Originally Posted by
pacificcyclist
It would be a heck a lot cheaper if you can get a hold of a used Dahon Mu SL from someone who is upgrading for Tern or the newer Dahons. The speed TR was made heavy to be durable for long touring trips. It is not designed for peformance road biking in mind. Although you can somehow lighhten it, but I do not personally see a point of converting a Hummer into a Lotus Esprit; just a matter of speaking.
Tern has some nice bikes that should be light and stiffer than your Speed TR, which translate to a more responsive ride!
i am the guilty party. i trimmed my TR weight from 29lbs to about 20+- lbs. it made more sense to me to upgrade a TR when you compare the prices of those bikes you mentioned. cost of a dahon mu sl or speed pro tt is twice (or even more) compare to a TR. hey - i was able to convert my hummer into a lotus (way cheaper even if i buy a used dahon mu sl). and yet my TR is steel (compare to alu for sl), my TR has 24 speed SRAM dual drive (compare to 8 speed of the SL). technically my TR is a 48 speed bike as i installed a 52/39T Shimano 105 crankset. cheers...
NOTE: to me it's worth all the trouble. i sold my Bike Friday Tikit as i really like the TR.