upgrades on a jifo...
 

hi,

i've read Dahon Jifo 16 parts upgrades since this was quite similar with what i'm planning, and a lot of the questions i have were answered. but i'm still thinking of going through with the changes on the bike not unless from this thread i'm convinced otherwise. i thought it would be better to just make a new thread so here it goes...

i bought the jifo new but i haven't seen it personally since it's back home in the philippines. i'm working abroad but will be going on vacation sometime this june. i've about 30 days tops so i'm just gonna squeeze the bikeshop time and DIYs in my busy schedule with my boyz. after that, it'll be packed along with my other stuff when i fly back to dubai.

anyhow, most on my wishlist are for lightening the bike, but i am also changing the front caliper if there is a better one. i only wish i can upgrade to a 2-speed or better drivetrain but from what i've been reading the frame's 76mm OLD just makes this close to impossible.

the stock caliper looks like a side pull; it doesn't look like a dual-pivot as what's said on dahon's US site. from the pictures my friend sent me it looks like a long reach bmx brake but i can't really be certain. reason i want to change it is because i'm more comfy with vbrakes which sadly dahon only saw fit to mount on the back end of the bike. so i'm probably left with changing it to a dual-pivot granting it will perform better than stock. i will be considering changing the stock pads if it helps. so... can anyone tell me what reach dual-pivot brakes should i be looking for? tektro r559s perhaps? i wish i can mount road tiagras but clearance might be a problem.

on the crank, i'm thinking swapping in a crank with an integrated bb. cost is an issue so i'm looking for some used ones back home. i'm thinking i maybe able to shave off some weight from the stock square-tapered bb since from what i know integrated bb's are much lighter. trouble is i can't find info on what size bb shell the jifo has. the chainline if possible, too. i can't mount a chainring bigger than 39T cause my friend said there is very limited clearance for the chain to accomodate a bigger one. pedals will have to be replaced if i change the crank.

what size chain does the jifo use? can i use lightweight chains that looks like kmc's x9sl?

on tires not so sure cause this is gonna cause more weight on the setup. my jifo came with kendas 16 x 1 3/8s. i like the looks of schwalbe kojaks but i think big apples would be better for me. trouble is will it fit the frame and fork? this would be my first time to ride a 16in folding bike... and i don't really know what to expect. i had a chance on a used curve d3 but the weight and folded size made me decide on the jifo instead. it hardly rains here, and i have no plans of riding in the rain either so the stock fenders are going off first thing i get my hands on the bike... not unless my friend already beat me to it.

seatpost... i'm not clear whether it has a 30.0mm seatpost based on the global site cause thor's listed it as 30.4. i will be checking the weight of course so if the difference isn't worth it then i'll just keep it stock.

what's the clamp size on the handlebar? no bullbars or such... just straight same as the stock bars but i'm looking at carbon options.

hopefully, the big apples if it fits will add just the right amount of weight i'm able to shave off from the other parts.

i don't need a fast bike, but weight is a major issue for me. whenever possible i'll be wheeling it along via the saddle when folded... but i will be carrying it at times no doubt.

folded size is too since space here comes at a premium to someone like me who works here in dubai. i'm limited to walking short distances and no heavy lifting. i love cycling so much but for reasons too many to mention my options are few. there are folding bicycles here i can afford but those are just not worth the money imho so i thought it best to bring my own rig from back home.

hope to hear from you guys.

safe riding. tia.

jack

this may not be what you want to hear, but if you are really interested to make upgrades and have fun tinkering with a bike (as i know i am), you should probably consider selling the jifo and buying a dahon dove BYA412. in it's stock form, the dove is an inexpensive bike. the folded bike is comparable to the jifo. it's popularity as a highly upgradeable machine has fostered companies like litepro to make custom parts for it. all of the upgrade parts are affordable and available in the phillipines. the parts list includes seatposts, stems, cranksets, wheelsets, and even integrated headsets. for the price of the jifo you could have a serious little pocket rocket in an upgraded BYA412

http://www.gddahon.com/upLoad/sort/m...1625335331.jpg

hey!! thanks for replying.

about a week prior to getting the jifo, i almost got a hold of a used but very good condish bya412. it was pimped real good from the photo and the spec detailed in the ad... seller claimed it weighed 8.4kg. i had to admit i was smitten by the bike... well at least at first. however i fell short about 2 weeks so someone else already bought it. here is the ad... yellow dahon dove. until now i'm still in love with the color. :D

anyhow, a fellow forumer also in the market for a folder discussed with me about his experience with the same model bike. well, as i expected he commented it was really small. the fold is similar to all non-jifo/eezz dahons... it's just that it came in a smaller package. shorter wheelbase of course. ride i cannot really say since i never had the chance to ride neither one so i'm basing my decision from what i know and experienced with my son's 20in bmx and that of my four 26er mountain bikes (3 HT and one rigid single; all aluminum framesets... the rigid was all-steel at first) back when we still had all of them.

comparing the two... ~500g weight advantage, almost same folded dimensions. custom parts obviously the dove wins since most of the jifo's are specific to it... the front brake alone somewhat poses a challenge to me. (why is it not a vbrake, dahon?). but inspite that, the jiffold's unique vertical fold, longer wheelbase (vs the dove), larger unfolded package just made it the right choice for me. i think the dove would be just too cramped for me... not that the jifo isn't cramp, just not as cramped as. the weight penalty i have to deal with of course hence the upgrades. if i can shave 200g that's 200g less on my back when i carry the bike.

if all else fails, maybe then i'll consider other bikes. but i am somewhat still keeping watch on that yellow dove... maybe my 2nd bike. ;)

cheers!!

