Shakedown ride for Curve D3
07-02-08, 06:54 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Highland Park, NJ, USA
Posts: 3,798
Bikes: "Hildy", a Novara Randonee touring bike; a 16-speed Bike Friday Tikit; and a Specialized Stumpjumper frame-based built-up MTB, now serving as the kid-carrier, grocery-getter.
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Shakedown ride for Curve D3
heckler met me in Princeton for a ride yesterday. Princeton has moderate hills, low traffic, and it's a pretty area. I took my Curve D3 so I could get there on the train earlier se we'd have time to ride before sunset (and also because my regular bike was in the shop for a tuneyup). We rode around the area for about 27 miles.
This was my first ride on this bike that was longer than a few miles, and I noticed a few things I hadn't on short rides.
Hills: I had to walk a few, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. I was pleased with the gearing.
Traction: The only time I had problems was cornering on a gravel patch at mayve 10 MPH. I had to stay away from shoulders that slope down towards the side of the road - I could feel that the bike would have been a little unsteady on those.
Saddle: The stock saddle isn't the best for a ride of this length, I was feeling some unpleasantness, even with padded shorts. I'll start looking for something a little narrower.
Stability: The bike is stable up to 20mph. My new rule of thumb is that when I start losing bite in the highest gear, it's time to back off on speed a little.
Overall, I'm quite pleased. I'm not taking it on a tour or club ride any time soon, but I had a great time. heckler obviously could have gone faster than me (he was on a Fuji road bike), but we kept up a rolling average of ~11mph. Not bad.
This was my first ride on this bike that was longer than a few miles, and I noticed a few things I hadn't on short rides.
Hills: I had to walk a few, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. I was pleased with the gearing.
Traction: The only time I had problems was cornering on a gravel patch at mayve 10 MPH. I had to stay away from shoulders that slope down towards the side of the road - I could feel that the bike would have been a little unsteady on those.
Saddle: The stock saddle isn't the best for a ride of this length, I was feeling some unpleasantness, even with padded shorts. I'll start looking for something a little narrower.
Stability: The bike is stable up to 20mph. My new rule of thumb is that when I start losing bite in the highest gear, it's time to back off on speed a little.
Overall, I'm quite pleased. I'm not taking it on a tour or club ride any time soon, but I had a great time. heckler obviously could have gone faster than me (he was on a Fuji road bike), but we kept up a rolling average of ~11mph. Not bad.
__________________
Tour Journals, Blog, ride pix
My bands:
Tour Journals, Blog, ride pix
My bands:
- Uke On! - ukulele duo - Videos
- Ukulele Abyss - ukulele cover videos - Videos
- Baroque and Hungry's (Celtic fusion) full-length studio album Mended.
- Artistic Differences - 8-track EP Dreams of Bile and Blood.
07-02-08, 07:04 AM
#2
Small wheels ARE better!
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 362
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Check out what this Curve D3 did - 115km over the Highlands of Malaysia. Don't underestimate this little bike 
https://lovethefold.blogspot.com/2008...-commuter.html
https://lovethefold.blogspot.com/2008...-commuter.html
07-02-08, 07:16 AM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Singapore
Posts: 342
Bikes: Upgraded Scott Sub 20 in silver; Specialized Hardrock Comp Disc 2006 in limited edition Army green; Dahon Curve D3 foldable in white; Dahon MU P24 in blue.
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
But then Paul has legs of steel, hahaha!
The man really pushes his Curve D3 hard, man.
neil, I agree with you on the stock saddle. Not so good for long rides. I went with the Rido saddle. But it does have a bad habit of getting sticky in humid weather.
The fastest I have ever done on the Curve was 68kmh (42mph), downhill. Scariest ride of my life, but also the most fun. My best time on a flat with the Curve was 27mph but I was bushed after that haha!
The man really pushes his Curve D3 hard, man.
neil, I agree with you on the stock saddle. Not so good for long rides. I went with the Rido saddle. But it does have a bad habit of getting sticky in humid weather.
The fastest I have ever done on the Curve was 68kmh (42mph), downhill. Scariest ride of my life, but also the most fun. My best time on a flat with the Curve was 27mph but I was bushed after that haha!
