Upgraded Dahon gearing?
10-03-08, 01:10 AM
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Upgraded Dahon gearing?
Anyone ever upgrade the gearing for their Dahon's or any other 20 inch wheel bike for that matter to tackle hills? I'm curious as to what combinations work best for you. are gearing ratios different for different sized wheels? I'm currently trying to upgrade a D7 so if anyone has tried this before any info would be helpful.
10-03-08, 05:36 AM
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I upgraded my Mu P8 to singlespeed 68" gear. While I don't live in a particularly hilly area, my daily commute involves several (scary) flyovers and the occasional underpass. Going singlespeed took 1.4kg off my bike.
10-03-08, 05:46 AM
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Talk to Gaerlan, they do a lot of gearing changes.
IIRC the D7 already has a wide cassette, so the only thing you can do is use a larger front chainring. I.e. you can go lower, but you can't increase your range and will cut off the top end a little bit.
IIRC the D7 already has a wide cassette, so the only thing you can do is use a larger front chainring. I.e. you can go lower, but you can't increase your range and will cut off the top end a little bit.
10-03-08, 09:16 AM
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10-03-08, 11:41 AM
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Also: SRAM DualDrive hub.
HTH,
tcs
HTH,
tcs
10-03-08, 12:32 PM
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The need for lower gearing and a closer ratio between gears led us to sell our Boardwalk D7s last year and purchase Bike Fridays with the Dual Drive set-up.
We now have 27 gear choices rather than the previous 7. Going up hill is a whole lot easier and smoother.
Another reason for the change was to have bikes with INDUSTRY STANDARD PARTS. Working with Walter at BF, and using "gear-inch" calculator, we started out with a 42-tooth chain ring. After riding the bikes for 3-4 months, we decided we would like to shift the entire range up a gear or two, so I ordered and installed 46-tooth chain rings on both bikes. It has worked out really well. The 9-speeds in the direct-drive mode are closely spaced and just right for most of our riding, plus we can shift to a higher or lower range when terrain dictates.
Bottom line: The wife always has 2-3 gears in "reserve" even on the steepest of hills. She likes that.
We now have 27 gear choices rather than the previous 7. Going up hill is a whole lot easier and smoother.
Another reason for the change was to have bikes with INDUSTRY STANDARD PARTS. Working with Walter at BF, and using "gear-inch" calculator, we started out with a 42-tooth chain ring. After riding the bikes for 3-4 months, we decided we would like to shift the entire range up a gear or two, so I ordered and installed 46-tooth chain rings on both bikes. It has worked out really well. The 9-speeds in the direct-drive mode are closely spaced and just right for most of our riding, plus we can shift to a higher or lower range when terrain dictates.
Bottom line: The wife always has 2-3 gears in "reserve" even on the steepest of hills. She likes that.
10-04-08, 02:14 AM
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Thanks so much for the information folks
I think I'm going to try the front derailer idea so I can keep some high end gears
I think I'm going to try the front derailer idea so I can keep some high end gears
