Steely Dan

I was wandering around a bike shop today and saw a Dahon Mu Uno. it got me thinking, if i sold my old 8 speed dahon, i could think about picking up a SS folder. living in chicago, speeds are unnecessary on a "get around town" kind of bike, which is precisely the only type of riding i use my folder for these days. the Mu Uno i saw also featured a coaster brake which gave it a really clean, simple, stripped down aesthetic that i really dug, nary a cable to be seen anywhere. then i picked it up and was surprised by how much lighter it was than my old dahon folder.

other than the Dahon Mu Uno, what other better quality off-the-shelf lightweight single-speed folders should i include in my research?

as for money, i don't like super-cheap bikes, but at the same time i'm not gonna drop $2,500 on a bike that gets ridden infrequently. i'm thinking that roughly $500 - $1,000 is my wheel house for this potential purchase, and more towards the upper end of that range if i can manage to get a couple hundred bucks or so for my old folder.

dynaryder

That's pretty much it for a lightweight SS. The Speed Uno is steel and heavier. A Brompton SS with the Superlight package will be lighter,but much more expensive. I can't think of anything else available in the US that would fit the bill that's not a low end off-brand.

Cue fietsbob chiming in about a Bike Friday.

HGR3inOK

ThorUSA has a couple of Tern Link Uno bikes left. See: Tern folding bike Link UNO You might want to check them out.

-HANK RYAN-
Norman, Oklahoma USA

12boy

Single speed swift is about 700 with free shipping and, except for seat post and riser, non proprietary parts.

12boy

Sorry I was incorrect. The single speed is 750 and comes in black unless you go custom.

smallwheeler

this just sold on ebay for 900. damn.

keyven

How about a Swift SS? Home

I had the MU Uno for about 4 months - ordered online and it's a stable, enjoyable bike to ride. You wouldn't be disappointed. Ultimately I felt it wasn't enough gears for me and sold it.

tds101 

I'm selling my Xootr Swift with custom NuVinci N360 wheelset for $650. Sheesh,...I can't even sell it at that price. There are deals, and then there are people who want something for nothin.

smallwheeler

you'll sell that more quickly if you put the original wheels back on. hmm. i might be interested in the wheelset.

jur

+1

BruceMetras

I like the Mu Uno.. had a couple of them over time.. it rode great as a single speed and was pretty stable .. I changed mine to a 2 speed SRAM Automatix (coaster brake version) .. easy swap.. I also ran larger lightweight 451 wheels at one point .. and I eventually put a belt drive kit on one of them.. so, it's cool stock, but can be moderately upgraded if you wanted one more gear or a belt or larger lightweight wheelset .. bike can also get pretty light if you run lighter wheels/tires and ditch the seatpost/pump .. a Mu Uno is a pretty good choice .. one nice thing with a stock Mu Uno is the Shimano single speed will freewheel and allow you roll the bike when folded forward or backwards without the crank arms rotating ..

Steely Dan

thanks for the input everyone. so far, it looks like my choices are:

- Dahon Mu Uno

- Dahon Speed Uno

- Tern Link Uno

- Swift Single Speed


of those, i think i can eliminate the Speed Uno (heavier) and the Swift (doesn't seem to fold as compactly) right away. so that leaves the Mu Uno and the Link Uno, both great looking bikes. they seem pretty similar in a lot of respects. is anyone out there familiar with both bikes that can speak to which they might recommend over the other?

also, and this is very important to me, does anyone know how the chain is tensioned on these frames? do they use horizontal drops or EBBs? i can't quite tell looking at pics.


and again, if anyone else knows of any other lightweight off-the-shelf 20" SS folder in the $500 - $1,000 range available in the US market that i should also take a look at, please don't hesitate to mention it.

ThorUSA

besides Link Unos I am working on a Link Duo .... sold one with a lot of mods, freewheel Automatix , front disc brake, front suspension fork etc etc last week for rougly a grand .. the next Duo ( coaster automatix) will be considerable cheaper as it has no suspension and no disc brake.
Should have it ready by end of next week

Bill Wilby

Hi Steely Dan,

Me again with my Stridas, have you considered a Strida SX? 18 inch not 20 inch wheels but a quality SS bike that is fun to ride.

Cheers, Bill

[disclaimer, I am the Canadian Strida distributor]

fietsbob

Advantage: Tikit comes in Sizes, all on the list is 1 size only..

minivelos dont fold but because of that they are Pretty light, beefing for hinges needs reinforcing..
small wheels alone save space.

