Dave,

I thought you might like to see the Dahon at one of our best known visitor attractions. The roads around the north coast of Antrim don't have seriously steep hills but they are long so you have to keep pedalling. The Dahon is good for these hills but being 61 I'm not so good. I got a puncture but, mercifully, I did not notice it until we got back to the railway station at Coleraine or we wouldn't have travelled so far. I was panicking at the Giants Causeway for we had an hour and a quarter to get from there and through Bushmills to Coleraine and I couldn't remember how far it was even though I would have been up there quite a lot but not on the road from Bushmills to Coleraine. I saw a sign saying 7 miles just after leaving Bushmills for Coleraine but it was one long drag after another. We made it with 22 minutes to spare.

Regards, Robin.

Robin, many thanks for sending the photos, looks like a nice place to be cycling.  It's fantastic to hear from somebody who reads my blog!!!

Images ©2008 Robin Parkes

My journey this morning was to the local Royal Mail sorting office to collect a parcel which they'd attempted to deliver earlier in the week.  Taking the car into town would have been physically easier but i don't think it would be quicker; it definitely is more expensive than cycling.  It was nice to get out though, especially after a night of 'socialising'  ;-)

Over the past couple of days I've taken the bike into shops for the first time, folded and neat, I've just walked in carrying the bike.  Nobody has commented on me carrying it through the shops so I'm happy.

One negative though: Rochester has quite a lot of cobbled roads and on two occasions today the handlebars loosened and turned off centre.  Scary at the time but after the second event I 'really' tightened the QR bolt.

Ich besitze auch ein Dahon, um genau zu sein ein Dahon Curve. Es leistet mir verdammt gute Dienste und ist genau das, was ich schon immer gesucht habe. Daher würde ich es niemals nur mit einem dermaßen schwammigen Zahlenschloß mit dem Vorderrad an einen Radständer anschließen. Mein Curve hat ein Bügelschloß und wird über den Rahmen fixiert. Außerdem: Entweder ich nehme den Sattel, der auch nur per Schnellspanner fixiert ist, mit oder schließe ihn mit dem Bügelschloß an.

Ich möchte noch länger Freude an diesem wunderbaren Gefährt haben.

Bei der Gelegenheit kann ich auch gleich ein wenig von meinem Faltrad erzählen.

Gleich von Anfang an habe ich es ausgestattet mit einer abnehmbaren Fahrradbeleuchtung, einer winzigen Schlagglocke und einem ebenfalls winzigen Rückspiegel. Die Beleuchtung ist selten montiert und nur dabei, wenn ich weiß, daß ich sie brauchen werde. Die Schlagglocke ist nicht wirklich diebstahlsicher, weil sie nur auf die Lenkerstange gesteckt ist. Dafür kann sie beim Falten des Rads verdreht werden, so daß sie nicht im Weg ist. Der winzige Rückspiegel wird von den meisten Menschen, die beim Falten fasziniert zuschauen, sicher gar nicht wahrgenommen und ist an der Lenkerstange ebenfalls beim Falten nicht im Weg.

Der Rückblick damit war zu Anfang gewöhnungsbedürftig. Doch das war das Fahren mit dem Rad im ganzen auch. Von 28" auf 16" umzusteigen läßt sich nicht unbedingt sehr spontan händeln. Inzwischen ist das jedoch eine meiner leichtesten Übungen. Ob das große Rad, das dann den ganzen Tag am Bahnhof auf meine Rückkehr wartet, oder dieses kleine Leichtgewicht (11,7kg), das ich mir unter den Arm klemme und mit Bus & Bahn weiter fahre: Ich fahre sie völlig selbstverständlich.

Grad das Kleine hab ich wirklich in mein Herz geschlossen. Ich käme nie auf die Idee, es mit solch einem mickrigen Schloß zu "sichern". Wenn man wie wir außerhalb der Großstadt wohnt, aber des öfteren Termine oder Erledigungen in der Großstadt hat und manche Strecke einfach gern mit dem Rad zurücklegt statt sie zu laufen, ist es perfekt. Im ÖPNV gilt es zusammengefaltet als Handgepäck und kann so jederzeit und kostenlos mitgenommen werden. Zur Not paßt es in die Gepäckablage.

