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Old 05-03-07, 10:11 AM
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Bacciagalupe
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Apparently Dahons have gotten better over the years. I do not believe they have a higher rate of frame failures than other folders in their price range, although you may hear more stories because there's more of them out there than almost any other brand.

However, the handlebars are still very flexy, and quality control seems to be kind of iffy, especially the wheels. Plus, they tend to use proprietary parts, so in some cases upgrades and repairs will be difficult (especially on the lower-end models).

1990 Dahon vs 2007, I think you'd see a big jump in quality. 2004 Dahon vs 2007, I wouldn't expect any major leaps and bounds. Tho' I believe they changed the handlepost in 2005, not sure when the last major hinge revision was.

Personally I wouldn't use any 20" bike for major off-road use, the ride would be too harsh. And Dahons generally are too heavy to use in any kind of cyclocross manner (even if you're not racing). Most of them are 25+ lbs.
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