Ken Wind

I really like the look, but I wonder how durable and practical it would be. I commute on a fixed gear road bike right now, and I think this would be a good bike for getting around town and taking on trips. I have a couple questions about it though.

Does anybody have one of these?

What do you think?

What model Suzue hubs are on the bike?

Will it be able to handle being treated like crap?


Thanks for any input.

Fear&Trembling

When I saw one in my LBS they looked like the Basic SIL-SP model (which I have on my fixed folder), but I could be wrong as it is not easy to tell Suzue hubs apart. Might be worth checking on the Dahon Forum for the detailed specs.

Ken Wind

Thank you. I had not idea they have a forum.

caadman

Ken, I have one of those bikes, and l use it to commute to work in the summer and for riding around for errands and short easy(slow) rides during the season.....I really like it and it has performed very well for me so far. I got it in early May and it's been fine since then.

I don't have it at home right now, it's at the shop, so I can't check what hub it has on the front or back, but I can check for you when I get it back this friday..

Maybe that'll help, it's the first bike I've owned that has mustach bars on it, and I just love those!!

Take care,

Benjamin

Ken Wind

Yes, I would appreciate that. Thanks for your thoughts on the bike. I really like it, but I've never had a folder, so I'm having a hard time deciding on whether I really want it or not. The cheapest I could find it was $800 too. If I could get it for $600, I would already have one.

I think they probably do use the standard SIL-SP suzue hubs. I've heard that these hubs have issues with the bearings, which is unfortunate. Have you experienced any problems with the hubs Ben? Besides that the bike seems to have great specs. What is the rear spacing, 120 mm?

Thanks again for your thoughts on the bike. I posted in the Dahon forums, but I haven't gotten a response yet. They are probably busy with their 2007 line.

Fear&Trembling

Ken, I've had no problems with them. They do not look bling, but they feel smooth (particularly after a good regreasing) and are good value for money imo.

caadman

I hear ya on the price Ken, I do know they said that they were only going to make 500 for worldwide distribution, so they probably won't discount that price unless they still have some hanging around from 2006, but I did notice that they were going to produce them for 2007 also, so I'm not sure on that price, it'll probably stay at 800 dollars.

I checked the hubs, looks like the front is a Kinetix's, and the rear is a Suzie flip/flop, so that's probably the one you mentioned earlier....Don't know about the rear spacing, and it dosen't mention it on their website, so I can't help you there, sorry bout that..

As far as the bearings and the problems you mentioned, I haven't had any trouble with mine either. It's been ridden thru a few good rainstorms and still goes along just fine!..Overall, it's a great commuter bike in my mind. I put a rack on the back and carry panniers to work, very good bike..

Take care, and I hope you can get one!!

Benjamin

Ken Wind

Thanks guys. I appreciate it.

I've really been thinking about it, and I'm still not sure. I'm leaning towards buying one though.

I have been looking at the Boardwalk S1 and thinking that I could make it into a very similar bike to the Hon Solo. It would work out to be about the same price, maybe a little less, but the more I think about it the less I want to do that. I could only replace some of the parts with higher quality stuff. Getting a bike with good overall components to begin with is probably a better idea.

Edit: I have one more question. Will the frame take Big Apple tires?

caadman

Yeah, I would think that it would be easier to get the Solo, than to re-fit the boardwalk with parts and stuff like that, don't know where you would get those wood fenders from?, but I suppose it could be done if you really worked at it!

Ken, what are "big apple" tires??..Are they a brand of tyres? I would think if they are 20 inch tyres then they would be fine, I just put a kenda tire on the rear, and it's just fine.

Take care,

Benjamin

brakemeister

As much as I like the Solo its a very special bike with a few very high dollar items on it. like the wood fenders ... I think they cost in excess of 200 bucks... add a brooks saddle and a few other things and you know why the solo is as expensive as it is.
I wish that Dahon would have taken a more expensive bike to start out with and had that one " blinged" out. Its only a regular steel Boardwalk though. Nothing wrong with a boardwalk for the price its sold but for the price of the solo you can get a very nice Mu sl or Mu xl which is a totally different bike, Much better in my opinion ...

Thor

big apple are 20 x 2.00 big fat tires with surprising low rolling resisatnce and very nice plush ride. They will fit the solo I am pretty sure ( as the fenders are flat and do not go around the tire )

Ken Wind

There's a guy on eBay that makes custom wood fenders for bikes. He sells at a flat rate of $99 I believe. He is also a forum member, but I can't remember his name. What I thought was a really nice touch was the wooden chainguard. That's something I've never seen before.

