I am new to the folding bike crowd but hooked just the same. I went with Dahon, purchased two bikes from Thor and am happy so far. Even bought a used one from Craigslist for winter riding. I didn't try any of the other companies though. Slim pickin's in my home town.

Learning about some of the Dahon customer service issues now gives me pause but still begs the question, how did they become the worlds biggest folding bike company? I'm a business kind of guy, understand marketing and know there are examples of how some inferior products go global. Not many though, certainly not for long. Yes, there are always war stories when you are on top and we all have rooted for the underdog or smaller company. Think Apple and the PC commercials.

How many cottage bike companies would switch places with Dahon? Are there really millions of unhappy Dahon owners? How many people will buy a Dahon today? Why did customer service leading companies like LL Bean and REI opt to sell Dahon, even co-label a model or two?

I'm not making light of the gut wrenching issues mentioned here. Just making a point that the world market has faired well with Dahon and I have to believe most of their customers are happy riders. Back to Apple and their emergence on dominating several technology segments, I still have an Apple Newton somewhere in my basement. Try getting parts for that one.