Who cares?

It's built by a large manufacturer and distributed by the worlds largest retailer; so if Dahon cares enough and thinks they can prove the product is a counterfeit then they should go after them. The reality is there are probably enough differences between the two to make a claim against the product unfounded.

Genesis newbie, 6'2" tall, 32" inseam, stock seatpost is FINE. I started at the maximum extension, dropped about 1/2".

Would appreciate some guidance on selection of a replacement front single crankset. I am 6'2" tall, would like 175 mm cranks, possibly a larger diameter crankset. In my initial shakedown ride, I had no difficulty on a 7% grade with the stock 6-speed freewheel. With the added leverage of the longer cranks, I am trying to decide if 52T might be a bit too ambitious, go with something more like 48T. No interest in adding a FD, double chain rings.

Recommendations of specific models would also be appreciated, Dahon-related forums are not very helpful.
http://www.bikeforums.net/folding-bi...hon-crank.html
http://www.bikeforums.net/folding-bi...endations.html
http://www.bikeforums.net/folding-bi...chainring.html

If I am going to upgrade the crankset, would it be wise to upgrade the BB as well, or simply do a good job lubricating the bearings?

i do. and so should any other person who buys a dahon or any other brand of bicycle that is routinely counterfeited as the purchaser is, in effect, subsidizing that company's legal fees when those expenses get rolled into the purchase price. dahon has now had to hire a full-time staff to combat this problem. i, like most people am willing to pay for innovative products, however, i'm not at all happy to pay to fight piracy.

the large manufacturer you mention, kent, probably doesn't actually build this bike. more than likely, as folding bikes are not part of their standard line-up, they sub-contract this (and i'm sure many other frames) to third party makers, who possibly sub it out again to a fourth supplier. there are known connections between these types of knock-off, quick money businesses and much more egregious organized criminal activities like money laundering, drugs, and even human trafficking.

the reality is that dahon has already successfully had counterfeit bikes removed from walmart in china which is impressive considering the chinese government's extremely lax attitude about counterfeits and piracy (an estimated 12% of china's gdp comes from the manufacture and sale of fake products). reportedly, and i believe it, the problem is so pervasive that even with a full-time staff devoted to the problem, dahon still can't keep up with all the fakes.

i care about this because i love cycling and i love design. i understand what it takes to develop an innovative product and bring it to market- it's not easy, and when i see others do it successfully, i respect it. this genesis folding bike, among many others, is emblematic of the dark underbelly of commerce in general, where chancers and opportunistic thieves capitalize on the efforts of others to make a quick buck flipping products of effectively dubious origin, often made of unknown or untested or under-spec'd materials.

frankly, none of the above really even scratches the surface on the scope and scale of the actual problem or the costs paid by society at large related to this issue. the ramifications are wide-ranging. "the high price of low cost", indeed.


links:

DAHON Bikes:*News

https://thecounterfeitreport.com/pro...ing-Bikes.html

Buy a fake, risk death, support slavery ? says bike industry | road.cc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV_bDXgeg7Q

Sorry diver, I can't provide guidance on a particular crankset. As you may already know, the riveted chainring that comes on the bike is acceptable for casual use but it upgrades are a welcome addition. The stock bottom bracket is square taper, so replacing the bottom bracket as well opens up your crankset options. Since I had some old square taper crankarms already and matching chainring(s), I simply pulled the stock bottom bracket apart and lubed with good quality grease. It seems to be holding up well.

Thank you, Atom. Perhaps something like Litepro 130mm BCD 53t CNC Single Crank Crankset Colours Variation | eBay

Ooohh, those look nice.

Of course you could do what I did and use a triple or double crankset, and remove the smaller chainrings and flip the large chainring to the other side of the crankarm. Might be able to get something a little less expensive.

FSA Tempo Triple Road Bike Crankset 170mm 52 42 30 Silver 170 Cranks | eBay

Good thought, Atom - thank you. The FSA compact crankset on my road bike appears to be riveted together, should I expect the same for the Tempo? If yes, that is a bit beyond my ability to reconfigure. Are there others that might be assembled with allen screws?

That's shocking (to me) that an FSA crankset would be riveted; I didn't think they built them that way? The Tempo I linked to APPEARS to use allen heads but you might want to ask the seller that question.

This review of the Tempo says it has cromoly chainring bolts:
FSA Tempo Cranksets Reviews - RoadbikeReview.com

I don't either. I am a consumer, not a patent police.

