OldiesONfoldies

My friend just got back from Beijing China and brought this little beauty home. It cost him a princely sum of US$250 or so.

14" wheels, single speed & tonnes of cute appeal. A perfect spare bike?

smallwheeler

replying to a three year old thread..

this is a substantially nice little bike. i have a lot of problems with dahon bikes, but this appeals to me. wonder why they dont sell these in the west? much lighter than a dahon curve or even the Jifo, which would be a more direct comparison.. i just i just answered my own question..

Dynocoaster 

there is one on Ebay right now that has been upgraded.

smallwheeler

also, 14" wheel bikes in general...

smallwheeler

and it seems after-market wheel sets are available too. litepro novatec 14" hubs..

smallwheeler

found some more:

ttakata73

I have not had the chance to ride a Dove, but I have looked at them and rode a Java X1 which is similar in size.
They would make great spare bikes, but definitely not daily cruisers unless you are a short person.
The wheel base is very short and the cockpit looks tight.
I found this comparison pic online, you can see how close the seat is to the bars on the Dove.

I'm 5'8" and found the Java X1 unsettling to ride so I assume the Dove might be just as bad since it is similar in size.
I have the SRA680 (Mantis) and find it very stable to ride due to the longer wheelbase.

smallwheeler

wow. thats a great size comparison pic! i dont disagree with your assessment necessarily, but i was intrigued by the fact that enough people are using this bike as a primary that after market manufacturers are producing component upgrades specifically for it. peeps are even racing with this setup: but, yes.. the guy in the orange shirt definitely needs a bigger cockpit...

mr geeker

looks like that dude is going to pancake that 'lil bike. hell, if i was that dude, id've got a bigger model.

Azreal911

why is there such a massive following for the dove?? those are really cool upgrades for such a tiny bike and the more i look at it the more I want one!
I guess we always see people trying to ride and use bikes that where never made for. with the 14 inch tires schwalbe bike apples are actually a choice! just not sure if it'll fit the frame though.

smallwheeler

just looking at it, the top tube seems to be of similar OD to a dahon curve or speed. i imagine that the frame must be very strong and responsive due to over-all size. with high pressure tires it must be super-fun to ride. looks like the "dove" is also badged as a Fiat and Renault in Japan. found these:

brakemeister

those were available in the US a couple years back... more or less, rather less as the dealers who saw the bike at the tradeshows did not order any, and despite that Dahon brought a bigger handfull back into the states. Than they were just sitting there and nobody ( except me) bought/sold any of them. Anybody remembers the sweet pie ...
Why is it that it seems always that folks want something which is not available ? And if you jump through extreme loops and actually get some, than all of the sudden, there is no more demand, as the next un-obtainium creeps up somewhere....???

just sayin.... not complaining as it is fun to think outside the box once in a while ....

thor

smallwheeler

it must frustrating as a dealer to try to stay ahead of the fickle tastes of the public. but, it seems that dahon already has a bike for every price point between 299 and 2500. why not expand the range of small wheel bikes and have a "curve uno" following the same logic as the mu or speed uno? as far as the dove goes, it would seem to be good corporate logic to have an entry level product that can be marketed for kids (get them hooked on folders early) that can also be tricked out as a nimble and small folding bike that appeals to multimodal commuters. as a dealer, i would think its essential to think outside the box because the box is full...

smallwheeler

good lord, they accommodate 305 16" wheels...

HGR3inOK

A Curve D3 is currently $699.99. I'm guessing that a Curve Uno would be ~$599.99. I don't think there would be a big demand at that price. What do you think?

-HANK RYAN-
Norman, Oklahoma USA

smallwheeler

i think you are right. but, i think there would be demand for the Dove. particularly now that i see the frame can accommodate a 305 wheelset.. seems it could be sold in the 400-450 range?... honestly, they are all too expensive at msrp.. i would want to pay 299 for a basic Dove, do my own upgrades and by the time i'm done have spent 450 and have a cracking little racer.

brakemeister

how many bikes for one model like the Dove, does Dahon has to sell to make this profitable ? Keep inmind that spare parts , wheels, tires, spokes and all should ( I say SHOULD) be available for the next 10 years .... I am askin for the US market only obviously...

and thats just one point. catalogs, web, pricelists, warehouse space, inventory etc etc etc would be others....
Lets hear a number smallwheels .. you think would be sufficient to sell in this market to make it worth while ..

Thor
( who might have a glimpse what that number would be.. but of course it would be just a guess )

smallwheeler

you're the dealer, you should be telling us..

HGR3inOK

Looks like the Dove frame is available for ~$225. See:

https://www.dhgate.com/dahon-bya412-f...1524c6e39.html

and a complete Dove is available for ~$390 from the same source. See:

https://www.dhgate.com/dahon-bya412-d...9c5bc6dc8.html

I doubt there is any warranty on these items. And I have no idea if there would customs duties or fees on these items.

Let us know if you get one.

-HANK RYAN-
Norman, Oklahoma USA

smallwheeler

thanks. i saw that too. ordering one bike from china is a dubious exercise... the one on ebay is looking more attractive by the minute

smallwheeler

also, what the hell is this?!: https://www.fnhon.com

it looks like a counterfeit dahon business.. attached is their copy of the dove frame in non-folding version:

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=...id=15744341008

ryukenden

Woah, picture galore!

Its looks like fnhon sure go out their way to copy dahon.

Dynocoaster 

I just bought a used Gekko just waiting to get it shipped to me.
https://ridethisbike.com/labels/Gekko.html

smallwheeler

ahh, pics when it arrives, please!

tds101 

Did they ever make the 12" or 16" models? And is there any way to find out? I really want one of these,...great to keep @work for a lunchtime spin around the neighborhood.