ThorUSA

got a Curl
its still a proto but basically I think very close to the production model.

So .. what you want to know about it ...

Thor

chagzuki

Is the stem/steerer interface the same as other dahon bikes or is there some innovation, i.e. steerer tube being connected to stem rather than forks, etc.?

ijsbrand

How does it ride? Compared to a Brompton?

tdonline

Thor, tell us everything. Give it up. Thank you.

tcs

Given a stranger path to market than anything in b-school textbooks, I said I'd finally believe this bike was for real when I saw a picture of one in Thor's warehouse.

What's the rear OLD?

foldingdroid

Pics and everything. And of course, the hardtail experience compared to Brompton and Birdy suspensions.

ThorUSA

pics are coming.... remember its still a proto ( officially) but all looks very finished and thought out.
Stem is huge... its called Eifel ....huge contact area.
Steerer clamped in fork underneath, also looks like built like a tank


Ride compared to Bromprton? ?? ....
its very stable and solid. The handlebar is a little narrower ( 510 mm) than the regular Dahons, which would make you think, twitchy ...
Aint so ... maybe cause I ride a little smaller handlebar on my bike also and hence I am used to it.
Than I switched to my GF Dahon with 20 inch wheels and reg bar and the Curl feels as solid or maybe even more than hers.
I wont compare to Brompton as I think its very different o many ways plus Brommies come in all kinds of different versions that a direct comparison might be difficult.
Besides the rigid ride, the small fold of course, what I like is the total adjustability of the bike. Height adjustable handlebar, and all kinds of adjustable seatpost, wow...


rear OLD .... rejoice 130 mm

Thor

invisiblehand

Sweet! That is a big deal. I suppose that means a successful Curl will result in another Curl model with an 8-speed IGH.

The other big issue is with front loads on the bike. With it have a front mount that can carry a significant amount of stuff?

ThorUSA

no front mount .... the headtube is HUGE and has the fork steerer stuff inside. hence I am thinking no holes with bolts sticking into the inside would work well :-)


thor

tdonline

Does it roll? How is it to carry around?

invisiblehand

Interesting. I figured someone would put a thicker faceplate for more depth/threads for mounts.

Thanks for the reply.

tcs

I'm guessing they call the wheels Ferris?

Not as holistic as Brand X, but perhaps a Klickfix Caddy mount or similar could go on that Eiffel?

Dahon Curl production.jpg

invisiblehand

That's a reasonable solution solution with two negatives.

(1) Whatever you mount on there will "move" with the fold and, I assume, make it wider.

(2) It places more weight higher which seems to generally make bikes marginally less stable.

ThorUSA

easy enough to put a caddy on the handlepost, or on the seatpost. But I will suggest the peeps in the know to get with it and add the mounting somehow ... ( if possible )


rolls great ... waiting on the ok from Dahon to post a little vid to my facebook page


thor

jur

Gear inches, actual gear implementation, weight, does the seatpost have a retaining mechanism when sitting in between, does it stay folded when picking it up,both with and without seatpost inserted.

ThorUSA

33 to 66 ish .... 46 t 16 t
27.8 close to 28 lbs
retaining seatpost ? you can djust the lower one and the upper one ... has no influence when folding eihter way.
yes it stays very folded ..lol I had my moments as i couldnt unfold it until i found the trick lol
I think I want one :-)
lol

linberl

Did I miss the part with the price?

ThorUSA

1500

zebede

Availability?

tcs

Understand you have a prototype. On the Kickstarter one (shown in Taipei as well) one can 'pack' the bike smaller after folding by pulling the inner (upper) seatpost and fitting it into a 'holster' (hung off the left front dropout) between the folded front and rear wheels.

ThorUSA

lol second language..lol
yup there is a nifty holder for the upper part of seatpost.... fits snug inbetween

available June... i hope

ttakata73

I'm always a bit skeptical about 2 piece handleposts after having the Curve 16" and riding other 2 piece handleposts, but this one looks very robust on the bottom and has such a tall overlap up top that it should be more solid feeling. I'm glad to see more Brompton competition coming online.

linberl

$1500 is definitely up there in Brompton price territory, but if it has a tiny fold, is lighter in weight than a Brompton, and doesn't use all those proprietary parts, I would be interested. It seems more adjustable for fit; I never could get the Brompton to fit me comfortably. Lots of pictures please =)

Any way to add a front der to increase gears?

tdonline

Linberl, same reason I can't go with Brompton. Just doesn't fit me. The other is the weight.

The Curl's 3 gears and weight (same ballpark as Brompton, right?) are non-starters at this point. The non-luggage offering is negotiable. Everything else seems to be positive.

tcs

Where there's a will, there's a way; but I betting not easily, not the way it folds.

However, fitting a Curl with a Sturmey-Archer 4-, 5- or 8-speed IGH or Shimano 5-, 7-, 8- or 11-speed IGH looks pretty straightforward. In fact, in the picture on Thor's Facebook page the bike is decaled 'Curl i3', hinting perhaps of Dahon-planned future 'i8' (&etc) models.

Certain riders don't like IGHs and have to have a derailleur. Hey, it's all good. There's technical scope, with changes to the right hand dropout, Dahon could offer a Shimano Capreo 1x9-spd derailleur equipped 'Curl D9' at a future point. With, say, a 52T chainwheel, one would get nine reasonably spaced gears in a useful range between 32 and 93 gear inches.