Kevinator

Hi all,

I just purchased a new 2009 Dahon Boardwalk S1 today from Performance Bike. Based on the info from the thread listed below, I was able to get my new Boardwalk locally for $198 out-the-door ($179.99+ 10% CA tax). Thanks to megavovan who pointed out the deal.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ations-pending

Sale price on Performance Bike's website is currently $199.99, plus an additional 10% off for online orders. In-store price was $249. I took the bike for a test ride, came back, and said I'd buy it if they would match the online price. It was probably one of the easiest transactions ever because the sales guy just double checked the online price at his computer and confirmed the price by showing me the cart price. I was more than happy that they also gave me the 10% discount offered online.

I had sent some emails to other local shops and online Dahon dealers, but some never responded, a couple were willing to match the $199+shipping or $199.99+tax price, and one vendor actually thought I was trying to "trick" him with that price. When I checked my email, I had one response saying they'd match the price if I would pay shipping, then the 2nd response that was less friendly and expressed that they felt "tricked" over the price based on shipping and to buy my bike from Performance Bike Kinda surprising that a vendor would act like that, and throw around accusations, but I know who not to do business with in the future.

My new Boardwalk from Performance Bike rides great so far, but the plan is to heavily modify it. That's the main reason why I went with a low budget bike with minimal parts on it. Next step is to widen the rear dropouts to around 125mm so I can squeeze in a custom dual drive hub and 7 gears.

Things I need recommendations on:
1) rear V or sidepull brake adapters - the boarwalk comes with a coaster hub which I will be removing. I would like to add brake adapters inside the rear triangle on the bottom vs on top in the standard position (outside the rear triangle); Unfortunately I wont be able to add disc brakes in the rear due to the dual drive hub.
2) schwalbe big appe tires, what's the biggest I can fit under the front fender?
3) clip pedals, whats strong and affordable?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

GeorgePaul

I believe 2" wide tires will work.

I replaced the standard seatpost on my Boardwalk with the Dahon micro-adjust suspension seatpost -- big improvement.

ahsposo 

I bought a Boardwalk from Performance a couple of years ago to keep in whatever motor vehicle I might be driving. It's a great thing for parking the car or 18 wheeler and running local errands.

I wonder why you didn't buy a folder with a Rohloff or Shimano hub already built in?

tin

I got two 2008 Boardwalk S1s from Performance Bike for $440 shipped last year. I considered driving to a Performance Bike shop, but that would be a long trip and the tolls will probably cost the same as shipping.

Nice bikes, I took the fenders and rack off one of them and now it can be rolled (somewhat). Wish it has the magnets that keeps the bike folded, I put on some velcro, but that doesn't work too.

brakemeister

hmm that dealer was me ...
yes i did feel cheated as my all inclusive price of 240 isch includes sales tax , shipping, dealer prep , full lifetime warranty, my knowledge about the bikes, my warehouse full of parts which will fit the bikes, not to mention warranty work ( if needed) just to name the basics ...
while Performance charged Sales tax on the 199 plus 70 dlr for shipping to your door.
I dont want to be in the shoes of the Perfomance employee who doubled the corporate allowed discount, hope he will not get caught doing this as his days will be numbered. In the meantime he will be happy to answer all your technical questions, as I am sure he will have all the answers for you .

As I said its a free world and everybody can ( and maybe should) try to get the best deal but please on a level playing field.

Thor

jack002

So accusing your customers of tricking you, thats SOP there, huh, Thor?

brakemeister

I dont know what sop stands for ...
The reason I outed myself ( I could have just ignored this, right ? ) Is that I want to make sure that if folks do comparison shopping that they play with open cards ... meaning that they say what all the pesty additional costs are when comparing. Instead of throwing out a number which might or might not work in the end ... I didnt accuse him of anything I barely said that I felt cheated .... I would only ever say that I was tricked if I can proove that somebody was intentionally tricking me . ( Which he obviously didnt )

Also there is more to the story. If somebody would have asked me to buy a Boardwalk cause he wants to upgrade all those bits and pieces, I would most likely suggested a different bike already close or maybe even better than the updgrade price ... The dual drive components cost 300 dlrs ???? and you have to bend a frame wide to make it somehow fit ??? you end up with a comparable lousy handlebar ( comparable to the alloy adjustable revolve stems) with steel cranks, no warranty, and and and and have spend 500 plus no labour, and no gurantee that it will work at all and and and for $700 I have a speed Tr with all the stuff on it and much more....

Its a fun story if somebody has a Boardwalk and really puts a lot of effort into it and spruces up the bike to his individual needs, there are somme gorgous examples out there .. But buying one and sink a lot of money into it right away doesnt make sense.

Ok. ?
Thor

Abneycat

I agree with Thor in regards to the cost effectiveness of doing what you plan with your Dahon Boardwalk, if approaching it from the angle of simply wanting the bike, and purchasing parts through retail.

