Frequently Asked Questions
REMOVABLE PEDALS
Why would I want my bike pedals to come off?
Scratching. Those same cleats that make pedals so reliable in mud, rain, trail riding, and heavy commuting also make pedals dangerous when not riding. They can scratch shins, cars and other bikes, particularly if you are maneuvering a heavy e-bike and watching other things.
Space. When pedals are removed (and especially if the bars are turned also) your bike can now fit in far less pace. Tame a herd of bikes.
Security. Who’s going to ride off on the bike with no pedals?
How are these better than folding pedals?
Folding pedals don’t completely get out of the way. They simply provide a new orientation for scratchy surfaces, while saving up to 50% of the pedal length. Removable pedals save 95% of the pedal length.
Did you design these?
We designed and patented the award-winning, destruction-tested Flatbike Pop-Off Pedals. Wellgo, manufacturer of 15% of the world’s bike pedals, designed the Wellgo removable pedals.
How do I know if these pedals fit my bike?
All crank arms have 9/16” threading at 20 threads/inch. The difference is in the variety of “cup” depths, where pedals thread into the crank arm, with carbon cranks having a deeper depression. Flatbike pedal latches include a selection of washers to match your specific cup depth. Wellgo pedal latches do not go into the cup.
You sell multiple brands of removable pedals. What’s the difference?
The patented, award-winning Flatbike Pop-Off Pedals have passed the ISO-4210 destruction test suite for mountain bike pedals, have a latch system that combines instant removal with redundancy against accidental release.
Wellgo removable pedals are available in three types—MTB, SPD, and flat—allowing easy swap-outs for different types of riding.
Can I ride my bike like usual with removable pedals?
Flatbike pedals are explicitly tested for 100,000 cycles without an accidental release or breakage. And many of our customers have had years of successful use with Wellgo pedals. We will always recommend our pedals first, but consider Wellgo removable pedals to be the second best on the market.
Have you thought about doing removable SPD pedals?
Flatbiek Pop-Off SPD Pedals, along with road pedals, have been designed and prototyped since April 2025, but cannot be produced until we find a quality manufacturing source that allows for retailer margins.
Until then, we have removable SPD pedals as part of the Wellgo system family of pedals.
FOLDING STEMS
What’s the reason for a THINstem?
The widest part of a bike is the handlebars---great while riding, but a needless obstacle when storing or transporting a bike. Now that obstacle can go away in seconds, with no tools.
I can fold my bars sideways with a hex wrench. Why buy this?
A tool approach works only when you have a tool, either stored consistently in one place or carried with you anyplace you might want to fit your bike easier. A hex wrench (applied to both steerer stem screws) also affects your fork tightness over time. And because those are steel screws threaded into tapped aluminum, the wear & tear eventually loosens your stem’s grip during everyday riding. None of this happens with a THINstem.
Did you design these?
Flatbike did not. But we have worked closely with the inventor, passing along suggestions from our own customers that have made it into successive versions of THINstems.
How do I know my bars won’t turn when I’m riding?
THINstems are quadruple-protected against accidental turning:
- Your spinning bars automatically center when they drop down into a divot, preventing further turning.
- The main latch is a cam lever, much like on a bike seat post and just as secure and reliable.
- Together, these features made THINstems reliable enough to pass the ISO-4210 MTB destruction test suite.
- Newer THINstems even have a secondary latch at the bottom that secures the bars even if the main cam level is not secured fully.
How do I know if this THINstem will fit on my bike?
For a THINstem to fit, you need:
- a horizontal threadless stem with no cables routed through it (or a quill stem adaptor to allow for this)
- a handlebar that is either 1” (25mm) or 1.25”(32mm),
- and enough extra brake and shift cable to raise the bars about ½” (12mm) and allow for turning.
Will this change how my bike rides?
THINstems raise your handlebars about ½” (12mm). With some riders this change doesn’t matter. With others, the raise eases the lower back and is an improvement. And yet others don’t want their bars raised---moving a compression ring can reduce the height change slightly, but not completely. If you are concerned about this height change, place your fists on top of your bar grips while sitting on your seat. How does this feel?
Do you sell these only in one length?
To simplify decision-making, we sell THINstems only in 70mm length, usable with handlebars of 1.25” or 1” diameter. If you require a 90mm version, let us know (e-mail customer_care@flatbike.com) and we’ll connect you with a contact.
CHANGE FULL-SIZE FOLDING BIKES
Why Would I Want a Full-Size Bike to Fold in Half?
