bhkyte

Not true.
Some of my posts yes, but read all my posts. I have also posted plenty of positive comments about Bromptons. Lets keep it in perspective. There are more than one excellent compact folding bikes out there.

bhkyte

Nice one LOL.
I am disappointed you could not get a picture of a Brompton on the moon though!

JCFlack

I'm intrigued by the way Mobiky solves this problem - with a double chain arrangement.

Azreal911

https://www.cpabikes.com/index.php?mo=10&art=235916

this is quite an eye opener to people that don't know about dahons:

Actually scroll down and you'll see at the factory they hand weld their frames and hand paint their frames pretty much the same way brompton does it. So there's really not much of a difference if you notice but they also use computers to keep a very high quality control in their products.

Dahon built bikes are very very different than typical china clone bike companies that churn out crap copies of well known models. Only the rigorous testing of their frames are done by unmanned computer, seems like they are hand built pretty much similar to bromptons. There's no robots that auto assemble everything from start to finish it seems. So yeah you can also say your dahon was hand built by a skilled chinese craftsman, the employees don't look poor and they get uniforms, it seems to be a very well run company. I don't own a brompton or dahon but I would seriously look at both bikes and not say one is the top of the line of anything just because it's high priced.

14R 

On a serious note, bhkyte, I would like to know what my options are if my needs include a bike that can be ready to go upon arrival (international flight) without any major assembly. Besides the Brompton (and maybe the Mezzo), what decent bike is available?

OrangeClownBike

I've got a dahon hammerhead and it's nicely made, paint's a little thin but hasn't come off yet.

There seems to be a common theme running through a number of threads here.

I woudl say most people woudl agree with the following:

* The brompton has a very good fold,amongst the best in the industry.
* The build quality of the brompton if good.
* Although some of the cycle parts are a little dated (brakes I'm looking at you) they are functional.
* The brompton is a very good choice for multi modal commuting and is capable of long distance rides (although not as fast or as comfortably as some larger folders)

Where some disagreement seems to creep in is the price. Yes the brompton is expensive, yes you can get other folding bikes for less.

However I would say that simply charging high prices for your product isn't a crime or even particularly reprehensible.

Many people charge more than the absolute lowest cost to provide a product. Apple, Rolex, Morgan motors and David Beckham spring to mind.

There are many other folding bikes out there; some fold smaller, ride better or are cheaper than a brompton.

If you want a brompton pay for a brompton. If you are happy (or happier) with a dahon/swift/carryme etc then great.

Attacking a company for their pricing decisions on a product that you don't have to buy is a little pointless.

For the record I don't own a brompton, I would like one but can justify it at the mo. I have a Dahon hammerhead and an R20 and liek them both.

vincentnyc

u didn't specify any type of bike except for "bike that can be ready to go upon arrival (international flight) without any major assembly." that would be a pacific carryme. smallest fold than a brompton.

14R 

Thank you for the reply Vince, but I actually did specify that I need a decent bike. That means conventionally correct, moderate, but competent; sufficient; hence, respectable; fairly good; reasonably comfortable or satisfying to my needs that most users of this forum are familiar with. If you are not familiar with my needs, they include the ability to ride in traffic under less than perfect asphalt conditions in south america. They also include some fairly distant/long rides (6+ hours, 80+km).
The carry me is not a good fit for me since it is really far from a conventional-sized bike replacement.

brakemeister

whats major assembly ?

putting a front wheel into the frame ... major ?
I am just asking ....:-)

thor

14R 

Hey Thor,

Major assembly is anything that takes more than 5-10 minutes: putting rear wheel into frame, remove stem or the steps needed to travel with a Bike Friday. Believe me, I tried them all. My trip to Brazil with a Downtube (20 minutes to fit into luggage) ended up being a mechanical nightmare: 10 cities in 10 days means over an hour a day (every day) just playing with the bike instead of riding it.

EastBiker

LOL I remember you getting irritated with Makeinu before when he used to interject the CarryMe into every thread. Now you're carrying the torch. What's up with the anti-Brompton 'tude dude? Bromnpton having a monopoly on the Brompton design?

vincentnyc

i dunno...i always like to pull for the underdog. and i think the brompton has been king for too long. it is time for the king to step down when dahon curl comes out.

vincentnyc

downtube came out with a travel suitcase. yan said u don't need to disassemble anything for that suitcase. just fold it up and it's ready to go and it is only $89. and yan said it always travel on the plane with that suitcase and has no problem and no damage to the bike what so ever. have u try that suitcase yet?

https://www.downtube.com/Folding_Bike_Suitcase.html

PDR

Ok, I apologise, Dahon bikes are not made by robots... but they are still mass produced, 254,000 bikes sold in the first half of 2009 making Dahon the worlds largest folding bike manufacture.

I still prefer the way the way small companies like Brompton, Moulton and Bike Friday offer a custom b-spoke build where you have multiple choices of colour, handlebars, gearing and other components. When you place an order with these companies a work sheet details your requirements and they build your bike for you and you alone... that is kind of special in a world were mass production is the norm.

