Folding Bikes - wow so many dahon bikes...

i'm in the market for a folding bike but i don't really even know where to start. i went to the dahon website (the real one..dahonbikes) and it's overwhelming because there are so many bikes at so many difference price points.

brompton bikes look great but are just a little more than i want to spend right now.

a few questions:

1) are the dahon models the same frame but slightly different configurations? e.g. the dahon eco c6 and eco c7 are the same frame but one is a 6 speed and one is a 7 speed?

2) i would like gears and generally don't want hub brakes or hub shifting. i think i've narrowed my choices down to the speed d7, eco c6, etc. but the speed d7 if $639 and the eco c6 is $379? this is a pretty big difference in price. what are the differences between the 2 bikes? from what i can gather it's 1 more gear on the speed d7, chromoly vs. tensile steel, a rear rack, etc.? weight seems similar, size is similar, etc.

in that sense i think i'd rather save the money and get an eco c6 and buy an arclite rack for the bike but maybe i'm missing something?

RVD.

Hi RVD
yes its a little confusing at times....
First ... on Dahonbikes.com are all worldwide models listed. They vary from country to country as the importers dont buy all or have slightly different options.
A good start is to check out www.thorusa.com for the US models and how they are supposed to arrive here.
Not saying that everything is always 100% correct, but we try and update the specs as they become available ( checkable ) meaning after we have bikes...

Having said that .. sometimes its easier to check whats available than to make up your mind and than the bike is not available ... :-(

Eco's I have some on order from Dahon but I am out of stock...
Speed D7 in darkblue are in stock

Ecoc6 is HiTen STeel versus the alloy frame of the Eco 7 .... Plus there are other details different on those two bikes. Its worth to spend the extra for the C7 when available in my opinion .. Dunno where you can find one for 369 anyhow....

The SPeed is a "D" or Deluxe bike ... every little component on the D is better than the C bikes.... If you consider that componets make 90 % of the whole bike price, than its again a much better deal than the C bikes ....

email or call if you have any questions

Thor

And there is the Tern http://www.thorusa.com/tern/linkd8.htm 8 speed.

thor, I have looked at your website a lot as well. you have a lot of good info there. thanks for the explanation. i wondered why shops didn't seem to carry the full line of dahon bikes but i just figured it was because there was so many. i didn't realize it was because different countries get different bikes.

i just got my prices from performancebike: http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/SubCategory_10052_10551_400325_-1_400001_400307

yeah i know that they aren't the best shop around but they're local, etc. the dahon speed d7 is $639 and the dahon eco c6 is $379.

thanks for the explanation on "D" vs "C"...didn't realize that either.

anyway i'll spend some more time on your site, etc. thanks for the tips.

clever cycles isn't local, but they seem really cool and on the west coast

don't forget if you are new to folders, that derailleurs are easier to damage when being handled while folding than hub gears. so depends on how much control you will have over handling / storage of folded bike.

don't overlook bike friday low end models, swift folder, pacific IF, (birdy - if they have a low end model), low end brompton models. dahon only has a few styles of fold, frame, with a ton of different dressings on top of them. some of them really interesting. the other companies each have fundamentally different folds

thor, I have looked at your website a lot as well. you have a lot of good info there. thanks for the explanation. i wondered why shops didn't seem to carry the full line of dahon bikes but i just figured it was because there was so many. i didn't realize it was because different countries get different bikes.

i just got my prices from performancebike: http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/SubCategory_10052_10551_400325_-1_400001_400307

yeah i know that they aren't the best shop around but they're local, etc. the dahon speed d7 is $639 and the dahon eco c6 is $379.

thanks for the explanation on "D" vs "C"...didn't realize that either.

anyway i'll spend some more time on your site, etc. thanks for the tips.

if you're in redondo beach, you should go down to laguna beach to bike fold. they have a website - bikefold.com. they sell almost everything - montague, dahon, bike friday. i've been thinking about going there to test a bike friday.

they should have a good selection of dahon bikes for you to look at and try.

clever cycles doesn't have a great selection. even though i bought my dahon from performance bikes, their selection is poor and i don't care for their service.

just for an update. i ended up buying at performancebike simply because they had the lowest price and they're local. they gave me 20% off.

but when it comes to service, it was basically nonexistent. i bought the bike on their website and had it shipped to the store. one of their techs put it together and i picked it up today.

the guy who delivered the bike to me didn't know much about it. when i asked if he could show me how to fold it, he said "sure" but then he didn't know how to do it. he was fiddling around so much confused that i eventually just told him to forget it and that i'd just look it up online.

they didn't have any other dahon folders at the store.

anyway, the bike is in the back seat of my small car and it fits! i like it.

my first impressions:

1) the bike is lighter than i thought it would be. i could lift it with one arm pretty easily while it's folded up.

2) the tires are thinner than i thought they would be. i'm not sure why but i was expecting tires more like the schwabe big apple 26" 2.25, etc.

3) quality of parts look pretty good. except that there are areas with a thick scotch tape where tabs make contact with the metal to prevent scratching. the stickers are on all crooked, etc. seems like the padding could be slightly better thought out but oh well.

btw, from watching the youtube video, the problem was that the guy at the store didn't fold down the handlebars before moving the wheels together. he moved the wheels together first and then tried to wedge the handle bars in there causing one wheel to become angled out of place, etc.

just for an update. i ended up buying at performancebike simply because they had the lowest price and they're local. they gave me 20% off.


So which bike did you get?

I got the speed d7. I like it. The quality seems to he good, etc.

My only issue now is that when the bike is folded, the wheels scrape against the brakes so the wheels dont move freely. I tried loosening the brakes a bit and will play around a bit.

I also need to take off this dork disc, etc.

I got the speed d7. I like it. The quality seems to he good, etc.

My only issue now is that when the bike is folded, the wheels scrape against the brakes so the wheels dont move freely. I tried loosening the brakes a bit and will play around a bit.

I also need to take off this dork disc, etc.

it could be that the cable is stretch too much when it is folded. check it and make sure it's not stretch out or getting pulled when you're folding the bike. sometimes the cable will get tangled from some bike parts or frame and that will cause the brake pads to lock up.

i just got my prices from performancebike, ...yeah i know that they aren't the best shop around but they're local, etc.

The two PB in my area have friendly employees and excellent customer service. For example, when Dahon had that stem recall, they offered us a full refund on a 6 months old Vitese IGH7. The are my first choice for local bike purchases.

I know Kamtsa is right on this one... same as REI ..some stores have good people and some not so much ....

thor