In our customers’ own words, it’s life-changing. Freed from a car rack, any car is “the bike car”, even a taxi or Über. You’re also freed from the challenges of transporting a bike-sized object. Enjoy spontaneous drinks after work with your bike in a trunk. Concerns about your bike being stolen off a bike rack in the parking lot or on a car? Not anymore. Your bike lives inside between rides. Those cool trails you see driving past? When your bike is in the trunk, you can spontaneously stop and ride them. That’s portable adventure.
How Is This Bike Different from Other Folding Bikes?
First, a CHANGE bike is “normal sized”. Other folding bikes are optimized for folding, not riding. To fold down really small, they give up normal-sized wheels and the stability of a normal-sized frame. They may be zippy at low speeds for short distances; but for any distance riding, uphill riding, or downhill riding, the flex and small wheels make for an uncomfortable ride compared to a normal-sized bike.
Second, a CHANGE bike is way safer. Folding bikes typically have the front and back connected by a single bar that’s cut in half–and then held back together with 4 possible points of failure: a weld, a latch, a hinge, and another weld. Yowza! Compare that to a CHANGE bike with a standard triangle frame, and no cut top tube, where the frame holds itself together with meshed teeth. No wonder it’s the only folding bike to bass ISO-4210 destruction testing.
Does Reliability Certification Really Matter?
The more you treat your bike like a “normal bike”, especially a mountain bike, the more certification is important. Basically, you want the frame and entire bike to be overstressed enough in testing that it can handle whatever you throw at it without cracking or failing. That stress includes these intensive tests:
- Falling mass: Hold a 50 lb steel weight a yard above the frame and drop it.
- Falling frame: Load the frame with 176 lbs of mass and tip it over. Onto an anvil.
- Fatigue/pedals: Apply 270 lbs of pedaling force 100,000 times.
- Fatigue/horizontal: Apply 270 lbs of horizontal force 50,000 times. It’s like standing on a lying-down bike (if you’re heavy enough).
- Fatigue/vertical: Apply 270 lbs of vertical force to the frame 50,000 times. That’s a lot of jumps!
How Is This Different from Other Full-Size Bikes?
Just glancing at a CHANGE bike, it’s indistinguishable from a full-size bike—either the commuter model or the hardtail mountain bike. 700c or 27.5″ wheels, brakes, gearing, and index shifting are on a par with mid to high-end aluminum bikes. But these bikes also include an internationally patented latch that allows the bike to fold in half in seconds whenever you need the bike to fit in a smaller space.
Did You Invent This Bike?
No, this frame invention comes from Changebike Ltd in Taiwan, where many of the world’s best components and frames are manufactured. At Flatbike, in Washington State, we focus on designing and building great bikes on this frame, such as the Folding Gravel Bike, Folding Adventure Bike, and Folding Off-Road MTB.
USAGE
How Heavy Is a Change Bike? Can I Climb Steep Hills?
CHANGE bikes range from 26 to 29 pounds, combined with 11-27 speeds of index-shifted gearing. This combination routinely makes difficult hills climbable and routinely climbable hills easy. (Our company president has climbed a 22.8% hill in West Seattle…sitting down, in fourth gear.)
Is There a Weight Limit?
Most folding bikes have a weight limit because the frame tube is cut and welded, or because of the small 20″ wheels. A CHANGE bike has neither of these limitations.
This makes any weight limits the same for a CHANGE bike as for other full-size bikes . . . and that comes from the wheels. Wheel manufacturers tend to be highly conservative about their weight limits, often just 265 to 300 lbs, but we know of a number of CHANGE-riding, long-haul truck drivers who are in the 350-400 lb range.
Can I Ride It Long Distances?
Yes. CHANGE bike use industry-standard wheels and tires with an industry-standard frame geometry. Ride your CHANGE bike as you would any bike of the same style. (Commuter or road bikes, with their narrower, more friction-free tires, are easier to ride long distances than mountain bikes with wide, knobby tires.)
Can I Jump a Change Bike?
The front shocks are there for a reason! Hit the bumps and jumps with a CHANGE bike as you would with any other hardtail mountain bike. (The only difference is when you don’t need a bike rack for the ride home.)
Can It Be Used with Accessories, Like Racks and Fenders?
Absolutely. Here are some suggestions:
Fenders. SKS Speedrocker removable fenders.
