting!

PS: I may decide to post it around.

NOTE: I'll try selling it to see how much it fetches. Hey, or maybe
some of you may want to buy it for a few bucks less...

Brian wrote:
Why does that look soooo much like a 20-year-old Dahon??

Were Dahons ever such a POS? I own a Trek F400 (Dahon design) and it's
wonderfully well made. It must mean that the road toward democracy in
Taiwan works. Well, it's more money too.

I think the EzPak is out of Mao's Red Book to be issued to every
citizen in China. The size sure tells us that they were not meant for
export.

This is what I got from them. I always try to give a touch of humor to
my complaints (as in WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE at
http://webspawner.com/users/donquijote), but this time I won't. What
better joke than claiming this bike can be ridden be someone 6'6"?
Well, they are ready to fix it. They wrote...

"The EZPAK was a trial product for us to try and we thought it would
fill a niche for a compact "short distance use" mode of transportation.
We took our description from the manufacturers info. I always tell
people very clearly that it is not for long distance, comfort rides,
just as I told you.
As we offered before, return it for a refund!! We are a small company
and we have always "gone the extra mile" to help our customers, even
when they have damaged parts, etc by inappropriate assembly, etc. We
stand by our customer service policy.
l cannot understand why you would rather expend emotional energy on a
"smear" campaign then get your refund and get on with life??
We will remove the product or its description from our website. You are
the first to be disgruntled. Again, return the EZPAK, shipping prepaid
for a refund of purchase price."
Sincerely, Linda

NOTE: The reason I tried this way (exposing them) is that paying
shipping both ways would have meant me losing something like 60 bucks
just because bad presentation of the product. This way my grievance is
addressed. Thank you very much.

I have to look now for an appropriate shipping box, which is another
complication that held me back from returning it. Well, like I said,
you still have an opportunity to buy it!

donquijote1954 wrote:
Were Dahons ever such a POS? I own a Trek F400 (Dahon design) and it's
wonderfully well made. ...

Original Hon (before the filing cabinet folks sat on their brand name)
was roughly better than a *.Mart bike. Mine lasted almost 20
years....just got me an upgrade off An Auction Site. It's blue.

HTH

--Karen D.

Veloise wrote:
donquijote1954 wrote:
Were Dahons ever such a POS? I own a Trek F400 (Dahon design) and it's
wonderfully well made. ...

Original Hon (before the filing cabinet folks sat on their brand name)
was roughly better than a *.Mart bike. Mine lasted almost 20
years....just got me an upgrade off An Auction Site. It's blue.


Well, the two strong points of the EzPak seem to be the hinges.

They seem safe and the bike may last quite a bit. But the problem is
rather the size and the poor performance. I gave it to my girlfriend
who's only 5' and she had a hard time completing 20 blocks. By contrast
this bike, also with 12" tires, seems to go the distance...

http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/ca...uct/sku__MB400

This is what I expected, save the 3 speeds. Well, at least not a Mao's
bike.

donquijote1954 wrote:

They seem safe and the bike may last quite a bit. But the problem is
rather the size and the poor performance. I gave it to my girlfriend
who's only 5' and she had a hard time completing 20 blocks. By contrast
this bike, also with 12" tires, seems to go the distance...

http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/ca...uct/sku__MB400


Let me get this straight. You publicly malign a small company selling a
$120 bike that's offered to return your money if you return the bike
(but you pay shipping), then say another company's product that costs
$700 and has a $70 restocking fee above and beyond shipping is fine by
you. Is that right?

So, do you work for $harperImage?

Brian Huntley wrote:
donquijote1954 wrote:

They seem safe and the bike may last quite a bit. But the problem is
rather the size and the poor performance. I gave it to my girlfriend
who's only 5' and she had a hard time completing 20 blocks. By contrast
this bike, also with 12" tires, seems to go the distance...

http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/ca...uct/sku__MB400


Let me get this straight. You publicly malign a small company selling a
$120 bike that's offered to return your money if you return the bike
(but you pay shipping), then say another company's product that costs
$700 and has a $70 restocking fee above and beyond shipping is fine by
you. Is that right?

So, do you work for $harperImage?

Well, read what Sharper Image says about their bike (which is much
bigger than Mao's bike, I sat on it)...

"For riders age 8 and older, 3'5" to 6'3", weighing up to 240 lbs."

So it's only fair that company NOT misrepresenting its products can
give you a little bite if you don't like it for some other reason. Just
not being swallowed by false advertising. The guy at EzPak told me,
"Well, my nephew (or something) who is 6'6" can ride it." Probably
something like this...

http://www.avantministries.org/image...le_bicycle.jpg