Originally Posted by owenfinn (Post 10203901)

.....I think the new Curve SL is really an underrated compact folding bike. When everything is taken into account (price, ride, comfort, speed, components, folding size, ease of fold, weight, etc) it compares very favorably to the big 3, Birdy, Brompton, Tikit - and just might be better (all-around) then any of them.

Originally Posted by Tom808 (Post 10206274)

Thor,

I�ll bite. I have read the same comments over and over and have begun to wonder how easily I could obtain parts as my bike ages.

I have been using my Presto as my daily commuter for about 5 years now. I have replaced the crank, chain, rear wheel, and bottom bracket with generic parts with absolutely no compatibility issues. The following parts do concern me a bit:

1. Inside the handle post there is a little nylon (?) block. I have not had any problem yet, but if that does wear out or break can I get a replacement?
2. The entire handle post assembly seems a little flimsy compared to the newer posts. It is one of the first handlebar posts with the internal clamping mechanisms and uses a threaded headset. Can I still find a replacement handlebar post?
3. Main hinge parts. The hinge seems pretty rugged and doesn�t really worry me, but are there still replacement parts available should they become unserviceable?

Maybe other can jump in with the parts that concern them the most. I agree it�s time to test how concerned we should be about parts availability.

I appreciate you willingness to jump into these forums and participate.

Originally Posted by jur (Post 10207992)

Weirdly, the longer wheelbase Dahon Curve still seems to be using the old crappy stempost hinge latch. A puzzling lapse on an otherwise fantastic-looking piece of kit.

Can somebody please measure the wheelbase length, and the rear axle to BB distance?

Originally Posted by brakemeister (Post 10207699)

1. small white plastic piece .... there are two possibilities . Dahon has a complete bag conssiting of the plate, springs, allen bolts and white plastic thingy ... every dealer can order some . I have some in stock ...or you can email me and I will mail you a block alone ..usually at no charge
2.handlebar posts with internal wedge are available in 1 inch ( very old) and also 1 1 /8 diameter ... not all versions ever made are available, but a handlepost will be there to make the bike rideable .. in other words a 1/18 height adjustable post is hard to come by , but a non height adjustable is available That is only for forks with outside thread and regular headsets. If your fork has internal threads than its absolutely not a problem.
3. Hinge packs same as 1 are available from Dahon ..I have several different years in stock. But as you said they are hardly hot items to replace I think I sold 2 all last year
:-)
Thor

Originally Posted by Family Of FF (Post 10215442)

Her Dahon dealer has already inform her that the (similar parts to the Brompton's) cannot be ordered as they are no longer made for the years 2003 or 2006 bikes she has. While she will continue to use her bikes she is very aware through her Brompton manual http://clients.squareeye.com/uploads...lus%20pics.pdf Page 27 Section K-Routine Replacements. I (her sister) already told her that she could have that aluminum frame hinge replace if she chooses to do so by going to a machine shop and making a steel one. She chooses not to as the bike is simply not worth it to restore (I agree). I did warn her that people only read what they want to read and filter out the rest online.

Originally Posted by Family Of FF (Post 10215442)

We wish to introduce ourselves. We are some of Folder Fanatic family members. She herself is offline now and is not part of this discussion at this time (She is at present celebrating the New Year with her offline and real true friends of many years, not computer blimps). One of us (her brother) was reading her posts on this thread as he is very interested in her online Website series developments. He is not pleased with the tone that this topic has taken. He does believe that everyone has the right for their own opinions and our father was very involved with the 1960s civil right movement in his work place (what is now known as the US Postal Service, then as the Post Office). But this is not what we were raised to believe or expect from others. We will comment on the following:



Our FF, as you know her as, may not have the intense mechanical training (the sister she wants to buy the bike for is a Mechanical Engineer with 20+ years in the Aerospace industry) or graduated from the same college that our US President attended (her brother), but she always knows what she wants and how to research for it-and is not afraid to ask or learn from her mistakes (although in this case, under the circumstances of the initial Boardwalk's purchase, she decided to "take a chance" with a bike she did not test ride as is her habit). Because Dahon had it's global headquarters a bike ride distance from her residence, she assumed that parts for the folding mechanism could be easily had (after a couple of years, not so). Plus she needed a bike that folds right away for visiting our still living father to take care of the emergencies as they arrive-to free us to work in our respective fields. Her sacrifice of her own career in both Sociology and Education for us is noted and appreciated by us. We don't expect too much from computer blimps to understand this.



