Folding Bikes - Da hon folder question

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View Full Version : Da hon folder question


whipitgood
01-07-07, 06:32 PM
Hello folder folks.

I came across a used Dahon folder in a thrift shop and since I know absolutely nothing about folders.
I call upon your assistance.

The model of the bike is called.......... Da bike.

Condition wise I call it an 8.5 and 10 for me is something still in the box.

I have a nice geared bike and a fixed gear bike so I'm not calling on high performance.

I would of bought the bike on the spot except for the price they were asking.

It was 150.00 and that's by far the most I ever seen a bike priced for at a thrift shop.

When I got home I did some research but I can't find that exact model on the Dahon site and wow folders are a lot more expensive then I thought.

It looks to me it's perhaps a middle of the road model compared to the features listed on their newer bikes?

Is 150.00 a good price for this paticular model or should I keep looking.

Thanks for the help.


michaelalanjone
01-07-07, 09:00 PM
I just saw a brand new Dahon Boardwalk S-1, 7 speed bike, brand new for $199, on the Interweb, here:

http://www.lexingtonbikeshop.com/store/itemdesc.asp?ic=BIKE272&Agent=FroogleLBS

So a used Dahon for $150, and brand new one for $199, fifty bucks more. Oh, and the new Dahon will come with a lifetime frame warranty, and the thrift shop bike will come as-is. Really, for only $50 more, a lifetime frame warranty is a pretty nice deal.

I wonder if the thrift store will bargain on the price? If they came down to $100, and the bike is in really great condition, that wouldn't be so bad. I doubt that they would. They probably saw the same bike that I saw on eBay sell for $146, and figured that was a good price for their bike.

This is what a Da bike looks like:

whipitgood
01-07-07, 10:01 PM
Michael, thanks for the great info !
I figured someone in the store did some research to come up with that price but your right 50 bucks more for a new bike plus a warranty is a much better deal.

It's a bummer someone did the research their usual price for nicer bikes has always been 49.99.

Mean while I did some browsing around on this forum ( first time over here BTW) and started reading that monster thread on the Swift folder and damn that looks like a great bike.

I may have to rethink this folding bike fun towards a high performance model after all.

Thanks again!


folder fanatic
01-08-07, 02:32 PM
This situation illustrates how important it is to consider where you buy the buy, rather than how much the bike costs. If the bike is only a few dollars (or whatever) off compared to a warranty protected newer model version of the same bike company, it is usually a no-brainer to buy or not to buy. It is a consumer beware world out there for the unawared or unknowledgable. Even in thrift stores.

brakemeister
01-08-07, 04:40 PM
50 bucks max..... Thats what its worth compared to a new 200 dlr Boardwalk.
Dahon have gone through a lot of improvements over the last years.
Which make the older ones feel somewhat strange flexy and totally different

Thor
and I aint saying that cause I sell the new ones ...

michaelalanjone
01-08-07, 07:51 PM
>>Michael, thanks for the great info !

You're welcome. My wife volunteers at a community thrift store (their proceeds go to people living with AIDS), and they got a bike donated the other day, that was a rusty 1990's steel MTB, with two flat tires. They asked me what price to put on it. I said $10, and I meant it. After someone oils it, cleans the rust off and puts on two new tubes (maybe tires, as well), hey, they have earned it.