My upgraded Dahon Jetstream P8

[mpchi]

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g254/mpchi/Bike/IMG_1797.jpg

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Finally, after a month or so on researching, purchasing & waiting, all the main upgrade parts for my Jetstream P8 are all here, and exactly the way I like it. :D So happy, and wanted to share my excitement and some comments on upgrades I have. Here they go:

Ergon GR2 Magnesium Grips - Awesome. Well worth the price as the stiffer rubber and ergonomical shape really give your hands and wrist very good support. Not to mention the very easy installation since it is a locking grip. No need for hairspray or anything to stick it to keep it from rotation. If you don't have very large hands, the smaller women's size might fit you better, especially if you wear gloves. If you have a grip twister gear system, you might need some handy work by cutting the grip short on the right hand side to make it fit, using Xacto knife to trim the rubber, while a small handsaw to saw off the inner hard plastic. But its not hard to do, and you can get some very clean cut with a little practice.

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g254/mpchi/Bike/IMG_1799.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g254/mpchi/Bike/IMG_1809.jpg

Thudbuster Suspension Seatpost - Beyond Awesome. Very smooth, very adjustable with different elastomers & the preload skewer screw setup, as well as long travel as it doesn't just telescope up & down, but also front & back. The improvement on the Thudbuster over the Biologic Suspension Seatpost is more or less proportional to their price difference ($130 vs. $50). The only tricky part is the tapering on the top section of the tube, making it too loose for the seatpost clamp to work as a third leg when the bike is folded. However, I came up with a solution by taping a trimmed 2mm thick tough rubber stripe (material found from the piping section at hardware store), then wrap & taped it up on the tapering section of the seatpost tube with Super Tape (A very strong & thin double sided tape with a red film, found in some crafts store or online). To strengthen it even more, I used a Topeak small rubber strap that came with my backlite and wrap on top, as you can see in my pic. So now, the Thudbuster can slide all the way down to work as a third leg, while still being thick enough to be clamped securely by the seatpost quick release clamp.

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g254/mpchi/Bike/IMG_1806.jpg

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http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g254/mpchi/Bike/IMG_1817.jpg

Topeak UFO Backlite - Very interesting design, but not the brightest red light out there. Its one of those accessories that has style over functionality. It uses the Topeak 2 sized rubber strapes (aka. fancy rubber bands) to mount on different sized posts on the bike. While it looks cheap on the mounting, the flexibility does make the light less likely to get damaged when got knocked by something by accident. And I happened to make good used of the smaller spare rubber strap for my Thudbuster fix, so I guess I can't complain.

[mpchi]

Specialized Toupe Saddle 143 - This is my first high end hard saddle, and it works just like its claimed, to maximize blood flow by having more pressure on the seat bone alone. Though it does get tricky to get the right angle that feels more comfortable. Minor adjustment can make major difference. While I am more used to softer gel saddles, I do want to break in my butt to get more used to sitting hard ones, so that I can do longer miles ride. So it would be good to get started on a good one. The Toupe does flex quite a bit, allowing it to adjust to you butt better, and its really light with titanium rails. So its good that it offsets the extra grams the Thudbuster adds. Not to mention its mighty cool looking.

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g254/mpchi/Bike/IMG_1803.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g254/mpchi/Bike/IMG_1801.jpg

Speedplay Drillium Platform Pedals - Very pricey for a platform, but once I tried riding with it, it makes a big difference! Very very grippy. Can't even slide my feet sideways when I tried, and I am just wearing normal running shoes. This is probably due to the efficient distribution on the pins, and the much longer base it has. Its very light for a metal pedal too. May not be the lightest in the market, but one of the lighter ones, and lighter than the original Dahon ones that was made mostly resin and plastic. This Drillium is supposed to be able to support 800lbs, and the finish quality is top notch. Came with 10 spare pins and easy access grease slot for lube. Love the grill-like design too. The only down side is that, I need to wear a shin guard from now on, before my shin turns into minced meat.

