One for the big boy on the road...

The folded pocket Llama

Built to haul: The BF Pocket Llama

Ah Keong, a friend of mine had always been interested in folding bicycle.
He asked: "Eh Sam ah, can the foldie take my weight ah? I want to go touring la.." 
The guy is roughly about 115kgs in weight and stands about 5'11" in height.
Now, I recommended him the Raleigh Folding i8 which is going for below RM1k. But pound for pound, I don't think its a suitable bike for him in terms of load bearing.
After consulting a few people, the answer was obvious: Bike Friday's 2011 Pocket Llama select.
This baby has an asking price of USD1,998 or RM6K excluding duty and sales tax (25% + 10%). Shipping from North America would cost around USD$600 or RM1.8k.
Either ways, Keong is on the losing end due to the prohibitive price.
The bike itself, came highly recommended and was endorsed by legendary folding bike adventurer Heinz Stucke.
Stucke's pocket Llama is now a showpiece at BF's HQ in Oregon, USA.
The 2011 BF pocket Llama select is now fitted with disk brakes, so, stopping power is not an issue.
I guess the only beef most purists would have is the fact that the pocket Llama would not fold as compact as a Brompton P6R.
Nevertheless, the bike is built for the heavy rider and plenty of long-hauls.