Originally Posted by
Dockhead
I shift my bikes a lot more than I used to shift motorcycles. Human legs, even strong ones, are really low torque engines.
My 12-year old Dahon has a SRAM derailleur. I shift it constantly and it still works perfectly. I can't say anything about the Dahon derailleurs, but the OP can swap it out later if he doesn't like it. It's not like decent derailleurs are all that expensive.
Pete, is the bike going to be used on a boat? I kept mine on a boat for some years but I found it too bulky (even on a 54' sailboat) -- the Jetstream has 20" wheels and doesn't fold all that well. I'm in the market for a Brompton to keep on the boat.
My Moulton came originally with a 1x8 driveline, which I converted to a 2x8, and then recently upgraded it to a 2x11. I added more gears as I began planning tours to more mountainous places. But even the cheap Alivio derailleur which originally came on the bike managed to get through more than a decade of regular use without any issues.