Cue

I haven't done any research on this matter, can you point me to some examples?

The stock folding pedals are absolute garbage. The bearings are completely exposed, and I mean completely. Those pedals were replaced immediately.

brakemeister

those stock pedals can be easily replaced with MKS ones..for example...
Sometimes its worth to ask the seller to replace them for a sweet deal.... and sometimes the seller will do that. Even on a 699 dlr bike

assuming you are talking about the Dahon pedals and not the Brommy ones ...

I have a couple of things in this thread where it wasnt really obvious for the untrained eye to see if for example the tire size was related to the Brommy or the Dahon ... Of course I know that the Brommy has the weird size and not the Dahon, but again for the untarained its a little confusing ...

same as a couple of those well thought out Pro' and cons ..its hard to follow what bike has the Pros and what bike has the cons
:-)

Also the explanation of the alloy frames and folding mechanism sounds very plausible ..however, with literally MILIONS of ally framed Dahons alone.... since 20 plus years ... I have not seen that at all...
Surely there is always one or two frames breaking, or latched being bend ( usually during transport ) but if the logic behind the explanation would stick they would be thousands and every year thousands and thousands more....

Alloy versus steel was at one time a real issue . ( about 30 years ago ) Its a non issue since than ...
except..no rust, lighter weight .... etc etc

Best Thor

dynaryder

I don't know of any place that rents folding bikes. Bicycle Space might let you take out a demo Brommie for an extended test ride,but in DC bike rental has a different set of regs than bike sales. Fun fact: most DC bike shops will not sell used bikes because under DC law this requires a pawn license.

Another point in the Dahon's favor;the V brakes can just be popped open. The Brommie's calipers require a 10mm wrench. Also,when removing the rear wheel you don't need to remove the tensioner from the Dahon,and depending which year Nexus hub,the shifter cable is easier to remove than the SA's. Removing the Brommie's rear wheel also leaves you with parts to keep track of(pro tip: screw the shifter linkage and tensioner bolt back in so you don't lose them).

fietsbob

replaced the Fibrax pad inserts with Kool stop salmon compound, and they are fine.

Brakes that Brake , just as they should.
the Brompton cable routing really only works with a side pull , though a clever
noodle free V brake fork boss brazing scheme has been done by custom fabricators.


Add, Clever Cycles in PDX rents Bromptons, they are selling the rentals now,
get a new batch next year ..

LBS here does that with coaster brake Cruisers , a less pricy fleet.

chagzuki

Brompton caliper brakes need updating really, with q/r and barrel adjuster. Like any cheap caliper. It's a pain taking off a brake pad to remove a wheel.

I'm pretty happy with my Brompton these days. Switching from a 13t to 14t sprocket has transformed the drivetrain from grindy to smooth and it rides well overall. Anyone who is interested in Bromptons should just buy a second hand one and try it for a while (of course taking precautions to avoid stolen goods). My Dahon is nice too, around 6 years old and still going strong.

fietsbob

They use a dual pivot caliper Now, that is an Upgrade over a single pivot as far as most are concerned .


I Only remove the wheel to mend a puncture , air's already out.. re install wheel. then. pump it up.

feijai

In DC, Bikes@Vienna can rent you a brompton for the day to try. Note that Tim (the current owner) is a huge Brompton fan, so you need to stay fair in your assessment and comparison. Also you should try a lighter and better quality Dahon to compare against the Brompton, perhaps a Mu. Comparing to a Speed 7 is like comparing a BMW against a Honda Fit. Bikes@Vienna can help you there too.

You will find the Dahons to be stabler and more "normal"-riding than a Brompton. And they use many more standard parts. And many are much lighter (not the Speed 7, which is at Dahon's low end). But of course they don't fold remotely as well. That's Brompton's only real arrow in its quiver, but it's a big one.

Traditionally the Brompton has had terrible, terrible options for gearing. But I like the Brompton's ultrawide 6-speed hub, which you should look at carefully. Other Brompton gearing options you will find to be quite inferior to the Dahon.

You should also look at a Bike Friday Tikit too. But Bikes@Vienna doesn't sell them any more. However I believe Mt. Airy Bikes / College Park Bikes does. A Tikit has its own specific advantages which as a DCer I think are much more helpful in DC than the Brompton's.

smallwheeler

BassNotBass

What I did was turn the barrel adjuster all the way in and adjust my calipers so that I can just barely remove the wheel while the tire is inflated and then use the barrel adjuster to take up cable slack. Wheel removal/installation is simple now with a few quick turns of the adjuster... I know that all too well (what a great segue to my rant). Or just take fietsbob's approach.

