US Availability for Dahon Mu Uno in 2012?
 

Does anyone know if the Dahon Mu Uno will have greater US availability in 2012 that it had in 2011? Similarly, does anyone know why they've been so scarce in the US? (Or, am I just mistaken about this?)

It appears that Thor has them although it does state to call first. http://www.thorusa.com/dahon/current/muuno.htm

Or this one, for less:

http://www.thorusa.com/tern/linkuno.htm

The Tern is 11.5Kg apparently whereas the Dahon is 10Kg. I'd take a 2011 Mu Uno, it'd have the bits that now belong to Tern. Well, that's probably just the chain cover thing.

I am considering the Tern Link Uno as well, but as chagzuki said, the Dahon Mu Uno is considerably lighter. I'm not set on the Mu Uno, but at this point I can't even tell if it's a possibility.

I should just give them a call, but at least as of December 2011 they didn't have them; in fact, Thor indicated in a different thread that they've been scarce for a quite a while (link to BF thread).

That is why I posted because last year they were sold out.

Is the Tern Uno a steel frame as there is quite a weight difference ?

Regards

Jerry

Just in case my post came off as snarky, please know that I didn't realize until just now that you were part of that discussion! Much of my sense that Mu Uno's are scarce stems from that thread. (And the fact that they no longer show up on sites like Amazon.)

The Mu Uno has always been scarce in the US.. I know for a fact that neither Dahon CA or IL warehouses have a Mu Uno .. what is available at the IL warehouse is a Speed Uno.. I doubt that Thor would have any Mu Unos left in his inventory, but he could probably switch you to a Speed Uno, or a Tern Link Uno.. .. if you found a Mu Uno , it would either be used, a trade-in, or something that never moved from a dealer's floor..

Have you had a chance to look at either of those to form an opinion regarding how they compare to your Mu Uno (now Duo!)? Similarly, if you were to buy again, would you go with one of those, or would you spring for the Mu Uno (assuming you could find one)?

The Tern Link Uno actually does have an Al frame. But, in general the Terns are a bit heavier because they're made to be stiffer, particularly with respect to the latches. It also has heavier wheels, cranks, etc.

I haven't ridden the newest Dahon or Tern single speed offerings... but I am partial to the look of the Mu Uno over the Speed or Link, and the lighter weight... I've found the Mu series rides very well and there was also my particular interest in the bike's ability to run belt-drive due to the lack of a chainstay.. so, if I were going to do it all over again, I'd still pick the Mu Uno .. that said, either a Speed or Link seem like fine choices if you wanted to update your Boardwalk.. but I'd try to ride one first to make sure you see significant improvement over what you have.. I have seen some very tricked out Boardwalks..


Just did a quick C/L search.. there's a Mu Uno in Philly and Denver .. both sound good in the ad.. both around $500..

http://denver.craigslist.org/bik/2798728257.html

Dont know what the Mu Uno cost when it was on sale in USA, but you still can get one shipped from UK for £480

http://www.evanscycles.com/basket

Thanks Diode100!

Anyone have any experience ordering a bike to the US from Evans Cycles? This would be about $750 USD, with shipping, and that doesn't sound too bad. I think my credit card would charge a few percent, but unless there are any surprise import fees, it looks like the total cost would be less than $800 USD. And, that's cheaper than I've seen it listed on US sites recently (even though no one seems to actually have it in stock here).

Just check whether you would be liable for any import duties / taxes on entry to USA.

I realize your primary issue may be availability rather than price, but also keep in mind that there may be warranty issues if you are in the U.S.A. and purchase a Dahon from a non-U.S.A. dealer. And a pre-owned Dahon generally has no Dahon warranty. FWIW, I have purchased three pre-owned Dahons. None of them have had any warranty issues. But the lack of a Dahon warranty is, IMHO, a factor in determining a reasonable price. :)

-HANK RYAN-
Norman, Oklahoma USA

I saw both the mu uno and the tern link uno in the same store and it's quite a hard call on what to pick. They both felt very stiff when I sat on them and tried to flex the handlebars and frame. Tern was $750 CDN and Dahon was $650 CDN. But then I started to compare the little details between the bikes at the store.

Tern had the beefy clamp similar to the speed's vice style clamp but a bigger self locking handle which snaps shut very cleanly and cannot be opened accidentally unless you hold a spring loaded switch when pulling, while the dahon has this newer V clamp technology which to me is a cross between their vice clamp which pulls a C clamp on the other side to lock the frame like the brompton but without the screw thingy tightening it. This one also has a mini safety device to keep you from accidentally kicking the lever open while riding.

Folding the frame in half I felt a bit of resistance on the dahon, might need some oil in there to loosen it up but there will still be a bit of friction like my wifes dahon jack no matter what I do. The Tern when I folded it felt like opening or closing a well oiled bedroom door, I was kinda surprised how it had almost zero resistance when folding but when clamped shut there was zero play in the hinge. They really did improve upon their latches!

The dahon had better tires with schwalbe marathons while the tern had schwalbe citizens.

both bikes had the plastic chain cover thingamajig.

dahon has these really nice machined kinetix crackset while the tern had some no name that looked like a crank on any other typical bike.

dahon has nicer looking wheels than the tern. (I know nothing about the wheels so that's a very qualitative comment)

This point bugged me the most:

dahon seatpost comes with the built in frame pump, tern is just a seat post which will cost extra to get a seatpost pump.

This was the impression I got both bikes messing around there for 30 minutes which the store employees thought I was a bit obessive on single speeds when around me sat bike fridays and multi geared dahons and terns. They both ride very well and are very stiff cause of the one piece handlebar on the dahon and the beefy steering clamp on the tern. Felt stiffer than the brompton I tested in a store also (m handlebar version). Don't take this as a real review but just the initial impressions of someone messing around with the bike when they see it in the store and spun around the block with it. I thought about getting one of these as a daily commuter but neither of them wheel around as easily as my strida. I daily commute with mine and sometimes the elevator is a tight squeeze and my stick on wheels gets me everywhere with a clean and fast fold.

Oooo almost forgot, the tern at this store had fenders already while the dahon didn't.

here's a some bike porn shot :) was mmsing to another bike nut that I got to see one in the metal!

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/536...0121154906.jpg

Mu Unos will bea availablke this year. At this time I do not know exactly when however. Price will be 889.00.
Speed Uno ( 399.00) is available and looks nicer than the provided Dahon pictures.
Link Uno ( 650.00) and Verge Duo ( 1000.00) are available as we speak.

pretty good descriptions from our trusty forum friends above

thor