Riding the Zizzo Forte

This is what it looks like when I ride the Zizzo Forte most of the time.

The truth is, I almost never fold it up. It’s small enough as is that it fits just fine in my apartment, parked in front of the bookcases where I unboxed it. Having seen myself in reflections of store fronts (that never turned out for the camera), I realize I look like a hog on a skate. It’s okay. Being a comical figure is just my style; it’s my public default.

This is the only model Zizzo makes that is heavy enough to carry me. The other models are lighter; this one has heavier tubing in the frame and gussets to make it stronger. The tires are fatter. It’s enough to carry me and some cargo. On top of that, it’s just the most fun I’ve had riding in a very long time, and I ride thousands of miles every year.

Conventional bikes had become almost a chore. Much as I love cycling, the limitations of my aging body combined with the riding posture to steal away some of the fun. The folding bike posture makes me feel like a kid again. I can’t wait to find an excuse to ride it.

It’s just possible I may reconsider whether I could feasibly do some bikepacking. I can tell you that I would need a bike trailer for that, and there are several models made just for folding bikes. Still, they are almost as expensive as the bike itself. It would be a while before I took the idea seriously. The only reason I began looking at folding bikes in the first place was because I really wanted to take one with me the next time I traveled on a bus. My knees aren’t so bad that I need a wheelchair right now, but I really do need to avoid walking too much. A folding bike hits that spot in between, taking me just about everywhere me feet once did.

I’ve noticed something where I have ridden it so far: Pedestrians feel a lot less threatened by someone riding this kind of bike. Further, people in general hold different expectations. They expect a playful, childlike behavior pattern, in part because I do look ridiculous. I don’t wear a helmet, but my old madman hat. It’s not serious business any more.

And yet it is; most of my rides are as before, seeking out good prayer chapels. I find more of them in more places than I did on a conventional bike. If I need a reason to ride, that’s it. It does me so much good. I’m not trying to sell you on getting one of these, but I can declare what it has done for me, giving me back the sheer joy of riding just to be riding.