Ich habe es sogar schon mal auf dem Gepäckträger meines großen Rads nach Hause gefahren, weil ich am Vortag nach einem gemeinsamen Kinobesuch vergessen hatte, daß mein Großes am Bahnhof steht und daher mit meinem Mann gemeinsam mit dem Bus nach Haus gefahren bin (wie öde - die Busfahrt, nicht mein Mann!).

Gekauft habe ich es vor gut einem Jahr, und seither nutze ich es mehrmals in der Woche. Jedes Mal, wenn ich damit unterwegs bin, starren die Leute neugierig, wenn ich es zusammenfalte. Zu Beginn war ich daher ziemlich nervös. Schließlich fehlte noch die Routine, und es passierte öfters, daß irgendwas nicht paßte. Inzwischen ist das Falten gar kein Problem mehr. Völlig gelassen sitzt jeder Handgriff, und in weniger als einer Minute ist das Rad ein kleines Päckchen.

Und irgendwie hab ich das Gefühl, daß sich die Falträder plötzlich vermehren.

I will continue adding to this list as I find more sites.

Dahon Folding Bikes

Downtube Folding Bikes 

 Bike Friday

Obviously Dahon makes a large range of bikes but what would you go for to get that extra speed?  Another Dahon?  Or would you go for a mountain bike.  Going for a mountain bike would get you a cheaper bike or more bike for your pound but you lose the compact storage size.

What would you do?...

Οι υπάλληλοι του Μετρο έδωσαν την αφορμή. Απεργία έως τις 9.

Έτσι ε; Ήρθε η ώρα να μιλήσει το Roo. Και ναι έκανα ΠΑΓΚΟΣΜΙΟ ΑΤΟΜΙΚΟ ΡΕΚΟΡ διασχίζοντας όλη την κόλαση της Αθήνας, Ηλιούπολη - Άγιοι Ανάργυροι με το ποδήλατο (για κάποιους μπορεί να είναι μικρή διαδρομή για εμένα είναι τεράστια).

Τα αυτοκίνητα ήταν σταματημένα και η μόνη κίνηση γίνονταν από τις μηχανές η οποίες με καθυστερούσαν περισσότερο απ' ότι περίμενα, καθώς δεν χωράνε να περάσουν ανάμεσα από τα ΙΧ. Έτσι σε ορισμένα σημεία επιστρατεύτηκε το πεζοδρόμιο.

Οι μόνοι που λυπήθηκα ήταν οι επιβάτες των λεοφωρείων οι οποίοι έλεγαν στον οδηγό να τους ανοίξει να πάνε με τα πόδια. Κάνανε και πρωινή γυμναστική σήμερα, χρειάζεται που και που.

Καλά να πάθουν όμως οι ΙΧηδες αφού ήθελαν εχθές και πήραν όλοι τα αυτοκίνητα.

Μεγάλος και αθάνατος ο Lemmy με βοήθησε να μην τρακάρω με κανα βαρεμένο Ι.Χ. καθώς φορούσα την μπλούζα των Motorhead. Μιας και είπα για μουσική σας έχω ένα 30 λεπτο μουσικής για ποδήλατο.

Roadcycling Mixtape

1)Jamie Lidell - Another Day, 2)Koop - Soul For Sahib

3)Manu Dibango - Soul Machine, 4)Charles Mingus - Ysabel's Table Dance

5)Mulatu Astatke - Chifara, 6)Radio 4 - Dance to the Underground

    Today you have filled me with rage fueled by disappointment and unmet expectations.  I was not sure what to do with my feelings, so I figured I would take a cue from my cousin Jessica and write you an open letter that you cannot read.

   After years of watching richer, cooler people whiz past me at stoplights on more expensive Go Bikes and Dahon's, that I could not afford, I was so happy and excited to find you!  Within minutes of discovering your beautiful $180 price tag, I googled the SEPTA regional rail map to determine if purchasing you could fulfill my bike commute fantasies. I watched your demo video on your website, and underwent scorning from my friends when I showed them the link.  I even wrote you a blog post!

   I was so happy and excited when I ordered you, and had you delivered to my friend's house.  I loved you so much, I would not have you delivered to my door, where you could be stolen if I was at work or napping.  I sent you to the friend I trust the most: Fredda. This is where the blindsiding began from you dear folding bike.   I endured hours of teasing at a BBQ at her house, from my friends who mocked your unique style.  I defended you valiantly, proclaiming how my butt would soon shrink, while my friends got fatter in their SUV's. 

