Ron Damon

'Sand Red', rim-brake FnHon Gust 16"
Starting the assembly process...







Waiting for the press fit tool to arrive to install the headset. Still undecided on 305 or 349 wheels...

GeezyRider 

Love that paint color! Based on the seat post and bottle cage, are you going with black components?

Ron Damon

Yes, that color is pretty sweet, likely the best of that generation (the last one made for rim brakes). Candy 🍎 Apple, I call the color. Indeed, Black will be the theme color. Though it will have a few red flourishes here and there...

willydstyle

That is some *very* clean construction for a production frame.

CEBEP

This looks to be an MTB cassette. About 40t? Are you sure the derailleur will accommodate this cassette and it’s cage not hitting the surface with 16’ wheels?

GeezyRider 

I'm no expert but it appears to me that the derailleur is using larger jockey wheels rather than a long cage so it should work okay. One thing for sure though, that little guy will be able to climb walls!

Ron Damon

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​​​​​​The cogset is a Shimano Deore HG50 11-36t 10-speed and the RD is a Freeride spec Shimano Zee which is rated for 36t, precisely the same setup I've used on my other 305er for years with smaller tires. So, no, I am dead certain this set up will work with even more plump tires. I've been down this road before when it comes to the drivetrain.

Btw, I've seen the same RD used with a 11-42t cogset. The RD will work fine. I choose to stay at 36t max which is plenty low.

Ron Damon

​​​​​​The Zee Shimano RD is super short, significantly shorter than even a SS cage road RD.





I live in what is essentially a volcanic spine risen from the ocean to 3,100masl at its peak. There are climbs, steep ones, aplenty here plus I tour with a bit of load.

CEBEP

Thanks. I wonder what was the reason why you decided to use MTB cassette and derailleur on this folding bike, shorter RD cage? Shimano has road cassette for this range too: CS-M771-10 with 10s 11-36t combination.

Ron Damon

Why Road over MTB? The Zee dereilleur is significantly shorter than the smallest short-cage SS Road RD, and it is tougher as it is built for the rough knocks of Downhill. The cogset up to 10-speed doesn't matter whether it's Road or MTB since they are the same size. But MTB offers and has offered for years much wider range cogsets. My present 305er is a mix of SLX and Zee. My 406er is Deore & XT. MTB is my default. You will also recall that flat-bar Road shifters only became commonplace and available readily only in the last three years. MTB has always been about flat bars.


MTB Deore M6000 GS RD & HG500 11-42t Cogset paired with XT shifter up front on 406 folder

Fentuz

Not quite, road flat shifters have been around for many more years than 3... they were used on hybrids (the old tourney comes to mind).

However, in the folding bike world, MTB are more popular because tougher as mentioned also "weight winnies" have been fitting things like ultegra and other TT groupset to lighten their rigs.

The Road cassettes tend to have shorter range and be lighter. At equivalent range, the difference is the metal used wide range ultegra/durace will be made of similar stuff as XTR. SLX 10 is like Tiagra but Sora goes up to 34 max.

I like my SLX 11-46, not the lightest but crisp shifting, very durable and inexpensive (unlike my favorite e13 cassette).

Ron Damon

I didn't say Road flat-bar shifters and brake levers were not available before then. Instead, what I said, what I wrote was that they have only recently become readily available and commonplace. At least in my locality. Whereas MTB has always been flat bar.

I think the equivalence goes like this:
1. XTR - DuraAce
2. XT - Ultegra
3. SLX - 105
4. Deore - Tiagra
...
I usually stay within the 2-4 range of components.

GeezyRider 

That derailleur is an impressive piece of engineering. Thanks for sharing.

Ron Damon

Zee ain't cheap. Price-wise it is on par with SLX|105. I've been using a Zee RD for six years straight across three countries, and the unit is still smooth and crisp despite the knocks and scrapes. Can't see using anything but Zee on 305 and 349 wheels.

tcs

When I suggested the Zee on another thread, I was assured it had been discontinued.

tds101 

Came up in my search just fine. Now I need one,...
https://www.google.com/search?q=Shim...obile&ie=UTF-8

Reddleman

Or for half the price and one gear less, the Microshift Advent super short rear derailleur, officially 9 speed and 11-38t. No, I’m not on commission!

GeezyRider 

I have to get out of my cave more often. Zee has been around for 10 years and I'm just now learning about it.

Reddleman

Any recommendations for a 305 or 349 frame out there suitable for someone about 180cm tall then? Or do I just have to accept that I’m stuck on 406s, Birdies or Bromptons? (Nothing wrong per se with those options, just musing on a day when I may need a smaller wheeled folder for ease of multimodal travel without spending substantial amounts of money for an off the peg ride).

Fentuz

I was talking about this subject @ the bike shop this morning. From the discussion, the limitation is more the weight rather than the size. for taller people, you can add/swap a longer stem and fit twin seatpost but the weight affect the hinge and frame seat tube. Yes, longer seat post increase the moment but belong 90kg, it should be fine as bikes are usual rated for 105kg with minimum seatpost insertion.

Note that I was told that there were frame cracking issues with the early Dahon MUL sl and the fix by Dahon was to go from a seatpost tube OD of 40 to 41mm. then, problem gone

Ron Damon

Good question. One, though, that I can't answer with certainty. One option to look into, subject to your weight, is a FnHon Zephyr frame.

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Or the similar offering from Litepro, the Spyder.



​In all cases you'll want a banana handle post that curves away from you, as in the one on the Spyder.

Reddleman

Luckily, I’m well within those weight limits so both those options could work. I’ll keep those models squirrelled away for future reference, thanks 😊

Nyah

Well done. Fnhon chromoly with V-brakes is the best thing going for folding bicycles.

Ron Damon

GeezyRider 

Coming along nicely. Are the Maxxis Hookworms and Swallows the same tire? They appear to have identical tread patterns.