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Ok, I've read through this entire thread and this has been asked several times, but no one has answered yet. Has anyone packed the curve into a regular suitcase like a samsonite 29er? What kind of disassembly, if any, did you have to perform?
I'm seriously considering the Curve, but this would be a key point for me. I'd like to travel with it and I would hate having to carry wrenches and such with me. Thanks in advance. |
Originally Posted by ShinyBiker
(Post 6459996)
Ok, I've read through this entire thread and this has been asked several times, but no one has answered yet. Has anyone packed the curve into a regular suitcase like a samsonite 29er? What kind of disassembly, if any, did you have to perform?
I'm seriously considering the, but this would be a key point for me. I'd like to travel with it and I would hate having to carry wrenches and such with me. Thanks in advance. I've been waiting for someone to post the details too. I don't have a 29 inch suitcase, I've found that I prefer packing the frame in one 25" case and the wheels in another 19" case (although risky, if one gets lost, it makes the weight issue not a problem and I can pack all of my clothing etc as padding around the frame, etc so it is better protected). If I did this with the curve I would probably take the wheels as a carry on in a soft case (haven't taken a plane since I've had my Curve). The only problem with this is that the rear wheel is not very fun to remove (a sram dualdrive is much easier). So I did look at it for a long time and I'm almost certain that you could remove the seatpost ,handlebar and stem, front wheel, and pedals. Turn the forks so they are flat against the frame (90 degrees left I believe, the handlepost sets parallel along the top tube and of course with no fenders). This would fit into a airline legal suitcase, I can't remember If I had planned on taking the front wheel as a carry on or packing it too (but I'm pretty sure it would fit in there too). This probably isn't very helpful, but it will give you something to think about while you wait for someone who has actually done it to post. :D |
Originally Posted by Baldone
(Post 6336902)
What I dislike
Fold - while better than my 20" Downtube in size and holding together with its magnet system it's not all that much smaller, its still an ungainly thing to lug around. My guess is that I am not going to be happy until these things are 15lbs and about half the folded size that they currently are. I dream of being able to go to places and restaurants with the bike being a convenience only and not a liability! As it stands now its still looks like a pile of trash that you are caring into the restaurant. Waiters on high alert! Bags are a pain, I do need to try using a slip cover. Gears - The gears change but I feel such a slight difference that I'd almost rather have it single speed. Folds so that the chain is on the outside, I am sure there is a reason mechanically this has to be so, I "spray in wash" my pants because of it. It is the same on the Downtube. I have not spent much time with it but look forward to doing more with it and reporting something back. I have some f'lite suitcase supposedly coming in I will try and get some photo's posted. |
Originally Posted by Baldone
(Post 6336902)
What I dislike
Fold - while better than my 20" Downtube in size and holding together with its magnet system it's not all that much smaller, its still an ungainly thing to lug around. My guess is that I am not going to be happy until these things are 15lbs and about half the folded size that they currently are. I dream of being able to go to places and restaurants with the bike being a convenience only and not a liability! As it stands now its still looks like a pile of trash that you are caring into the restaurant. Waiters on high alert! Bags are a pain, I do need to try using a slip cover. Gears - The gears change but I feel such a slight difference that I'd almost rather have it single speed. Folds so that the chain is on the outside, I am sure there is a reason mechanically this has to be so, I "spray in wash" my pants because of it. It is the same on the Downtube. I have not spent much time with it but look forward to doing more with it and reporting something back. I have some f'lite suitcase supposedly coming in I will try and get some photo's posted. Probably the bike that came closest to this idea was the A-Bike. However, the wheels and lack of gears makes it impossible to even consider. What we need is an A-Bike with Strida type wheels. |
Originally Posted by Loch
(Post 6460299)
I've been waiting for someone to post the details too.
I don't have a 29 inch suitcase, I've found that I prefer packing the frame in one 25" case and the wheels in another 19" case (although risky, if one gets lost, it makes the weight issue not a problem and I can pack all of my clothing etc as padding around the frame, etc so it is better protected). If I did this with the curve I would probably take the wheels as a carry on in a soft case (haven't taken a plane since I've had my Curve). The only problem with this is that the rear wheel is not very fun to remove (a sram dualdrive is much easier). So I did look at it for a long time and I'm almost certain that you could remove the seatpost ,handlebar and stem, front wheel, and pedals. Turn the forks so they are flat against the frame (90 degrees left I believe, the handlepost sets parallel along the top tube and of course with no fenders). This would fit into a airline legal suitcase, I can't remember If I had planned on taking the front wheel as a carry on or packing it too (but I'm pretty sure it would fit in there too). This probably isn't very helpful, but it will give you something to think about while you wait for someone who has actually done it to post. :D |
Originally Posted by Dahon.Steve
(Post 6464140)
Ahhhhhhh. You found out what I discovered about folding bikes. You really can't take them everywhere as they are marketed because it's still too large and heavy for mall shopping and resturants. Yeah, you can bring them inside but it's just not pratical because they get in the way and all the "Stares" and did I mention how heavy 26 lbs gets after 100 feet?
Does anyone have a magnet and a Curve SL and could tell me if their fork is steel like the D3? I do not think steel helps anything out on forks this short. The front hub is more narrow than the 16" hub on my bob trailer and the 16" wheeled hub I found at an industral store (fits the bob). Not an expert at hub widths, I think the standard front is 100mm can not say what this thing is at. I wouldn't mind getting a different chainring and going single speed to cut the weight down. I will change out the pedals then get some aluminum hardware for the non stress areas, after than I am out of cheap ideas. I will look into getting a slip cover in awhile. |
My Curve SL does have aluminum forks.
