Folding Bikes - Anyplace in Orange County, Calif. where I can try out folding bikes?

I'm visiting in the Huntington Beach - Santa Ana - Garden Grove area right now. I passed a Bike Friday shop south of here in Oceanside but they have only very limited hours and were closed at the time. I own a Swift right now, and I really like it, but I'd like to see what some of the others feel like to ride.

sorry cant help you there, i live in wales

Two Wheeler Dealer in Brea has a what I think is a Dahon Speed D7 in stock right now.

I just picked up a folder from Performance Bicycle in Fountain Valley. They have a Mariner in stock, I bought the Speed D7. There are several PB's in OC so you might want to call around and see who has what in stock.

Brea's kind of far, but I just passed the Performance in FV yesterday. Perhaps I'll stop by tomorrow - but what's a Mariner? Guess I really wanted to try out a Bike Friday (or Birdy). Maybe I can get back down to Oceanside when that place is open. I looked in their window and they are filled up with folders inside.

There's a bike shop just south of the antique section in Orange, CA that had a Giant Half something or other and a Dahon Curve D3 last time I was in there several weeks ago.

Mariner

http://brandscycle.com/itemdetails.cfm?sort=brandasc&id=10457

Yeah, I think it's the Bike Friday and Birdy I'd really like to see.

I'm near Orange right now.

Giant Halfway folding bike

http://www.foldingbikes.co.uk/giant.htm

I don't like the looks of the geometry.

I might just get a second Swift - the steel one when it comes out. Then I'll have a single speed Swift and a derailleur Swift. Peter promised to exchange my aluminum Swift for the steel one when (and if) it comes out.

But do I really need two?

Aren't the Dahon headquarters located nearby? There must be dealers there benefiting from that proximity.

werewolf, if you exchange swifts you will only have one still, right...

I'm visiting in the Huntington Beach - Santa Ana - Garden Grove area right now. I passed a Bike Friday shop south of here in Oceanside but they have only very limited hours and were closed at the time. I own a Swift right now, and I really like it, but I'd like to see what some of the others feel like to ride.

You are in luck. There is another just opened up branch of Folding Bikes West of Seattle that includes the Oceanside store among it's series of shops. It is now opened in El Segundo, just north of the cities you listed. See my announcement here: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=442422 (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=442422)

Aren't the Dahon headquarters located nearby? There must be dealers there benefiting from that proximity.

You are thinking about the Headquarters in Duarte CA. It does ship bikes around but in of itself it is not a retail store. And it is too far away for Werewolf's benefit.

werewolf, if you exchange swifts you will only have one still, right...

Maybe I'll get the steel Swift in addition to my aluminum Swift. I'd get it with the derailleur. I'm now set up ss.

I stopped by the Performance bike shop and the bike shop right next to it whose name i don't remember. Both sold Dahon. The owner (?) of the 2nd place told me he's discontinuing selling them, though. The main problem is that Dahon expects bike stores to sell them but then undercuts their price online, so people come in and try them out and take up time talking about them and then go and buy them online. I didn't like the looks of the Dahons anyway, the ones they had in stock at the Perf. store, that is - the components and geometry. I've been in the second bike shop whose name I can't remember before and people there always seem very friendly. By contrast the next door Performance store seemed way understaffed. The man said to try Richard's Bikes in Garden Grove for possible folders as they sell niche bikes - recumbants, tandems, etc. I'll look them up.

Thanks, FF. I looked at your thread and the photos. It seems that, so far anyway, the new bike store in El Segundo is heavy on electric bikes whereas I'm looking for Bike Fridays and Birdys (the latter I don't even expect to find). It's a bit of a trip up to El Segundo too. That Oceanside Bike Friday store seems my best bet, if I can make it down there when they happen to be open.

