osco53

About mile 20 now,,give er take,,
With the Goo off the chain and after about 5 shifter cable adjustments It's starting to shift better, faster, quieter.

I may do the old racing trick this week, take the shifter cable all the way out, hang It up on a rafter with a good size brick tied to the bottom..
Get it all stretched out In a single day..
Next ride will tell me,,

osco53

OK this is my mistake,,I was doing the speed D8,,not the P8
D8 2015 model,
P8 2014 model with a G.I. range of 32.6"=86.6" DAHON Bikes:*Speed P8

Here I go,,mods,,, LOL
I measured the chain,,width of innner and outer individual links. It's wide and heavy, thick, compaired to my other bikes..

It barely fits between cassette gears...I bet a thinner KMC or a hollow chain would shift crisper,quicker..
From the get go I was eyeballing that chain thinking, "Why Is this chain overbuilt?"

I beat on, stand on my mountain bike chain, I really stand on it on hard almost vertical short climbs at a crawl..
It obviously has lighter thinner links and I never break it,,,makes me wonder..

Whatcha boyz think ???

,,Never heard of a chain named, "Rustbuster",, Must be a Yankee thing

BruceMetras

For some reason I've always tended to gravitate towards SRAM hollow pin chains .. they are quiet, marginally lighter, shift well, and I like the looks of them.. I even run them on IGH drivetrains.. but that's me ... In your place I'd be running 9 spd chain for sure...

AvenirFolder

Some of the more elderly Speed D7s -- which use the same 4130 Chromoly frame as the P8 -- have a comparable gear range since they have 11-30 sprockets in the rear with a 52 chainring up front. At least my used $200 2010 model does. And it climbs most local hills like a mtn goat i.e. slow but steady. This Amazon link provides a description with the same gear range ("a 37% increase in gear range" over the lacklustre 14-28T): Amazon.com : Dahon Speed D7 Folding Bike, Tangerine, One Size : Folding Bicycles : Sports & Outdoors . I run my D7 out for 50 mile jaunts with a 2" Big Apple out front and a 1.75" Marathon in rear. Goes like snot over just about anything.

I added Ergon GP1-L grips and a Mirrycle mirror for good measure https://www.mirrycle.com/mountain_mirrycle.php. Also slapped in a Shimano UN-55 bottom bracket and some MKS FD-7 pedals Amazon.com : MKS FD-7 Folding Pedals, 1 Pair 9/16" : Bike Pedals : Sports & Outdoors. For seating comfort over those miles, I exchanged the plush padded Dahon saddle for a springy Brooks Champion Flyer. After moving the standard steel Arc rack on my bike over to my wife's used 2010 D7, I added a fancy new Tern cargo rack to my old beater: https://turbobobbicycleblog.wordpres...15/02/18/6709/ . Tough as nails and can handle 50lbs plus!

No need for an "upgrade" to a new P8. I already have one -- or something pretty close to it (maybe even better since I have fenders thrown into the deal). Never sell the Speed D7 short.

osco53

Yep Just did the rack and tail light:



The Planet bike 'Rack Blinky 5' light Is nice and bright, 5 LED's Ya think !
came with the right mount stuff, LED's are so easy on batteries, they should last and last, Has a fast blink also.
The rack was a perfect fit, now all I need is a small Insulated bag.
Tail Light, $16
Tern/Dahon Rack $34
Cold water, sweat rag, flat fixing gear, munchies. and I can go roaming around..

This little bike is so easy to use around pedestrians, light poles and twisty sidewalks...
Working on coming to a complete stop, standing on the pedals and not putting my feet down,
Still wobbly, still scaring close bystanders,,

I bunny hopped up onto a curb today, did it so smooth, not even a bump..

osco53

Good advise,, I can pick up one of those chains local...

