Originally Posted by
Winfried
So apparently, the plain, original
K3 (KAA433) had 14" wheels and v-brakes, while the
K3 Plus (KAA639) has 16" wheels and disk brakes.
...
Seeing that the K3 and K3 Plus use the same frame, the following question emerges: what is the max tire size on the K3 Plus?
Here, there are frames (e.g. Fnhon Freedom, Tornado Mini) made for 14" wheels that people build with 16" wheels (305) with the limitation of max tire width of no more than 16x1.50, as narrow as 16x1.35 in some cases. I don't suppose Dahon designed two different frames for the two models. Does the K3 Plus suffer from that 305 tire limitation? Having ridden 305ers for a few years across a gamut of terrains, I wouldn't want to ride one with tires narrower than 47-305 (1.85"), and my 305 daily driver today carries Schwalbe Big Apple 50-305 (2.0") boots with plenty of clearance still.
Unlike the K3, a FnHon Gust 16", for example, will take a 16x2.125" (57-305) tire and still have plenty of clearance. In fact it'll take up to 37-349.
I haven't yet figured out why folks build these bikes on frames designed for 14" wheels with 16" wheels, riddled with severe limitations on tire size when for the same money they can build (or buy a complete) a bike that takes all sizes of 305 and 349 wheels and tires. Ditto for the Dahon K3 Plus.