   So, while the timbuk2 messenger bag I ordered to match you came ASAP in the mail, you arrived to Fredda's late!  On top of that, when I arrived to pick you up, you came damaged!  Your beautiful box was full of holes, and you were so damaged in shipping that I had to return you! I took so much care to deliver you to the proper place, and you took no care in wrapping yourself for shipping so you would be ready for me to ride you.  While I carefully choose my clothing in which to bike, you carelessly choose to dress yourself for shipping!

  This was very problematic for me folding Bike!  My return meant I had to endure my week at the beach without you! While my in-laws exercised on their bikes, with a refreshing breeze in their face, I was forced to burn off my fried seafood by running in the hot southern sun! While I was running (when I should have been riding you) I fell into quicksand up to my waist and fell over in front of a high rise condo filled with hundreds of people! Even small children and old people laughed at me! They should have been watching with awe and envy as I unfolded you on the sidewalk, but instead they were pointing and laughing.

   It only got worse from there folding bike.  I was so excited when you arrived for the second time, and I took you on a test ride to the train station, but my excitement soon turned to embarrassment when your chain fell off, and I could not get it back on.  All of the fat rednecks in their trucks and air brushed conversion vans viewed me with mockery while I pushed you back to my house in my walk of shame.

    My husband, who has yet to fail me this horribly, fixed you and taught me how to make up for your deficiencies.  This was wise, as your chain has fallen off FOUR MORE TIMES! We had two or three fun days in the sun as I brought you along as my SEPTA buddy and rode you to my office, but then you began to fail me again.  Even though it was 95 degrees outside that day, I did not want to let you down, so I decided to ride to work anyways.  

   As it turns out, this was a ridiculous decision because as I was riding down Market st. with your orange paint glistening in the sun, YOUR PEDAL FELL OFF!  I, in turn, fell off of you, and smashed my stomach into your handle bar. Once again, I was the subject of public scorn as hung over Drexel students laughed at me while I dragged your frame in one hand, and your crank in the other.  I was mocked so severely that I hid behind a tree to put your pedal back on.  I woke up the next morning with a hideous bruise on the stomach fat I thought I'd lose by commuting with you to work.

   When I realized I could not finish riding you to work, I had to call my boss/friend to leave a meeting to pick me up.  But, you know what? HER PHONE WAS OFF! This meant that the secretary had to YELL what my problem was up a flight of stairs, on the first day of new staff orientation.  She was in a meeting with her boss, so she had to send her assistant to come and rescue me. 

    I dragged you home again, and my husband fixed you again, as we began to patch up our relationship. I continued to ride you faithfully, even twice with strep!! BUT TODAY YOU FAILED ME AGAIN! This time, I was riding you in front of a group of my clients on Lancaster ave. in West Philadelphia, and as soon as I waved, YOUR PEDAL FELL OFF AGAIN! I again, crashed my bike, and was almost hit by a trolley and a car!  Now, not only do hung over drexel students laugh at me, so too do my clients whom I am supposed to supervise. I was so angry at you while I pushed you to 30th street, that I considered throwing you into the river.  I blissfully considered this thought while near the bridge, and you should know that the only thing that saved you from your watery doom was a bored police officer standing nearby.  

   Consider our relationship over folding bike! Once a hater, always a hater!  You have hated on me by embarrassing me, and treating my feelings with disrespect. Oh well, I guess I will unload you to an unsuspecting environmentalist on craigslist, and get a Dahon for Christmas. And BTW, mother earth hates  you too, because since you cannot control your components, I will be forced to spew fumes into her atmosphere.  This further complicates things, because it is giving John McCain more reasons to drill for oil for my car in a WILDLIFE REFUGE! Your lack of coming through for me is increasing demand, and giving that DRILL, BABY, DRILL crowd more fuel for their fire. Thanks, but no thanks folding bike, for your wheels that got me nowhere.

The light wasn't fitted at the time so I didn't notice the problem until I started to push the bike alongside me as I walked.  It's strange as I haven't used the bike a great deal since fitting the bracket so it hasn't been subjected to too much vibration and use. 

Fortunately, the beauty of the H-34 bracket is that it's simple to tighten back up - just a few twists of the wheel and it's as good as new.

I'm going to have to keep an eye on this...

The Dahon really makes light work of the 1 mile journey into town.  I'm using the bike as a walk-bike sort of thing: the bike gets me to places where I can stroll around and relax; I'm not out 'cycling'.  The bike is my mode of transport.

