Originally Posted by
SHBR
My Dahon kicked my ass a couple of weeks ago.
Totally my fault, I grabbed too much front brake while riding one handed, jack knifed the front wheel and face planted like a tall tree on hard pavement.
Cracked my nose, and probably my knee, I was able to ride home and walk up the stairs! (wife was freaked out, mostly at my nonchalance of the whole situation)
I'd like to think I know how to ride a bike, until I realize just how easy it is to forget.
Operator skill trumps equipment every time!
Sorry to hear it. You have to admit, the human body is quite a resilient thing. Can't say I've had any crash that violent, but I've had the side of my face torn half-open from an automobile-induced faceplant. Had that same nonchalant reaction.
I wouldn't necessarily put it down to operator skill. My experiences with Dahon have been limited to two Speed D7s and a Boardwalk S1, all stock, and each one of them rode like their front ends were just waiting for the slightest lapse in concentration. I've never measured the headtube angle on these machines, but I wonder if they're steep enough to cause mechanical trail to reduce more rapidly during cornering than, say, this Twenty.
At any rate, I believe that the combination of flat bars with a short effective stem length is a combination for trouble too.
-Kurt