Dahon - Mu XL, Speed Pro, Speed 8

[qwer]

Hello all,

I'm looking for a folder and I've narrowed it down to these models:

Dahon Mu XL, Speed Pro or Speed 8

Question 1:

did anybody here already check out the new Dahon Mu XL and what's your opinion. No LBS in my area does have one stock.

Question 2.

In case someone does own the Speed Pro and has taken a demo-ride with the Mu XL, what's the biggest difference in terms of "ride quality", as the bikes more or less share the same components package (except for the frame and shifter/rear hub).

[jackcoke]

Please take a look at the stem latch and decide if you want your life riding on a small piece of plastic.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=193544

[brakemeister]

what piece of advice is that ?
Yeah look at that thread please ..... what you gonna find is that 5 people talking about Birdy latches and Brommies and what else latches....
NOBODY can find out whats wrong with his latch ......

thor


back to the original question ...

MU XL is a very cool bike with lots of cool ( expensive ) accessories like hub generator, lights, suspension seatpost ( Thudbister ) and so on.... If you are planning to go long distance touring or want a bike for a commute which can end up in the dark... than this is the bike for you ...

Speed Pro
folder on steroids .... lotsa gears ( same as the Mu XL ) in a "racy" lightweight package ....
great for fast weekend trips ( suported touring ) ...if you need speed... thats the bike ... commuting... only if you have great roads

Speed 8
the do it all bike.... which lends itself to add parts and accessories to make it individual for your taste.
MUCH cheaper than the other two... limited gearing ... flat commutes are great... this bike does a lot of things in a great way..... but has its shortcomings ( gearing and accesories ) for specific tasks.
still a great bike.... the addition of now standard big apple tires on this bike made a huge difference.

Thor

p.s MU XL just arrived same as Speed Pro's ... thats one reason you are hard pressed to find one for a test ride

[qwer]

Hi Thor

Thanks for the reply.

I made a mistake with the MU models - I meant the sporty SL, and not the XL (cool bike though).

Both the MU SL and the Speed Pro share the same components, except of course for the frame and most notably the shifter/derailleur/cassette/rear hub. So, given the same price of the bikes, the "gear package" is definitely better on the Speed Pro and if I'd like to take the MU SL to the same level (Sram DualDrive etc.) I'd have to invest another couple of bucks.

For that reason, my thougths at the moment basically are

- is the weight advantage of the MU SL going to make up for the gearing handicap?
- how is the difference in "ride quality" between the alloy/steel frame of the SL/Pro?

If you or anybody else have ridden the two bikes side by side pls let me know your opinion as I won't be able to test drive both bikes here in my area.

Best
Al

[maunakea]

Check out the thread at http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=189158&highlight=dahon+day

[jackcoke]

Excuse me but I am a little pissed off at Dahon at the moment. I spend a bunch of money on one of their bikes and not even one month later it's at the bike shop and I have no idea when I get it back. First bike in my life that failed me. Maybe my bike has a different mechanism because it's quite easy to see the parts in question if you fold the handlestem. If I were about to buy a Dahon I would send them an email to see if you even get a response. I have sent three and have received not one response.

[brakemeister]

there is a saying in Germany....
hard to translate but i will give it a try ....

the way you shout into the forrest ...... you will hear an echo from the forrest

nuff said

thor

[Tomaso]

there is a saying in Germany....
hard to translate but i will give it a try ....

the way you shout into the forrest ...... you will hear an echo from the forrest

nuff said

thor

Hi Thor,

Wie sagt mann das genau auf Deutsch denn? Ich spreche jeden Tag Deutsch im Buro, so kann ich auch noch etwas lernen.:p

Vielen Dank

Tomaso

PS. It doesn't always have to be English on this forum !;)

[brakemeister]

So wie man in den Wald herein ruft , schallt es zurueck ...

lol
or very similar ...
Thor

back to the topic on hand....

MU SL lighter, stiffer frame. great looks ....
Speed Pro ...more gears.... heavier

if you get a short hill than the lighter MU SL will kick butt.... if you get on a really long hill than the gears will run out of steam eventually .. its really hard to say what I would prefer.... I really like the MU SL as it has a new clean look ...

Thor

[jackcoke]

So...sending an email asking how to handle a warranty issue is the same as screaming into the woods?

Germans used to print "Arbeit macht freu" on concentration camp walls. Would you have fallen for that too?

[amitkulz]

So...sending an email asking how to handle a warranty issue is the same as screaming into the woods?

Germans used to print "Arbeit macht freu" on concentration camp walls. Would you have fallen for that too?

No need to get personal here. This forum has been great, don't spoil it.

You could have chosen another set of words to respond to thor, but you didn't. I have talked to him over the phone and email, and while I didn't buy a Dahon, he was gracious about it.

[Fear&Trembling]

Germans used to print "Arbeit macht freu" on concentration camp walls. Would you have fallen for that too?

No they didn't. I think you mean: Arbeit macht frei. In future, keep your xenophobic insults to yourself.

[jackcoke]

Wow...even German spelling cops.