I was told 7,8,9 speed chains all will work, all are compat...

tds101 

My Tern Joe P24 arrived today. I can't wait to have a little time to set it up!!!

osco53

Pichers, Gotta have Pichers

tds101 

I shall work on it in the morrow - as my car is down.

osco53

Ok The Speed P8 rides great, I took my 12 mile loop Saturday after my AM Mountain bike ride and did the loop again today.
The fat 1.75" wide tires takes sidewalk cracks and crappy road surfaces just like I'd hoped. They max at 65 psi, I run 50 psi front and 55 psi rear. I am 175 pounds, I carry 40 oz of water and flat tire fix stuff so the bike is well within It's load limits.
Popping up, bunny hopping curbs and shifting myself forward and back on the bike to help with crack impacts is easy and feels natural.
I know how to ride light and I am confident this little bike will hold up under my kind of rides. It feels like a very solid bike.

Now the bad, the drive train.

I must first admit I am spoiled on much better gear, SLX level and up.
The twist shifter is terrible, It's shift point Indexing is all over the place.
The chain is so wide It just fits In between the cassette gear cogs so Indexing is even more Important.
I measured the link widths against my mountain bike chain,, wow, don't ask. I won't measure them again and didn't write it down.
I do know how to adjust gears, been doing all my own bike work for years and can make a decent drive train shift like a much more expensive setup.
I set it to shift the best on the way down the cassette and have to massage the thing to down shift.
And it's not predictable, Ghost shifting repeatedly. Mid cassette is a problem, Gears 1,2, and 6,7,8 are fine.
3,4 and 5 jump all over, To downshift I have to twist well past the next lower gear and, hold it, then back it off slowly.. Terrible.

I will be replacing the Shifter, chain and derailleur. As most of you know the shifter and derailleur work together and finding a shifter of good quality that would manage the Neos 8 derailleur would be hit or miss.
IF you could even find one there would be a risk that Indexing would never match up to suit me..

I'm still happy with my purchase but to make it shift to my liking It'll cost me another C-note or so...

Most of this is because I ride better on my other bikes,,
My recumbent has Mid level Sram gear and shifts super smooth, fast and accurate every single shift.
I will make this folder at least that good.

jur

The majority of crappy shifting can be solved by cleaning the inner cable. Pull it out, wipe with a rag and WD-40. Squirt WD-40 into the outer, blow out with compressor. Works wonders. Maybe finish with Boeshield T9 and try again.

BruceMetras

If cable cleaning isn't a significant improvement.. look at Shimano 8spd paddle shifter .. The Neos is a rapid rise derailleur as opposed to a High Normal type that is most commonly used ... and uses a Low Normal shifter (a High Normal shifter will work, but the shift indicator numbers will be reversed) .. the Neos is a pretty good choice for small wheeled bikes as it's very compact and optimized for crisp shifting.. In your shoes, 9spd chain .. budget Shimano paddle shifter (under $25) .. make sure the cable run is straight .. clean/lube cable..

osco53

Thanks guys,, Advice taken

osco53

Not much riding time in yet, I'd guestimate 75-100 miles, maybe a bit more.

It's shifting is better, I'm liking the quick handling better, for local subdivision loosen up rides the morning after a hard mountain bike ride this bike Is just right. The stock chain, a KMC rust proof something, Is still IMO wider, bulkier than It needs to be. I Still plan to change it to a lighter, smaller link chain. That change IMO is a good bet to a crisper more accurate shifting drive train but I will wait at least another 50 miles or so.

I did get a chance to ride a far less expensive, sub $200 folder.. 'I won't name the maker', but the rear cassette made quite a racket, and let that owner ride mine. It was much much harder to maintain the speeds I find easy on my P8, I was very aware of the extra weight. It did not rattle or creak or anything like that but It did not feel tight and light, It felt solid and heavy.
I think some of the Heavy/slow feel was the tires and wheels. IMO a better cassette and stiffer lighter wheels and better tires would make this particular bike better. Those mods may even hide It's additional weight to a point where the extra mass would be a non Issue.

It shifted better than My Speed P8 BUT it was well broken in, the back tire had already been replaced...

The funny thing Is, the other guy that was about my size said my Dahon felt twitchy and nervous. He thought mine was way overpriced and didn't like it. I made no bad comments to him about his bike but I know I would not have been happy with one like that.
I will only say, you definitely get what you pay for with these little bikes..

osco53

I took the cable out,,did the above, world of difference, almost perfect shifting.
I took it back out, hung a 15 pound weight on it for a week...

I have a perfect shifting Folder now, I am done, thanks buddy