correction on the tires... kenda 1.2in is the stock size. planning on getting schwalbe marathons... kojaks look great but they're too slick for the roads here (occassional sandstorm). i'm doubtful 1.5s will fit.

is the stock chain 1/8 or 3/32? i'd like to replace it with kmc k810si. i like clean chains.

hung from a parktool showed 9.23kg. that's over 700g to strip to reach my 8.5kg goal. the stock saddle and seatpost are ~340g each. i can probably take out 130g with a prologo choice ti and another 100 if i use a straight 330mm thomson elite. i'm still not sure if i should get a setback cause 1) that'll reduce the weight saving by ~30g since the setback elite comes at 410mm; stock is 320. and 2) with a setback thomson i won't be able to stick the saddle full because of the setback bend of the thomson. i might need the setback cause the bike is already cramp as it is i think.

my friend took the bike on its first ride, roughly 10kms. sport tracker clocked him averaging 10kph and doing 16-18kph cruising on long straights. twitchy cause of the short wheelbase but manageable... best he commented to stay below 20kph. i think he liked the bike.

interesting.

Doesn't the Jifo have 305 wheels? Kojaks are only made for 349's. Remember there are two common sizes of 16" wheel.

ok. that i didn't know. actually i'm very much confused about the rim and tire sizes.

so if kojaks won't fit, how about marathons?

thanks for replying.

i've browsed a bit on sheldonbrown regarding tire sizes and i think i'm a bit clearer on the subject but still have a long ways to go. :rolleyes:

um, thor's site says the stock tires are schwalbe marathon racers 16 x 1.35 (35-349). but on wiggle, it says the rim size of the jifo is 305. on some of dahon's it say 16" x 15C.

obviously i'm confused... so which one is it?

isn't there supposed to be markings of sorts on the rims so as to takeout the guess work?

tia!!

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=369484http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=369485

edit: nvm... it's 305. thank you dynaryder for bringing it up... appreciate it much. seems i'm left with fitting 16 x 1.5in marathon plus cause that's the smallest one. i hope it's not too big for the bike.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=369544

Thought they were 305's. Looked into a Jifo once,but decided against it due to the fact that it would take serious customization to add any gears.

As the sticker says,1.5" might be too wide. That rim's only 15mm:
http://www.schwalbetires.com/tech_in...dimensions#rim

305 is right
info is from 2012 Dahons dealer book ...hmmm???? Basically I told them once or twice if all those mistakes are in it they don't need one ..so they scratched it in 2013 ..lol
will try to change it in the morning :-)
thor

i'll be using the bike more on flats, short trips definitely. terrain are mostly concrete if not asphalt. the worse would be sand scattered on the road after occassional sandstorms in my area. it seldom rains here... and i don't see myself riding on wet terrain. that's another reason i can takeout the stock fenders.

imho, i think it would be very difficult to set the bike up with gears. the freehub alone is a jifo/eezz one-of. at least the eezz has one less tooth from the jifo's 10. and with 76mm's of dropout spacing, i don't know how many cogs one can squeeze in that?!?

then again i didn't buy the bike to set it up with gears. with the 9T cog of the eezz's it will have a slightly faster cruising speed, but i doubt significant. the bike's small unfolded and folded. 14in is way too small for me, 20s i don't think i can place in my luggage along with my other stuff when i fly back to dubai... so 16in is a fair compromise for me. a parktool weighed it at 9.23kg fenders and all. for me that's very little weight already.

last, i didn't spend too much on the bike i assure everyone. $700!?! not even. it is still expensive for me, but not how much most expect. i do long for a '14 presto sl though... but the price is just too much, and suppliers i think only in japan? and they don't even ship abroad!!

i can probably shave off about 1/2 kg on the rig... but that's as much as my limited budget can afford. at 8.7kg projected i think i can manage that.

again, thanks dynaryder. without you intervening i would have ended up buying the wrong set of tires... or worse.

ok. thanks for clarifying. i was about to message you bout it i just somehow forgot to do so.

anyhow...

um, so if the 40-305 marathon racers are too big for the rims then i guess i'm left with the stock kendas. my friend said it's 1.2in. the only semi-slick kendas i found in their website are kwests 16 x 1.25in (etrto 32-305). the thread was a bit different though from the picture my friend took of the tires. anyhow, at ±215g each i guess that's light enough.

bike safe everyone.

I have a Jifo. The tires that were on the bike when i got it were Primo Comets 16x1.35. They were pretty much slicks. Right at the bike store we looked at how wide of tire i could put on it. The largest 16 tire that fits (and it just fits) is 16x1.50. So that is what i have now. Specifically the Kenda Kwest 16x1.50. They make a big difference in the ride especially over rough patches.

thanks for replying.

i found a vid of a jifo wearing 1.5in tires on what looks like stock rims so i guess you're right about the tires. also the bike had dual chainrings with the outer definitely bigger than the stock 39T. the small ring looks smaller, too. no fd so i take it the chain is manually switched between the 2 rings. here's the vid... Dahon Jifo

i've been browsing a few of the lbs in my home country for 305 tires and haven't had much luck. most are 349 kojaks and marathons... but that would mean changing the rims. a few said they have 349 litepros and newsons... just can't say for sure what width i should get.

my travel plans have changed so i've put up the bike online. my friend who tested the bike was kinda disappointed coz he was quite impressed by the jifo and he said i should at least try it out then decide if i still want to sell it. i'm still wondering how the bike would turn out after the upgrades i planned before but given the circumstance the best for me is a full-size rig.

i'll see what happens when i get home next month.

bike safe!!