grunzster

I just got one and, thanks to the horrible manual and Dahon's non-existent support I have a few questions.

1: How tight should the hinge be? They include a velcro strap to hold the bike together when folded (at least that's what I read it's for on a review website, since there's no mention of that in the manual), but my hinge is so tight that there's really no need for the strap. Takes a lot of effort to fold and unfold the bike.

2: What is the strap that has the Dahon logo for? I'm talking about the one that, for like of a better reference, is like one of those cheesy snap bracelets that were big in the 80s.

3: Is there anyway to put toe clips on it? Doesn't look like they can go on the folding pedals. Anyone go as far as drilling their own holes in the pedals to install them?

ddez

You will need velcro strap as the bike loosens up over time and will start falling apart from fold when carrying if not used.The other one with dahon on it is for pant leg so your pants dont get caught in chain,kinda nice actually.
As far as support goes there is some,but i found Dahon support to be aggressively arguementive to put it nicely.Actually sold my new Dahon at a loss after my Brompton arrived mostly because of that.To be fair others have not found that to be the case,guess we all see things different.

grunzster

Thanks, I didn't even think of that. Being that Dahons are big with commuters that makes sense.

Wouldn't you just re-tighten the hinge when it loosens?

I couldn't even find support at all. No phone number on the site, email is just a general address for their corporate office. There's a small forum, otherwise it just says to contact a dealer, which I'm not sure would be much help, since most dealers don't even stock Dahons.

JimBeans83

One of the faults with how they specify the necessary maintenance for the hinge is the hinge closing pressure needing to be within a certain tolerance - if not, then you risk voiding your warranty. They state this in pounds, and it is not so easy to measure the closing the force of a hinge within their range (what tool?). Unfortunately, you won't be able to "re-tighten the hinge when it loosens" because the mated surfaces will have been damaged (design flaw) and then no amount of pressure will bring them back together properly.

@ddez - also similar experience with aggressiveness. Returned mine after problems, where the reseller had better policies than mfctr.

brakemeister

wow ..........
it seems that i dont post enough ...otherwise you guys would have found me ???? than on the Dahon website I have my name all over the place .... in any case what I mean is that I am a Dahon dealer and if you have a problem I dont really give a rats behind where you bought your bike ,,I will try to help ...

If the hinge is way to tight, than you should ask your dealer what he is going to do about it.
I would suggest to have it nicely oiled and moved back and forth a couple times , if that doesnt help you need to ask your dealer to get in contact with Dahon and ask them for a fix ( or replacement)
If it is really way too stiff, than you will receive a better bike, ie. the dealer should have never given to you as this would have been clearly found during inspection ....

I dont know where your assumprtion comes from that there is no service. I find that the service I receive from Dahon is one of the best in the industry . No.... not everything is always perfect, but the guys are trying hard ... no doubt .

pedals, you can use regular pedals if the toeclips dont fit your pedals , or use MKS pedals which are nicer anyhow, and those will work with straps.. or powergrips by that matter

Jim Beans :
what so difficult to understand with pounds ... it takes 10 pounds or 50 pounds or whatever PRESSURE to close the hinge ( see manual which came with your bike, or all manuals which are posted on the dahon website ) what tool ? your hand maybe ? no tools needed. you can " calibrate " your hand in pushing against a bathroom scale, than you have a good idea what X amount of pounds feels...

what design flaw ... c'mon .... who is damaging the mated surfaces .. clamp ? On my Dahons they are all adjustable by the way, so even if they loosen up over the years you give it a half turn to the adjuster rod and you are going good again .... if you jump curbs and maybe are a little more agressive that the bicycle is designed for than a little drop of locktite will help to keep the adjustment in check ... and if you have totally overtightned the hinge and bend something that you can purchase a new hinge mechanism no problem,,, cost is under 20 bucks

small forum over at Dahon ? that is a very cool forum , totally not moderated, and everybody with a specific problem will get help fast .... show me ONE manufacturer forum which works the same way .... I havent found one yet ...

thor
biased,, but I earned it ...lol

fonfa

Oh great! Lemme ask you one thing then - what's your experience with the lockjaw folders? I just had my matrix frame replaced because of major flexing and creaking from the bottom hinge. Still haven't ridden the new one yet. How to care for it, and how to find the better adjustment for it? Tried the dahon forums but each owner has his own approach for this and none of them seem to be a dealer, so they tried it on a single bike.

brakemeister

I have good experience with the lockjaw folders, one has to be a little carefull not to squeeze the locking bolt unless the bike is straight.... although its diffifcult even to screw that up . than tighten the bolts and you should be fine ....
there are many ways to skin a cat ... therefore you get many ways from actual owners to close the hinge ... all of them are ok... over at Dahon formum there are folks like Trail X who works for Dahon ansd I think he said a few things about the hinge ...
https://files.dahon.com/support/manua...fold_guide.pdf
in more detail here
https://files.dahon.com/support/manua..._manual_en.pdf
page 22 to 25

all the best Thor

grunzster

I ordered online, but that's after waiting a few weeks and still no return call from one dealer, and another who wouldn't give me a price over the phone...and didn't even stock the bikes.

Thanks, I'll try oiling and working it a little. Would WD-40 or T9 also work?

I really like the folding pedals, though. I'm on a boat, so they make storing it easier. Just trying to figure out if there is a way to put clips on them.

My assumption is because there isn't really any support. Maybe you get better support being a dealer, but it looks to me like they offer zero direct consumer support. Under support it pretty much just has a link to find a dealer. Also I don't really consider a forum with other owners to be support. It may be useful, but it's not real support, as in a way yo actually talk to someone from the company directly.

guitarsophist

If you post about a problem on the Dahon forum, someone from Dahon will respond pretty quickly, in my experience.

John

brakemeister

one has to also consider that Dahon is NOT a Trek or Specialized ( although I wouldnt know if you can call them and get any help from them biggies either) ... Dahon is a very small and lean company. thiose guys are working hard .....

They sell to their dealer which are first line of support. ......despite that if you send them an email it will usually be answered or forwarded to somebody who knows the answer. They have employees ( and even the boss himself) watching the Dahon forum ... and and and...

yes b9 or even wd 40 is fine.... and if it doesnt get better you need to contact the dealer and have him take a look at it.... if you are in the area I will be glad to check the bike out..

ok ..what boat ? :-) tell us more.... I love boats

thor

grunzster

Well then that makes a huge difference.

grunzster

I wasn't trying to bash them. Simply stating the fact, don't really see a way to contact them, so I'm asking here.

Yeah a lot of companies don't have much support these days.

It's a Gemini 105M, a 34' cat. Living aboard in NJ, but the plan is to dump the car, and start cruising eventually.

brakemeister

Ahhhh a sailboat ...multi even ...
welcome to the darkside ..lol
great boat ...


( i have a Corsair28r the one with the training wheels )
email me if you need any specific help ..from one multi sailor to the other we should be able to get something goin...


thor

grunzster

Thanks.

Actually I'm very much a newbie, but I've always loved the water and I'm a diver. So, I kind of jumped in head first.