downtube

They dropped the limetime warranty. They do offer a 5 year frame warranty and 1 year on parts....no warranty on suspension parts ( must be handled by manufacturer ). Birdy is 2 years frame warranty subject to changes. Montague 1 year. Xootr 1 year.

I believe our warranty is normal within the industry. We will consider extending it in the near future.

Thanks,
Yan

makeinu

According to the Dahon website they are still offering a lifetime frame warranty when you register your bike.

Sorry Yan, I don't mean to give you a hard time, but I just want to make sure that we're all on the same page here.

downtube

I did not see that on the site. Thanks for the correction.

Thanks again,
Yan

ryuandwings

Hello everyone!
Quick questions to Downtube owners.
The logo on the bike, are those painted or stickers?

Thanks

Kabir

Look like stickers to me. I can feel the boundary of the sticker. You want to change it?

ryuandwings

Thanks.
I just ordered mine yesterday, and one thing I wanted to do was to change the
color of logo. (Don't ask me why. )
If I waited another week or so I will get mine, but I could not wait that long.

JugglerDave

Quick basic derailleur question. on my DT IXNS, the bottom/front sprocket of the derailleur is pointing to the right of the front cassette, by a few degrees. This is most pronounced in low gear where the sprocket is way in front of the rear cassette, but still is there when in high gear and the sprocket is 'under' the hub. The chain seems to be 'falling' to the left of the sprocket.

So I presume that the hanger is bent, and needs to be twisted slightly so that the sprocket points towards the front cassette? I think I saw earlier in the thread that the hanger is soft aluminum and should be bendable, right?

Is it possible that another part is bent and not the hanger, like the metal parts connecting the two derailleur sprockets?

downtube

Yes it is very soft and bendable. The perfect tool would be a rear deraileur hanger adjuster, however most people take a large wrench ( or C-clamp) to bend it back to the same plane as the frame. The wrench (C-clamp ) should be big enough for the hanger and frame.
yes it is possible, however highly improbable.

Thanks,
Yan

Baldone

If your post is slipping, first thing to to is pull the post and clean it good with an old rag. If you can run a rag down the seat tube. That part is going to be tougher but contact with the seat tube is only the top 4 inches or so on my Downtube, so with rag and perhaps a little stick or something similar you should be able to clean it fairly well.

I adjust mine all the time as I like to store it in my car trunk and under the desk. I also fold it when I have to lock it outside, it make it easier to slip my cable lock through both wheels and the seat. A sharpie marker has my correct length marked on my seattube. For quick adustment and then ready to ride.

DVC45

Anyone had replaced their pedals?
My original broke at only about 20mi worth of ridding.
Anyway, I seen a post that someone (' forgot who it was) had a detachable pedal installed. I just want to know how those pedals holds up. A link to where to buy it is also appreciated. Thanks!

EDITED: My replacement pedals came in today. Thanks Yan!

Baldone

The detachable ones are a brand called MKS. From the few reviews I have seen they are usually reliable.

https://www.calhouncycle.com/ProductC...&idproduct=566
That is a link to the Mountian version it's the lightest one available. Do a search on MKS on that site to look at the different quick release types they offer.

I added some clipless pedals so I haven't bothered to purchase the quick release. If you do get them, please return the favor and post your experience.

DVC45

Thanks Baldone!
Since I got the DT replacement pedal, I want to give it another chance, if it falls apart again like the first one, I will not bother with their warranty anymore and just get the MKS's. I'll remember to post a review if it ever happens.

Kabir

Kind of Grinding?

Hello, IXNS owners. Do you feel kind of grinding when the gear is set at 7, 8 or 9? 9 is more obvious and 7 is slightly. Other gears are pretty smooth and silent. I wonder what is with that. Will chain lube help?

By the way, I found the rear tire is also 20x1.5, not 20x1.75 mentioned on the webpage. Kind of weird. They have too many 20x1.5 or what.

pm124

Dahon's offer should be guaranteed frame failure within a lifetime. I hear that they are very bad about honoring their promises, putting up all sorts of hurdles.

The Birdy has a lifetime guarantee everywhere but the US, where it's 2 years. It's ultimately up to the distributor. And the US distributor sucks.

Finally, I met a guy with a cracked Bike Friday frame and they only offered him a $250 discount on the next bike (let's face it, that's a 10% discount). But he was the second owner.

pm124

I have detachable pedals on mine (MKS). I like them b/c it greatly facilitates getting the bike in the bag. However, the pedals are potentially dangerous if you don't fully engage them. Also, if they have grit in the QR, it can click as if it's engaged, and the next thing you know, you are on your ass with a loose pedal strapped on your foot.

Other than that, the build quality seems high.

14R 

Downtube bikes can be seen at the official website in some new colors (at least for me they are new). pretty cool I think.

nickbtoo

Will the pedal come out even with the plastic retainer installed?

Nick

SesameCrunch

They're nice, but my all time favorite colors are the silver VIIIH and the orange FS!

DVC45

So, how do you make sure its really engaged? Any trick?
I think I'll just stick to the original or put up with a non-detatchable kind.

DVC45

The new colors are too mellow for me, but then its folding bike so.....


I'm with Sesame about the silver and orange DT's. The silver (or are they gray?) pedals and new saddles looks nice too!

JugglerDave

Speaking of paint, my black NS is getting scratched up, mainly because the brake levers and/or barends are banging against the frame when folded and rattling around the train commute.

Any suggestions on touch-up paint? A super glossy oil-based enamel? Spray paint?

EriktheFish

You could go to an Automotive Parts Shop and buy a tiny bottle of auto touch up paint with the brush in the cap. That stuff is pretty durable and black should be fairly easy to match.

makeinu

Thanks for the info.

bikebuff

I have an orange VIIIH. Original paint job from the manufacture. Is this one of a kind VIIIH? I thought the VIIIH only comes in silver. Could this be a collector’s item?


VIIIH.jpg

ncscott

I just noticed for the first time that the front suspenstion and the no suspension are completely different frames. It would seem that the FS would take a front derailer much easier.
Can anybody comment on the differences in the frames? Is one lighter weight than the other.
If I switched to a ridged fork would that create too much ground clearance issues with the pedals?
How would lowering the front end affect the riding quality as the seat angle would change.
The price would be about the same to get a FS and an aftermarket ridged fork vs no suspension.
scott