[Rant]
My advice for anyone considering a new Brompton, don't bother with the Brompton Kevlar tires, opt for the Schwalbe Marathons. The Brompton tires are one of the worst I've had the displeasure of depending on in a long time. I've had 3 flats in two weeks... more than I think I've had in years. The first flat was on the rear tire caused by a piece of glass. Not a jagged sharp shard of glass but a big pea sized hunk of dull glass (anyone familiar with beach glass?... yeah, like that) that pierced right through the centerline of the tread, through the kevlar and into the tube. Within the last couple of days I was sidelined twice, once with a front flat and just about an hour ago at the rear again and in both cases a small pea sized piece of granite gravel pierced through the thickest part of the tire's tread. When I ordered my Brommie I thought I'd give these puppies a try and I'm regretting it. I'm ordering Schwalbe Marathons tonight.
[/Rant]

BassNotBass

All from personal experiences of riding and working at bike shops as well as those of owners I've met through the years. As far as I know nobody documented anything on the internet about this... at least nothing that I've ever come across.

Azreal911

I took a look at the bikes@vienna website and they carry Terns. I would suggest looking at the Tern's before trying out the Dahon's. They're pretty different from one another when it comes to frame stiffness and the folding style is a little different (mainly with the handlebar). But like feijai said do test out a similarly priced Tern instead of a low end one. That would not give you the right impression at all. And if you do like to drag the bike in it's folded position around alot then I suggest you stick to the "Link" lineup because of the accessories you can attach would make life easier for multimodal (Tern trolley rack)

gringo_gus

I've had dahons - hammerhead (remember that) and speed tr. Would consider another. But my brompton is never leaving me. It is the combination of the fold - not just small, but quick, tight and light - and the ride, which I find quite joyous, especially as I have put on removable pedals (even smaller fold !!!) and powergrips. With the grips and standing up is almost like being able to run really really fast, it is such a great feeling I don't get on any other bike.

But it is I think utterly subjective - Dahon and Brompton are great brands for good reason both.

Ozonation

How do you like the Dahons, particularly the Hammerhead? Does it ride similar to a regular size bike (or close enough)?

DoubleDiamonDog

smallwheeler - Having checked in on this thread for a few days and seeing this post I must say that it is one delightful work of art. I don't know where it came from - if you produced it, found it, or what - but thank you for posting it...

smallwheeler

that's a panel from Yotsuba&! a famous Japanese comic by Azuma Kiyohiko. here are a couple more:

gringo_gus

like Dahons, the Hammerhead doesn't ride like a regular bike, but it is great on its own terms. Has great acceleration. But really, you gotta ride various models - each to their own. In an odd way, it was closer to the ride on my brommie - so, taut, nippy, but many more gears.

Ozonation

Interesting. In another thread (and in the past), I've sometimes wished my Brompton had at least 20" tires and the option to accept fatter, more versatile tires (like Big Apples). And in most situations, if I need to take minute to accomplish the fold rather than 15 seconds, well, that's okay. So, when I saw the Hammerhead, I thought, "Hmmm... that looks interesting!"

... I think, however, I'm approaching (S - 1) in terms of the number of bikes I can actually own...

gringo_gus

the hammerhead I had was an earlier model where the frame didn't separate. I'd go for one which did, or indeed any other dahon minivelo that did.

pampera

I have a Flamingo Oxford (like a Brompton, but aluminium frame) modded with an extra plate for more gears and a Dahon for the daily family use.
I considered selling the Flamingo, as I don't ride it frequently, but at last I'm keeping it for the occasional ride (when I have to go alone to the city).
I am a small person and the Dahon 20" feels like a big bike for me. The Flamingo is lighter and smaller, handy for any ocassion.
They are reliable bikes and I'm so happy with them I decided to keep them both. (My guilty sense of keeping more than I need is not strong enough refered to bikes).

You can always buy the Brompton second hand, try it and resell at almost the original price if you're not happy, they keep their price if are a careful rider.

DoubleDiamonDog

Thanks for the info smallwheeler - lovely delightful work from Kiyohiko with a masterly mix of realistic detail and simplistic, graphic cartoon style.

smallwheeler

you nailed it.

DoubleDiamonDog

Is that a food cart?

BassNotBass

Incidentally, I've been riding my Brompton with the Schwalbe Marathons for a couple of weeks and IMHO they are dramatically superior to the stock Brompton kevlar tires. The ride feels much smoother and quicker and I doubt I'll have any more punctures.

feijai

My understanding is that with the new rear-triangle design, the newer Bromptons can finally now be fitted with Greenspeed Scorchers, which are *the* best 349 tire. They are as fast as Schwalbe Kojaks, and are the largest, easily the most comfortable, and grippiest 349 tire on the market. And they are light. They essentially Pareto-dominate everything else. The Scorcher TR is the kevlar-belted version; I'd get that one.

The disadvantages of the Scorchers are three. (1) They wear out faster than Marahons -- a natural side effect of being grippy, fast, and light (2) They are not cheap (3) They are becoming scarce. You can buy them most easily from Bike Friday right now, or contact Greenspeed directly. Unfortunately Calhoun no longer carries them. It's frustrating because of how much better they are every single other 349 tire out there (I think).

fietsbob

on my Mk4 M3L, I just see a in side dent in the chainstay.. for a little bit more clearance, over a round version ..
right chainstay tube..
still close.. they make the dent bigger for 2013~14 version?.?