It's funny to hear you call Brands a "discount dealer" as I grew up about a mile from their shop, so I think of them as an LBS. They have a good reputation in the area and they seem to do a good job putting their bikes together, although their clerks are completely clueless. I actually test rode a Curve D3 there one weekend when I was visiting my mother and after the ride the clerk told me that I should only shift the bike while pedaling. I tried to tell him that it has an internal hub, not a derailleur, but he had no idea what I was talking about. For what it's worth a Brands clerk told me on the phone that they give Dahons a tuneup before shipping, but I don't know if I believe that.

Also, I wouldn't exactly say that Sunrise Cyclery is "down the street" from Brands. I mean, yeah it's also on Sunrise Highway, but it's 15 miles away. Go 20 miles "down the street" in the other direction and you're at JFK.

Not to worry about www.brandscycle.com They are sold out of the Dahon D3 until June according to their website. I was leaning towards www.bikesarecool.com anyways, if I get the D3. Price is good and according to this page:

https://www.bikesarecool.com/index.as...on=Custom&ID=5

They check out the bike before shipping. I hope they really do this.

I'm also considering getting a Brooks sprung saddle instead of the Thudbuster. With this product, I know it will almost certainly fit on any future bike that I own.

I wonder how much adjustment Yan's new product will offer for the Mini's handlebar height? He didn't mention that. Does anyone know how much range I have to adjust handlebar height on the D3? Will I be able to ride upright?

Very much so. That is how I started out with my first folder, the Dahon Boardwalk. With more confidence, I purchased 2 additional folders, the simple no frills Brompton C type and the more recent and similar Dahon Piccolo. These bikes are very, very far from junk-yet inexpensive as far as what some people spend on some folding bikes (like Bike Fridays).

I make my own bags or I go to the 99 cents stores for inexpensive duffel type bags. I think that you are even more clever than I am when it comes to thinking up new things for the folders.

I have owned road bikes with a large amount of gears offered. And I now owned just simple three speeds. I rode both on the same hills as before. I find that it is how the gears and selected and are appropriate for the terrain covered than just how many there are on a given bike.

I find that a simple sprung saddle takes care of most bumps and uneveness in the roads. Thudbusters are a bit overkill for some people. All that matters is what works for you.

Thanks! I'm looking forward to seeing the sew-your-own bag designs you're going to put on your site.

MequonJim: So you called Brands today? I must have ordered the last one. Sorry if that's the case. Bikes Are Cool is about 15 minutes away from my home but I'd have to pay sales tax. Bikes Are Cool told me yesterday they have 2 in stock.

I went to another local shop who said they had the Curve in stock but when I showed up it was still in the Box. I saw the salesman uncrate it and basically overcame my fear at that point. Basically, you unpack the bike and the only thing that needs to be done is screw on one of the petals.

I'm fairly handy so I'm not too worried about tightening a few bolts here and there. Besides, something I learned from motorcycle ownership: Do you really want some of these guys in the set up shop working on you ride anyway? I think I'd take better care of my own equipment than anyone else.

Bill Laine at www.wallbike.com suggested that I try the Brooks B67 since I want to ride in an upright position. So I ordered one in Honey color. I figured that if the bike sat in the Sun on a hot Summer day, that color would burn my rear end the least. $91 shipped.

I also ordered the Dahon Curve D3 from www.bikesarecool.com Since they are just one State away in Illinois, the shipping should be quick. I hope they check out the bike for me before shipping, like they state on their website. $370 shipped.

So I ended up at $461 shipped, which is under my original budget of $500. Although according to Dahon's website, the Curve D3 is 25.1 lbs as shown, plus the Brooks B67......I'm definitely over my weight goal of 25 lbs. or less.

We have an odd April snow storm right now in Wisconsin. Hopefully when the weather gets nice I will be able to ride my new bike.

Thank you to everyone for your help.

Congratulations on your D3 and welcome to the club. I'm working hard on finding an excuse to buy a Mini or a Brompton as my next bike, but the Curve D3 is just too amazing! I'm in love with my little red rocket (thinking about giving it a Stealth Black coat though...)

"... we also carry world famous Dahon bikes ridden by professional sportsmen from around the globe."
"Our folding mountain bikes are sure to impress every young child."
www.bikesarecool.com

Nice to see humor, even if unintentional.

I'm sure they've ridden them. Ridden them once.

Actually, if my memory serves me correctly, some professional inline skating team chose dahon speed pros for cross-training a few years ago. Maybe this is what they are refering to.

As for the folding mountain bikes impressing very young children. I'm not sure what that's all about. Maybe they did some focus groups or something.

EDIT: HA, I found the article. The German National speed skating team !

https://www.dahon.com/news/dahonnews/07012002.htm

Well Holymoly,

I am already busy designing a really easy bag to make to be released sometimes this summer if time allows. It will actually be released on my Flickr web site since it will involve construction directions. I find that photos will answer more questions and be a more accurate guide than text only ever could. My Blog will be released first later this Spring. It might add even more insight to this and other projects I am currently developing for my web sites-and go to a completely different level and direction than my forum postings, current web sites, and other corrospondances usually go.

Thank you. I'm generally not a bright red kind of guy either. My company is in the process of buying an automotive style spray room. I would think that within a couple of months I will have the capability to do a professional spray job. I may just end up painting mine too, if that is what you were implying by the Stealth Black Coat statement.

The Curve SL might be a good choice for your next bike too. I hope to see that bike on the market soon.

Thanks again for all of your help with making a decision.

yeah, the stealth black coat is a professional spray job that I can get from a car or motocycle store. All you need is some patience and a bike (or car) to be painted with the desired color...maybe 20 bucks will do it.

