af895

I'm toying with going to a less "curvy" bar for my folder to make the fold more compact; the compound bends of the albatross bar add about 6 inches of width to the folded package.

The stock flat bar gave me sore wrists but folded tight.

Suggestions? Riser bar?

*** *** ***

Also, I see you can buy the Dahon telescoping "stem post" as an aftermarket part.

Anyone install one of these on a non-Dahon bike?

Here they are: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...=1KKPINHV10O2M

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...=1KKPINHV10O2M

clayface

MTB flat bars used to be slightly swept back at the ends.

Roberto

14R 

AF895,

I went thru the same problem, but in the exactly opposite direction. I don't mind compromising folding size to increase performance/ergonomics as long as:

1) the bike fits into my car's trunk in 30 seconds or less and

2) I can make it significantly small for international travels in 30 minutes or less.


After my little research, here is my contribution:

Stem:

You cannot install the new and upgraded 2005 proprietary Dahon stem unless you have a 2005 Dahon.

Take a look here

(you can get the Dahon extension though).

In my opinion, one can benefit a lot more from upgrading the handlebar than upgrading the stem (cost effective move looking for a compact fold).

Handlebar:

I come from a mountain bike background, so I am a big fan of straight bars. I got a new, longer, slightly curved bar for my bike because the original one would not let me fit everything that I needed on it (decent light system, decent size handlebar bag for documents/camera/wallet, odometer/bike computer and a nice/effective horn). I also added bar extensions so I can have the options for long rides. After adding all this crap to a significanly longer handlebar all I added to the folding final dimention was: 2 inches (not counting the bag that is removed before folding).

In other words: Go after a mountain bike handlebar. If you get a slightly curved one (like the picture above) and cut about 2 inches on each side, you will end up with the stem being the defining point of your folding size, not the handlebar (since it's curved "inwards").

Here is the amount of junk that almost doesn't affect my final folding size:







Let us see what you end up with.

Rafael

af895

Wow. Thanks for the details Rafael! Way above and beyond the call!

That Gaerlan site is fantastic - I hadn't seen that page but I've stumbled upon other info on their pages that I just couldn't find elsewhere.

I see clearly now why you can't use the new Dahon post - it doesn't have the traditional "quill and wedge" as the older one does.

I took my KHS front end apart and found that type of quill & wedge on the front end, below the hinge.
I'm thinking the older Dahon post would work fine, if the quill is long enough to make it to the steerer tube. (need to measure)

Being able to slide the bar-post up and down would be a huge upgrade for me - I'm using that Zoom extender now but it means the bars have a single set height without taking a wrench to it and moving spacers around. Current bike config: https://www.ncf.ca/~af895/bike/big/F20_52T_side.jpg

I'm actually thinking the flat bars wouldn't be too bad if I could futz with height until they were perfect. Bar ends would be good too.

Thanks!
Chris

yangmusa

Have you considered the Syntace VRO clamps? They would allow you a fair bit of adjustment upwards and forwards. They would require an allen key to maximize fold compactness - but do you need maximum compactness every day?

(Well, guessing from your thread about very compact bikes - yes..)

CaptainSpalding

AF,
Just out of curiosity, when your KHS folds, do the handlebars fold inward, between the frame halves, or to the outside? On my Helios, the bars fold inward, and anything but a flat bar would increase the folded size. The stem has zero reach. On the Jet XP, the bar folds outward, which is why the design will tolerate the Syntace VRO bars. The VRO system allows an adjustment which gives a trade-off between reach and height. Combined with a swept bar, it could be the answer to your problem.

FWIW, I can make the bars fold outward on the Helios. It requires that I turn the wheel 180° before I fold.

LittlePixel

I'd recommend you get some cane-creek ergo bar ends for whichever bar combination you go for...




They are a bit more £ than some but so many hand positions and the silicone rubber is comfy and bump-soaking

af895

Hey guys!

CaptainSpalding: the KHS, by default, folds the bars to the outside. The stem is a standard Ahead-set with a small forward extension so it isn't flush with the steerer.

I've rotated the hinge to put the fold inside the frame but with the albatross/moustache-ish bars it doesn't fold well this way.

I'm hoping going back to slightly swept or flat MTB bars will allow for an inside fold. If that's not compact enough, next step is the Dahon post.

LittlePixel: I see Gaelan lists a couple of types of those bar ends - the Cane-Creeks and another brand. When I compare the grip positions I'm getting with the screwy-bars (gotta get some current pics up - I found a pair of MTB semi-moustache bars) the bar-ends on flat bars would probably be about equivalent to my home-position right now. The benefit would be a flatter fold versus all the compound bends.

Man - all the things I hadn't thought of when dealing with a bike that folds! This adds a whole other dimension to tweaking versus conventional bicycles.