Overlaying and resizing them they're similar but not identical. There's a limited number of ways to make a folding bike so some similarity is going to happen.

Good option for pedals
 

While folding pedals may be helpful, we wanted something with a reversible platform - Clipless SPD for longer rides, platform for shorter errands.

Just installed Commuter Road Bike Reversible Platform Clipless Pedals SPD SEALED Bearing | eBay. While not mentioned in the post, they are sold under the Zeray brand, part number 001-ZP-101S. I like the lightweight, all metal construction, appear perfect for casual riding.

No pedal wrench required - female allen wrench fitting at the end of the spindle for easy installation, removal.

I agree. I do agree with [MENTION=314606]smallwheeler[/MENTION] that it's likely whomever designed the Genesis had seen the Dahon. But there really are only so many ways to make folding bikes.

Dahon uses that style of frame in their "MU" line. As I said in another thread, chances are, that frame was originally designed by an independent agency, and adopted by Dahon and other bike manufacturers. That frame design is so ubiquitous, it's not even funny. Even Citizenbike used it on their folders a few years back. So we can safely assume that Dahon does not have a claim that this frame is their exclusive intellectual property.

Bought 2 bags, believe the claim of fitting bikes 34 X 26 x 15 as a bit of a stretch, as the actual dimensions of the Origami bag are 28 X 20 X 10. As shown below, the Genesis BARELY fits IF the seatpost and pedals are removed. The front cable lengths prevent removal of the upper bar post, leaving the break levers, bar in what I consider to be a precarious position. It is possible to separate the bar by removing the upper clamp, making the packaging and unpacking process a bit more cumbersome - not something I would like to do in an airport. Plan is to travel with a Torque T handle http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XG5YJO, which should simplify such assembly.

Very much on the fence; going with a wider bag to allow the bars to fold between the wheels should offer more protection to the break levers, not sure if such an animal exists. Current bag technically meets airline size limit of 62" for checked bags (l + w + h), although I find it hard to believe that someone would try to measure this, fight over a few inches.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=431843http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=431844

A picture is worth a thousand words.



I see two problems with your attempt to put the bike in the bag:

1. fold the handlebar stem before folding the frame. the way that you have it folded makes the handlebar stick out too far.
2. fold the pedals. without folding the pedals the bike will be too wide.

The Origami bags fit bikes much larger than this when the bikes are folded properly.

By EXTENDING the bars beyond the wheels, it was indeed possible to fold the bike with the bar between the wheels, squeeze it in to the bag - still necessary to remove the seat post and pedals (mine do not fold), appears to be a workable solution. Biggest issue now is clearing rear rack, zipper separated during the first attempt, but it should be possible.

Thank you, Paul.

.[/QUOTE]

By EXTENDING the bars beyond the wheels, it was indeed possible to fold the bike with the bar between the wheels, squeeze it in to the bag - still necessary to remove the seat post and pedals (mine do not fold), appears to be a workable solution. Biggest issue now is clearing rear rack, zipper separated during the first attempt, but it should be possible.

Thank you, Paul.[/QUOTE]

Email me offline and I will help you with some folding pedals.

Has anyone else had difficulties releasing the V-brakes to remove the tires? There does not appear to be sufficient slack in the cable to remove the noodle from the housing on front and back of both of our bikes.

Does anyone have a photo of the bike with rack installed packed in a suitcase?

I took the plunge. I wanted a Brompton and still do. But like someone else on the boards I have a personal weight goal that haven't reached yet. So this will be a slightly less convenient method to travel with a bike. Right now it's really cold but I'll be ready when better weather hits

One more question. Someone wrote about changing to QR axles. Because I will have to remove the wheels to pack it that seems like a worthwhile upgrade. But I wasn't following the description of the change. I did a search but didn't find a detailed thread . Could someone explain the process for this bike or point me to the right link.

Yep. I'll get something put together on that and the crankset replacement I did, but give a little bit. Keep in mind this was stuff I had laying around...

While not quite a clydsdale, I am a bit on the heavy side, upgraded to a higher pressure, more rugged tire - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JKCZOG. For those looking to do something similar, but on a tighter budget, I saw Freedom Cruz Sport 20x1.5 City Tire today in the Nashbar bargain bin, might be of interest to some.

I took a trip to Las Vegas in Sept and really wanted to ride the Red Rock Canyon. I rented a bike for $50 for a half a day. To rent for 24 hours would have been $65. I was glad to have done it, but it I had a folding bike I could have ridden it every morning if I wanted. I can't wait to travel with this bike.