You can buy a Mu P24 with a dual drive, V brakes, and much better components *absolutely everywhere* on the bike for $650.

There are also lots of 2008 Speed TR's available for about $720 and up that have the dual drive, big apples, v-brakes, much better components on the bike globally, and full equipment with rack - fenders - lights - pump

Either bike is getting you much better value for your money if building the bike up through retail channels, when you factor in the end cost of modding a boardwalk to the degree you are considering.

For your Boardwalk, you're going to need to get the dual drive, spokes/nipples, new rim if you want a decent one, the DD shifter, possibly a clickbox, a new 3/32" chain, cassette, crankset on the Boardwalk 1/8", not 3/32"? probably. If so, you're going to need a new crankset to work with your 3/32" multi-speed chain as well, and the derailleur itself.

braking components including the brakes, cable and levers themselves, and the mounting hardware

Not to mention the custom adaptation you're going to need. Respacing, fitting potentially custom mounting hardware, building your wheel or paying to have it done. I'm also wondering how you will mount the derailleur needed to operate your dual drive hub, since the Boardwalk does not have any facilities for a derailleur. Nearly all of the clamp on derailleurs are utter junk, leaving you with the prospect of either suffering low quality equipment or coming up with another mounting solution.

I'm not going to delve too much into breaking down the costs, but as a rough example, your bike @ $200, Big Apples @ $70, Dual Drive hub @ $240, you're still missing a lot of parts and the price of the bike takes a huge jump. By the time you've added the rest of it, the bike is well over the price of either of the other example bikes, and still an inferior product.

Even if you're buying this stuff online at the lowest prices you can find, I personally doubt you'll get the price of the bike reasonably under the $650-720 of the other 2 Dahons, and it will still be an inferior bike in regards to the rest of the components. The only way to come out of it with a relatively low budget that I can think of would be to find used / bid goods on ebay, or to retrofit another standard IGH into a dual drive, as some have done.

Now, when I see that you mention a "custom" dual drive hub though, I am wondering if you intend to be approaching this bike from a project perspective, and you really want to enjoy building the bike as you go. In which case, it could be a fun challenge. If you can convert your own dual drive, machine your own brake adapters and find inexensive ebay / lightly used parts or visit a local bike co-op, you could potentially scrap together a nifty little thing quite well. Regarding fitting a derailleur, there were some clamp on "plates" I have worked with occasionally that had a mounting for a hanger mount derailleur on them instead of being attached to their own unit. That would let you use a decent derailleur with this bike, so long as the clamp didn't interfere with the IGH.

Foldable Two

SOP = Standard Operating Procedure - at least in earlier times - however, there just might be another definition in this age of "texting".

Niked

Congrats, and welcome to the Forum!

edwong3

I suppose one can do anything they want on what they bought, but if I purchased a Boardwalk S1, it's because I wanted a single speed, KISS type of bike. If I wanted a bike with all the goodies, then it would have made sense to just get a higher end model, and be done with it. That said, I guess some folks just enjoy customizing, and modifying to their hearts content, and that's good too.

Edward Wong III
Qile Duo 5 Speed 20" Folder

Kevinator

Thanks for all the responses everyone! Schwalbe 2.0" big apples are now on my shopping list.

So here's my little project. I'm building an E-folder for commuting purposes. Regardless of what I spend on something, I'm one of those hobbyist that mod the crap out of things. For this project, the bottom-of-the-line Boardwalk works the best for me because of the cromoly frame, horizontal dropouts, and normal chainstays (ie. unlike the Dahon Curve). Any components that can be replaced will be replaced. I'll even get around to modifying the Dahon handlebar/stem at some point. Yeah, I'm crazy like that. This bike hasn't even been ridden around the entire block and I've already voided the warranty by spreading the dropouts. That 74mm front fork may have to follow suit if I decide to try one of those Shimano dynamo/drum brake setups.

The dual drive hub I was referring to previously is not the recent SRAM offering. I will be using a Staton hub that has both LHD/RHD.
https://www.staton-inc.com/Details.asp?ProductID=2771

The left drive is for a Staton chain drive. The gas kit probably wont be used much on this bike, but it will be mega fun when it happens. The Staton hub is 48h is laced to an Odyssey Hazard Lite 20x1.75" rim with DT Swiss spokes. To complete the wheel, I just installed a new IRD 7 speed freewheel and redished it today.

The main drivetrain will be a 36v 900w Cyclone motor powered by LifePo4 batteries. I've got the bike back together for now, but tomorrow I am going to work on mounting the Cyclone motor.

I'm really not much of a cyclist...more of a hobbyist. I just like to mod the crap out of stuff. I'll try to post some progress pics tomorrow.