She has received her parts for her Brompton with ease with the option from ordering from many different sources from all around the US. Her Dahon dealer has already inform her that the (similar parts to the Brompton's) cannot be ordered as they are no longer made for the years 2003 or 2006 bikes she has. While she will continue to use her bikes she is very aware through her Brompton manual http://clients.squareeye.com/uploads...lus%20pics.pdf Page 27 Section K-Routine Replacements. I (her sister) already told her that she could have that aluminum frame hinge replace if she chooses to do so by going to a machine shop and making a steel one. She chooses not to as the bike is simply not worth it to restore (I agree). I did warn her that people only read what they want to read and filter out the rest online. Here is a very good case (this is more in her field than mine). Aluminum has a finite life and should be replace well before failure. That previous idea falls within own field.



Actually she is simply being honest about her experiences with these bikes. If you read her previous post (or her own Website series as she archives them there) she simply is detailing her 6 years with Dahon, both good and bad. 2 years is about right when she noticed (too late I guess) that her own Dahon dealer broke the news to her and her own observations about the vast differences the frame latches and other folding devices even between her 2003 and the 2004 models and more so every year! It does not take an Engineering degree to know planned obsolescence in the form of "improvements' or some other bull**** being sold nowadays to people. She decided to get a Dahon for me as I am quite hard on bikes as my riding style is the opposite of her's. She does not have much money and she wanted me not to worry about the bike as theft is real big around here (right down the street from a bike thief). I told her not to worry or bother as I don't care to own or even use a bike like that and especially with the type of following that seems to be drawn to these bikes. If it was not for all the problems here in Los Angeles over unreported crime, I think she would still be very happy on her original bike:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/world-o...7594461421431/ She told me once that if things was not so crazy, she would still have Her Phillips still and perhaps in the future bought just 1 folding bike-the Brompton-for traveling. The Phillips would be worth going to the machine shop for replacement parts. But she and the rest of her family must deal with future probable trouble, and that is what our father's sole reason when he bought the Dahon Boardwalk.




We would like to end this conversation with an a few observations of our own. We know that Thor-we agree with him that this is getting rather old-is in the bike business-namely Dahons. That is well and good, but not on the expense of our sister. We think this behavior is beneath us and we don't want our sister around this enviroment just to promote some sales off her back. We rather throw the bikes away. Or perhaps we will continue to exercise the option to continue patronize a particular bike shop close to Dahon HQ that she trusts and done business with in the recent past as you suggest it is a "free" country or such nonsense. It is not "free," but more aptly described as freer than most. Perhaps it is not as big or nice as yours, but she can get any available parts or another bike within a day as Dahon HQ is only around 5 miles away (easy biking distance plus no shipping costs) and one of the mechanics are very well versed in all things Dahon and treats her as a lady as she is. Apparently others feel similar about their own Dahon experiences: http://utilitycyclist.blogspot.com/2...1_archive.html in a rather negative way and no one takes them to task. We noticed a huge drop off of usernames like Nekohime, Puppypilgrim, werewolf, and yes even the famous Wayshrdr who seem to be no longer posting on this forum. We wish to add the direction of this particular forum has gone downhill over the last several months by just scanning the past pages that no one seems to bother to read anymore. We are not surprised at all.

But we are raised properly. So on behalf of our sister, we wish all a very happy New Year. And note that we consider the matter closed.

Originally Posted by Joako (Post 10201186)

Pictures comparing the folded and unfolded size of both bikes. The Brompton is a L5 with the shorter wheelbase and M type stem. It also seems that Dahon increased the 2009 Curve SL wheelbase.

Originally Posted by brakemeister (Post 10205709)

...what Dahon parts you are not getting which would make the bike unrideable.

Originally Posted by kamtsa (Post 10216735)

This is a very careful choice of words Thor. ;-)

How about replacing 'unrideable' with 'not meeting the original spec' ?

Dahon brag about their features but when you try to get spare parts they discount them as unnecessary bells and whistles. This does not project well on the company and it support organization.

Here is an example: from http://www.dahon.com/intl/glidep8.htm "Fully equipped for city commuting – the brake levers even have an integrated bell.". Are they available as spare parts?

Happy new year.

Kam