Hey guys, other than Liquidsky7777's cool Smooth Hound, there are no threads on modding these types of bikes. Now that I have a medium Silvertip I thought I'd share info and hopefully this can become a mods thread for all the Midtown framed Dash, Smooth Hound, Silvertip, Mako, Hammerhead, and Voll model bikes.
Some history: Years ago, I had the Dahon Curve D3 and the Curve SL. I didn't like how the stem flexed so much under my 185lbs so I needed a midtown. I had this one sent to Los Angeles where a friend broke it down to the folded frame, wheels, fork, seatpost, and rear derailler. Then it was all packed into a Samsonite Oyster and flown over to Bangkok on Cathay Pacific. No extra fees.
After tuning it all up, I took it out for a quick 5 mile ride. It's a great bike! Unlike the Curve which I recall feeling slow and flexy, this bike feels fast and confidence inspiring. I rode off a few curbs and felt no flex or slop (this behavior will probably destroy the lockjaw joints so I'll relax). The bike feels as stiff as a regular full size bike for sure. I love the Kinetix Comp wheelset; they allow the bike to accelerate faster and be nimbler than any bike I've owned. I can't wait to get some Kinetix Pro wheels one day. For riding in a very congested city, I now believe a minivelo is the best way to go.
I never weighed the bike stock but the claimed 10.8kg seems accurate to me.
Here are my mods so far....
Removed parts: -1284g
FSA 44T chainring 54g
Double chainring bolts (FSA steel) 25g
Front derailler 93g
F. Derailler cable guide 5g
Frame stand 59g
Front frame magnet plate 36g
Kickstand 170g
Pedals folding 562g!
Reflectors 98g
Shifter front w/cable (Microshift) 182g
Extra cable housing length ?g
Added parts: +679g
Single chainring bolts (alloy) 14g
Mirrycle Bellini 17g
Cateye Velo8 cpu 47g
Light F: Knog frog 19g
Light R: Owl solar 15g
Dahon Frame Truss 250g
Front frame magnet bolt 8g
Cable sheath ?g
Visibility/ghetto stickers ?g
Pedals: Wellgo QRD119 lightened 289g (stock 307g)
Bike today with above added parts: ~10.18kg on my cheap ebay luggage scale.
I'll hopefully get it down to 7.5kg but I know this will cost about $2000 to do.
Optional parts when needed
Dahon Truss Bag (awesome: waterproof with shoulder strap) 927g
Solar LED light/USB charger 124g
Hex wrenches 2.5,4,5,6mm 43g
12" Master Cuffs Lock 1492g
I wish the Dahon truss wasn't so heavy but the bag is very useful and waterproof. You don't want to wear any backpack or even clothing in hot and humid Bangkok.
Why the ugly stickers? Thieves in Thailand don't steal ugly/cheap looking things. Covering up all indication that this bike is a Dahon and worth anything makes me feel a little safer about leaving it locked up alone, plus I remove the pedals.
FYI, I got some alleged 24 hour glow in the dark tape off ebay. Not sure if it really glows for 24 hours but when I roll under a bridge during the day this stuff glows like Tron. I'm sure cars must notice it on my wheels more than the red blinker I run on the seatpost. Maybe when I get sick of the ghetto sticker setup, I'll get more and make a Tron bicycle.
If anyone else loves their Midtown framed Dahon please share your experiences.
I'd love to see pictures of racks and fenders that work well on these bikes.
Cheers, Tak