Folding Bikes - My new 2 year old!

Just picked this up today off Craigslist:

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/8661/img4049k.jpg

2007 Dahon Speed D7 - original owner says it was only ridden 5 times, and from the looks of the bike, I believe it.

Drivetrain is completely clean.
http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/9779/img4039z.th.jpg (http://img25.imageshack.us/i/img4039z.jpg/) http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/7348/img4048r.th.jpg (http://img195.imageshack.us/i/img4048r.jpg/)

Everything works very smoothly except the shifting, which needs adjustment. Put the bike in lowest gear and the chain falls off every time. I've never adjusted a derailleur before.

I am curious about the front brakes; the pads don't seem to match up with each other.

Left Side http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/5702/img4042r.th.jpg (http://img41.imageshack.us/i/img4042r.jpg/) Right Side http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/3495/img4041zi.th.jpg (http://img9.imageshack.us/i/img4041zi.jpg/)

See how much further the right side brake pad extends past the arm? I'm wondering if someone put a brake shoe in upside down, or perhaps mixed and matched two different kinds of shoes. Is this normal for Dahons? The bike did stop without a problem on my test ride.

The one cosmetic blemish on the bike is what looks like rust stains on all the quick releases. Perhaps the bike was kept in a humid environment? Any suggestions how to remove the stains? They didn't yield to stainless steel cleaner or tarnish remover. How about rubbing compound?

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/641/img4052a.th.jpg (http://img41.imageshack.us/i/img4052a.jpg/)

My wife rolled her eyes at yet another green folder in the apartment, but she seems OK with it - for now :love:

Your derailleur is improperly set to allow it to travel too far. There is a high H and Low L screw on the derailleur. Provided what you mean by Low gear is the same as what I mean then it falls off the biggest gear towards the frame.

Get the chain on the biggest gear. The jockey wheel should be exactly over the biggest gear. Now push the derailleur body in with your hand. If it moves in beyond being in line with the jockey wheel then it can travel too far. All you need to do is adjust the screw marked L until it won't travel past the point where the big gear and jockey wheel line up.

Adjust your L screw. That's all.

John

Thanks! I watched this video (http://bicycletutor.com/adjust-rear-derailleur/) which explains the process, but your one paragraph outline makes it much clearer.

While looking over the bike, now I see the dork disk has broken away from the hub. It's still in one piece, but flops around and doesn't rotate with the hub. Not sure whether this is a symptom or a cause of the chain derailments. Either way, it's got to go.

Very cool, I picked up my Craigslist 2 year old yesterday. Enjoy the fold.

nice bike......congrats on your find...

Thanks all. I found a tip that lighter fluid works to remove rust stains, and sure enough, it did the trick. As for the derailleur, the "H" and "L" screws on the Neos derailleur are near impossible to adjust with a standard screwdriver; access is blocked by the chainstay. I think you need an offset screwdriver to adjust it, and I have none. Grr.

dschwarz: u have a dt mini right? what happen to ur dt mini?

As for the derailleur, the "H" and "L" screws on the Neos derailleur are near impossible to adjust with a standard screwdriver; access is blocked by the chainstay. I think you need an offset screwdriver to adjust it, and I have none. Grr.

Take real good notice of how the derailleur is positioned. Take a picture if need be. Loosen the allen head bolt that holds it to the frame. Swing it down and make your L adjustment and then put it back in back where it was.

John

Brought the bike into the LBS to get the wheels trued, and asked them about the front brakes. Turns out the front V-brake is made from parts of two different calipers. Right half is the original Dahon, Left half is something else! I'm gonna replace the front brakes with Avid SD-5s.

this week, I put my real live two year old on a baby seat on my Dahon Espresso and rode 8 miles... :)