Abneycat

That helps elaborate on the project a bit more. I see you are referring to something very different from what most cyclists would refer to a dual drive as being.

I'm very interested to see how well the Cyclone mounts to the Boardwalk, actually. Let us know how it goes.

Kevinator

Thor, I sent an email asking if you were "willing to pricematch" Performance Bike's sale price of $199, not knowing whether you pricematched at all. I guess I was expecting a more customer service oriented response like I do from other online vendors...responses like: "we're sorry but we cannot match that price, the best we can do is X". There's really no need to get upset at customers for these requests, as I would think its an opportunity for another sale. I wasn't going to have my bike shipped from Performance Bike, so why should their shipping be calculated regardless if they charged $70 or $700? Dahon's warehouse is within a few hours of me so I know it wouldn't of cost much to have a bike dropshipped by any other vendor.

I might have gone with your deal of $240 shipped at the time, if it had been offered, since Performance Bike's $199+tax would of been ~$220. But I guess it all ended well anyways because when I finally got around to visiting one of their stores, they gave me the additional 10% off the sale price, and then I get 10% of that purchase back for being a member (almost forgot about that one). Final cost is ~$180.

BTW, Your website listed it for $269 at the time, and still has it listed for $269 now.

Kevinator

Thanks for taking the time to type out all the possible scenarios earlier. You brought up some good points and I think I've got most of them covered since I'm recycling parts from my old bike.

For the rear derailleur, I'm using a Shimano Tourney with hanger mount...one of the benefits of having horizontal dropouts. For ~$10, it works pretty good, even under motored shifting and I don't have to worry about beating it up. It sticks out a lot more than the Dahon neos, but its just there to be usable for now. I'll get better components later once I figure out the right combination of parts I want.
https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...IL._SS500_.jpg

I'll put together a list of the stuff I've done so far and post it up tomorrow with the pics.

Kevinator

Ok, here's some pics of the progress:

full shot.jpgrear wheel - top.jpgwheel-rear view.jpgderailleur-side.jpgdrive side.jpggear shot.jpgrear brake.jpghandlebars.jpg

kamtsa

My experience with Performance Bike was always very positive (there are two in our area). You can talk directly with the mechanics with no 'service writer' middleman, the stuff is courteous, their return policy is generous and they don't nickel and dime you.

For example during the Dahon recall, they did not have the retrofit part so they took back my Son's Vitesse (it was a few months old) for a full refund. They even did not deduct the 10% store credit that we already used and left us with a negative store credit (it is positive now).

In another example, I needed a cassette lockring for my DD cassette. The had one that fit but it has that guide pin. The mechanic 10-15 minutes retrofitting the lockring and thought to me how to use it.

They are my first choice for everything bikes.

Kam

kamtsa

That vendor helped me in two occasions with hard to find parts so it's not a black and white situation.

;-)

Kam

Abneycat

In the long term if you desire having a low profile derailleur like the Dahon Neos, the Shimano shadow series derailleurs have a very similar profile. I've got an SLX shadow mid-cage on one of my folders, it does a very good job of lowering the profile. I'd recommend them, although they're certainly higher ticket than a Tourney is.

Is the Cyclone going to have room to fit in its normal positioning? It looks like it, although it's hard to say from a photograph, too. It looks like standard mounting would also bring the Cyclone pretty close to the ground too, the bike might not be a great one to hop up curbs on

Kevinator

Once this bike is fully modded, I hopefully wont need any hard to find parts because it'll have standard stuff, not the proprietary BS that Dahon uses. The only part that I'm really stuck with is the folding stem. If that ever fails, I would not want it fixed or replaced, and would not purchase another Dahon. I'm fairly confident it will stand up to a few years of use. I already know how hard it is to find old parts as I have a few folders. This Boardwalk is replacing a Dahon I purchased last year that is probably 20+ years old now.

brakemeister

care to explain what BS parts you are talking about ?

thor

Kevinator

Thanks Abneycat, thats great info about the SLX Shadow derailleur. That's the kind of info that I need! I took a look at the Neos and it looks like it would be very simple to add to my bike. It would just require drilling a small mounting hole near where the dropout and chain stay meet. My only concerns about using the Neos would be its strength and abillity to remain straight if I laid the bike down on top of it while folded. I am able to do that with my $10 Tourney derailleur, and have done so many times without the hanger getting bent even though the whole derailleur is huge and sticks out a good amount. I'll look into the SLX I should be able to use any current derailleur using one of these hangers:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00..._ya_oh_product

I just came back from a 20 min test run with the Cyclone motor mounted. I probably ebiked for about 5 miles and it was awesome. I hate to even say this, but the stupid, super long, non-folding eyesore that Dahon put on the Boardwalk is amazingly comfortable if you don't have to pedal all the time. I am a bit under 6' and for cycling, I find the handlebars too high to be comfortable for long term pedaling. However, when you're motorized, it all feels right. Handlebars are at a perfect height, and the sitting position does not put any additional strain on my back, arms or wrists.

