Rolling speeds between 2 Dahon's

[chuyim]

I owned 2 Dahon folderes, the 2007 Speed D7 and 2008 Speed P8. My daily commute to work is about 4.5 miles (7.2 kilo) one way. I have been riding on one of them for a week then the other for another week. Traffic conditions pretty much the same. I have been consistently getting 25 minutes one way on my more expensive P8, vs 20 minutes one way on my D7. And I can feel my D7 rolling lighter and faster. The only thing I can think of is the tires. Does anybody find big apples slowing them down?

[James H Haury]

Go figure.

[taser]

Aren't they fatter?

[Loch]

What pressure are you running the BAs?

I ride a Curve SL and a Speed Pro, I pump the BAs on the Curve to max. My commute times are very close with both bikes. The Speed Pro pulls ahead at longer distances and hilly terrain (especially downhill). I have 1.5 inc primo comet kevlars on my Speed pro.

[snafu21]

I had BA's on my D7. I felt they were slowing me down more than the stock tires, but the hype said otherwise. But, now? Hmmmm.

[chuyim]

What pressure are you running the BAs?

I ride a Curve SL and a Speed Pro, I pump the BAs on the Curve to max. My commute times are very close with both bikes. The Speed Pro pulls ahead at longer distances and hilly terrain (especially downhill). I have 1.5 inc primo comet kevlars on my Speed pro.

I believe the max for BA is 75 (or 70), I usually keep it at about 50. Is that too low? I will try to get it up to 60 or 65 and see how they rolls. Thanks! I never thought of that :rolleyes:

[Loch]

I do notice they are slower if the pressure is low (especially the back tire). Even at max pressure I still think they do a pretty good job of smoothing out the ride (with 16 inch wheels the only thing I have tried them on).

I'm not sold on the BAs for 20" wheels mostly because they add so much weight to the wheels.

[chuyim]

Many people said once their stock tires are worn out, they will upgrade to BA; but I am thinking the opposite, once my BA's worn out, I will go w/ something faster and lighter

[tim24k]

BAs are not fast tires but a smooth riding/comfort tire if you will. I like the versatility of BAs 2" to 2.3" wide tire for riding on chip seal, gravel and soft grass. So much so I put them on my Surly Big Dummy and a hybrid tandem bike.

[Simple Simon]

I am glad you brought this up - I too fell for the hype - there were several 'loud' posters on here who seemed to claim that BA's really did break conventional wisdom. It was claimed they gave both the best ride AND the lowest rolling resistance.

As everything to do with bikes - this was probably subjective and a more objective comment would be - they offer a good compromise between rolling resistance and comfort - but not the ultimate in both.

Likewise my purely subjective bum says my high pressure 700c wheels and tyres have lower rolling resistance than anything i've tried in smaller diameters, but the latter are still often more convenient. Even Zootr say on their website (http://www.xootr.com/xootr/swift/faq.shtml)that their 20" wheels and tyres are 3% less efficient than 700c wheels.

BTW ChuYim - I like your Sig :love:
I grew up in China where everybody was riding single-speed bikes, wearing street clothes. When it rained, we all pulled up poncho and rain boots. Now I live in the United States, cyclists wear strange tight outfits and laugh at ponchos; bikes have 24 speeds yet no fenders, no racks, no kick stand. But, they have a forum.

..... yep you hit the spot, in the US (and uk) Cycling is treated more as sport activity - and less as a utility but it can also be simply a great way to get from A to B - a great pootle ! There are places like Amsterdam and Copenhagen (http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/) where everyone uses bikes - big wheeled bikes with upright non-sporting riding positions.

We folder users seem to fit in both camps - sporty folder enthusiasts like to push them to be as fast as fullsized bikes and others like their superb utility - personal transport to take with you everywhere. For me its 'horses for courses': Off road - 26" (or bigger), On Road - 700c, Multimodal - 16". But i really enjoy all the discussions on this forum which continuously try and pick THE one perfect bike ....... this forum will run and run :D