Now I'm worried about the proprietary parts on the Dahons. The handlepost seems like it will eventually break. I understand they want it to be as small and light as possible, but I think it's stupid to make the front hub anything other than 100 mm. Any bike I have I'm going to ride the **** out of. I don't care how pretty it is. I'm not sure the Hon Solo is going to be able to handle that, which is unfortunate.

I'd have more options if I was willing to go with a geared bike, but I prefer singlespeed/fixed. I have been thinking about trying an internally geared bike. Internal gearing would make a great light tourer and commuter in my opinion. The Mu XL is one of the few other Dahons I would consider; however, the idea of suspension on a road bike doesn't appeal to me (I know I can just change the Mu XL seatpost). This pretty much excludes Bompton, Birdy, Downtube, and many other folding bikes.

The Swift/Xootr seems like it would be nice. Standardized parts, doesn't look to weird, 20" wheels, and you can get it built up as a singlespeed. Bike Friday also does some cool stuff, and you can get those singlespeed as well. The Bike Fridays and Swifts are more expensive than the Dahons though.

I don't live in an urban area, and I don't really have that much use for a folder. My bikes go in the garage or basement. A folder is a great idea, and it would be nice to take on trips (the main reason I would have one), but I commute on my bikes more than anything else. That means riding everywhere. There are no trains or buses where I live. I could take my bike inside everywhere I went, but walking around the store with a 20-30 lb bike would probably get old pretty quick. If I ever move into a small apartment or a large city I'm definitely going to think a lot more about a folder. I haven't given up on getting one, but I'm not really sure any more. The Hon Solo just really caught my eyes with it's looks, and I had never thought about a folder before.

Thanks for the input, Thor.

maunakea

Buy a used frame or bike that you like and mod it to SS. Swift would be cool, but you pay for the fold.
There are always cheap used Boardwalks on eBay, and a new SS at Camping World is $143 or $129 + shpg
https://www.campingworld.com/browse/s...18015&src=SRQB
The Hon is for Star Wars fans, IMO.

LWaB

...until you want a narrower folded size.

Fear&Trembling

The Hon Solo has 120mm spacing at the rear - I measured it yesterday.

James H Haury

Yes, you can get a bike with more gears for less money but the solo is really for the ss /fixie enthusiast and in my humble opinion a seriously classy bike.If you want much the same look plus 16 gear ratios get a smooth hound. I love the look of that bike.P.S (bike friday used to have flat fenders available for their bikes they were not wood but plastic. they may still be available)

grayvw

One thing to keep in mind is that the rear dropout spacing is 110mm on the Boardwalk S1. I don't ride fixed or singlespeed, but would the rear dropout need to be widened to accommodate a flip-flop hub?

spambait11

No, the dropouts don't have to be widened. CRM said that Harris Cyclery respaced his ss/fixed hub to 110mm.

Not wanting to belabor this thread further, but after having modded an S1 with drop bars, I'd say be careful with these handleposts as they are aluminum and subject to creaking over time with pulling. True, I use a stem (i.e. more leverage) and the Hon Solo is stem-less, but it's a datum point I'd keep in mind since I'd probably not do less pulling if I had a Solo.

(As a point of comparison, Bike Fridays use cromoly handleposts which don't creak at all; Swifts also use cromoly, I think. However, they both also don't have hinges on their handleposts, so that could skew things a bit.)

folder fanatic

"...I have been looking at the Boardwalk S1 and thinking that I could make it into a very similar bike to the Hon Solo. It would work out to be about the same price, maybe a little less, but the more I think about it the less I want to do that. I could only replace some of the parts with higher quality stuff. Getting a bike with good overall components to begin with is probably a better idea." -Ken Wind

Hello Ken and Welcome!

I am a 2 Dahon owner (2003 Boardwalk S1 converted to a three speed with an AW internal gear hub, and a 2006 Piccolo with the same), so I think I can safely comment about your idea. I do not own a Hon Solo, but have seen one in a nearby shop. When I converted my Boardwalk, there was no Hon Solo obviously so there was really no choice for me. But if I did the same now, I think I would do a Hon Solo if I used most of the same stock parts that it came with like the moustache bars (I like them too and even considered adding them to the Boardwalk in passing) but I do not think that the wood fenders/chainguard will last very long even though it looks great when new. Or still more probably did the exact same thing as I have done in 2003 and just upgraded the parts that needed to be done to get the bike that I wanted since that model is built like a tank at only 30 pounds. For the final product, see my links below: