Dahon Jack, Cadenza, Matrix -Which one?
 

Which would you choose for a general everyday commuter?

http://www.dahon.com/us/jack.htm
$399, 7-speed, caliper brakes, 26 x 2.00" tires

http://www.dahon.com/us/cadenza.htm
$499, 16-speed, caliper brakes, 26 x 1.30" tires

http://www.dahon.com/us/matrix.htm
$599, 24-speed, disc brakes, suspension fork, 26 x 1.5" tires

Your riding profile would determine:
No significant hills: single ring crank is OK
Good riding surface: no sus fork is OK. Sus forks also add weight, and the OEM fork is so-so. It's easy to add a ~$150 aftermarket fork, e.g., a Meks, to a Cadenza and have a much better, fully adjustable, sus fork. (I'm biased, that's what I did.)

Note: The Jack and Cadenza have V-brakes, not caliper brakes.

Thankyou.

Can you tell me the difference between V-brakes, and caliper brakes and disc brakes?
Just wondering how thick are the tires that you have on your Cadenza and how thick can it manage to hold?

Here is the road to Rome.
http://sheldonbrown.com/brakes/index.html

Thanks for the link. I will have a read through it. Have you made other changes to your beautiful Cadenza like change out the rims, or tires? Do you happen to know how big the tires can be for the Cadenza frame? I heard that it was the same frame as the Jack, so I am assuming at least 2.00". I am not sure if the frame was squashed a little bit to take thinner tires. Or would this be just a limitation of the rims that come with the Cadenza.

Thanks! I am about to switch from choosing the Matrix, if the disc brakes don't really matter, and I can add a better fork in the future. Also, if I would be able to add some thicker knobbies to the Cadenza that would suit me more, and I would get the Cadenza.

I plan on riding in sub-zero conditions at times, with rain, sometimes light snow, so I am hoping that V-brakes can be almost as dependable as disc brakes.

Riding in wet and snow = disc brakes. The Meks forks have disc brake mounts. The best price on Meks forks I know of is on eBay, Hooier Bicycle Supply, search on Meks 26.

General rule. If you wrench, get the cheapest version of the frame you like, since your replacement parts can easily surpass the high end of Dahon. If you don't wrench, buy the closest fit to your needs from Dahon. I don't know the max tire size.

Are you the same maunakea as on the dahon forums?:)

I read that the Matrix and Zero-G's frame geometry were designed to take a suspension fork, but the Jack and Cadenza were not. How does your Cadenza ride, now that you have added a suspension fork? How has it changed your seated position? Has it hindered it in anyway, made seating awkward, more aggressive riding?

The same as to 1. I like it better as to 2.

huh?

i don't quite follow dude, how is the ride now? is it affected in a negative way, positive way?

how about your riding position?

no comment.