Congrats MequonJim to your new D3. Just got my Dahon D7 this morning from BrandsCycle. Can't ride it now due to (April?) snow but as soon as it's all melted, I'll take it our for a spin. Your thread helped me in making a good choice of folder brand. It was either the Dahon or Downtube and I bought the D7 instead. And I like to thank also everyone who contributed to this thread with their wise and expert recomendations and suggestions. Glad I found the Bike Forum site, a good source of information to read and discussions of different cycling issues. Many thanks again to those who posted and shared their wisdom and have a safe ride always.

I cancelled my order with Bikes Are Cool after waiting since the morning of April 11th with no progress. I would NOT recommend anyone ordering from www.bikesarecool.com They take orders for things they don't have without telling their customers that there is nothing in stock. They should tell you when you add it to your shopping cart at their website or at the very minimum they should say something in the order confirmation email. Better yet, just state on the website that you are out of stock. They wasted almost two weeks of my time.

I ordered from Thor at www.thorusa.com I hope he can produce in a timely fashion.

My patience is all gone.

You talked with someone over the phone and you know they have the bike to deliver, right?

In one way or another, good Luck with your Curve!

I ordered from Thor at www.thorusa.com I hope he can produce in a timely fashion.

My patience is all gone. [MequonJim]

I ordered my D7 from Brands Cycle on 4/9/07 and by 4/11/07 about 11:00 AM, it arrived. Of course I didn't get to try and ride until that weekend. Rode it around the local trail and put on 13.5 miles Friday and 14.4 miles yesterday. I figured I can't go more than 10 miles because of the 20" wheels but I was wrong. Next is to do 20-30 in a few weeks after I get back from a trip. The weather has been nice the past few days and perfect for riding. Altogether, I must have put on close to 100 miles already if I had the GPS with me on my earlier rides while I was in Rcokford, IL and riding around the neighborhood.

14R asked if you spoke with a person on the phone when you ordered from bikesarecool? I placed my order with BrandsCycle over the phone by inquiringif they had the bike in stock and the young lady said they did and she took my order with gurantee to me I'll receive it on Wednesday which I did. The LBS didn't have it in stock and asked me to wait a couple of weeks but I couldnt wait that long.

I hope you get it soon and good luck.

I ordered a 2007 Mu XL from a retailer in Wisconsin (The Fitness Store) back in February. Their website clearly said that they were out of stock until April or May. I emailed Jeff at the store and he told me they were expecting their container load of 2007 Dahons in May. I just noticed the other day that my credit card had been charged, so they must have received their bicycles. I am eagerly awaiting the Mu XL!

What sold me on that store was that each bike is professionally assembled and tuned before shipping, and they double-box each shipment to minimize the chance of shipping damage. I will give it a good going-over when it arrives, since I do most of my own wrenching.

Unfortunately, no LBS in the Seattle area offers much in the way of any folders, except for a single store in the Fremont area. The owner told me that he was not going to carry or special order the Mu XL, so the Net was the only option for me.

Kind of. I tried calling over the weekend, but there was no answer, so I sent him an email. He responded that he did have one and I should call him. I called this morning and when I asked him if he still had it in stock, he said yes. Then he said that if he works on this it should be in this afternoon. So, who knows. Then I asked when I should expect it. He thought Wed or Thu. Being only 1 state away, I'm guessing it is not in stock.

I'll believe it when I see it.

Before Bikes Are Cool, I had a done hundreds of online transactions over a number of years that went smoothly. All of this with various retailers for various products. Not once did I have to make a phone call to verify that someone had something in stock.

MequonJim,

According to my past experience wit Thor, you will have your bike for the weekend. Make sure you have bateries, memory space and a nice setup for the pictures of your new bike!!

You are right 14R. My bike was here when I got home from work today! I had a contingency plan if Thor failed, that I would give Yan a shot with a DT Mini, and if he failed I would wait for the Curve SL to be released.

The only problems I could find with the bike was the front fender is rubbing. Both tires are not round. I think there are lumps in the inner tubes because the rims appear true. I tried bending the fender which lessened the problem, but it is not solved permanently. I think I would have to take the tires off the rim to solve their lumpiness, which is not something that I want to do.

My initial reaction was I was surprised at how heavy the bike felt. I don't know why, but I was expecting a lighter package. It came in at 32 pounds according to FedEx. I really like the magnetic mechanism which keeps the bike folded. That is nice. I'm not sure how far the handlebars can be safely extended, but I was able to dial in an upright riding position, which is what I want. It didn't feel unsafe at this height.

I was surprised at the gearing. This thing is pretty fast! The shifting is smooth and I really like that I can shift while I am not moving! This bike does not have a granny gear, that is for sure. I'm glad I don't plan to ride on steep hills.

It was also shocking to find out the number of steps required to fold or unfold the bike. My cheapo Walmart folder was much quicker in this respect.

It sure seems fun. I only rode for a few minutes, but I do look forward to going out again tomorrow.

I put the Brooks B67 on. My initial impression is that it is as hard as a rock, and I couldn't detect any spring suspension effect. It is also about as heavy as a boat anchor. I plan to return it immediately.

I'm glad that I finally have my bike! Photos will follow in the days to come.

If you're going for light - lose the Brooks.
If you're going for long-term comfort - break in the Brooks.

Don't worry about the springs; they work when they need to. Too soft of a saddle will be comfortable at first, and make you numb as your ride progresses. A harder saddle is uncomfortable at first, but retains support the longer you ride. This is moot, of course, if you only ride a couple of miles max at any one time.