The Cyclone motor does hang a bit low, but has plenty of clearance for anything on the road, including speedbumps. It probably wouldn't handle going up a curb, but I always avoided that anyways because I didn't want to abuse the folding stem.

Kevinator

Here's some pics of the test fit for the Cyclone. As you can see, the motor has spacers between the frame and motor bracket. Those serve 2 purposes on the Boardwalk
1) They allow the motor bracket to clear the rear wheel. Without the spacers, the bracket has to sit higher, which then naturally makes contact with the rear wheel.
2) The motor sprocket has to be lower than the chainring to achieve a decent chain line between those 2 components. Its hard to tell from the pics, but there's ~2" there.

I may end up modifying the braket so that I can mount the motor higher, but then it will require a smaller chainring. I could go that route, but would kill pedal-assist for the motor. I'll have to think about that one for a while. I could also do Cyclone's 3 chainring conversion to improve my chainline and mounting options. So many decisions.

Bike still folds compact, but there's now almost a 1" gap between the axle ends when folded. This is after adjusting the right brake lever so that it doesn't interfere with the motor. If I loosen the brake handle and slide it a bit, the 2 ends should fold together as it did before.

Kevinator

besides the BS proprietary non-folding stem that I already mentioned, I'm not a big fan of the 74mm fork spacing. It makes replacement of any front wheel components expensive if you don't want another Dahon factory wheel. The geared Dahons may have a standard 130mm rear, but still use the 74mm front.

I understand that weight is a big deal when it comes to folders, but being limited to 74mm hubs with 28h is hard to work with. My only options for 74mm dynamo's are Dahon and Schmidt. If I were to go through he trouble or cost of lacing one of those, I would not want to reuse the Dahon rims. The Dahon dynamo comes in 28h, which leaves you with maybe 3 options for rims out of the hundreds available for cycling. God forbid anyone would ever want matching rims that weren't 28h silver. The SON dynamo comes in other drillings, but isn't feasible just for more hole drillings for a casual night rider.

The non-folding handlebar/stem has worked out well so far, but I still plan on chopping it at some point. I do like the frame itself. The folding comes in handy for storage, but I would actually prefer it as a non-folder, with a standard headset. Got any recommendations?

Kevinator

For anyone who's interested, here's my notes from yesterday:

-removed the rear wheel from my old bike and (20x1.75 48h Odyssey Hazard Lite rim, black DT Swiss spokes, black
Staton dual drive hub, 6 speed IRD freewheel)
-removed the tire and tube (Maxxis M-Tread)
-removed Boardwalk rack
-removed Boardwalk rear fender
-removed Boarwalk rear wheel and kickstand
-measured the Boardwalk's dropout width to be 112mm, according to my brother's Matco dial caliper
-pulled out the Park Tool frame and fork straightener that I got this week and spread the dropouts by +7mm on
each side, to reach the goal of 126mm total spacing.
https://www.parktool.com/products/det...=48&item=FFS-2
-test fitted the old rear wheel in the freshly spread dropouts on the Boardwalk to make sure it fit.
-The width was correct, so I then proceeded to remove the 6 speed freewheel from my old wheel.
-Installed a new 7 speed IRD freewheel, (13-28T), redished/trued the wheel, and mounted the Kenda Kwest tire
from the Boardwalk rear wheel.
- Mounted the wheel on my Boardwalk, reinstalled the kickstand, and added a Shimano Tourney derailleur.
-I installed an Odyssey 1999 bmx caliper brake for the rear
-I removed the Boardwalk's bottom bracket axle, and installed/adjusted a longer axle from my Cyclone kit.
-Installed my Cyclone freewheel chain ring, cranks and pedals
-Test fitted Cyclone motor. I will need to mount the motor lower than planned, or reshape the mounting bracket
to fit around the bottom of the seat tube. Removed the Cyclone motor to work on the other parts of the bike.
-Test fitted Shimano trigger shifters, Cyclone throttle, brake levers and bell. I decided to mount the trigger
shifter on the left (and upside down), since it wouldn't be within reach on the right due to the Cyclone
throttle. It actually feels more comfortable that way and allows for easy throttle and shifting at the same
time.
-After several attempts, I finally decided on a layout that accounted for comfort and practicality (bike still
folds as it should without any new components getting in the way).
-I installed the Cyclone grips, and then used some old cables to hook up the brakes and rear derailleur. These
are temporary as I am only using them to get an idea of proper length. I also ran the brake and throttle wires
and ziptied everything to the frame for now.
-I test fitted a chain to get proper length, and also to make sure the front chain ring had a good line to the
gears. It looks like it should be fine as the front chain ring lines up around 4th/5th gear.