A bit of infos about the Birdy folding bike designed by Riese und Müller in Germany and manufactured by Pacific Cycles in Taiwan.
Based on a 2nd-generation ("Mark II") City with a Nexus 8 SG-C6010 gear hub and Magura HS33 hydraulic rim brakes, and a Mark II Light with an eight-speed Shimano Capreo derailleur and v-brakes.
The serial number on the frame has the following format:
So for instance, xxx09100782 means 2009, week 10, lot 0782
Besides the fact that third-generation Birdies only come with disk brakes, you can easily tell a generation 2 from a generation 3 because the latter has a semi-integrated headset. Other differences include improved fork and rear triangle. FWIW, a Birdy City with a Nexus 8 gear hub, hydraulic disk brakes and Expedition rack weighs 14kg.
As of June 2025, Riese & Müller confirmed they are no longer interested in the Birdy… which leaves Pacific Cycles free to sell it in Europe.
Compared to a Brompton, it rides better dut to its fork + frame in aluminum and possibly Schwalbe Big Apple fat tires, is more comfortable, is available with either a Nexus/Rohloff internal gear hub or a full-fledged cassette, and with either v-brakes, hydraulic rim brakes, or disk brakes.
It folds a bit bigger than a Brompton, offers no frame-mounted baggage block in the front (but the adapter from H&H makes it possible to use a Brompton block), its seatpost isn't flanged at the end so can be removed when parked on the street, has even less retailers (but stores selling R&M cargo bikes may provide Birdy parts), and is even more expensive than a Brompton. If needed, you can make the fold a bit smaller in height by removing the handlebar and seatpost, and attach both to the frame with a pair of straps, at which point the folded stem is the sticking point (at ~65cm from the ground, with a width of ~75cm and depth of ~40cm).
If the reach (ie. distance betwen the seatpost and the handlebar) is too long, turn the seatpost and the upper-part of the stem 180° each .
You can also try a bar with a rise and set it a bit further back.
If you want to remove the SP SD-8 dynamo to save weight, note that the hub is not a standard 100mm OLD. Besides ordering a basic hub through R&M, third-party hubs are available from eg. Hubsmith or Ridea.
The front suspension consists of a spring (The 8.5 coil is harder than the 10.5; R&M uses the former while Pacific Cycles uses the latter) and a rubber damper (which has little influence on the suspension).
The rear suspension comes in three versions: Yellow (soft), Red (average), or Green (hard).
IMPORTANT: With Magura rim brakes, after the wheel is removed you should no longer operate the brake lever. The brake pads will press together making it difficult to mount the wheel. After removing the wheel, insert the transportation safety shims to ensure a sufficient distance between the brake pads.
I found no information on how to actually remove the wheel on a Birdy with a Nexus gear hub and Magura rim brakes in the "INSTRUCTION MANUAL BIRDY" created 17 July 2017.
If the chainline is only slightly too close to the frame, add spacers on the drive-side to pusth the crankset outward. Otherwise, a new bottom bracket/crankset with a wider axle is required.
Pars:
Example of a Birdy with a 50/34T
Natively, on its rear wheel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGW7b5pAvtk
Birdy III Foldable PORTER EASYWHEEL ROLLER Rack (Multi-S)
https://www.bikegang.co.uk/bikeganghut/Birdy-III-Foldable-PORTER-EASYWHEEL-ROLLER-Rack-Multi-S-p95805532
Litepro Easy Wheel Push Wheels
https://www.aliexpress.com/i/4000763446872.html
=> Check if compatible with Mark I and II.
Birdy Roll Solution 2 wheels roller + 2 wheels Rear rack
(Multi-S)
https://www.bikegang.co.uk/bikeganghut/Birdy-Roll-Solution-2-wheels-roller-2-wheels-Rear-rack-Multi-S-p118176104
Low-rise rear rack
MIA https://www.carousell.sg/p/birdy-rear-rack-with-easy-wheel-1045841745/
Jon Worth's solution: Fahrrad Gepäckträger Aluminium 24-26-28 Zoll verstellbar + Bike Parts Gepäckträger (16-20") + Pletscher Strebenendplatte verstellbar für Gepäckträger
Sideways (manufacturer unknown)
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=357732360982367&id=137449652966532
ImperiumCycle Multi-S G3 Swing Roller Rack for Birdy III Bicycle
MIA http://www.multi-s.com.tw/
https://www.facebook.com/ImperiumCycle
https://x.com/BIKEgangUK/status/1361303933029937160
https://bikegang.company.site/Birdy-c171507927