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g254/mpchi/Bike/IMG_1802.jpg

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So overall, very happy with the upgrades, both on functionality and look. The next thing I can think of is probably the Big Apple tires. As I found the Marathon Racers are great on paved roads, but not so good on dirt, and horrible on gravel. Almost fell a couple times on a light off-road trail in the gravel section, mainly because the tires lost traction and the bike went out of control...on a straightaway no less. But since the Racers are good tires too, I'll wear them out first before swapping them. Just need to be more careful on dirt. Otherwise, I love my bike!

[spambait11]

The biggest problem with your bike now is that you won't be able to lock it outside anywhere without drawing a crowd. :) Nice build!

[jur]

* mega-drool *

I sooooooo want one of these.

Nice pics, thanks for the p0rn!

[14R]

Looking good!! How heavy are you? I am asking because the chart from Thudbuster suggests at least one blue elastomer if you are 140Lb or heavier...

[mpchi]

Looking good!! How heavy are you? I am asking because the chart from Thudbuster suggests at least one blue elastomer if you are 140Lb or heavier...

I'm about 150 lbs. Thats why I have a black to go with the grey. Try to get it set up so that its easy on the small bumps (grey), but won't bottom out on the big ones (black). Had the all blue setup, but didn't like it as much. While all grey is too soft.

[Dahon.Steve]

Very nice upgards. I thought that bike with it's dual suspension didn't need a suspension seat post? Was it really that hard a ride without the Thudbuster? I guess your rear end is more sensitive than mine! ;-)

I've always said folders require some kind of suspension but you went all out with quality upgrades. You have good taste in components.

By the way, you could have also gone with a Brooks Champion flyer with springs with the old seatpost.

[mpchi]

Very nice upgards. I thought that bike with it's dual suspension didn't need a suspension seat post? Was it really that hard a ride without the Thudbuster? I guess your rear end is more sensitive than mine! ;-)

I've always said folders require some kind of suspension but you went all out with quality upgrades. You have good taste in components.

By the way, you could have also gone with a Brooks Champion flyer with springs with the old seatpost.

Thanks for the comment. The ride of the Jetstream is actually not harsh. The rear stock suspension is on the stiffer side, and only see obvious travel during big bumps. It does a great job easing off stress on the frame while keeping the bike from feeling wobbly, but doesn't provide the soft cushy ride that some might expected. I would have been ok without a Thudbuster if I stick with my old gel saddle, but don't want to limit myself to short distance rides, as I do feel numbness after a while. So while I switched over for a hard Toupe saddle to help on the blood flow and for longer distance riding, my sit bones are not used to such hard saddles yet. So there comes in the Thudbuster, adding some comfort and coolness to the package.

[psykoocycle]

Wow, damn nice bike! How many pounds?

Its too nice to ever leave alone.

[mpchi]

The bike is 24 lbs stock. With the parts I added and subtracted, it should be around mid 26 lbs, thanks to the Thudbuster. Not light enough to be a handy commuter (not meant to be one anyway), but haven't stepped into the heavy weight category yet.

[richin]

hi mpchi,
can you show us pic of how you protect the end of the seat post?
thks.

[mulleady]

This is one sexy bike!

[brakemeister]

wow
great geat built.......
my new thudbusters do not have the tapered top ( and they are all black ) and they come in two tastes long travel and short travel
The thudbuster is indeed a good choice...especially with the stock shock.... with the upgraded shock( I am out of stock, but try to get more ) the short thudbuster would make a good addition for SUPER PLUSH riding ....

Anyhow the bike looks great.....
thor

[richin]

hi,
I've got my Jetstream P8 last wk. Went for a ride and felt like a great bike! But my main concern now is where can I can the manual to maintain the Kinetix front and rear shock. Could find them on the Dahon support page.
Have anyone got a (soft) copy of the manuals? I've email Dahon customer services and they'r surprised that the shop didn't pass them to me.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers, Richin