Folding Bikes - Dohan 26" vs. 20" wheels

I am interested in the Dohan models as my research has revealed their excellent repuation. I want a bike that I can put comfortably in the trunk of my car. I was in a local bike shop and the salesman folded the 26" model but it did not fit into my trunk. (Standard size car) I later checked the Dohan site and the video shows you need to remove the pedals and handlebars (which he didnt do) He just folded it and it didnt fit in the trunk The Dohan site specifically says that the 26" models will fit into your trunk. Is this actually the case? I test drove both the 20" model and the 26" and the 26 felt more like a traditional bike. It was a short ride around the block: I dont know how much was "psychological" ...though

So 2 questions:
Can any of the 26" Dohans fit into a standard trunk?
And #2: how much in ride comfort (if any) do you sacrifice in a 20" wheel vs. a 26?

THANKS MUCH!

Dahon?

You don't mess with the Dohan.

Dohan, Dahon, you say tomato, I say ...well,,,,,,i stand corrected.

I am interested in the Dohan models as my research has revealed their excellent repuation. I want a bike that I can put comfortably in the trunk of my car. I was in a local bike shop and the salesman folded the 26" model but it did not fit into my trunk. (Standard size car) I later checked the Dohan site and the video shows you need to remove the pedals and handlebars (which he didnt do) He just folded it and it didnt fit in the trunk The Dohan site specifically says that the 26" models will fit into your trunk. Is this actually the case? I test drove both the 20" model and the 26" and the 26 felt more like a traditional bike. It was a short ride around the block: I dont know how much was "psychological" ...though
So 2 questions:
Can any of the 26" Dohans fit into a standard trunk?
And #2: how much in ride comfort (if any) do you sacrifice in a 20" wheel vs. a 26?
THANKS MUCH!



I have no experience with 26" variety, but both of my 20"er fits perfectly fine on my Honda Civic's trunk. I don't think it would be the case if I had a 26" folder. Its always a compromise somewhere.

Ok, if you remove the handlebar it should fit into the trunk of your car unless you drive a compact car, if it doesn't fit, go with the 20" wheel. I used to ride on a 26" wheel and since i have discoverd the 20" i am not going back to a full size bike. Last week my wife and i were starting our ride with a huge smile since we noticed a young couple doing some bike wrestling action trying to fit 2 full size bikes to their mid-size car.... man it was fun, foolish guys, i felt sorry for them since i used to do the same thing a few years ago.

Anyhow, back to the 20" wheel, you just need to get used to it, put some miles on it and you will love it.
Yesterday my buddy rode my Dahon Mu P8 and was very impresses, he said: "WOW it rides like a regular bike..." and it's true, it feels like a full size bike.
If you go with the 20" wheel check the different models Dahon offers.
There are other brands like Downtube, Brompton, Bike Friday etc.. but i don't know much about them.

Ok, if you remove the handlebar it should fit into the trunk of your car unless you drive a compact car, if it doesn't fit, go with the 20" wheel. I used to ride on a 26" wheel and since i have discoverd the 20" i am not going back to a full size bike. Last week my wife and i were starting our ride with a huge smile since we noticed a young couple doing some bike wrestling action trying to fit 2 full size bikes to their mid-size car.... man it was fun, foolish guys, i felt sorry for them since i used to do the same thing a few years ago.

Anyhow, back to the 20" wheel, you just need to get used to it, put some miles on it and you will love it.
Yesterday my buddy rode my Dahon Mu P8 and was very impresses, he said: "WOW it rides like a regular bike..." and it's true, it feels like a full size bike.
If you go with the 20" wheel check the different models Dahon offers.
There are other brands like Downtube, Brompton, Bike Friday etc.. but i don't know much about them.

When I first started to use folding bikes, I was not too keen on 20 & 16 inch bikes. I always used 26, 27, and 700 sized road bikes since "graduating" from the smaller wheeled bikes. Before that I rode 20 inch Stingray type bikes. I decided to give the Boardwalk (20") bike a try. I now ride smaller wheeled bikes exclusively. They fit me like no other bike seemed to do. They fit-even unfolded-in places no other bike can do. They take loads almost as well as a full sized bike-just as long as I angle the package right to avoid striking my heels while I pedal. I now own a Brompton and 2 Dahons. I will consider no other.

