popatop75

how do i will i know the differance if i buyfromy amazon or mail order???? trying to buy my first dahon... and what you guys think about citizen bikes********** thanks

Bonzo Banana

The first Dahon's looked like this;





That was a very unique design but they abandoned it and modern Dahon's are mostly more conventional more like the frame configuration of standard folding bikes as below that date back to the 1950s I believe. In fact there are some advantages to the older bikes like this Kingpin. It's hub gears are very hard to damage compared to a derailleur setup and the quill stem is more rigid and safer than a hinged stem which was only really used on very compact early folding bikes. I'm just making the point modern folding bikes are not Dahon knock-offs.





Plus when you look at the Dahon curl it is clearly a clone of the Brompton or knockoff of that design.



So the Citizen is as valid a design as the Dahon as is any other brand really. As is the Dahon Curl really. It's sufficiently different in many ways even though it folds near identically to the Brompton and looks much more like a Brompton when folded.

BikeKraft

This bike looks to be the best buy for an IGH folder.
https://www.greenzonebikes.com/commuter-bikes-old

linberl

I'm not sure if OP meant knock off or FAKE. Most bikes take design from other bikes, but on Amazon and some other sites, there are risks of getting counterfeit products. Not sure if that happens with bikes, or with Dahons in particular. Perhaps OP can clarify what was meant....

2_i 

A bike might not be a knockoff but a legitimately Dahon-branded bike yet intended for markets where lower quality products dominate, this resulting in inferior quality control and lower grade components.

linberl

Does Dahon do that? Make different versions of the same bike with crappier components? I didn't know that. Seems like more trouble than it's worth, given the kind of margins they probably get with bulk production.

2_i 

Here is one of our Dahons, listed for $165, that I bought in China for $120. First pedal cracked after about 6 weeks, then wheels started shedding spokes. The chainring got bent after it got kicked or something. Incorrectly drilled hole in the rack was covered with a washer, etc. Do I regret it? No - in the meantime the bike was getting use - but if I paid more I would have.

tds101 

The Ford branded Dahon bikes that are available here in the USA are all lower quality, lower priced Dahon models. I ordered 1 a few years ago, and I shipped it back the next day.

fietsbob

Mr Hon may also Rebadge the bikes he sells in a large number, to an Importer... wanting their Logo on the bikes..

LBS here gets some from J&B. IDK the contract derails the importer sorted out with the manufacturer,






...

linberl

I guess if it doesn't say "Dahon" then no one can complain if it isn't the same standards. I'd see where someone would be upset if actually sold a "Dahon" that was not up to standard and had their name on it. Fraudulent counterfeiting. But nothing stops any business from making copies (except IP lawsuits) and selling them under another name. If it says Ford or some other name, that should be a clue I would think, that Dahon didn't want it representing the brand.