Steely Dan

Thor, you're probably the most qualified person to answer my two main questions:

1. between the Mu Uno and Link Uno, which would you recommend for someone looking for the most lightweight and reasonably affordable off-the-shelf 20" SS folder?

2. how is the chain tensioned on these two bikes, do they have horizontal drops or EBBs? this is very important to me because i DETEST EBBs.



thanks for the suggestion, but i test rode a Strida years ago and it wasn't for me.




Disadvantage: Tikit isn't in my budget, all on the list are..




i'm looking for something that folds up quickly and compactly enough to easily throw into the trunk of my small mazda 3 hatchback..
minivelo doesn't fit that bill.

fietsbob

I parked $600 in a Used Mk2 Brompton , Did a Little work, resold it for that, added $300 for a Mk4..

Azreal911

funny thing my buddy owns a mu uno and I own the link uno. we've rode them on 160km+ ride days and had no problem with it as long as we know that the path was along the lake and no 6%+ climbs were coming. Both bikes are really nice, but the link is a stiffer ride I found because of the massive clamps. Many times I was able to just stand up and mash the heck out of the bike and barely feel anything flex on the handlebars. The Mu Uno is lighter and has a better crank and wheels right from the start while the Link Uno is heavier with the beefy clamps and the crank you'll have to entirely replace when the chainring wears cause it's a lower end one piece unit. But the main difference that really sold me is the hinges on the Link Uno has replaceable bushings and swings open pretty much frictionless while the Dahon has none of this. This won't matter if you are a casual rider but if you ride the bike daily folding 2-3 times at day, that is bound to wear out within a year or two which on the Link you just buy new bushings but on the Dahon once that hinge is loose and has play because of daily use you are pretty much done.

Both bikes you can build up nicely and keep it under $1k if you choose to. For the Brompton and Friday even though single speed you basically are starting at the $1500+ (new prices comparison) mark before any mods and running 349 wheels which depends what is your preference? 406 has alot of options to play with from mtb treads to road racing while 349 has less choices on what you can throw on to experiment.

EDIT: both bike chains are tensioned through a track type dropout which you can slide back and forth.

ThorUSA

Well I hate to say this is better than that... Dahon speed is steel .... Tern and Mu are alloy ... I prefer alloy ...
if you compare pricing the Tern wins in my opinion, although the Mu has better components ...

all of them have horizontal dropouts
Both Tern and Mu come with a front brake you either put on or you don't. your choice


you could get the tern with the funky carrier, tow arrangements for a little extra .. but keep in mind that this thing weighs a lot ...

tds101 

Too bad the original wheelset is now a 7 speed and on the Lombardo minivelo.

The bike rides so much better now,...

Steely Dan

^^ thanks for your very helpful responses Azreal and Thor.

no EBBs! that's a relief to know. that would have been an instant deal breaker for me.

looking at the Link Uno and Mu Uno more closely on thor's website, the Link Uno is listed at 11.5 kg, while the Mu Uno is listed at only 9.9 kg. that's a 3.5 pound difference, and since weight is the biggest driver in my decision to get a new folder, i think that fact alone pretty much makes the decision for me. the fact that the Mu Uno is spec'd with better components is just gravy.

the Mu Uno is a bit more spendy, but i don't want this choice to be driven too much by the dollars and cents. and the Mu Uno still falls well within my budget anyway, so no real concern there.

so i think that seals the deal, the Dahon Mu Uno is the choice for me.

thank you so much for your input everyone!

tds101 

The Tern Link Uno is on sale on Amazon for $375 plus $69.70 S&H. It's a pretty good deal IMO.

https://www.amazon.com/Tern-Link-Sing.../dp/B00P9WC6V0

PS: Coaster break only.

dynaryder

Nailed it.

Wonder which Link that weight's for? The one on Amazon has rack and fenders,Thor's site just shows fenders. Also,Dahon shows a Mu with a weight of 10.9kg. Might want to check out the actual bikes you're looking at rather than going off Internet stats.

danduva1

I have had a Retrospec SS folder, aluminum frame, sort of a copy of the Dahon, for about 9 months now and I love it. I bike about 80 miles/week. Maybe a pound lighter than the Uno and a lot cheaper at under $300. I bike in NYC and Santo Domingo and it works for both, I can make it up all but the steepest hills in either city.

Rivle

So how is the NuVinci? I've read a little about it , and it sounds like a very cool idea. But how does it shift? Is it as smooth as it sounds?