Racks. Axiom Streamliner Disc, or any rack that airs well with disc brakes and has a double-rod attachment at the top.
Kickstand. Any chainstay-mounted kickstand using the 40mm standard.
Suspension seat posts. Any seat post with a 31.6mm diameter.
FOLDING
How Small Will This Bike Fold, and How Long Does It Take?
CHANGE bikes fold in half with just two cam levers in less than a minute. Remove the quick-release front wheel and the pop-off pedals, and the bike folds down to just 37″ x 30″ x 14″.
Does It Come with a Case?
CHANGE bikes come with a heavy-duty nylon carrying case that allows your bike to ride in a car’s back seat without getting the seat dirty from tires or chain. It is also useful for clean indoor storage in a dorm or apartment.
The custom 35″ x 30″ x 14″ heavy-duty shipping box can be reused for shipping at less than the cost of shipping a non-folding bike.
Can I Check It as Ordinary Baggage on an Airplane?
Oversize baggage regulations on different airlines are various and fluid, but a common standard is the limit of 62 linear inches (length + width + height). For reference, a 27.5″ rear MTB wheel by itself would measure at 27.5″ + 27.5″ + 8″ = 63 inches, or oversized, with no bike.
At 85 inches, a CHANGE bike box is about the total size of the smallest bike shipping box, but with a lot less re-assembly.
Flatbike recommends choosing airlines carefully. On Alaska Airlines, for example, a CHANGE bike can travel oversize for just $40.
DISTRIBUTION
Where are you located?
We are based in Kirkland, Washington, just east of Seattle in the Pacific Northwest. Our inventory is based here, we check quality here, and we do not dropship.
Can I buy these in stores?
Not yet. While retail distribution is an
eventual goal, we have not yet pushed it hard as we are focused on building
consistent quality into our supply chain.
Can our store buy these from a major domestic distributor?
That’s a step beyond retail distribution, and
the margins require economies of scale that we haven’t yet reached.
Do you have a dealer on our continent?
Probably not yet. While we have gotten interest from several organizations, our only major international distributor is
currently in Japan.
What happens if I don’t want my product after Ibuy it?
Returns are rare, but they can happen. Part of the “portable adventure“ mindset is caring about the customer experience. We have no interest in keeping you attached to a product that you know from the start you don’t want to keep. So let us know. Contact us at customer_care@flatbike.com.
ORDERING
How often do you ship?
Typically every other day, or daily for urgent or large orders.
o you ship to _________?
Probably. If we can ship complete bikes to locations like Doha and the Marshall Islands, getting bike components to you is certainly possible. We’ve shipped to most continents.
How much does shipping cost?
Shipping is free in North America, including
Canada and non-contiguous US). Shipping to Europe is typically about $20 for
the cheapest (and slowest) option, or about twice that for DHL. Australia and
New Zealand are a bit more, but we can usually bring it down a bit with early
communication (e-mail customer_care@flatbike.com).
South American shipping remains a problem. We have not yet identified any
shipping services that deliver inexpensively to South American countries, so
our products usually get there indirectly.
Does international shipping include Customs/Duties/VAT/special taxes?
It does not. We can help reduce these a bit, but in the end, we can’t pay everyone’s taxes.
Do I Have to Order Change Bikes from Flatbike?
Most of the models that Flatbike sells—the CHANGE Folding Adventure Bike, CHANGE Folding Gravel Bike, and CHANGE Folding Off-Road MTB—are unique Flatbike builds on the CHAGNE frame, available only form Flatbike.
The CHANGE 809 folding street MTB, designed and built by Changebike in Taiwan, is available either from Flatbike or directly from Changebike. All other Changebike builds are available only from Changebike.
Flatbike sells some standard Changebike-built models as well as other models designed and built by Flatbike. Changebike models are available from sources other than Flatbike, but without the Flatbike 16-point quality check. Flatbike-designed models are only from Flatbike.
Do You Have a Showroom Where I Can See These?
Flatbike is located in Kirkland, Washington, where we build and ship all our bikes. We also have a few demo models on hand. If you are local and interested in riding one of these demo models, just contact us and arrange a no-obligation visit
Do You Offer Free Returns and Exchanges?
Occasionally a purchase doesn’t work out. Maybe you decided on a different model. Or the sizing isn’t quite right. Whatever the reason, you’re entitled to a risk-free, 30-day, money-back guarantee from the day your bike arrives.