The Dealer is not well informed . Dahon does not undercut the dealers and selling direct.
What they do is this : They have teamed up with a company called Shopatron ... you can actually purchase a bike from the Dahon website ...than it goes onto the Shopatron website for all DEALERS who are signed up to see. The Dealer who has the bike in stock will mark it .... the dealer which is closest to the person who ordered it will get a email the next day and than he can deliver/ ship the bike ...
Shopatron makes the dealer money ( I sell many bikes that way ) ....
I do like the price I am getting from Shopatron bikes ( thats the second mistake the dealer makes :-)

maybe said dealer needs to get himself a little more involved ... but than again maybe not, as it would take customers away from me :-)

Thor

I looked up Richard's in Garden Grove. Looks like a good bike shop, but nothing about folders.

http://www.richardscyclery.com/index.shtml

Thor - Looks like you know a lot more about Dahons than that bike store man. He didn't think there was much demand for them in southern Cal., but I think he may be mistaken about that - potential demand anyway. In fact, when i walked over to the Performance store next door (talk about competition - two big bike stores right next to each other!), they were in the process of selling a Dahon ($400-something). That's the model I ogled briefly.

The Dealer is not well informed . Dahon does not undercut the dealers and selling direct.
What they do is this : They have teamed up with a company called Shopatron ... you can actually purchase a bike from the Dahon website ...than it goes onto the Shopatron website for all DEALERS who are signed up to see. The Dealer who has the bike in stock will mark it .... the dealer which is closest to the person who ordered it will get a email the next day and than he can deliver/ ship the bike ...
Shopatron makes the dealer money ( I sell many bikes that way ) ....
I do like the price I am getting from Shopatron bikes ( thats the second mistake the dealer makes :-)

maybe said dealer needs to get himself a little more involved ... but than again maybe not, as it would take customers away from me :-)

Thor

Shopatron seems to me a drop ship sort of company. I prefer to pay extra for 1 or even more tune-ups that any bike needs before purchase, soon after purchase, and a short period time after purchase even if I ordered on-line. I rather order direct-for example-from Thor's shop-pay for the tune-up option I like, and go from there.

I looked up Richard's in Garden Grove. Looks like a good bike shop, but nothing about folders.

http://www.richardscyclery.com/index.shtml

That is the way most of the bike shops around here are. Some are great, some are fair, and some are rather poor. If you do not have or buy a run-of-the-mill usual Mountain, Road, Hybrid, Comfort, BMX, Cruiser, or similar popular with the crowd bike, it does not exist as far as most shops are concern. I pass by many shops before I get to one that I can do business with for my unique bikes.

Thor - Looks like you know a lot more about Dahons than that bike store man. He didn't think there was much demand for them in southern Cal., but I think he may be mistaken about that - potential demand anyway. In fact, when i walked over to the Performance store next door (talk about competition - two big bike stores right next to each other!), they were in the process of selling a Dahon ($400-something). That's the model I ogled briefly.

My observation since the gas/petrol prices plus food prices started their steep climb is-any bike is in demand. Even in poor areas, they can't keep bikes in stock fast enough. Folders have one important feature over any other bike-it obvious ability to fold and compact even unfolded with it's smaller wheels. And many residences are far more compact with no garage or shed to keep bikes. So these bikes are a must.

On one of my searches before, I came across a bicycle shop website called electriccyclery.com... Address says Laguna Beach. Not sure if that's too far for you. They had Birdys on their site. Might be good to give them a call. For what it's worth, I have an '08 Downtube Mini and I'm in Fullerton.

Thanks, J. Laguna Beach isn't far. I may stop off at Electriccyclery this coming weekend, on the way down to Oceanside. That way I might get to try both the Birdy and the Bike Friday.

Fullerton isn't very far either, but the Downtube Mini has too low a weight capacity for me (says 215 lbs.) and the geometry doesn't appeal to me (too upright and the seat and handlebar are too close together, a problem I have with a lot of these folders - I have a big upper body).

Next to the Performance Bikes I listed is Bike Discovery and it is listed as a Dahon dealer as well. If you didn't know, Fountain Valley is right next to Huntington Beach.

OC - I was in both of those stores yesterday. See my post above.

I finally made it to the Oceanside Bike Friday/electric bike store when they were open. It's a small store with a very limited selection. I did get to try the Bike Friday Ticket and the BF Pocket Rocket. I liked the Pocket Rocket a lot, even better than my Swift. It felt more stable than my Swift. I think they are expensive, though - like maybe $2K - if you get into upgrades. Base price is $1K.