juan162

Hi spambait,
nice looking bike...I was just wondering if that was a Carradice seat bag. Where did you get it from. It looks perfect for me.

Skyfish, you can only expect so much from a sub $200 dollar folder. The S1's are solid bikes, but if you wanted something with higher end parts, you may have been better off getting a Swift frame and building it up yourself...I apologize for giving 'hindsight' advice in advance. On the positive side, my bro' rides an S1 and he loves it. The only change he is looking for is a 3 or 8 speed internal hub since there are a couple decent hills between him and work. The other plus is that it sounds like you are the kind of guy who likes to 'personalize' your bike with some select parts. If you find that you like the basic frame, and you feel like putting in more $, you can always swap out the fork and you can put on any front hub you want. Here's to some happy mod-ing,

juan162

juan162

Hi again Spambait,
I have never ridden one, but have you considered the DOWNTUBE FS for your mountain biking? It is much less expensive than a bike friday and though aluminum, it at least has full suspension already built in. I am not much into mountainbiking, but been curious myself.
juan162

spambait11

It is a Carradice Nelson Longflap from Wallingford, one of the first few batches they obtained in forest green. Others have said you can get them cheaper overseas from St. John's St. Cyclery. Wallbike has always treated me right so I stick with them.


While aluminum does put me off, I am not in favor of regularly spending close to $300 for a bike just to upgrade it with another $300. Now I did this with my Bike Friday, but only inadvertently; I wasn't planning on changing anything, but I like to tinker and have learned my lesson with that bike financially. Anyway, I've been contemplating the S1 for about 1.5 years, so it wasn't that much of a rash decision. Plus when I found out a cromo Swift frameset would set me back $575, that made my decision much easier.

Wavshrdr

What would you need to upgrade on the Downtube? It's pretty decent out of the box and does pretty well as a small-wheeled moutain bike.

spambait11

Upgrading a Downtube? More like a costly downgrade for me. I know I'd change it to single speed so that would entail getting a wheel (or wheelset) built. Also, the saddle would go. Maybe a Setback seatpost (depending on fit). Like I said, I had two perfectly good geared bikes in a Bike Friday and a Brompton, and I spent a lot of money "downgrading" them to what I liked - wheels being the most costly downgrade. And like you mentioned in your Swift thread, I now have a pile of good bike parts I don't plan to use: shifters, derailleurs, wheelsets, handlebars, pedals, cranks, chainrings; I want to avoid having more spare parts.

So now I'm starting with a ss to begin with (duh - I know).

Wavshrdr

Stock DT seat wasn't too bad. I was suprised. I thought I'd toss it but I've kept them. You might be able to swap someone for their wheels. I didn't want a pile of parts left over so that is why I tried to piece together what I wanted up front.

I understand where you are coming from spambait. No point collecting junk you don't need but my choice between the 2 frames cheap Dahon and DT would be the DT though.

v1nce

+1 to that, i think that the OP got quite a good deal but i agree the DT wins out over the cheapest Dahons pretty much everytime. I won't repeat the many reasons for that here.

As for the excess junk that may result after customizing, it need not be a bad thing, sometimes you can sell it, trade it, give it to some kids on the block or conceivably with a DT or BF even mail it back to Yan so he can replace parts that people have trouble with! Just a thought.

Carradice Rock! Cheapest place is SJSCYCLES.

juan162

Hi spambait,
I didn't think you were making a rash decision, just thought I'd ask. BTW, I've never seen breezer folding bikes mentioned here(and don't know of their quality good or bad), but they also sell a frameset of their i7 20" wheel folding bike off of their webstore for $235...I know, still not that cheap and it's also aluminum, but I thought I'd mention it. If you are interested, here is the link:

https://www.breezerbikes.com/CatDetai...=45&category=6

Looking forward to updates and how whichever bike you use for MTB'ing performs,

juan162

v1nce

Thx for that link, pretty Frame, very similair to the DT.

juan162

Just for clarification, are all your bikes single speed now?

juan162

BTW, I also 2nd what Vince said about the extra parts. You can sell them on EBAY, or even ask here if anyone would want to take them off of your hands if you're not into that whole ebay thing. I for one am into 'upgrading' older folders so I end up spending money on all the stuff you "don't plan to use." Just a thought.

spambait11

Yes; I've come to find I prefer ss in general. The only exceptions are a tandem (my wife prefers multiple gears) and a recumbent (necessary because of the riding position).


