Folding Bikes - Stiff hinge on Dahon

I have had a helios p-8 for about a year. After a few months of disuse, I noticed that the bike is gotten much harder to fold and unfold. It seems the hinge has gotten quite stiff. I tried lubing it with WD-40 but there is only the tiniest gap to get the lube in. Has anybody had this problem? Any suggestions?
Thanks

WD 40 is NOT a lube it was developed to push water away and act as a corrosion inhibitor.... some funky old NASA stuff or so I was told...

get a regular ball bearing grease or syntetic grease or penetrating lube .... and lube the hinge .. fold it back and forth a couple times to let the lube get all the way into the hinge ..( It sometimes help to put the bike upside down over night to help the lube to penetrate all the way into hidden crevices .... )
and you should be good to go

WD 40 is a little better than hairspray ,,, but than again naybe not ...

thor

I would think reredrider would have experienced some initial improvement since, as a lube, WD is better than nothing but then again, I don't have any experience w/ Dahon hinges but hope to since I will be buying a TR shortly.

I don't mean to de-rail this thread but here is some info on WD40 that was sent to me a while back:

Water Displacement #40. The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and de-greaser to protect missile parts. WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. Its name comes from the project that was to find a "water displacement" compound. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40. The Corvair Company bought it in bulk to
protect their atlas missile parts.

Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you. When you read the "shower door" part, try it. It's the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door.
If yours is plastic, it works just as well as glass. It's a miracle! Then try it on your stovetop...Voila! It's now shinier than it's ever been. You'll be amazed.


Here are some of the uses:
>1) Protects silver from tarnishing.
>2) Removes road tar and grime from cars.
>3) Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
>4) Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without making it slippery.
>5) Keeps flies off cows.
>6) Restores and cleans chalkboards.
>7) Removes lipstick stains.
>8) Loosens stubborn zippers.
>9) Untangles jewelry chains.
>10) Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.
>11) Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
>12) Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.
>13) Removes tomato stains from clothing.
>14) Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.
>15) Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.
>16) Keeps scissors working smoothly.
>17) Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes
>18) It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor! Use WD-40 for those nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring. It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off.
Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.
>19) Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly!
>20) Gives a children's play gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.
>21) Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers.
>22) Rids kids rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises.
>23) Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.
>24) Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.
>25) Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
>26) Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
>27) Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.
>28) Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.
>29) Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.
>30) Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.
>31) Removes splattered grease on stove.
>32) Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.
>33) Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
>34) Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
>35) Removes all traces of duct tape.
>36) Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.
>37) Florida's favorite use is: "cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers."
>38) The favorite use in the state of New York WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.
>39) WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a LITTLE on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it's a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states.
>40) Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.
>41) WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.
>42) Also, if you've discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and re-wash. Presto! Lipstick is gone!
>43) If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap, it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start.
>P. S. The basic ingredient is FISH OIL.

WD-40 whatever the ingedients, lubricates for a very short while only, then evaporates. I use it often to install/remove handlebar grips. And to clean stuff with. I also used it as chain lube when I started riding and rapidly buggered my chain. And I do mean rapidly.

Try motorcycle chain lube spray - its a grease suspended in something thin which evaporates, after penetrating, this gets grease right inside where its needed. I've not tried this on a bike hinge but it works brilliantly on other semi-seized joints.