Dahon Mu SL one year and 1000 miles later
 

Does anyone out there have a sense of how much wear to expect for a Dahon ridden daily through everything? This poor filly has been out in rain, sleet and snow. I'm okay (not great) about wiping her down, lubing her and looking after the drivetrain, but she's sustained some wear nonetheless.

First, let me say that all reports of zippiness are spot on. This is a fun bike to ride and I look forward to the 3.5 mile trip at the start and end of each work day. I even get off the commuter train early to add a few more miles. I also ride a Serotta and a steel Basso fixie, and the Dahon isn't nearly as comfy, but for what it is, it's peppy and responsive.

Within the first month, the handlebars started to flop around at the quick release joint. I applied some Loc-tite to the plastic white adjustment nut, and that did the trick. Recently, they started to loosen again without the adjustment nut moving (I marked it with a Sharpie), so I'm not sure what to do. There is also considerable wear in the rubber gasket where the head tube and front fork meet. The front rim sustained some damage when I took the bike overseas and didn't pack it well enough. It's a bit out of true, and the Kinetix wheels can be trued only from inside the rim, so that kind of stinks. I've replaced the brake pads twice, but they've taken a lot of grit from Boston's Storrow Drive bike path, so it's not unreasonable.

The handlebar and gasket issues are striking sooner than I'd like. Otherwise, the bike has been great. Oh yeah, the seat tube is making a funny creaking sound unless I crank it down so hard that it's difficult to close the quick release. It's a contest with my old knees as to which sound warns passersby first.

Any other experiences with 2007 Dahons is most appreciated.

pmr

Unfortunately Dahons have made a name for themselves as giving a variety of problems with the handlepost. That nut which you Loctited is just one of 6 which should get the same treatment. And astonishingly, all of those 6 screws are almost equally important in the folding and latching mech. I'm surprised Dahon hasn't had their asses sued over this.

It is extremely important that you don't ride with a sloppy handlepost; the hinge is overloaded if you do and they break off.

The rubber spacer is part of the headset; download the manual from the Dahon web site and go through the adjustment procedure.