Originally Posted by kgibbs51
Anyone have any idea when the 5speed SL is actually going to be for sale? Dahon says May but when you place it in your cart there is a message that its on back order. Bike shops are telling me July 07.
Do you think its worth the wait?
It's slow at work today, but why am I spending so much time looking at this forum?
Ditto what 14R said about availability of some Dahon models. Wouldn't bet on it one way or another until someone actually has them in stock.
Advantages of SL (my point of view only).
More subdued frame color appeals to me. The extra gear range is not essential, but I do sometimes find myself wanting a higher gear on the D3.
Disadvantages (my point of view only).
More expensive. Has SDG seatpost which will only take SDG saddles (can be changed at extra expense). Does not come with fenders and rack apparently, although these can be added at extra expense. (Later edit. My mistake, now they're showing it with fenders, but not the rack)
Other differences.
SL has aluminum fork. D3 has steel fork (not stated, but magnets stick to it.)
SL has MKS QR pedals, which could take toeclips or Powergrips if you want. D3 has cheapo folding pedals, which I'm satisfied with for this bike, as long as they last.
D3 has the seatpost pump. Not really a selling point for me, as I'd find a way to carry my road-morph pump if I didn't have it, but it's still a nice feature.
Maybe some other component differences, haven't gone through the full list.
Personally, I'm happy with my decision to get the D3, but it all depends on what's important to you.