Originally Posted by
dadse
say - that is an excellent generic reply to my question! amusing, too. but, specifically, what would you say about the DAHON CURVE frame and clamps/locking mechanisms (those might be integral insofar as I know). Despite previous owner-abuse, might these be expected to hold up? Your wonderful observation about pre-owned 'exercise equipment' (e.g., often virtually unused), while insightful, didn't offer any personal experience about dahon frames per se. have you any? regardless, thanks for the enjoyment in reading what you had to say.
I currently own more Dahons than I would care to admit, especially on this forum, including a red Curve D3. It is currently in pieces in a suitcase, awaiting my upcoming trip to France. Remember, if bikes were that fragile they would break constantly due to all kinds of abuse to which they are regularly subjected. The components are much more likely to break or go out of adjustment with bad treatment than is the frame, although frame and seatpost cracks are obviously known to occur. It would help to know something about who the former owner was, what was their shape and weight, and how much and how specifically the bike was used. I'd be a lot more concerned about a bike that was heavily used by a 225 lb 20-something who is 6 feet 4" in height than I would about a seldom ridden bike owned by diminutive female.
New Curve D3s have been recently available for under $600, including shipping, so you know right there that your potential loss on a used one ought to be way less than $600, and that your potential savings is also rather limited. If I found a used one for $250 and it looked like it was in acceptable condition or could be fixed up for a few bucks, I could only get so worked up over a potential loss of that magnitude, no matter what happened. I would probably not personally look for a used bike in that price range, however; I value my time too much. I'd rather save a whole lot of money on something much more expensive than saving a few hundred bucks that might cost me some of my stomach lining.
Personally speaking, I do not like hassles, and I'd steer clear if I had any real questions. You may feel differently. I would not want to bother with the hassle of dealing with a broken bike with potentially hard to find proprietary replacement frame parts. That's just me, however, and some people who have more time on their hands, or some skills in metallurgy or a good welding shop nearby, might consider such an abused bike to be a fun challenge.