I still get a little frustrated that it won't go faster but, apart from that, it's a great bike.  I'm glad I bought it.  I would like to go further so I am still thinking of another bike for 'real' cycling.  Probably a mountain bike or a faster Dahon.  The latter would be more expensive but having two Dahons would still only take up about the same space as one 'old style' (!) bike.

saya memamerkan gelang bersepeda untuk dilingkarkan di bagian pergelangan kaki maupun tangan. mereknya trek. ah, tapi tak soal trek atau bukan, tetapi ini sungguh 'mainan baru' buat saya. ada tombol kecil yang bisa ditekan untuk menghidupkan lampu. biar bisa menyala terang. biar saya tak tertabrak jika bersepeda.

"ada yang berbaik hati memberi ini buatku, run," kata saya. ah, dia semakin sirik saja. ini cerita kesekian kali usai pemberian-pemberian sejenis untuk saya.

*terima kasih abang*

saya bersyukur, dikelilingi oleh orang-orang yang begitu murah hati pada saya. hal biasa, sederhana, sepele. namun tetap saja menakjubkan buat saya.

terimakasih. saya jadi ingin segera pulang ke jogja, dan bersepeda. tentu saja, dengan lampu trek ini.

You'll recall MG bought a single speed Dahon Hon Solo last year. The bike is pretty irresistible: it comes with a Brooks B17 Champion saddle, cream color scheme, real leather grips, wood fenders and mustache bars. And, it folds. Take that, Tikit! Unfortunately the stock gearing was too low, the Sugino crank could not take a standard five bolt ring, and the brakes didn't do much more than scrub the rims. In short, not fun; no use.

But there's always the parts box. MG decided to get this bike up to speed and had our buds at College Park Bicycles install a Dura Ace triple crank with a single 53-tooth ring taken from her Bike Friday (the Dura Ace needs a special middle ring, not good for custom rings) and new extra-long reach Tektro R556 dual pivot brakes. The results are terrific: no more spinning out and strong braking.

MG looks great on it, don't you think?

Now, on to my new Lemond Poprad Disc cyclocross bike. When Trek decided to sever its ties with Greg LeMond I started looking over the LeMond lineup and decided I just needed a disc-only cyclocross bike. It's steel and takes fenders and, well, I take Greg's side and all, and I can overlook the carbon fork, for now. I told MG that I had always wanted one of these bikes. That was true, sort of. It helped that there was one on the floor at College Park Bicycles.

I also decided this bike would be a collector's item. That's true, as long as the collector is me.

I bought it as a frameset with Avid BB7 disc brakes and Cane Creek headset and College Park (yeah, we go there a lot!) built it up with my own mix of parts. The spec features XT disc/Velocity Dyad custom wheels built by Peter White, an XT crankset from my parted-out-and-sold Kogswell P/R, Campagnolo Centaur triple front derailleur, Campagnolo Veloce Ergo 10-speed levers, XT rear derailleur, Shiftmate converter pulley, 9-speed SRAM 11-28 cassette, Nitto Noodle bars and a used Brooks B17 saddle.

Last weekend cyclocross racer/fellow journo Mark D. and I rode some of the dirt roads that make up the Iron Cross cyclocross race in the Michaux State Forest near Gettysburg. (I told Mark I bought the LeMond to show solidarity with Greg LeMond....MG just laughed at my latest rationalization.)

The bike felt good. Built with oversize 1.25" down and seat tubes and spindly seat stays, it climbs well and flexes in a good way on the rough stuff. I also like how the rear caliper is mounted to the chainstay, which will ease fender installation. The fork worked fine, in that I didn't notice it.

Here it is before its maiden ride in the woods. Mark told me to photograph it, it would never be that clean again.

More photos from our ride are on on my Flickr page or see the Slideshow.

This purchase was something of an educated guess that worked out well. I bought it by Rivendell sizing, meaning the tallest frame I could stand over and still reach the bars. This is the biggest Poprad model at 59cm. College Park swapped out the fork for one with an uncut steerer so we could get the bars level with the saddle. I had to use an 80mm stem and I'm only a tiny bit more stretched than on my brevet bikes.

When I get the chance I'll post a page with more photos of the Poprad. For a race bike it is actually very versatile. I'm going to see how well it takes 650b wheels and may run it with those wheels for brevets. Wait, did I just say brevet?

Cycling back I heard:

Child: "Mum, is that a folding bike?!"
Mum: "Yes, that's what I want."