I believe Thor is the one that started the insults. I was just pointing out some facts about Dahon. I can't help being a little upset with them. I wish someone would have pointed out some of these things with me a month ago.

[Fear&Trembling]

I believe Thor is the one that started the insults

No he didn't, he just translated a fairly well-known German expression into English a little loosely, which may have left it open to misinterpretation. It was you who insensitively invoked the Holocaust.

Anyway, I guess you have the radius handlepost - http://www.dahon.com/technology/component/radius.htm

Which part of the mechanism has failed? I have read the thread delineating the problem, but I am still unsure which part you are referring to. Is it the plastic safety, or the hinge itself?

[brakemeister]

nah... .... not even worth to respond.

thor

[amitkulz]

nah... .... not even worth to respond.

thor

I second thor, that guy is not worth it. Spelling cops indeed. Just ignore his posts. I also haunt ninja250.org, and the admins there delete some posts if you don't read FAQ's.

[maunakea]

Go to your user profile, click on "buddy/ignore list" and add "jackcoke" to your ignore list. Instead of seeing a post from "jackcoke" you see:


This message is hidden because jackcoke is on your ignore list.

[Bacciagalupe]

Ahem. Getting back on track....

It looks like the Mu models are brand new for 2006. Personally I'm not a huge fan of buying "Rev A" models, so I'd rather let someone else ride them for a year and give Dahon some feedback on how to improve them.

[brakemeister]

lol I hear ya ... but the MU or protos of it are running around since early 2005......
Dahon has a pretty long evaluation / testing period for their new frame designs and maybe even longer and more intense for their accessories.... not to worry

thor

[jackcoke]

The German phrase was meant to insult me. I think that was simple to see. Thor obviously has a stake in Dahon products. All I have been saying is people should be aware of a problem that I see. Why is he so sensitive to that?

[brakemeister]

The only thing I was trying to tell you is that if you post all over the place, hijacking several threads with a headline like ... FAULTY DESIGN DAHON LATCH than I can only assume how the email to Dahon was written....

And it is a fact of life that if somebody tells a problem as factual and polite as possible. Maybe even being nice about it. It will get much faster and better results....

So far you have NOT even been able to define what plastic part is broken, several posters who are willing to help have asked the same question. is it the outer plastic security latch ... or the part inside which is not plastic but delrin ...

I make no excuses that I have a steak in DAhon, as I am one of their dealers. But I am also good friend with a couple of employees and the owner of Dahon . I am sensitive if somebody makes allegations and than not being able to back them up ... I would react the same way if somebody talks trash about DT or Bike Fridays.

Coming up with racial slurs is about as low as somebody can sink in my book. Here a few facts. My father was 16 when the war ended . My Grandfather was in French prison camp for 2 years and almost died there. ( His involvement in WW2 was that he was bookeeper in a german company which was making pedals and spokes )

I am American and proud of it, I immigrated the hard way (the long but legal way)
I always in my life have stayed away from any kind of weapons. Yes, I refused the german draft to the Bundeswehr and worked for free in a Hospital for 2 years ( instead of having a real easy 16 months of sitting around and drinking beer ). I am against all war no matter what phoney reasons or no matter what side.

thor

[Crankypants]

Well spoken Thor! Now. could you please tell the diameter and length of the dahon thudbuster suspension seat posts?

[CrimsonEclipse]

The only thing I was trying to tell you is that if you post all over the place, hijacking several threads with a headline like ... FAULTY DESIGN DAHON LATCH than I can only assume how the email to Dahon was written....

And it is a fact of life that if somebody tells a problem as factual and polite as possible. Maybe even being nice about it. It will get much faster and better results....

So far you have NOT even been able to define what plastic part is broken, several posters who are willing to help have asked the same question. is it the outer plastic security latch ... or the part inside which is not plastic but delrin ...

I make no excuses that I have a steak in DAhon, as I am one of their dealers. But I am also good friend with a couple of employees and the owner of Dahon . I am sensitive if somebody makes allegations and than not being able to back them up ... I would react the same way if somebody talks trash about DT or Bike Fridays.

Coming up with racial slurs is about as low as somebody can sink in my book. Here a few facts. My father was 16 when the war ended . My Grandfather was in French prison camp for 2 years and almost died there. ( His involvement in WW2 was that he was bookeeper in a german company which was making pedals and spokes )

I am American and proud of it, I immigrated the hard way (the long but legal way)
I always in my life have stayed away from any kind of weapons. Yes, I refused the german draft to the Bundeswehr and worked for free in a Hospital for 2 years ( instead of having a real easy 16 months of sitting around and drinking beer ). I am against all war no matter what phoney reasons or no matter what side.

thor


:beer:

Thanks thor

CE

[qwer]

So far you have NOT even been able to define what plastic part is broken, several posters who are willing to help have asked the same question. is it the outer plastic security latch ... or the part inside which is not plastic but delrin ...


+ 1

[uprightbent]

I have a steak in DAhon

Is it pink in the center? Sorry, couldn't resist. I have a fish at Trek.

Now if we could just get rid of the word "peddle" on this board.

[brakemeister]

lol .. steak is better than a stake i guess

thor