It’s hard to tell where Riese & Müller are coming from with the Frog. Is this a serious attempt to create a commuter version of the popular and surprisingly long-legged Birdy? Or are they just having a bit of a laugh? And if so, at who’s expense?

The Frog is broadly similar to the Birdy, featuring an alloy frame and full suspension: elastomer at the rear and coil sprung leading link jobby on the front. But around about there the similarity ends.

The Birdy is equipped with largish 18-inch wheels, but the little Frog wears 12-inch rubber…Yes, that’s right, the same size as the Gekko.The Frog also has a tiny frame, with two stage seat tube and single stage handlebar stem adjustment.The disadvantage of this sort of arrangement is that you wind up with a bike that’s taller than it is long, with the saddle almost over the rear wheel and an 87cm wheelbase.Yes, it’s prone to wheelies.

Another key difference from the Birdy is in the gearing – the Frog features a very sensible 3-speed Nexus hub controlled by a SRAM gripshifter, whereas the Birdy has derailleur gears – both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness.You need to fold the bike in the right gear to avoid the chain wreaking all sorts of havoc – consequently, olding the hub-geared Frog is a bit easier.

…simple, but effective design features, including a height chart etched into the stem…

Giving a folding bicycle a small frame is not necessarily the panacea it might appear.  Unless you’re designing a machine exclusively for midgets, you need an awful lot of quick release levers and telescopic sliding tubes to get an adult on board. As a result, the little Frog is not as light as it appears: 10.4kg or 22.9lb – lighter than the ‘full-size’ Birdy, but not by very much.

The good news is oodles of adjustability.The saddle can be positioned anywhere from 58cm to 109cm above the ground, which should suit anyone from a very small boy (yes, Alexander had a go) to the world’s tallest man. Unfortunately, the handlebars are nowhere near as adaptable, so the small boy can’t reach them and the world’s tallest man would be delving around between his knees. But for 99% of the adult population, it’s fine.

Incidentally, both stems features some simple, but very effective design features – height is fixed by conventional quick release levers, but there are fail-safe detent buttons too.These pop into preset holes in the stem, so if (for example) the quick release gets knocked off, the bars shouldn’t come off in your hands. Another feature of the ‘why didn’t we think of that?’ kind is a ruler etched into the saddle stem. Simply dial in your fave personal number and all should be well.

On the Road

The first sensation is of a certain waywardness at the front end which feels like impending catastrophe, but there’s nothing wrong, just a side-effect of 12-inch wheels… For town use the gearing is just about right at 35″, 48″ and 65″.The bottom gear is effectively limited by that short wheelbase – any lower and you’d be straight over the back. Even in second gear, it’s all too easy to lift the front wheel, which almost brought disaster ten minutes into our test.

Rolling resistance is poor in comparison to ‘proper’ bikes, but miraculous by 12-inch standards.The Schwalbe Marathon tyres are rated at 65psi, although we never managed to ride at these pressures because a conventional pump wouldn’t fit on the back (shades of Gekko here) and when the front tyre is fully inflated it rubs on the mudguard. But even with “…a fun-loving giant in a a degree of squidge in the tyres, the bike rolls fashionable city with no drop- quite well. A Birdy or Brompton would be out kerbs and lots of cobbles…” of sight, but against other micro-folders the Frog is in a performance category all its own.

The best bit is the suspension.This is broadly similar to the Birdy, but the effect of the long travel suspension, squidgy tyres and short wheelbase is a remarkably soft and compliant ride.The Frog can be ridden down kerbs half as high as its wheels with surprisingly little drama.We were a bit more reticent about riding up the same kerb, but 5cm is no great problem. Cobbles… what cobbles? Ride across the sort of surface that would shake a Brompton owner’s false teeth out, and there’s little sensation.The downside of all this suppleness is a slightly rice-puddingy feel. Push hard on the left pedal and the Frog squirts to the right; pull hard on the bars and the front wheel paws the air. If you do both at the same time almost anything is possible.

As fun products go, the Frog does rather well in the accessory department – Next folding pedals, practical mudguards, a side stand and one of those horrible saddles with a row of LEDs underneath. As far as we can judge, the Froglet comes in any colour you like, as long as it’s slimy green.

Folding

Even for a novice, the Frog is easier to fold than the Birdy, taking about 20 seconds or so.The finished package measures 62cm long by 49.5cm tall and 32cm wide.That’s a volume of 98 litres. In old-speak that’s 3.5 cubic feet: smaller than anything except the Brompton, which is taller than the Frog, but shorter and narrower.There are a few wayward cables, and the package only ‘sort of’ locks together, but folding remains pretty impressive.

Conclusion

You might have a particular reason for wanting a Frog.We reckon the ideal purchaser would be a fun-loving giant in a fashionable city with no drop-kerbs and lots of cobbles. Sounds like John Grimshaw. If you don’t run a cycle path charity, it really depends how potty you are – a Brompton C3 is half the price and eminently more sensible, while a Birdy Red offers a better ride and safer handling for just a few quid more.

What these dry, sensible options don’t offer is a sense of fun.The Frog has fun in abundance, and if you still think it’s funny after parting with £720, it’s definitely the bicycle for you.

But where this super-adjustable, stylish and funky little machine should excel is as a pool bike in the sort of office where the Brompton is regarded as deeply uncool and the Birdy as much too complicated. Poor loves.

Specification

Frog £720
Weight 10.4kg (22.9lb)
Gears Nexus 3-spd hub
Ratios 35″ 48″ 65″
Folded dimensions W32cm H49.5cm L62cm
Folded volume 98 litres (3.5 cu ft)
Tyres Schwalbe Marathon 54-203mm
Manufacturer Riese & Müller tel +49 6151 366 860
Initial UK stockist Avon Valley Cyclery tel 01225 442442 mail info@bikeshop.uk.com