Ahh, positive comments!

Also, I saw a couple of other folding bikes in town, but I don't know what they were.  They were smaller than my Dahon, more skeletal.  I Google Image Searched but couldn't see anything that was similar.

itu sebabnya, dengan rela saya sewakan pinjamkan sepeda saya pada yang ingin mencoba kedahsyatan sepeda lempit. kali ini giliran prast.

weleh. saya harus ngengkol dari rumah di bumijo saat siang bolong, ke galangpress. speed 4, atau speed 5, lumayanlah terkayuh hingga ke baciro. padahal ada dua tas yang ada dipunggung saya. uwh.

iya, iya, saya tetap rela kok. :)

saya juga harus mengajari bagaimana melempit sepeda. juga, membukanya. salah-salah, bisa melipet tapi nggak bisa membuka. kojur, to.

nah. nitip ya. harap dijaga, ada begitu banyak kenangan di sana.

Okay, so not overly happy about yesterday's puncture but I did manage to get to Halfords this morning to buy some repair kit.

The pump is already in the seat post on the D7HG but I still needed a tyre leaver and a puncture kit.  There were a few choices of kit at Halfords.  I've grown up knowing about the little box with the the rubber patches, glue, chalk, crayon and sandpaper - these kits were there.  However, I opted for some pre-glued patches called "Skabs" from a company called Slime.  You get six patches in a little box along with a scuffer.  It's a great idea and the appears to work well - in next to no time my puncture was repaired!

Checking on the Slime website, they also make inner tubes for bikes which have 'SLiME' in them.  Now these seem pretty cool and they're something I'm going to consider: "Smart Tubes instantly seek out and seal punctures as they occur, preventing flats, repeatedly and continuously for up to two years".  I've read somewhere that the road tyres in general are more prone to punctures so this may be the answer.

The other item I needed was a tyre lever and I selected the SpeedLever from crankbrothers.  No need for three tyre levers, just take this one!  Gets the inner tube out very quickly.

Right, I think that Skab should be set now so I'll take a look at getting the tube back in and the bike road-worthy again.

It's a shame it's raining.

"Minivelo" bicycles are bicycles with small, 20" wheels but with road
or city / hybrid bike design influences rather than the BMX bike look.

+++++++++

Apparently these are the shit in Japan. With more and more people on bikes these days because of our fuel crisis I'm the sure the demand will reach the tipping point and we will see these regularly in America.

via Bike Hugger and Dahon and cyclelicious

Sitting in the sun, then I move on.  Cycle through the park, sit down, relax.  Then I move on, sit by the castle.  Then I move inside the castle grounds and relax.  Looking out over the river, the sun getting ever lower in the sky and the trusty Dahon by my side.

Then I move on...

Hmm, back wheel feels a little odd.  Surely I didn't go over any of that broken glass I passed?  Did I?

Must have.  The back tyre was flat and I was about a mile from home.  A good evening for a slow walk back.

[More photos] ]]> http://davesdahon.wordpress.com/?p=141 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:02:07 +0000 dsquareduk http://davesdahon.pt-br.wordpress.com/2008/08/21/cateye-hl-el450/ As mentioned in an earlier post, having fitted the Cateye TL-LD150 I was contemplating getting a 'real' front light for the Dahon.  Having been cycling now after dark, I decided to buy myself a Cateye HL-EL450.

Two reasons for this: 1) It's brighter and intended as an illumination light as opposed to the LD150 which is more of a 'safety' light; 2) Some parts of my proposed* commute are dark and in part unlit by street lights.

[* Still haven't actually commuted to work on the bike yet!!!]

I bought the light from Tredz, as I had done with the LD150, P&P is free, and before long it had arrived.  The box was very small and the light itself is only around 95mm in length.  It's a very clean design with only a couple of Cateye logos and a rear sliding switch.

The switch slides to the right, where it selects the mode of operation, before sliding back to the centre position under the influence of a spring.  Sliding the switch once turns the light on, to the last selected mode - in the case this morning, constant light at full brightness.  Slide the switch to the right again and the it enters the reduced brightness mode. One more slide and the light starts flashing on and off.  To turn off the light, you slide the switch to the right and hold it there for three seconds. 

There's a small red push button on the switch slider which, when depressed, allows you to slide the switch all the way to the left which 'locks' the light into whichever mode is currently selected (off/high/low/flash).  This is a good idea as your light won't accidentally turn on in your pocket or bag during the day.