Most Dahons come in one colour only and even that can change from year to year (making an 07, 08 bike look dated).

Dahon are too big a company to cater to those who want something more custom b-spoke than a mass production single configuration model.

bhkyte

A Dahon can be custom built, but not at the time of purchase!

Many a local bike shop will change components at just the addition cost in my experience if buying a new standard bike if you don't haggle over the price too much.

There is a wider range of better value Dahon spares upgrades available compared to Brompton. Mezzo is even more limited. A custom built Brompton cost more than an upgraded Dahon "like for like" in many cases even if you include paying someone else to fit additional parts.

"Brompton are too small a company" to provide such a range, therefore many small companies have produced Brompton specific spares/upgrades.

However, Dahon are not going to offer the type of customer service that Brompton give, and they should make their wider arrange of spares/upgrades more available so that they can be purchased easier. For instance; No cikfit front bag mount for my curve currently that I can find. Telescopic seatpost sir, not likely in the UK. No problem with Brompton spares, at a higher cost though.

Guess it depends which bike you like , and what you require from the range. Brompton deal more directly with customers. When buying a Dahon, one is more reliant on the LBS service ?

In addition Mezzo,and Dahon are more likely to be available at a discount. Meaning that the money saved again can go on customising with non brand specific parts.

You pay your money..............

EvilV

Never mind the Brompton. I want more pictures of that nurse lady.

PDR

You can’t seriously compare changing a few components of a standard production bike after it is built or at time of purchase at a LBS to that of having a custom b-spoke bike built at the factory exactly to your requirements.

I know many people need to consider cost and value for money and yes, my B-spoke titanium Brompton was more expensive than the standard bike. The hardest part when ordering the B-Spoke bike was not the price (I can easily afford it), rather it was working through the options list as to exactly what specification to go for.

gringo_gus

talking of custom built, thats an excuse to post this link again, which has now been improved with a titanium option https://site.nycewheels.com/Brompton/...brompton.html#

brakemeister

fully agree
I do have the clikfix adapters in stock
I also have a few left over telescoping seatposts, which have been discontinued.
Reason is this : They come with a 27.2 top part, which is a regular laprade type road seatpost. Now folks have inserted a super long MTB 27.2 seatpost and have extented the seatpost length way past anything which the frame can handle, putting enourmous forces on the frame, combined with a lazy butt who doesnt get off the saddle when falling down a curb and voila,,, desaster .... That killed that otherwise very nicely made and usefull telescopic seatpost ....

I do custom dahon bikes all the time ....... mostly changing tires ....adding different pedals adding thudbuster seatposts, up to diffent handlebars, or Bionix electric conversiton...

But I agree there is something buying a la carte, no doubt ...

Thor
( very agreeable today, its friday and I just sold the last Mu XXV from my stock )

kamtsa

I could not agree more.

I can get spare parts for my vacuum cleaner, lawn mower, car, Bike Friday, and notebook computer but not for my son's Dahon. And I am talking about parts that Dahon still ship with new bikes.

Recently I tried to order a Dahon propriety part (left hand DualDrive twist shifter for Mu P24 2008) and hit Dahon's version of catch 22:

1. Dahon will not sell you the part because you need to it order form a LBS.

2. The good intentioned LBS cannot sell you the part because Dahon does not does not provide it to them.

Until this spare parts policy will change, I would think three times before buying another Dahon.

Kam

invisiblehand

Is it close to being flight legal? The description doesn't specify.

14R 

it is close from being flight legal, but it is NOT flight legal. The last thing I need is to be stuck at an airport on my way back because some airline employee did not get a nice night of love and decides to do everything by the book on that specific day...I'm just not up for the chances of that happening.

Now, thinking about it...what about the Birdy?

14R 

Nevermind...

vincentnyc

what do u mean it is NOT flight legal? did u try it urself and got deny? how do u know for sure? and even if it is not legal. and i always see some passengers check in with big a** suitcase that is not legal limit. worst case scenerio, they will just charge u as an oversize bag. they can't deny u being on the plane.

yan fly with it all the time and has no problem. the upper part of the suitcase is made of "soft material"....which means it depend how big is your folder, either a 20" or a 16". if it is a 16" big, the top will fold down a bit and thus will look "smaller" than normal.

14R 

Thank you for the reply Vince. I spoke with Yan over the phone several times, specially when I was doing the photoshoot for his website. Let me explain why his bag is not flight legal:

The dimensions of the folded Downtube are approx 30 x 60 x 81 cm (12" x 23.6" x 33"), with the rear swingarm being removable for super compact folding (used on airplanes and boats, but not appealing to my needs).

The downtube bag cannot be any smaller than 12" +23.6"+ 33"= 68.6"

The internationally accepted dimentions of luggage is 62" or 158cm or linear size



I travel approx. 40 times/ year. a 68" luggage, even if it works 99% of the time, will add up.