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.

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.

The slip cover that came with the El Boso bag is really great. I just keep folded up and strapped on my rack all the time now. It weighs NOTHING and I've used it to go into banks, grocery stores, and other stores--though I haven't tried a restaurant yet.

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?

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.

Thanks. That's probably too much work. I was thinking that I could remove the seatpost the stem/handlebars and somehow it would all fit in nicely. With removal of the rear wheel, I can see problems for reassembly with chain tension. I'm leaning towards the brommie.

Yes so true, I will still try, I replaced the fender bolts with nylon (plastic) bolts and removed the front reflector. Do not see how I could get this down to 15lbs but I will try to skinny it up.

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?

Nice photos; can we have a link to your Flickr site?

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:
https://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:
https://londoncyclechic.blogspot.com/...-box-bags.html
?

My SL '07 - taking a break on a mountain climb (reached elev. 850 meters) in Hakone, Japan.

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.

Bumping this to see if anyone has had a go packing the Curve D3 in an Oyster 29" or F'lite 31"...

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

A Curve SL rider, named prof, in our Dahon forums, took his Curve to Japan recently, and packed it into half a 29" Oyster-like hard case.



This is what he said in the post:

I believe the Sram is a better hub , I have the SA 5 speed and havent had any problems on my SL. In 2008 this to was changed to a 8 Speed Nexus hub on the SL.

Can someone tell me where to find the serial number on my Curve? Thanks!

Mine is on the underside of the bottom bracket.

Ah - got it, thank you neilfein!

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...

...can 2 Curve D3's fit into the trunk of a mid-sized car?

You could probably fit more than two. It also fits onto the back seat quite comfortably, taking up about as much room as a big passenger.

Is there a backpack that the Curve can fit into? If not, then what is the best bag for toting it around? Thanks.

There are several options for bags, not so many for backpacks since the bike weighs 25 pounds. (There might be backpacking packs that would work for it.) Search this forum for "Dahon Bag" and you'll find a lot of threads on bags.