So, what's the first thing that we all do when we've bought a new torch or light?  Turn it on and point it at our eyes to 'see' how bright it is!  The HL-EL450 is bright!  As it's an LED light, it produces a beam with a slight blue tint, appearing 'cleaner' than an incandescent bulb beam.  When you're selecting a Cateye light, their Beam Comparision chart is a useful aid to the selection process, although the HL-EL450 has not yet been added.

Build quality is very good and the light feels solid and reliable.  The small size and sleek design mean that it'll easily slip into a pocket or bag without too much inconvenience.

Now, the only negative thing I've currently found.  The handlebar fixture was rubbish.  The light comes with Cateye's H-35 quick-release bracket, which can be seen fitted to the light on Cateye's product page.  When I tried to fit this to the D7HG's handlebar it just wouldn't hold.  The quick-release lever kept popping open and it just didn't seem to be able to grip the handlebar tight enough.  As a result, the light just wobbled and slipped.  The H-35 bracket was removed and discarded.

Back to the trusty Internet and this time to Wiggle to purchase the optional H-34 Flex Tight Bracket (again free P&P).  This bracket is a more permanent fixture and its design ensures a tighter grip on the handlebar.  Fitting it was quick and easy and it holds the HL-EL450 securely in position.  My photos of the bracket below and on Flickr show that I have yet to cut off the excess 'flex' and once I've finalised the positioning I'll get rid of it as suggested by the fitting instructions.

The light slides easily on to the H-34 bracket and clicks securely into place.  Once on the bracket, the light can be rotated left and right to 90 degrees if you need to fine-tune the direction of the beam.  Removing the light is simply a press of a button and off it slides.

This is a great commuting light offering brightness, quality, small size and affordability.  If you cycle long distances after dark then you may be after something even brighter with a wider beam, but for shorter commutes on roads with street lights, then this is a good option.  Also, being LED technology, the flashing mode gives you that additional safety option.  As for my bike, it now has the the bright HL-EL450 and the LD150 - the latter operating in its flashing mode.

More photos on my Flickr account

gara-gara pentil sepeda di jakarta patah, jadinya acara bersepeda hanya dilakukan di jogja saja. dan acara bersepeda di jogja menjadi lebih menyenangkan. bebas polusi, beradu cepat dengan becak dan andong, masih adem dengan banyaknya pepohonan, dan digowes dengan teman. kali ini arun.

rute sudah dibikin: imogiri. tak harus sampai makam imogiri. makam jejeran saja, memburu sate klathak. :p

tapi nyatanya sate klathak tutup! maklum, hari ini hari tirakatan. gosh. jadilah rute didesain ulang. lagipula sudah ada pesan awal dari arun, "aku cuma bisa sampai jam 10 ya ..." maka tujuan pun sedikit dialihkan: kotagede. memburu sate sapi di lapangan karang.

acara bersepeda diawali dengan dopingan dua botol bir. hehe ... arun sih, pakai acara curhat segala. jadi mau tak mau harus mengeluarkan minuman dingin ini untuk teman berceloteh. sesudahnya, gowes menggowes dimulai.

sesaknya malioboro! saya harus mendentingkan bel sepeda saya lantaran terlalu banyak pejalan kaki yang tumpah ruah di jalanan. maklum, mereka juga ogah berjubel di trotoar dan jalan terlalu pelan beriringan dengan orang-orang yang sebentar-sebentar berhenti untuk menawar barang-barang. okelah. asal masih bisa didentingkan saja.

dan sepeda terus kami arahkan ke kotagede, lewat alun-alun besar, menuju brigjen katamso, bablas menuju kotagede.

kami menggowes sepeda sambil bercerita banyak hal. tentang proyek film, tentang kesibukan saban hari, tentang laki-laki hangat, tentang ... banyak hal.

dan, gowesan berujung pada lapangan karang yang tutup. hiks.

jadilah ke kedai hijo milik walhi yang tak jauh dari lapangan karang. kedai yang tak sengaja kami jumpai saat melewati menuju lapangan karang. sesdudahnya, menambal rasa lapar di angkringan nganggo sue.

pulang, kami masih menambah bir untuk menghabiskan malam.

paginya, saya baru berasa tak nyaman duduk. rupanya, pantat saya pegal hasil menggowes semalam dengan arun. ah, lama tak sepedaan sih.

