What are your thoughts on the Speedone SOR?
 

Speedone SOR
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m1bWTvVdB2...lo+offroad.jpg

Very smart!

Looks quite nice actually,...

Speedone - Official Site - Mini Velo SOR 3.0

It goes for about $2,050 btw...

No biggie. I'm only browsing,...

The suspension suggests it's for serious off roading;
but the low hanging derailer makes me wonder.

Does it fold?

The derailleur is much too big for the bike, looks very awkward. Otherwise great looking bike.

The bike is 11-32 rear and 30-52T front. With a 32T max in the back and 44T in capacity total, you're gonna put a short derailleur on that?

all standard stuff .. frame has a no drop BB design so the 406 wheels will work..

as with most wide range MTB drive trains on small wheel bikes the long cage lower pulley is close to the ground..

only avoid that with a IGH instead of a Derailleur drive train.

Why would you put such a large derailleur (and chain ring) on a small wheel bike, especially when it is advertised for off-road use where it would be very easy to damage? I never saw anything like it.

All the bikes here have a proper derailleur for their size.

Dahon folding bikes, the worlds best selling folding bicycle – NYCeWheels.com

Tern folding bikes – NYCeWheels.com

Derailleurs are not chosen based on the size of the wheel. They are chosen based on (1) the total slack that might occur between the smallest-tooth gear combination and the largest and (2) the size of the largest rear gear.

This bike has a 44T slack and a 32T rear. Might be hard to put a short derailleur on that sucker. Perhaps a better question you might ask is: is such a triple-chainring and rear cassette combination appropriate for the wheel size?

As to chainrings, it's only a 52T. A huge number of folders have a chainring that size. Heck, my Tikit has a 60T.

For me the big item is why you'd need such a low gear on that bike. This bike has a gear range of 18.9 to 95.3 gear inches! Seriously. 18.9. If they just tossed out the small front chainring and added a 60T, they'd have a range of 24.6 to 109.9, which would be awesome.

Tell that to Dahon, Tern and virtually every other bike company out there. Their 20" folders are made with compact derailleurs designed for smaller wheels, which is called common sense.

Hey nl, you're missing the point being made.. a short cage (compact derailleur) won't shift the triple chain ring setup with mega range cassette on the Speedone because it doesn't have the capacity to do so... a long cage MTB derailleur does, so that is why it is being used... if you're going the route of the Speedone, I'd prefer the Airnimal White Rhino with Shimano IGH in the rear and just gear for the terrain..

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...psaxeswcpw.jpg

One chainring instead of 3 and then the RD cage does not have to wrap up all that extra Chain

Minimize the gearing range and you can reduce the wrap needs More .

Yes as above Single speed or IGH and No RD at all..

Are you seriously arguing that derailleurs aren't determined by slack and max rear cassette size? Or are you claiming that there even exists a Dahon or Tern 20" 3x8, 3x9, or 3x10 geared bike with a large slack (please give an example)? Or are you claiming that the bike with the provided gearset would have worked with a compact derailleur? (I dunno, seems unlikely).

There's no logical reason to complain about the derailleur, if it's a function of the gearset. Instead, ask why the bike is sold with that gearset, if you like. But first you might want to argue more conclusively that other bikes are always sold with your "common sense" derailleur clearance.

Very nice bike, questionable gear range, which is easily fixed.

Bruce's Airnimal suggestion is good too.

My thoughts:
It ain't cheap.
Would have preferred 406 wheels, but that can be changed.
Don't think it is for serious off-roading. Wheels are too small. Light offroading, yeah.
Not excited about the heavy stock fork
The color doesn't grab me
Gearing and drivetrain can be improved so no worries there

Given the quick acceleration and nimble handling of small wheels, it could be a lot of fun offroad with some 2.00 wide knobbies.

You could put some of those new wide 451 Tioga Powerblock 1.8" tyres on.

Hmmm, for half the price one can get a Dahon Jetstream which looks more portable, but has rim brakes.
451 wheels would obviously be better off road than the Dahon, but a regular MTB can do serious off roading and likely cost less than the SOR.

if you're going the route of the airnimal (it's not made in china, so it's probably just a hype bike anyway), i'd prefer the kuwahara gaap with whatever in the rear and preferably with a crankset of some kind, etc., etc. also, it's aluminum and i know you guys like that sort of thing.

http://active-s.com/blog/img/kuwahara_gaap_lite_1.jpg

LOL. if you're going to go the route of the kuwahara gaap (talk about hype.. kuwahara hasn't made a decent bike since the 1970s and even then they were mostly bmx bikes and everyone knows what a hype trendy fad that was), i'd prefer the ox gazelle. not only is it made out of crushed soda cans, which i know you guys appreciate, it's also literally covered in all sorts of "component" bits. also, reportedly, "ratios" (whatever that is) can be achieved by pushing or pulling on some of those wires. cool, right?

http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/hasirin/i...0/c0d38ac3.jpg

as if that weren't enough, the company that makes the gazelle also makes "activity slings" for shiftless dogs. who hasn't at some point had the displeasure of trying to force a lazy dog to get up off it's ass and go outside? well, you won't have to worry about that anymore with this very timely product from ox engineering. just strap the offending pooch into the activity sling and simply wheel it outside. problem solved. free choice is for people, not for dogs. shut up and deal with it, son.

http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/hasirin/i...e.jpg?a7b8c1d8

(is this even a real dog? it's probably just one of those hype breeds that are mostly owned by jewish grandmothers who live on the upper east side. i should know- i saw them there.)