Price on Raleigh Twenty Folder
 

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/d...539679266.html

Is this a good price for a Raleigh Folder?

a twenty just sold several days ago for around 230 and 45 shipping IIRC on ebay

mint condition and original toolbag, light, etc.

I just tossed the link or I would post it for you

The price quoted seems to assume it will be bought by a collector of fine vintage bicycles. Are you a collector of rare bicycles? If you are not do not buy it.

IMO, an R20 to be used as a commuter bike is worth about $50-$100. The low price contemplates a full overhaul and many upgrades of parts. You are better off with a new Dahon.

Funny, I must've been watching the same e-bay auction as doco. I won an e-bay auction last year for a similar R20 for $125.00. I'd try and talk the seller down in price if you're going to ride it. If you're just going to buy it and look at it as a collectable then the $225.00 price might be O.K. Still seems kinda high to me. PG.

The e-bay item# is 370006500563 and sold for $322.00. PG.

jesus!!!!!....322 bucks boy was I off the mark:)

Those prices are insane unless you want to put one into some sort of time capsule. The Raleigh 20 was a very common folder and uses a lot of weird parts which makes the trickier to maintain as time goes on.

You'd be better off with a basic Dahon such as the Curve for only slightly more.

I have tracked several 20's on fleabay the average is over $200 for the past year, so the CL isn't to far out of line if his description is accurate. FWIW they go for about $60 or so in Great Britain on fleabay...but getting it back to the states in your carry on...:p

Aaron:)

:lol: :lol::lol: And here's me thinkin' that $15au and $25au for our two R20s was a good price, however I've noticed the last year or so since we bought them that the prices in Oz for R20s is becoming increasingly more crazy.....maybe I shouldn't have created the Wasp??

As for buying a Dahon......it's more fun tinkering and being frustrated at times with a R20 than snapping a handlebar stem and face planting. :rolleyes:

^^^ one of the reasons I have been very hesitant to spend my hard earned dollars on a Dahon, the other reasons being the constant churning of models, fit and proprietary parts. I am saving my money for a Brommie...unless a something better happens along.

Aaron:)

I had a bid in on that one.

It was a very very nice example.

But, once it got up to over $250, I had to slap myself across the face to stop from getting into the frenzy wars on it.

I would love to have one in prestine condition to have on hand as an example of what one is like in original condition, but, I'm not going to go broke doing so anymore.

I have another R20 that is going to be modified shortly that my wife is going to use. It will be set up similar to my own R20.

But, again, I guess it's my age now, but I'm starting to wise up. That really is too much to pay for one.

She will have a very special and funky R20 then...lucky girl. What colour will you do it, matching blue or does she like another colour?
I want to do my wife's R20 in the same black as the Wasp, but she's not too keen about it, so I might have too sneak it out to the powder-coaters when she's not looking..... I'm thinking of white hightlights instead of yellow like the Wasp. I have a white saddle already, so maybe having the fenders, chainguard, bidon cages and handgrips in white would look, OK??.

I picked up an R20 last summer. It goes with my '68 Schwinn Run-A-Bout and my '69 Legnano folder. I'll buy a Dahon when they're cool too.......NEVER!

.....or when they make a headstem that's actually safe.

Hope no Dahonites are reading this thread, 'cos us R-20 nutters mean no offence by our negative remarks on those bikes....truly :rolleyes:

Funny, cuz about to buy a Dahon right now. Is the headstem not really safe?!

Vrede,

There has been some threads about the stems breaking at the hinge, but I think it was with the aluminium ones, as far as I can tell the steel ones are the go, much safer.
Depending on:
1: What model you want, you might have to swap the stem after you buy it.
2: How strong a rider you are.

Jur had a Dahon Helios for a short time and I think he made comments about how much the stem flexes, very off-putting, but he is a strong rider and would put the bike under considerably more stress than the average Dahon owner who generally doddles on MUPs.
Also a recent thread told us that some seat posts have broken as well and I think there is a re-call on them??
If you can afford something else........, your call.

I know this probably won't help much, but I'll share anyways. I have two Raleigh 20s. One I rebuilt, and posted all the info here in BF (do a search and you'll find it). Original cost was $100 in early 2007; I put just over $500 into it, and now I have a very nice R20.

The second I haven't done anything with yet. It's all original, and not in that great of shape. I plan to rebuild it, but I haven't figured out into what yet. Maybe a singlespeed with only a front brake, for simplicity. I may add a pair v-brake bosses in the front ($40 at a shop in Seattle), and then repaint it, maybe even have it powdercoated, I don't know... I found it on a pile of junk in front of someone's house (I heard the guy who lives there buys the contents of abandoned storage units to resell). He gave it to me for free!

My own opinion is no, the handlepost folding mech is not safe.

Read here: http://www.dahon.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=4450

If I were to ride a Dahon with aluminium handlepost, I would very carefully make sure the latch and especially all screws are positively retained while everything operates as designed, as I describe in that thread. Then it should be safe.

You should also pay particular regular attention to the main hinge. steveroot in the Dahon forum has a list of items for regular inspection, ask him for it.

As for other Dahon issues, I don't think they are different to many other folders. They tend to be flexy but many others are also.