Behold, my mighty new folding bike.

As I have recently moved to South East England and restarted to work in London, I decided to finally do something for my ever expanding waistline and save some serious money.

A win-win situation? You bet!

So, how was I able to accomplish this amazing feat? I bought a Dahon Speed D7 folding bike. Before making the acquisition, I checked out the numerous cycling forums (of which there are literally thousands), compared prices (from 100 pounds to 2000 pounds) and models (and if you think that nerds could be easily drawn into fisticuffs discussing Windows, OpenBSD and Linux then you should see the level of passion that users of Bromptons, Dahons and Birdies can get themselves into). Have a look at the folding society's homepage, and you know what I mean.

With other words, it's not easy being a first time folding bike buyer.

After pondering the issue for 2 months I decided on the Dahon Speed D7. The bike offered the best mixture of price, compactness, weight, quality and accessories. I will not bore you with any meaningless technical specifications that I don't understand either, but the most interesting bits are:

• Weight 11.7kg
• Folded size 33 x 64 x 81 cm
• 7 Gears

According to the manufacturer it's the most popular folding bike in the world according to their sales numbers, and who am I to doubt them. So, how is the ride? Well, it's exhilarating. I haven't had as much fun going to work since living next to a penguin colony in New Zealand. Due to its tiny wheels (tire size is a meagre 20" x 1.5") its very, very easy to manoeuvre, thanks to its seven gears it hums along at a decent speed. With me having to cycle to the train and cycle from the destination station to work, I manage a daily round trip of 13 km. According to my calculations this will set me back 2000 calories a week, which should result in a weightloss of 1 kg in a month. That's not bad at all, and it's incredible fun.

And, because I don't have to take the tube for the last 5 km, I save a cool 6 pounds every day, meaning the bike has already paid for itself after 2 1/2 months.

So, thumbs up for the Dahon Speed D7. If enough of us would ride these babies, London would be a more pleasant, cleaner and healthier place.

I've taken a few photos to help prospective Dahon buyers get an idea of the bike - if, when reading this, you want an image of another part of the bike to help in your purchase decision, just let me know and I'll take one.  Also, the photos are also available on my Flickr account with added comments and observations - click on the images below to go to the corresponding larger image on Flickr.

So, having shelved the idea of buying a red Curve D3, I travelled home from Paddington with the Dahon Vitesse D7HG in the back of the car.  A smart, dark coloured bike, folded into a compact chunk of metal and plastic, which sits happily into the boot or back seat of the car.

In terms of basic specification, some of the key facts read as following:

And Dahon's key blurb states:

The Vitesse is for those who want the ultimate bike for urban commuting. We took our award-winning Vitesse D7, added an internal gear hub plus components from top component suppliers. Then we topped it off with mudguards, a rack and even a trouser saving chainguard so you can ride in any weather. New for 2008, the Vitesse gets upgraded with the robust new Radius handlepost. We’ve also added a new model with a smooth shifting Shimano Nexus 7 speed hub.

I keep looking at the bike, which is next to my computer desk, and thinking that it's strange to have a bike in the house and that bike is small and unimposing.  Getting home after a ride and simply jumping off and folding it before carrying it inside is a great feeling - easy, quick and very handy.

I'm not a bike expert but the D7HG does seem very well made.  The finish is excellent, from the paint through to the minimalistic graphics, it looks subtle, understated and pretty cool.  The overall build quality

is very high and being a folding bike, the high quality of the locking mechanisms is particularly important.  When unfolding the bike, the mechanisms closed together with a solid and reassuring clunk and operating the locking mechanisms keeps everything in place (and you on the bike).

In its folded state, the bike is held together with a strong magnet, located on the rear frame, and a mating plate which is located on the left-hand side of the front fork.  I found that holding the front wheel and giving the back wheel a gentle kick is the easiest way to break the magnetic bond and begin the unfolding process.  Once the magnet is no longer 'active', the two halves of the bike swing around the central hinge which is roughly a third of the way along the main frame piece.

Once the two halves engage, the black locking lever is pushed inwards towards the frame and the safety catch rotated to lock it into place.  It forms a solid 'join' and the during riding there's no discernible flex in the frame - despite the fact that it's just two 'halves' stuck together.

