Folding Bikes - How come the new shim doesn't fit on my Dahon Mu P8

So here the story, we have two 2007 Dahon Mu P8 that we bought last month, I have received a new shim and seatpost from Dahon to replace my damaged seatpost, the shim and seatpost came from Dahon California (warranty replacement). I have pulled the old one and installed the new one with the new seatpost but the seatpost doesn't go in smoothly AT ALL, not even an inch. I have tried to install the new shim on the my second Dahon Mu and same thing, it doesn't fit !!!... I took the good shim from the good bike and installed it on the "problematic" Mu and guess what ? it works fine ! So I have contacted Dahon and they don't understand how come the new shim doesn't fit, the weird thing is that i have three shims right now; the good the bad and the new from Dahon and they are all different, the upper lip that sits on the frame is different.... I don't get it.... I have inspected both bikes for imperfections to see why the new shim doesn't fit but I don't see anything unusual and even if the problematic bike has imperfections or frame damage (the bike is new) how come the other shim from the other Mu fits perfectly ???

Comments will be much appreciated,

TC

the upper ring does not go INTO the frame it merely sits on top and prevents the shim from falling in.
If that ring is INSIDE the frame than surely it wont fit

thor

Shims are pretty simple things... could you post some clarifying pics of the 3 shims?

the upper ring does not go INTO the frame it merely sits on top and prevents the shim from falling in.
If that ring is INSIDE the frame than surely it wont fit

thor


My bad, sits on the frame... mistyped the *on* .... anyways, it sits fine but it seems like the shim i have received from Dahon is too thick, the ID is too small, it even looks different. I have tried it on both bikes, it fits fine into the seat tube but the seat post won't go in whatsoever, only if I apply some power. With the good shim it fits both bikes perfectly and will take both seat posts nice and smoothly... therefor
I have reasonable ground to assume Dahon sent me shim that doesn't fit.

TC

Shims are pretty simple things... could you post some clarifying pics of the 3 shims?

I hope the photo helps,

Thanks.

TC

Shims are pretty simple things... could you post some clarifying pics of the 3 shims?

And one mor pic....

Hmmmm... I don't see anything strange on the pics... it remains for you to measure the shim wall thickness with calipers, or go to someone with calipers.

... it sits fine but it seems like the shim i have received from Dahon is too thick, the ID is too small...

TC

http://tinyurl.com/5hehby

Regards
T

hmmm?
IF Dahon would have several sizes for seatpost and frames.I would be the first to say .... yeah ..somebody goofed and send the wrong one.... However all Dahons are the same seapost size and all the seattube diameter are the same .... ..
There should be no way anybody could screw this up... until the supplier of Dahon is slipping and sends them junk ....

thor

hmmm?
IF Dahon would have several sizes for seatpost and frames.I would be the first to say .... yeah ..somebody goofed and send the wrong one.... However all Dahons are the same seapost size and all the seattube diameter are the same .... ..
There should be no way anybody could screw this up... until the supplier of Dahon is slipping and sends them junk ....

thor

Yeah I know Thor, this is why it is so strange..... i am going to my LBS to see if they have shims for Dahon nor if they got any Dahons left, we will try to take another shim and give it a try.

I have a feeling the new shim i got is not perfectly round and this is what causing the problem, does it make sense ?

Yeah I know Thor, this is why it is so strange..... i am going to my LBS to see if they have shims for Dahon nor if they got any Dahons left, we will try to take another shim and give it a try.

I have a feeling the new shim i got is not perfectly round and this is what causing the problem, does it make sense ?

Does the seatpost fit into the shim when the shim is not in the bike, but freestanding? Can you put the post into the shim and then the shim-with-seatpost into the seat-tube?

Regards
T

Does the seatpost fit into the shim when the shim is not in the bike, but freestanding? Can you put the post into the shim and then the shim-with-seatpost into the seat-tube?

Regards
T

This is an excellent question, I have tried it earlier today and it won't work either, i have tried to remove the TurtleNeck Clamp and and then to insert to seatpost and no luck, I have tried the same thing with both bikes but it doesn't fit. I can put the post into the shim but when trying to insert the shim and the post to the seat tube it will go in only if I apply some unreasonable power. Dealing with the seatpost with the new shim is ridiculously hard for my wife, it hardly goes in and I can tell something is wrong and I just can say why, The silver color of the new seatpost starting to come off because it's too tight.

Update:
Took it to the LBS, they sell Dahon but they have nothing in stock at the moment, the dude that works there couldn't even understand what's wrong.... he just said: "it's fine, if it was loose and wobbly, then something was wrong...." man compare to my other Mu that works perfectly and butter smooth this is really wrong. i am going to locate a serious Dahon dealer in Toronto, will update soon.

TC

What's "best practice" with regard to greasing the post on Dahons? CaneCreek says to grease the post of their Thudbuster.

Regards
T

no grease ... never


maybe in regular ( I mean old fashioned ) bikes its ok to grease ..not in folders

thor

no grease ... never


maybe in regular ( I mean old fashioned ) bikes its ok to grease ..not in folders

thor


May I ask why the difference? A greased seatpost with a QR could slip or spin on either kind of bike.

Regards
T

yeah but I dont care about " regular" bikes

:-)
thor

Thor or other Dahon owners,

When you open the QR does the seatpost fall down immediately or do you need to push the saddle and close the QR ?

It's quite loose on my bike, so the seat post will fall if the clamp is fully open.

This is an excellent question, I have tried it earlier today and it won't work either, i have tried to remove the TurtleNeck Clamp and and then to insert to seatpost and no luck, I have tried the same thing with both bikes but it doesn't fit. I can put the post into the shim but when trying to insert the shim and the post to the seat tube it will go in only if I apply some unreasonable power. Dealing with the seatpost with the new shim is ridiculously hard for my wife, it hardly goes in and I can tell something is wrong and I just can say why, The silver color of the new seatpost starting to come off because it's too tight.

Update:
Took it to the LBS, they sell Dahon but they have nothing in stock at the moment, the dude that works there couldn't even understand what's wrong.... he just said: "it's fine, if it was loose and wobbly, then something was wrong...." man compare to my other Mu that works perfectly and butter smooth this is really wrong. i am going to locate a serious Dahon dealer in Toronto, will update soon.

TC

Second update: I have visited 2 LBS, both Dahon dealers, they have no clue why the shim does not accept the seatposts....well it does accept it if I push the saddle down pretty hard and force it to go down. It is very bizarre and I really don't know what to think.... I can return the bike for a full refund but I would like to keep it.

Third and final update: Came back from the biggest Dahon dealer in Toronto, got a shim the guys took off from 2007 Mu and guess what? It fits my Mu perfectly.... gave them my shim... problem solved !
The shims were completely different, they installed my shim I got from Dahon on the 2007 Mu SL and it fits only with the standard seatpost (the one without the pump), which is the original seatpost on the 2007 Mu SL anyway.
Dahon claimed they use only one size fits all shim, but I guess in reality things were quite different.
Overall I love the bike, it's a great folder.