For photos of my bikes in action, see my Flickr Website below:

And #2: how much in ride comfort (if any) do you sacrifice in a 20" wheel vs. a 26?

THANKS MUCH!

With the right tire 20" wheels are very comfortable. If you have room for them a 2" Big Apple tire run at a moderate pressure will make a 20" wheel feel much bigger. I put some similar tires [40mm GS Scorchers] on my 16" wheeled Bike Friday Tikit and rode a commute route that I had done many times on a 700c bike. To my amazement the rough chipseal totally disappeared - zero vibration got from my wheels to me. On my 700c bike I used to dislike this section of the ride as it was a bit uncomfortable. Even more amazing I ran over some rumble strips on the side of the highway which were extremely jarring on my 700c bike and although I felt the feedback from the indentations they went from being awful to being a mild annoyance. Two thumbs up for comfort and I was able to keep a high average speed with these tires so I didn't give up much to my 700c bike.

I have a 26" Jack and a Honda Accord, and need to remove the handlebar to fit into my trunk. The 4-step process is easy:

1-unlatch seat post and take out seat
2-open hinge and fold bike
3-using allen wrench take off handlebar
4-place handlebar between wheels and put bike into trunk, with lots of spare room.

Definitely doable.

I am on the fence. How long does it take you to do the 4 step process...??
Why did you go with a 26 vs. a 20?

Thanks for all the posts

My Cadenza 8 fit nicely in my Honda Civic but I have to remove one of the pedal and handlebar.
Cadenza rides better than my Mu Xl and it looks like any other city bike or MTB.

Just viisted another bike shop and the salesuy said the ride on a 20" bike will feel similiar as a 26 but you'll feel the bumps more due to a lack of suspension. Do you think bigger tires will help out the ride?

Thanks

Do you think bigger tires will help out the ride?

Absolutely. Having tried it on my Tikit and my Dahon the first upgrade I'll make on any future folder is to throw some high volume tires on it. Greenspeed Scorchers seem comfy and fast at 40mm wide and the Schwalbe Big Apples at 50mm are definitely comfy - not sure about the speed as I haven't timed any rides with them.

I've been riding Big Apples on my Dahon for a few weeks now and they certainly help with high-frequency vibrations. They very slightly take the edge off bigger hits, but only slightly, i.e. you still get bone-jarred if you hit a pothole unprepared.

I've been riding Big Apples on my Dahon for a few weeks now and they certainly help with high-frequency vibrations. They very slightly take the edge off bigger hits, but only slightly, i.e. you still get bone-jarred if you hit a pothole unprepared.

I have to say i have tried the Big Apple and they are nice, having said that i would not replace my Marathon Racer with the Big Apple, i feel the Big Apple is a great option but riding is much slower than the Marathon Racer and there is weight penalty as well, the bike feels much heavier for some reason.

i.e. you still get bone-jarred if you hit a pothole unprepared.

As you would with any size wheel that isn't on a suspended bike. There is no solution to potholes besides filling them with asphalt...:eek:

Well, I found the bike felt much more sluggish when I changed the tyres and I think there are 2 reasons for this besides rolling resistance.

One was mentioned by Jur recently and is psychological: high frequency feedback gives the impression of responsiveness, so lack of it merely creates a sensation of sluggishness. It's a kind of ambience.

Two, I've just read on the road forums that weight on the wheels is equivalent to 3 times the same weight on the non-rotational parts of the bike. Perhaps someone can step in and explain this better. As far as I can see, the extra effort required to get the wheels rotating makes accelerating that much harder. This would account for my initial dislike of the Big Apples, which added something like 90 grams to each wheel.

As you would with any size wheel that isn't on a suspended bike. There is no solution to potholes besides filling them with asphalt...:eek:

The thing that gets me is that there seems to be a lack of decent products for folding bikes that could provide that small amount of suspension needed to take the edge off the ride without a big weight penalty. A suspension stem that folds vertically in line with the handlebar post would be great.

The pantour hub is such a simple design but costs a small fortune, and again doesn't really provide enough travel anyhow.