hankski

Just looked at the REI site and see that they no longer offer the Vitesse D7hg. Looks like they are selling a real nice foldie made by Dahon tagging it with the Novara name. It appears similar in design to the Dahon Mu XL Sport with 20" rims and an 8 speed Nexus internal geared hub. It is a lot lower in price too (599USD).

mjw

https://www.rei.com/product/763242

Wow this looks great except I don't like the paint job. Comes with fenders and carry bag too. Oh well I'm happy with my vitesse d7hg.

makeinu

I think this represents the best value in a new 20" folding bike available today. Even a Downtube upgraded with the same features would cost just as much at a lower quality level.

Highly recommended.

hankski

I have not seen this bike in person, but have to agree that the Vitesse is a better looker. Mine gets positive comments everywhere I go.

I am not sure how the gearing on the Novara translates to what I have in the Vitesse. Anyone out there have a feel for how this might match up? It has an 8 speed Nexus internal geared hub with a 16t rear cog and a 46t crankset.

mconlonx

According to St. Shedon's site, this is about 30"-90" gear range. Dunno what your Vitesse would be.

chainstrainer

I was lucky to buy a FlyBy when it was last available in March because they sold out quickly when REI put all bikes on a 20% off sale. It ended up costing $479.00 (I also opened an REI credit card for the $50 gift card offer for doing so). I was told by REI sales staff the Dahon D7 was rushed in to make up for lack of FlyBy inventory because it would be several months before they could get more FlyBys. The D7 was less expensive than the $599 FlyBy but the sale was over by then.

I like the internal hub gearing and the Mu-style curved frame of the FlyBy but I'm not crazy about the sick-looking blue color. Can't have everything at that price. What an incredible value, though.

tcs

I bet that's Shimano's lowest spec 8-speed hub and the Flyby uses the older generation of frame hinge/latch, but otherwise I don't notice much in the way of compromise. Good show REI/Dahon, and right before Christmas, too.

tcs

faffer

I rode one the other day. As far as I can tell, it is the standard Mu frame with a few cheaper components like what are found on the D7, and 2008 frame and handlepost clamps. The brakes felt mushy but it may just been the brake pads, because I could see them flexing.

The front hub is nutted instead of QR (makes sense I guess since the rear hub doesn't have one either) and the Nexus hub is the standard model instead of the red-band on the Dahon bike. The hub is an SG-8R31 which has the silent clutch feature. It also comes with a padded carry bag and Schwalbe Marathons instead of the Dahon tires on the D7.

The interesting thing was that I felt that had a much more stable ride than other mu's I have ridden. Comparing between the REI and Dahon website, the frame looks the same as the Mu XL, which itself looks different than the other mu's (the reinforcement tube between the seatstays and the seat tube looks bigger). However I swear that when I rode a Mu XL it felt the same as the Mu P8 and P24.

I would definitely buy one at 20% off but it's a harder choice at full price given the rear hub isn't the red band model.

hankski

That would be 34" - 84" on the Vitesse D7hg.
Thanks!

TrekJapan

This thread got my attention and I was considering one of these bikes to stash somewhere I travel to frequently. The Mu P8 is just a few bucks more. I think I might lean towards another Mu P8 unless I can pick this up on sale or something.

John

procon

Hmm, the price seems to have gone up $100 to $699. I'm not sure if this is a tactic used during the 20% off member sale.

https://www.rei.com/product/763242

tcs

I saw a Flyby @ my local REI and that is in fact the lowest spec Shimano 8-speed. Not a bad hub, just pointing this out for anyone who is comparing bike brands to make a purchase.

tcs

Dynocoaster 

I was at REI on Sunday and they will let a member take 20% off of one item.

chainstrainer

There are some exclusions but the REI brand Novarra bikes are included in the 20% off promotion.

ShinyBiker

bastids!