Originally Posted by
nojoka
I was riding down a hill pretty fast, 25+ I would say and my seat broke off of my Dahon Jack. Luckily I braked and made it to the side of the road without getting hurt. I spent 20 mins looking for the bike seat and the other parts, all I could find was one piece of the clamp. I even went back later and didn't find anything else. Best part is 5 days later I got an email from Performance Bike about the recall. The email said about getting the replacement parts but also said I could return the bike for a refund if I wanted. Thats what I did because the bike was a piece of crap. Chain skipping issues even after multiple adjustments, rims with no braking surface (horrible in the rain), hated the twist shifter and I could use a higher top gear. Also the frame creaked all the time and the top tube didn't seem to add any structural integrity, it's like it was just for show.
I briefly owned a Dahon Ciao (actually my wife bought it and we returned it). While the components were nice and it was a comfortable bike, it just didn't feel substantial enough to last. The bike deflected rather noticeably and various screws kept coming loose on it no matter how many times I tightened them. The biggest flaw I found was the alignment of the front tire went out constantly and didn't seem to be corrected by further tightening. That bike is supposed to be representative of their higher-end quality and pricing and not an entry level model. The main reason we purchased the bike originally was because of its lower price in comparison to a Moulton, Airnimal, or even Bike Friday. It would seem with Dahon you get what you pay for. Their models while attractive and reasonably priced do not seem suitable for more than pedaling around the park a few times a year. I'm pleased after hearing this that my intuition seems to be correct on the bike. My wife is now ordering a Bike Friday tikit, at least that's what she tells me. (She likes the Brompton's fold, but I'm trying to convince her that seems to be all it does well.)