blovejoy53

Not worth a lot of bandwidth, but I think pismocycleguy (?) had asked at one point about racks on a Smooth Hound. I just got a Tubus Vega rack for mine and it seems fine for what I need it to do.

No affiliation, and there are several good people to deal with regarding Tubus, but I got mine from Wayne at:
https://www.thetouringstore.com/TUBUS...EGA%20PAGE.htm
Wayne, the owner, was great to work with and the rack and light arrived quickly and perfectly packed. Highly recommended.

Anyway...

Pics (with older ones) at:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/2118233...7603280647410/

Ride well and often...

pismocycleguy

Hey Blovejoy
Thanks for the information.
Nice looking rack and light.
I have never ridden with studded bike tires. Not much need in So. Cal.
PCG

doco

hey blovejoy, nice dahon, where you near in denver?


I am up at arvada, and just got an old dahon and a swift...moulton next

hey I was going to buy a rack from wayne, is he local??

blovejoy53

I am just east of Cheesman Park, southeast of downtown. This is my first Dahon but I have been interested in folders for quite awhile now. Had a Brompton that I sold to a friend, attended I think the first "folder convention!?" in Philadelphia a few years ago, and have been experimenting ever since.

I rode a Swift once and it was definitely sweet. Great bike... And if you get a Moulton, well, I would definitely like to see it - stand near it you know. I rode A Pashley Moulton in Philadelphia and it took my breath away. They just have a lot of character and ride great. Definitely on my dream list...

Wayne is actually in Ft. Collins and just runs his business basically through the internet. I think he is a one man army but I could be wrong. He had the rack when others didn't, shipped exactly when he said (and it was only one day to Denver, and it came perfectly and carefully packed. Can't beat that... He was great and easy to work with.

Maybe we can some day get a folder ride together here in Denver. I know the lady that heads up the Bike Friday group here so maybe we could form something around one of their rides. I might even have a Tikit by then?!? Folders (and other bikes) for every occasion... And one day, car free. That's the plan.

tim24k

Nice photos. I'm looking into putting a Tubus Fly rack on my Smooth Hound.

What did you do with the Brooks saddle and bar tape?

Ciao,
Timothy

blovejoy53

Destined for E-bay, I suspect, if I can get organized. The saddle is new but there is a small scuff. I'll probably package the two things together. I still need to measure to see if the tape taken off the moustache bars is an adequate length for drop bars?

I had the Koobi saddle hanging around (and liked) and I have really come to like the Fizik tape with the gel padding... must be age. So that's where the changes came from. I think the Brooks stuff is cool and certainly nice. I'm a fan, but I think it might add to the bike price and it certainly attracts more attention, some of it maybe unwelcome. But I know, presentation is everything, and marketing is key ...

Bob
70 degrees yesterday, snow and cold today... in beautiful Denver

OldiesONfoldies

Folks, do you know if the standard Dahon Touring rack will fit the Smooth Hound? I have the rack but not yet the bike.

Seriously thinking of getting the SH esp now that is on sale. May I ask how do you find the SH vis a vis your other folders? I have a Speed Pro and a Speed 8, one for speed and the other for touring. Wonder where the SH fits in here.

Appreciate your insights.

OnF

tim24k

No OnF, it don't fit! BRATS! Ay. I have the standard Dahon touring rack on a 2006 Speed TR. It's a nice rack, light and well made. Any standard Mountain bike rack 26" or a 700c should fit fine.

I like the Smooth Hound very well. It's a solid bike sure-footed and rather zippy. Good for city and bike path ridding. Just a blast to ride. Not really a folding bike but a compact bike, some would say a mini bike. To bad they no longer make it with the front suspension fork in the 2008 models. It really smoothes out the bumps and chip-seal roads.

Ciao,
Timothy

OldiesONfoldies

Thanks Tim! Shame on the Dahon rack not fitting but glad to know std racks wd. Ya, I wonder why the 2008 model got rid of the front suspension... Glad you are enjoying your SH.

tim24k

As you may know are US dollar is in the crapper and has been there for a while now. So I think it was just to keep the cost down. The Dahon Mu Sl also lost the suspension hub for 2008. And still the price went up a bunch!

Smooth Hound 2007 was $849.95 now for 2008 $959.99
MU SL 2007 was $999.99 now for 2008 $1199.99

Ciao,
Timothy

OldiesONfoldies

Looks like foldies arent like computers, the longer you wait, the cheaper and more loaded they become

Thanks for the heads up on the MU SL. Didnt know they took the s hub away!

OnF