Hi everyone,

Long time reader of the folder forum and very infrequent poster.

I had the LBS mod my MU P8 and it turned out like this





I really like the Drop Bars. I find I ride the MU a lot more now. The fold isn't that small, having to separate the 2 stem sections to fit well into my Bolso bag.

Mike

Looks great! It seems like you have a practical. lower cost alternative to a Bike Friday NWT, or Pocket Llama.

It looks to me like you had the chainring replaced by one that is smaller than the stock version. Is that right? And is the rear rack a Dahon accessory, or an "off the shelf" brand?

Thanks for posting.

Have fun!

Edward

Hey Edward,

This is really a nice setup for me. And by luck, this bike fits me just right (I'm 5'8" tall). I am riding this bike more and more to run errands, ride to the commuter lot to meet up with my carpool, and exercise. And you may have something there, I never thought of it as a cost NWT or LLama.

The Chainring is a 46T ring mounted on a 155mm crank. I think the original is 53T. I had to modify cut away section of the chain guide so it would lower and accomodate the smaller chain ring.

As for the Rack, it is the Dahon Tour Rack.

Mike

Hi KoYak, welcome to the drop bar Mu club

I'm wondering: What brand cable splitters are you using? Any problems with repeated splitting/rejoining? eg frayed ends? Shifter (mis)adjustments?

Also, you might consider chopping the stem to drop the bar. I'm 5'8" as well, and the stock stem was too tall even at the lowest setting.
After chopping 9cm off the stem:


Cheers.

Thanks! for the welcome to the "Drop Bar MU Club". from what I can tell, there might be about 2 members .

I think the cable adjusters are made by Jagwire. My other bike has some made by AVID. They both work equally well as far as I can see. The install was done by my LBS so I haven't noticed any performance issues. As for cable shifting adjustments, can't tell on this set. They are installed for brake cables only. I need to have it installed for my rear derailleur.

As for the drop bar height, thanks for the tip. However, it's gonna be a while before I can lower the bar any more. My belly keeps me in a more upright position. Hoping that will change in the next couple of months.

Mike

Edit. The pic of your bike was one of my inspirations for the drop bar mod.

EdYago has a white one with Ultegra brifters and DA stuff on it.

I might want to put 1x9 gears back on mine, but the right barcon will stick out when folded. Ergo, need cable splitters to take off bar, but they're expensive-ish. I want to know whether they work.

A little update... May 2009


After getting chain tattoos *with* the chainguard on, I have now removed it.


I hope this pic helps those contemplating a singlespeed Dahon. It's 0.3mm stainless steel + Shimano sealed bearing pulley (somewhat quieter). I had a 10mm hole drilled for the axle, and the whole thing is clamped with the QR skewer.

More photos, including folded pics and 8-speed setup:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/joseff/...7605937936133/

Looks really sharp!

That's because the bottle cage, lights, dynapack QR, and all the freddish accessories are taken off for the shoot

did you cut the telescoping steerer? I know the thing won't go that low with its stock length.

@AEO: Yes, chopped the bottom of the stem. As a bonus I can now fold without extending the stem, the clamp *just* clears the left stay.

that is so awesome. now i have an inspiration for my boardwalkd d7 handlebar upgrade. any reason why you went with a single speed than with the multi speed ???

thanks,
vic

I'm about to chop mine too, the amount of bar rise is a quite high for my liking.

that's a pretty interesting rear wheel... radial NDS and 2x DS?

@vmaniqui: Jakarta is flat, thus going singlespeed saves me 600g when carrying. I have since found out that I can run 52/16 without a tensioner, so it is also possible to remove a spacer and have both 14 and 16 at the back. This would give a "double-single" of:
* 52/14 = 71" gear with tensioner
* 52/16 = 62" gear w/o tensioner, slightly crooked chainline
Your chainstay length may vary.

For your Boardwalk, I'd watch out for this:

See how the right brake lever just tucks below the frame/brake cable. I'm sure this won't work on a Speed frame. Hope it works for you, I'd love to see the old skool Boardwalk shape with a drop bar!

@AEO: I chopped 9+ cm, still too tall! You're correct on the rear lacing, it's a stock Dahon P8 wheel.

wow. interesting. so the fold is still ok as i see on the pics. i will post pics as soon as i have my upgrades.

thanks,
vic

hmm, I measured that only 7cm of chopping is required to get the stem to lie flat against the clamp. any more isn't really necissary unless there's weight shavings involved

I find the drop bars problematic for singlespeed use, as the second brake lever is missing to provide good grip. Probably a bullhorn is better. Also simplifies the fold.

You mean to say "for fixed gear use"? Both bikes on this thread still have two handbrakes.

Yes, you're right. Some pics looked as if the left brake was dismounted...
With two brakes, this is not an issue.