freebooter

I am looking for a folding bike that I can use for touring. Having just lost out on a Speed TR I am thinking of getting a D7 and adapting it for touring use. The main issue is expanding the gearing range. I don't want really high gears but would like low gearing to cope with hills and then a high enough gear to maintain a reasonable speed on the flat comfortably. Probably 15mph without spinning would be enough.

I can't afford hub gears or dual drive systems so my choice is either just putting a wider range cassette on or adding a double or triple chainset. I understand that I need an adapter to fit a front derailleur. I know these are available from Thor in the US but I don't know whether there is a UK or Europe supplier.

I am not sure how well the Neos derailleur copes with these options? What range of cassette will it cope with and does it have the range to cope with a front dual or triple chainset? From what I understand the Neos equipped Dahons won't take a standard fitting derailleur and normal long cage derailleurs have issues with ground clearance anyway.

Also I saw a post saying that it needs a new bb with a longer spindle. Is this correct?

I am sure these upgrades have been done quite often now and if someone could tell me what has been found to work that would be very helpful.

thanks