Next step is to rotate the handlebar post up into the upright position.  When folded, the handlebar is alongside the front wheel roughly parallel to it.  To make things all fit neatly, the actual horizontal bar of the handlebar must be slightly rotated towards the rider through the use of a quick-release clamp.  Rotating the bar enables the whole handlebar assembly to fold neatly down and alongside the front wheel and also preventing clashes when the bike folds. 

I found that this was a pretty tricky process to perfect and often because it wasn't correctly set, the magnet would not engage and keep the bike folded.  But with practise, I've managed to set it quickly for each fold.

Right, so the handlebar is in the correct upright position and the bike frame is locked together.  The penultimate step is to raise the seat post to the correct height by loosening the quick-release mechanism.  A nice, and handy, feature to note at this stage is that the seat post has measurements marked on it so that you can quickly raise the seat to the required height - you don't need to guess and then re-adjust.  This is a nice touch which really helps you get on the road and moving quickly.

The final stage of the unfolding is to simply rotate the pedals into the correct riding position.  They lock into place with a spring mechanism after a quick rotation of the pedal.

And that's it!  The bike is now unfolded and ready to ride.  All that takes an 'advertised' 15 seconds - although it'll probably take a little longer until you get the hang of it.  In summary, it is very easy to fold/unfold the Dahon D7HG and there are relatively few steps required to do it.

What I'll do now is bullet-point a few of the other interesting or cool features of the D7HG.

• Seat post has a build in Biologic Zorin foot pump.
• The 7 gear Shimano Nexus 7 hub is controlled via a twist control on the right-hand grip.  You can change gear even when the bike is not in motion - no more struggling away from traffic lights as you had forgotten to change down a gear.
• The Kwest tyres have a 5mm reflective strip around the circumference.
• A kick stand is included on the left-hand side of the bike.
• Chain guard keeps your trousers away from the chain.
• The rear rack includes a three band elastic strap for securing luggage.
• The rear rack doubles as a carry handle for the folded bike.
• A small bell is fitted near the left-hand grip.

The Ride
The bike rides rather well.  My first impression was that it was a little unstable and wobbly, and the steering a little over sensitive.  However, bear in mind that the D7HG has 20" wheels and a shorter wheel base than other (unfolding) bikes - so the ride will feel a little different.

Cycling around for a few minutes and you'll soon get comfortable and you will no longer be aware of any difference between this and any other bike.  The steering is pretty good, it's responsive and ideal for navigating the way around the town or city - just like small cars, the D7HG is great for nipping around town, obstacles and traffic.

The small wheels do however mean that you'll feel more of the bumps along your journey, compared to your mountain bike, but you soon learn to avoid the bigger pot holes and drain covers.

On the down side, it's not the fastest bike around.  On the flat, it is easy to 'max out' the D7HG, moving along in 7th gear leaving you with a feeling of... needing another seven gears.  I suppose you have to realise that the bike is built for commuting and getting around town as opposed to racing.  On the plus side, moving at slower speeds is safer and allows you to pay more attention to your surroundings - and personally, slowing down an otherwise hectic life!

So...
Am I pleased with the bike?  Well, yes, I am.  It's not a racer, it's not a mountain bike.  It's designed to be relatively light and compact.  It's a handy bike to have around and perfect if you live in a flat/apartment or have limited storage space.  As a commuting bike it's fantastic and should save you time, hassle and money.

It's £399 though and you could get a relatively decent 'cheap' mountain bike for £100 from Halfords and still get to work.  Would I change?  Would I go for the £100 mountain bike?  No.  I'm sticking with the Dahon D7HG - but now looking at other (faster) Dahon bikes to satisfy my need for speed!

(If you want to know anything else about the the Dahon Vitesse D7HG then please get in touch!)

[More of my photos of the D7HG can be found here]

Ţară origine: Taiwan;
Culoare: negru mat;
Dimensiuni roţi: 16’; genţi aluminiu;
Material cadru: oţel aliat – cadru pliant, profil plat oval;
Ghidon: pliabil prin rabatare şi culisare verticală;
Pedale : pliabile;
Angrenaj pedalier: 48T, culoare neagră;
Schimbător viteze : Shimano 6 viteze; mâner Revoshift;
Accesorii : portbagaj cu bandă elastică de asigurare;
Sarcină utilă : 105 kg;

Înălţimea braţului şeii : 50 cm - diametru ţeavă; suport şa - oversize;
Înălţime max. utilizatorului : 1,90 m;
Greutate bicicletă : aprox. 12,5 kg;
Frane faţă : model în V;
Frâne spate : model în V;