dadse

I've owned my dahon curve 3 for several months now. I park it in the garage, and place it into the trunk of my Buick - folded - and take it with me on trips. BUT some stuff has occurred: I've found my saddle frame broken (the repair guy actually said, "how did you do that ?" when he saw that the frame-wire had pulled out of the little pocket it had been in on the saddle underside. He sold me a new saddle, saying there is no way he could bend it back in; then, there appeared a dent in the plastic front fender that I'd not seen previously (hidden beneath the fork tube) AND the tire was completely flat (the tire was loose on the rim) when I took the bike out of the trunk at the end of a trip recently. I

I'm not positive that either of these conditions were produced while the bike was in my trunk - that is, either one MIGHT have happened while the bike was in the garage - but I'm unaware of any event that might have caused them either in the garage or whilst riding. My riding is quite tame - smooth pavements, no holes, no jumps, no curbs. I weigh 210. I inflate my 'big apple' tires to just under 70 psi.

My son thinks this stuff is happening while the bike is in the trunk of the Buick. There seem to be no projecting parts to impact the bike in there, and it fits loosely (e.g., it's not jammed up against anything (it rests on a thick layer of newspaper when I close the trunk lid) yet there are these 'events'. I considered the tire might have blown-out (heat-related?) in the trunk - though that hardly explains the dented fender or broken saddle - but the hole in the tube looked like a puncture to me (and the repair guy). The spoke-guard was intact and whole - and the guy didn't tell me he saw any puncture through the tire itself.

Is my son correct to point a finger at my trunk-transport habit? While a puncture is hardly remarkable, the other weird conditions do seem so - and I mistrust coincidence as explanation.

sreten

Hi,

Try dropping the front to 50 psi, it should work a lot better.

If it can slide around in the trunk bad things will happen
as it plays pinball with the sides of of your trunk.

rgds, sreten.

Bungee cord(s) are an option. Hard to say how without
seeing it, but it can't be hard to stop it sliding around.

seedsbelize 

Gremlins? You might check with the folding bikes forum; much more experience over there.
I simply can't imagine what it would take to pull the seat rail out of its socket. I've tried putting them back in, and i agree, it appears to be impossible.
Good luck

dadse

thanks for the input, sreten.

I'm thinking it's not likely to have slid. the bike always seems to be in exactly the same orientation and location when I open the trunk lid as it had been at trip's start. in addition to the already mentioned layers of newspapers on the floor, there are bags of newspaper (perpetually 'on the way' to the recycle bin) and a couple of aluminum-and-canvas folding lawn chairs in there (in case a picnic happens) - all creating a sort-of nest for the bike - no room for sliding about. I suppose the bike COULD bounce up to the trunk-lid - and back down - but it weighs more than 25 lbs. wouldn't that take a mighty large bounce from the Buick? and cause considerable noise? an event I might be expected to have remembered? still a mystery! but I'll try the adjustment in tire pressure you suggest on the assumption you have other considerations for it than, apparently-specious, heat-related blowouts - I'm quite new to folder bikes and their teensy wheels so I'm open to good suggestions for improvement in any aspect of riding..

Andrew R Stewart 

If the saddle rails were bent so the distance between their ends had reduced then less effort would be needed to pull the saddle off the rails. We see this often enough. usually from jumping off curbs and such, or a really big rider getting a bit bouncy. A fender dent could happen any time but maybe only be noticed later. I can believe a bike moving around in a trunk could easily cause a fender dent. And being plastic you might not hear much impact noise. As to the bike being in the same place in the trunk... the last motion the car went through each time before you open the trunk was the car coming to a stop. Of course the bike would be in that position each time you looked and the tendency is to put the bike in the trunk the same way you saw it when you got it out. As to the tire did any one do an examination of the tube's failure? A prick hole, a tear, a star burst hole, inside or outside the tube? We see many tubes that have been holed by grit left inside the tire during installation. Also a piece of glass/flint can wedge into and through the casing then get ejected when the tire goes soft and flexes a lot. If your tires have a tread pattern to them then pieces of glass can get trapped within the tread slots and continue to get pushed deeper into the tire casing with each revolution. periodically looking for bits in the tire casing and removal if seen can prevent many flats otherwise in your future. Andy.

sreten

Hi,

50psi rear and 35 psi front is about right for an average guy
on a folder with 47mm (1.75") tyres. BA's should be even
lower assuming that they are bigger than 47mm.

70 psi is way too much for BA's.

rgds, sreten.

4 to 3 pressure, rear to front, is good for folders.

(Road bikes IMO 5 rear to 4 front is about right.)