Dahons front hubs I believe are 74mm. Did you get a weight for just the D3 without racks and fenders? |
Originally Posted by 14R
(Post 3982383)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/4...a4d38b7c_b.jpg
It is kinda weird how SMALL LOOKING the bike is. Well... R |
In my search for bike gear that doesn't look sporty (I'm going for style here, not speed)... I came across this british store with a few panniers that are more my style:
http://www.velorution.biz/?page_id=1088 The question is - will they fit on a Curve without me kicking them while I pedal? How to tell without rolling my bike into the shop and slapping the item on (difficult when ordering online)? Probably safest to just go with something that doesn't hang down the sides: http://londoncyclechic.blogspot.com/...-box-bags.html ? |
My SL '07 - taking a break on a mountain climb (reached elev. 850 meters) in Hakone, Japan.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2306/...g?v=1210162849 |
Originally Posted by neilfein
(Post 6490546)
Nice photos; can we have a link to your Flickr site?
Just click here |
Hey everyone
I pretty much narrowed it down to a Dahon Curve and I want one now!...........where are some cheap places to buy the bike? Can someone please list some online websites or whatnot? I recall seeing some army/airplane website before that listed the Curves as pretty cheap..........well let me know, thanks. |
Originally Posted by Loch
(Post 6460299)
I've been waiting for someone to post the details too.
I don't have a 29 inch suitcase, I've found that I prefer packing the frame in one 25" case and the wheels in another 19" case (although risky, if one gets lost, it makes the weight issue not a problem and I can pack all of my clothing etc as padding around the frame, etc so it is better protected). If I did this with the curve I would probably take the wheels as a carry on in a soft case (haven't taken a plane since I've had my Curve). The only problem with this is that the rear wheel is not very fun to remove (a sram dualdrive is much easier). So I did look at it for a long time and I'm almost certain that you could remove the seatpost ,handlebar and stem, front wheel, and pedals. Turn the forks so they are flat against the frame (90 degrees left I believe, the handlepost sets parallel along the top tube and of course with no fenders). This would fit into a airline legal suitcase, I can't remember If I had planned on taking the front wheel as a carry on or packing it too (but I'm pretty sure it would fit in there too). This probably isn't very helpful, but it will give you something to think about while you wait for someone who has actually done it to post. :D |
I was wondering if you could post some highlights/ comments / reviews on the Sturmey Archer 3 (07 curve) vs the SRAM 3 system (08 curve).... i have read somewhere a few bad reviews about the new Sturmey Archer 3 but i don't really see any nasty reviews here from Curve owners, which is a good thing.
Did you find the SA/ SRAM tune-up easy enough to do at home or would you take it to your LBS ? Thanx |
Originally Posted by old_school_dave
(Post 7180358)
Bumping this to see if anyone has had a go packing the Curve D3 in an Oyster 29" or F'lite 31"...:twitchy:
http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/9...uitcasegx2.jpg This is what he said in the post: "The only tool I needed was a 15mm wrench to remove the rear wheel nuts. I could have packed the Curve with the rear wheel on but it would have taken up more space. My suitcase, by the way, is a regular 29-inch "Eminent" hard case I picked up in People's Park center. I discovered that the ideal position is as shown in the photo--top tube against the left side of the case (different from 20-inch Dahons). The check-in weight with all my clothes and gear was 25 kilos. I brought my Jet XP to Australia last year and it almost filled my suitcase. Had to check in another bag. Also the rear hanger got bent because i didn't remove the derailleur (I learned my lesson since). With the Curve SL, on the other hand, the delicate parts are inside the Nexus hub, so no need for special protection. I used the hi-density foam pieces mainly to protect the bike's paint and also the cloth trim of my suitcase. The bike can be folded and bagged, or unbagged and set up, in under 4 minutes (I only timed it once, during my third try). With practice it should be a lot faster. The bag folds into its own case, which can be attached to the handlebar (or around the waist) while riding. I really like this set-up. I think it can even be taken inside Singapore buses (I will try, anyway). It took much longer, of course, to dismantle the bike and pack it in the suitcase because of the wheel removal, etc." |
Originally Posted by Tommy C
(Post 7181373)
I was wondering if you could post some highlights/ comments / reviews on the Sturmey Archer 3 (07 curve) vs the SRAM 3 system (08 curve).... i have read somewhere a few bad reviews about the new Sturmey Archer 3 but i don't really see any nasty reviews here from Curve owners, which is a good thing.
Did you find the SA/ SRAM tune-up easy enough to do at home or would you take it to your LBS ? Thanx |
Can someone tell me where to find the serial number on my Curve? Thanks!
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Originally Posted by Beach
(Post 7212209)
Can someone tell me where to find the serial number on my Curve? Thanks!
|
Ah - got it, thank you neilfein!
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So my biggest complaint with my Curve D3 has been that the granny gear was not sufficiently granny for some of the hills on my commute.
I just got back from the shop where I had the local bike genius swap out my back 13 tooth cog for an 18 tooth cog (what he had on hand). On the short trip home the flat bits still seemed good and the hill was a breeze! The true test will be my commute next week, we'll see. But it was a free cog, a new chain and an hour of labour, so not an expensive adjustment. Everything seems to be operating smoothly so fingers crossed! |
Hey, does anyone know where to get replacement v-brakes for the Curve? My brake tensioner is shot, and it doesn't look like "promax v" brakes are easy to find...
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Speaking of packing a Curve D3...
...can 2 Curve D3's fit into the trunk of a mid-sized car?
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Originally Posted by mjlnyc
(Post 7258357)
...can 2 Curve D3's fit into the trunk of a mid-sized car?
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Is there a backpack that the Curve can fit into? If not, then what is the best bag for toting it around? Thanks.
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Originally Posted by mjlnyc
(Post 7258866)
Is there a backpack that the Curve can fit into? If not, then what is the best bag for toting it around? Thanks.
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