Sure thing. In a couple months, I plan to inventory all the spare parts I've accumulated. I can't do it now because we're in the middle of remodelling a bathroom, and its very tight in our garage at the moment with all the building supplies and tools.

spambait11

Hundred mile report:
I'm pleased with this bike to the point that I've put my Bike Friday and Brompton into storage. It's a very solid ride and fits my body well; the folding is a bonus.

There are, however, some quirks:
- the front hub cones and locknut are prone to getting loose. Tightened them at around 25 miles; when they got loose again, I used blue loctite; but yesterday, I applied red loctite. If there's anything I'd say is actually bad about this bike, it is the front hub.

- stem and seatpost were prone to slipping for me. To alleviate this, I wrapped one layer of packing tape over the seatpost and stem, an old trick I learned from the Brompton newsgroup. Worked like a charm and also allows me a quick gauge as to how high to set the stem and seatpost. It's not the most elegant solution but it beats over torquing the quick-release bolts which is most likely to cause premature fatigue to something.

-the seat is attached similiarly to how a Brompton seat is attached and needs to have the bolts loctited as well (my preference). But I was expecting that.

-changed the pedals out to clipless; big difference

This was my best new bike deal so far until I found out Camping World is selling them for $150. If I could Xtracycle one of these things, I'd have probably gotten another. Dope! Damn consumerism...

folder fanatic

The front hub cones axel, and locknut was also prone to getting loose on my Boardwalk. The Bike Shop that I purchased the Boardwalk S1 from replaced the axel, cones, and locknut completely with parts lying around the shop without cost to me. No more problems for the time that I had this bike.

juan162

Spambait, the us government just released a report saying that Bromptons and Bike Fridays become violent when left alone together in storage. I would be happy to help out by recieving shipment of either one of the bikes here in NJ!!! Happy you like your bike,
juan162

spambait11

Some drop bar mods to an S1:
S1

Because there's no biologic geometry for this bike, many people have added a stem extension to create a good fit; fairly cheap to do and works well, too. Plus with all the extra money saved from not buying a new bike (always a temptation), I found a good deal on an Xtracycle and fitted my MB-6 to boot! Zoom! Zoom!

folder fanatic

I am happy you find this bike so in tune with you fit needs and lifestyle. The Boardwalk S1 is the best buy for the tinkerer and the person who is not too sure about folding bikes fitting in physically and mentally for the user(s). My own bike went to similar metamorphis-see below's Photo section.

Paul_the_Seeker

That's a great deal! Camping World's site shows a photo of an older version of the Boardwalk. If I'm not mistaken, they used to be made of hi-tensile steel, but are now chromoly. The forks also are now curved, the latch is different, and the headset is integrated, among other things. Has anyone ordered one from Camping World recently? Which version is it?

-Paul

spambait11

I think they are still hi-tensile; even stripped, it weighs more than my geared Bike Friday. But I like the toughness! Anyway, as of 01/06, this pic from the Dahon forums shows what a Camping World S1 looks like. Looks the same, only red:

Paul_the_Seeker

Thanks, Spambait. I checked that thread at the Dahon forums, and it seems Camping World is selling the newer version as the photo shows. I was confused by the old version shown on Camping World's site:

Foldable Two

Hey, that's my bike!!!! (The pic in spambait11's 11/15 post)

We were just at the local CampingWorld store last week - we own an aframe trailer (folding of course) - and stopped in to get some needed items. They had a number of the new S1's and one Boardwalk D7.

The current is very different than mine - glad I bought it on sale last year. The handle bars do NOT vertically adjust, the fork is apparently straight the seat post is cheap chromed steel.