If you need to return it within the 30-day window, e-mail customer_care@flatbike.com so we can send you a pre-paid return shipping label. We ask only two things:
- Know the date and place you intend to ship from.
- Package the bike for its return trip with the same care it was sent to you.
When the bike arrives back at Flatbike and we have checked it for damage, we will refund your credit card on the same day.
Do You Offer Free Shipping?
For the US, Flatbike offers free shipping, including Alaska and Hawaii and APO/FPO/DPO addresses. Following US internet tax guidelines, there is no tax outside of Washington State.
For Canada, we offer the same level of service as the US, but cannot add additional freebies. This means that we will ship even longer distances for free, but Customs and VAT will be additional charges that we do not control.
Do You Ship Internationally?
Over the years, Flatbike has shipped to five continents, including bikes from Abu Dhabi to the Marshall Islands.
Even so, international shipping can still be challenging. We ship to Canada for free, but can’t pay customs and VAT. And in other countries outside the US & Canada, the shipping is not free, plus there are customs and taxes as well.
To blunt the impact of this challenge, we often offer custom coupons to blunt the impact of international shipping. Just email customer_care@flatbike.com to ask for a quote for shipping costs to a specific country and postal code. If we can cut the rate with a coupon, we will.
How Long Until My Bike Ships?
At any time, we are likely to have 1-4 bikes in the queue. Some may be pre-built bikes that just need the Flatbike 16-point quality check. Others may be complete builds from the frame up.
We might start building your bike the next day, or we may start building in two weeks. If you have an urgent need, let us know at time of ordering, so we can juggle the queue accordingly.
The moment your bike ships, you will get an automatic notification.
Is There Order Tracking?
All orders automatically get free notifications and tracking. You will get a confirmation of your order, then a confirmation of shipping with a tracking number.
Components typically ship USPS. Bikes typically ship FedEx. If any service is a particular problem in your area, please note that in the comments section of your order. And please check your email address in your order, so these notifications get to you!
Is There a Warranty on This?
CHANGE bike offers a 1-year warranty on all components, and a 3-year warranty on the frame. Flatbike extends this frame warranty into a lifetime warranty.
Do I Need to Order Pedals with My Bike?
No. We offer pop-off pedals separately for use with any bike, but pop-off pedals come standard with every CHANGE bike order.
NOTE: If you want the separate pedals also–maybe an additional set to allow SPD swapouts–then let us know with your order.
Can I Buy Just the Frame?
Yes. Flatbike carries The MTB frame, in all three sizes and three colors.
What Forms of Payment Are Accepted?
Flatbike currently accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Venmo, PayPal, PayPal Pay Later, and Afterpay. We will evaluate other payment methods if there is sufficient demand for them.
What Do You Do with Customer Data?
In short, we safeguard it against misuse. We’ve outlined exactly what this means in our Flatbike privacy policy.
Can I Change or Cancel My Order?
Our goal is to provide an exceptional biking experience, from first order to daily riding and repeat orders. We can’t accomplish that by being difficult to work with.
If you need to cancel your order, just email customer_care@flatbike.com. If your order hasn’t gone out yet, it’s super-simple, and your refund is instantaneous. If your order is already enroute, then it’s more complicated and becomes a free-return situation with some mailing timelines involved.
Similarly, if your product has not arrived yet and you think it should have, email customer_care@flatbike.com, so we can either track down the shipment, or send a replacement, or cancel the order. (The worst resolution approach would be to simply cancel payment with the bank, introducing third-party timelines into the process.)
OTHER
How long have you been doing this?
We started selling “Flatten your Bike” Kits in 2016, entirely with third-party products. Our own designed and manufactured pedals didn’t come online until a successful Kickstarter in October 2024.
Are you bike riders?
We ride with wild abandon, stressing our bikes and components beyond what is reasonably expected. This is why our expectations are higher than average, and we specifically recommend products that we know are destruction-tested.
I read somewhere that Flatbike also sold full-size folding bikes. Do you still?
After selling bike-flattening components for years, we expanded into full-size folding CHANGE bikes, first as bike resellers for Changebike, LTD in Taiwan, and then designing, building and selling our own mid-range bikes with quality components on CHANGE frames. We even got as far as e-bikes.
This all ended in early 2025, when separate tariffs on bike frames and anything coming from countries buying Venezuelan oil (like Shimano parts made in Singapore) made US-based assembly no longer viable. Folding bikes on these frames, and the frames themselves, can be purchased directly from changebike.com in Taiwan.