Please read #19, I listed what happened. The parts in question are inside the handlestem. You have to fold it to see them. Like I said before, I would include a picture if I had the bike. The bike is at the shop...now day 11. The main problem was the metal part with the two small springs would not slide easily, got stuck and the plastic part, excuse me delrin.????..that usually rides against the lever got jammed off to the side and mangled a bit. My problem with the plastic part is that I see potential problems with it. I really don't see it, and the two small springs, lasting the test of time. The problem at hand has more to do with the other parts.

I see the whole design as being flimsy. I was at a bike shop last night that had many folders and all the rest seemed to have good, sturdy mechanisms.

Picture above is correct, thanks.

Adjustment
 

It seems the screws holding the sliding metal piece were overtightened, otherwise the piece would move as it is designed to do. Even the best designed latch if not adjusted properly will cause problems.

The bike shop owner checked that right away and it was OK. He took the thing off and put it back on and it seemed to work but when I got home it stopped working again. I was looking over his shoulder because he was the one with the tools but neither one of us could tell what was wrong. I'm living out of a hotel at the moment so I'm limited in what I can do...no tools.

Wow, I'm new to this forum but I'm really surprised by the rudeness of some of these posters. Jackcoke listed in detail his problem and already said he couldn't take a picture of it. Just because none of you have experienced this does not mean it is not a "real" problem. I also don't think he was complaining overly much. As I read it, he was trying to answer your questions and keep you updated with the situation.

Jackcoke, I hope you get your bike problem resolved. I recently spent money on a folding bike that suffered a lot of breakdowns and eventually had to be returned. It was a huge source of frustration. Now I'm in the market for a better quality folder.

Anything having to do with the integrity and safety of any latch on any folding bike is a very touchy subject, bordering on riders' safety, lawyers, and a folding bike manufacturer's reputation. I think the Dahon faithful just really want to clear this up fast. I really don't blame them.

Panabos......rudeness :eek: ?? C'mon, don't be so touchy.

English is not my mother tongue, and until B. Metras pic I frankly didn't really have a clue and was only guessing of which part jackcoke was talking about. And since I'm actually also jonesing for a folder I was intrested in what this part is.

Forums are full of people starting threads, questions or reporting about "problems", often without really clarifying what the heck they're talking about or actually surpressing facts.

Kind of "Terrible DxxxN Spoke quality - on my DxxxN XYZ they keep braking all tree days" - later then it turns out that the poster has a weight of 400 pounds. :eek: :p

I stopped by the bike shop today to see what was happening. Dahon had sent the new part but it too was defective. In this case the latch handle was broken in half. I think they may have just took another defective part off the shelf. What I found interesting was that the new part looked slightly different, sure operated a lot smoother. I didn't have the old one to compare, so I can't tell.

Oh well, what's another week.

Two weeks, no bike. Wow...

New Speed D7, same problem
 

I know this is an old thread, but I just had what seems to be the same problem on my Speed D7. I'm posting a photo. The derlin (plastic?) cover over the metal 'slider' in the handlebar latching mechanism broke. The screws in the plate were not overly tightened, and the plate slid freely. No excessive force was used to close the latch. My bike was only a few weeks old. This seems like a design that is just asking for problems. Does anyone have a suggestion for a good solution short of waiting for Dahon to replace the derlin part with the same questionable part? I was expecting a much more robust design given the price I paid for this bike.

Aware that this is a way old thread but my recent experience with a broken latch on my Dahon Boardwalk's folding mast is relevant to this topic. The bike shop who are Dahon dealers identified the broken piece as a "Quill bolt" which was 1/8 inches shorter than the one Dahon now carries and he thought that no replacement could be found. I contacted Dahon and they said I need to ask my Dahon dealer to order Dahon part number H350P30 which turns out to be the entire latch assembly on the folding mast - the part cost $12 from Dahon, the repair cost $12 and it worked!

So don't throw that old Boardwalk away till you've gone to the ends of the earth or at least had an email exchange with Dahon about the dilemma.

good to hear Bando that Dahon came through with such an "old" part to get your bike rollin again.
this thread is from 2006 .... a little old in the teeth otherwise.... but if somebody needs a delrin block to fix the split one he has, just email me and i will mail one to you ....
There are not many cases where this little bugger gives any problems ...with a couple million bikes out there with that system I did mail out 6 pieces last year ....

thor

The plastic rear latch on the Birdy is just for convenience. It keeps the triangle from flipping (Bromptoning) under when you lift the bike. If the plastic fails, the bike is still completely safe to ride.

Exactly, it is not a 'latch' and has nothing to do with keeping the bike together while riding. Gravity and mass takes care of that. The same forces that work against a hinge-in-the-frame design.

Delrin is a plastic(no wait...spaceage material).

http://www.brompton.co.uk/uploads/mid/DSC_0399.jpg
you are not talking about the hinge in the frame design like this I assume ????

thor

Bromptoning, I like this word.

BTW, the new Bromptons have a latch that prevents unintentional Bromptoning.

Well, actually, ...

I am really concerned about reading posts like the above. Perhaps we need new-to-this-particular-forum arrivals to see the murky changes now developing here.

On the 'net, it is a matter of taking things at "face value" or what the person states, in order to communicate. This form of communication does not offer much in the way of cues or clues like other forms of older communication does (i.e. tone of voice, sloppy changed handwriting, etc.). Until something better comes along, this forum will have to suffice:(.