[oboeterry]

Hi there,

I am pretty new to this forum... I posted this question on the Dahon forum (on dahon.com) with no reply, so I figured that I'd ask you guys :) I currently have a 2006 Dahon Speed P8 which I ride several times a week (mainly for fun and trying to lose weight)... I'd like to do some upgrading, but I am not independently wealthy (or even close!); any recommendations? I like the internal hubs, disc brakes and the dynamo (for front & rear lights); are any of these possible? Also, what would be the best airline friendly suitcase that I could fly this bike in with the least amount of disassembling? I have the Airporter, but I've been charged for oversize ($80!) several times now and that's just too much, especially since I'll be flying with my bike several times this year)
Thanks so much and sorry for so many questions!

Terry

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[jur]

Unfortunately upgrades get expensive real quick.

Internal gear hubs: Not so great an idea here - you'd need a chain tensioner which causes extra drag and chain wear, causing you to lose almost all the advantages of going to hub gear in the first place, plus it'll be heavier and not have a bigger gear range. Stick with the gears you have.

Disc brakes: These need special attachments on the frame which the Speed frame doesn't have, so it is not possible. For disc brakes you need different hubs anyway, so that means getting new wheels builteven if it was possible. Definitely not a good idea either.

Dynamo: Possible, you'd have to get a front wheel with a Dahon Joule dynamo built in. Costly as well, my preference for night riding is to use a Fenix torch with Eneloop rechargable batteries (which don't self-drain so you can leave them in for long times and still use them without recharging).

Suitcase: No easy solution. You might be able to get a Samsonite Flite through without excess bagage fees, but you'd still have to disassemble such as taking the wheels off. There are web sites that detail how to do this. The only quick solution is to get a Brompton which fits as-is; or perhaps a Downtube Mini which requires less disassembly.

[oboeterry]

Unfortunately upgrades get expensive real quick.

>*ugh* I kinda figured as much :-/

Internal gear hubs: Not so great an idea here - you'd need a chain tensioner which causes extra drag and chain wear, causing you to lose almost all the advantages of going to hub gear in the first place, plus it'll be heavier and not have a bigger gear range. Stick with the gears you have.

Disc brakes: These need special attachments on the frame which the Speed frame doesn't have, so it is not possible. For disc brakes you need different hubs anyway, so that means getting new wheels builteven if it was possible. Definitely not a good idea either.

>darn... oh well, both of these things weren't important, they just seemed cool..

Dynamo: Possible, you'd have to get a front wheel with a Dahon Joule dynamo built in. Costly as well, my preference for night riding is to use a Fenix torch with Eneloop rechargable batteries (which don't self-drain so you can leave them in for long times and still use them without recharging).

>Thanks, I'll have to look this up... batteries that don't self-drain? Interesting...

Suitcase: No easy solution. You might be able to get a Samsonite Flite through without excess baggage fees, but you'd still have to disassemble such as taking the wheels off. There are web sites that detail how to do this. The only quick solution is to get a Brompton which fits as-is; or perhaps a Downtube Mini which requires less disassembly

>Yeah, I was thinking about the Flite (after reading about it here and on the Dahon forum); it's only about 2" larger than airline regs, so I doublt they'd notice the size difference (at least I hope they don't); as to the wheels, the front (of course) is no problem, I'm just really non-mechanically inclined, so removing the rear wheel (with chain and derailleur) is pretty confusing for me, but I guess that I'll just have to figure it out...
Thanks so much for all of your help!

Terry :-)

[4cmd3]

Yeah I would agree with Jur on all points...

On the battery front, the new battery technology is great. I have a ton of Eneloops... and I have to recommend Thomas Distributing for your battery needs. (I have no affiliation) You will pay a LOT more in typical retail shops for the same thing. Thomas also carries the amazing Maha/PowerEx chargers ~ which are a LOT better than your usual "dumb" charger and they work with the Eneloop technology. The Maha Imedion ultra-low discharge batteries are also another good option - they are just like the Eneloops, although they have even more capacity iirc. You pay a slight premium for them over Eneloop of course, commensurate with the additional capacity.

I buy a lot online and Thomas Distributing was probably one of the best/fastest orders I have ever made. You will find them recommended via a lot of camera websites ~ since those photogs really care about their batteries. :)

Oops here's the link: http://www.thomas-distributing.com/ (http://www.thomas-distributing.com)

Great source for those CR2032 coin batteries too... I saved a bundle!