sriramsridharan

Long time lurker, first time poster -

I was looking at the Origami Dragon and the frame looks extremely similar to a Chinese carbon fiber bike made by a company called Savadeck (sometimes also called Sava)? Here's a quick comparison in Paint.

Is the Dragon just a rebranded Savadeck/Sava or does Origami simply source the frame from them and use different components?

Related question: Where does Downtube source their frames from? I read some previous threads that they might come from a factory that was/is under Dahon's control but I'm not sure if that is still accurate.

Thanks!

sriramsridharan

Second time poster - my bad.

kidshibuya

I know the savadeck bikes came first, then I think the massively overpriced nano bikes, then origami. There are probably more companies selling them.

I have no idea of competent specs are the same though

Wait my mistake, the nano is the java carbon bike. Basically there are two main carbon filders, the savadeck and the Java.

Bonzo Banana

Most of the US and European bike brands especially at medium to lower pricing are just imported bikes from China. Some of the big brands will do their own frame designs or tweak the frame designs more but are pretty much Chinese bikes. In fact even many of the Chinese brands sold on the Chinese market are rebranded versions of Chinese manufactured bikes because they too will buy from the large OEM factories in their own country. It could be Sava is also a rebrand but in China obviously much more likely an actual manufacturer.

Fuji-ta the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world has been stated as using up to a 1000 different brands on its bikes. When you consider they are sold all over the world not just China, US and Europe but South America, other Asian countries, Africa etc. They have made bikes for Dahon, Cannondale, GT, Raleigh, Dunlop, Muddyfox, loads of direct sellers and shop brands in the UK and across Europe. I could probably work out at least 100 brands myself but have no knowledge of their brands many other markets.

You could if you wanted to probably buy 500 of those bikes yourself direct from the factory with your own paintwork designs on. For carbon frame bikes it probably wouldn't be anywhere near 500 maybe 50 or a 100. You could get a buying club together and import a container full of the bikes.

In this instance definitely seems like Sava is the factory and you can order as little as 10 bikes for $575 each although likely you might be able to get that price lower but then you'll also have many additional costs on top.

The current Origami price of $779 seems an absolute bargain for what it is. I've seen importers charge many, many times the price they paid. Even if Sava are negotiable on price by 20% it's still a huge bargain.

People riding about on $8000 Italian carbon framed racing bikes are often still just Chinese bikes that sell for $600 in their home market with budget components on rather than Campagnola stuff.

Pinigis 

tds101 

I'll be honest and say, for the pricing, it's a pretty solid bike. For a carbon bike it's quite nice.

Pinigis 

Beyond the fact that it is carbon, it has Shimano hydraulic disc brakes, 9-speed gear set with a Sora derailleur, and just a really nice geometry.

tds101 

I'm someone who'll never get a carbon fiber bike myself (cromo or aluminum), but it's really nice. And yes, the specs are well below it's price point.

Pinigis 

No, they don't actually have one either. The problem is that they don't want to use one that clamps on for fear that someone will over tighten it and damage the carbon fiber. We have been looking at options, and we have found one that looks promising (as of yesterday), but we need to do a little testing to make sure it is adequate.

Schwinnsta

Can it take fenders and rack?

Pinigis 

Not presently. We are working on the design of a fender-mounting system, but that is still on the drawings boards (we are getting sidetracked by an upcoming Kickstarter campaign for a new carbon e-bike). We have been looking at options for a rack, but have not found anything satisfactory.

sriramsridharan

Thanks Paul and others for the information!

kidshibuya

Personally I'd say you are going in the wrong direction. Are people looking at carbon because they want a cheap bike or because they want a light one? A carbon bike should be more high end, no serious bikes have stands or luggage racks etc.

I'd be trying to spec it out with the most affordable light weight parts I could find, like litepro gear. It's a bit of a wtf moment when you see that a carbon bike is heavier than the top end metal dahons.

Pinigis 

That's a good point. Carbon fiber does dampen higher frequency vibrations very well. That is one of the things that makes this bike attractive for longer rides because it is less taxing on the rider.

juneau78

here in my country (indonesia), it rebranded as pacific illution 3.0

Leon S. Kennedy

It weighs a couple pounds more than my FSIR, which was also considerably cheaper. I would expect more weight savings for a carbon fiber bike.

Pinigis 

They weigh about the same (FSIR posts their weight without pedals which is deceptive). The other major advantages to carbon fiber are its ability to absorb vibrations and the ability to integrate an articulated hinge so the main tube is smooth from front to back.

Hinge

The Dragon looks like a great bike for the price. I REALLY wish it had a front derailleur hanger. It has a flat mounting point for it, but sadly no hanger.

Pinigis 

The flat mounting point is there to be drilled for a hanger. You have to drill it and use a threaded insert.