The latch has also been changed - the joint is old-style but the latch handle is the same as our D7's. I like how my older latch clicks shut automatically. I see they are also advertising what they call the new YEAH Bike (by Dahon, too). It appears to be a cross between the new S1 and a D6. Obviously they purchase enough bikes that they can get Dahon to build all these older/non-std. models for them.

I really like my S1. All I have done to it is to change to foam handgrips and add a mounting bracket for my Garmin Fortrex 101 GPS.

bugmenot

Review of the Dahon Boardwalk S1: Got it yesterday. My first folder! Thanks for the reviews above. I paid $180 for it at performance. I saw that Camping world has them for $150, but since this is my first folder wanted to be sure I could take it back to someone if I had any problems/issues. I am 5’7” and weigh 170 lbs. Took it out for a short 2-3 mile ride around the neighborhood. I am very impressed with the build quality of this Dahon. Feel of the bike is very solid. Fit is very good considering that the stem is not adjustable, while the saddle is. When pedaling, I feel very connected to the road. I could describe it as walking up stairs with the stairs being flat or on a slight incline. If all folders are like this, I’m sold on folders. I got this folder because I wanted to try parking my car about 1-2 miles from my work and biking to it. Now, I’m thinking of possibilities like festivals, rallys and any other mass events where cars are not that welcome.

As for the hub brakes, I may not switch them out to side pulls. They are really strong. Reminds me of my old schwinn chopper bike when I was a kid. If you hit the brakes as you are turning, you can peel out. Girls check me out! With the hub brakes, I’m getting adjusted to not coasting/reverse pedaling like I do with my other bikes. Doing this stops you or slows you down.

The single gear is perfect for me. On my commuter, I basically use 2 maybe 3 gears. And, that’s only when I get a hill. I can’t wait to try these small wheels on hills since I hear the pedaling is easier. As for folding ability, I can see how one can do it in 15 seconds. I take about a minute because I want to be careful and want to do it in the steps outlined by Dahon. I’m sure I’ll get better with time. The magnetic locks are not there, but I expected this from the above reviews. I will hold it together with ankle bands as someone indicated.

I may leave everything stock. Gotta try out the fenders in the rain to see how good they are. If they do a good job, I’ll leave them on. I’d like to take them off because of the weight. I’ll leave the rack because I will put a water bottle back there fastened with some elastic bands.

I’m nervous about upgrading the gears or brakes because I’m afraid the folding ability may compromise these components. I can always upgrade components by taking it to a folding bike shop, but after parts and labor, it makes better sense to get a higher end Dahon. I'll try to post a long term update in a few months.

Pros:
Solid build.
Fantastic fit.
Paint job is first rate. Enamel is shiny.
Hub brakes: Brakes stop on a dime! May be useful in wet weather (hydroplane anyone?)
Comfy saddle


Cons:
Hub brakes: used to coasting and reverse-pedaling with my other 2 bikes.
Magnetic locks are not there (as the website indicates)

large pix of this dahon in all its glory:

folder fanatic

I am happy to see that Dahon did not give up on the Boardwalk S1 entirely-even after all these years (only 3 in my case). You will continue to be suprised and overwhelmed in a positive way over your new bike. I have never regretted my decision to buy one. It is built like a tank in some ways. I did some modifications to it (see my Flickr photos and Geocities text web site below) and really improved it for the great many hill surrounding my part of Southern California. I did not strip off the fenders or the rack that came with it since I have found them to be very useful at times. Best of luck with your bike!

Jinks

I just ordered a boardwalk s1 in the hopes of converting it into a fixed gear. I'm planning to just buy a bmx wheel and use it as a suicide hub like I've done on full sized bikes in the past. Is the wheel size on the boardwalk a 406 or 451? Also, does anyone have a line on an inexpensive bmx or recumbent rear wheel in the right size? Thanks!

spambait11

1. 406
2. Nashbar used to sell cheap BMX rear wheels; maybe you can call them. 110mm rear hub.
3. Disclaimer: I'm not endorsing suicide hubs.

Jinks

thanks! Exactly the info I needed. Now I can go shopping for the right equipment. Nashbar does sell a rear 20" wheel, but it's a 451 wheel.