atombikes

fnhon_ÌÔ±¦ËÑË÷

Something seems off to me- I can understand a Chinese company cloning a product and making a cheap lookalike. But closer inspection of these frames show that even hydro-formed tubing is the same? Meaning this FNHON company is investing in tooling in the same manner Dahon is. It doesn't seem logical to me.

An example of what I'm referring to would be model FNHON VG2018 on the above linked page on Taobao.

(fyi I got to the linked page while searching for Dahon clone handlebar stems- researching which one may have been used on my Genesis folding bike).

rhenning

Maybe these are the folks that produce the bikes Dahon. Roger

ThorUSA

unauthorized and illegal operation
thats the word from Mr Hon

thor

cplager

I'd be surprised if it were anything else. There's no way a factory that produces a bike also makes a no name exact copy.

Violinfish

As I knew,FNHON's CEO Mr Feng is a formal DAHON sales manager.He and his team left DAHON and created new brand FNHON and FSIR. in their early stage they provided DAHON clone and modifying parts mainly for DIYer market.now they also provide original design folders and frames.
I don't have experience about their product.in Chinese domestic market,FNHONs are not cheaper than DAHONs.I'd like to choose some much lower-end and cheaper products.

nyrealitydose

Just as I'm about to post this, the Chinese national anthem came on (National Day here in Hong Kong). I wouldn't buy a knockoff Dahon with a silly name, especially if they cost the same as a Dahon! I'll stick to the real deal if I'm going that way for a folder.

pibach

I have a FSIR Spin, and quality is fine.
Big advantage of FNHON:
They offer number of different stems, fixed hight (more stable), different length and forward angles, and folding to the left wich makes the fold more compact.
Also they come in configurations with LitePro parts and components.

atombikes

Yes, this is what I was noticing. Also, the prices (even if you include an agent fee for foreigners unfamiliar with taobao) seem more than reasonable comparitively.

bhtooefr

"Ghost shift" products are a thing - a factory subcontracted to a major brand will make two shifts for them, and tell them that they idle the plant at night... but they actually run a third shift, on the tooling that their client paid for, of bootleg goods. Of course, the bootleg goods don't necessarily go through the same QA that the legit ones did, and sometimes the legit ones that failed QA will be tossed in with the bootlegs...

cplager

I guess I should have said: There's no way a company would authorize a factory to do such a thing.

I have no problem believing it happens (but I don't believe it would be authorized).

2_i 

A friend rented in China still another Dahon clone, a folding bike by Gehon. On the bike the logo is made to look literally like that of Dahon. Few days into riding, one of the folding pedals broke in half.

BruceMetras

I'm sure Gehon don't make their own pedals, but source them.. Tern's have had a rash of broken folding pedals reported on their board... folding pedals at low price points aren't particularly durable .. especially if your foot isn't planted directly over the spindle ..

andrew li

before i bought fnhon , i just was hesitating. cause its price is just a little cheaper than dahon,and not sure the quanlity is good or not.i heard that fnhon is a foundry of dahon` frame before, afterwards,fnhon start to build their own bike. and it is my bike below, just the fork ,head tube and frame is fnhon,

atombikes

The overall fit and finish of the Fnhon looks very good.

YoungGPS14

Philbike Expo 2015[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

ttakata73

I bought a Dahon Dove frame from Taobao and the rear brake mount is really out of alignment.
I think it was a reject sold out the back door, but for ~$120 I can't complain too much.
So even with real brand names, unless you buy it from an authorised dealer, you don't know what you will get.

I have some LitePro wheels and parts and they seem as good as anything else, no complaints there.
I've seen the FSIRs in person and they look great too.

nz6666

I am the right person for this. I am from China but now lives in UK. First, folder market is boiling in China, the reason? Astonishing theft rate means any sensible people won't leave their bikes outside. At the same time insane flat/house prices means most people live in a small flat (2 bed rooms normally), which offers little space for regular bikes. So not just Fnhon there are couple of brands making Dahon like folders, e.g. LANGTU, OYAMA (from taiwan), JAVA, a couple of more (can't think of). Fnhon produces parts (frames, handle posts, seat posts) as well whole bike (Fsir, which is not a Dahon clone, instead it has some really cool design). A lot of people just buy the frames and buy other high end parts and assemble their dream bikes.

There is another brand needs to be mentioned and some people may know here, Litepro. Yes this is another Chinese company which produces (outsourced to Taiwan factories as I know) high quality parts, which used to be only available at insane prices. For example, Litepro V238 v brakes at only 170 g for about 18.5 pounds,
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm...id=41902578885

The quality? I have a fnhon frame (similar to the one used on speed pro/tt) folder with lot of litepro components, I used that for commuting by train. It's been a year and I don't have any complaint. I have a Dahon MU SL got on ebay so did some comparison. Build quality is similar (frame), while the main hinge on the Dahon one develops a issue (tends to get loose) over time. This could be a defect (ebay product) or the Aluminium frame issue (not sure), Fahon one is 4130 steel with alu fork.

Of course the name Fnhon is really not cool. And real barrier is language. You will have to use Taobao to discover those stuff. BTW, this guy did some amazing work using the parts from taobao.
Hands On Bike: Dahon MuEX

nz6666

Don't get any Dahon frames from taobao. Dahon doesn't sell parts, any parts are highly possible to be fake (or some very high quality fake if you are lucky). Instead, get fnhon frame (that's the same thing with possible better build quality).

YoungGPS14

Here in the Philippines, a club member of mine joined and finished first in Audax 200 km category using an Fnhon Tornado.

Abu Mahendra

I saw the FnHon Gust, a steel 16" hinge folder today. It is very well finished. Not Tyrell finished, but quite decent nevertheless. Rode one, and it felt solid. Presumably these Gust models are touted as 'handmade' whatever that means, but the finish and build really cannot be faulted. Ditto for the price of $250 for frame and fork.

I first saw the FSIRs in Bangkok recently, and immediately impressed. First single tube folder that interested me. They are solid with their own pivoting mechanism, out of the ordinary frame motifs, low stock weight and attractive pricing. I regret not having picked up this little guy at $395.

pinholecam

I have viewed a Fnhon here, but bought the CRIUS Smart 3.0 which is the exact same bike except for logo.

The reality of the bike business (as well as many commercial products) is that its outsourced.
There are many kinds of outsourcing too.
A big brand will go out and look for the "right partners" , so these partners can :
1. Have a range of designs that the branded company buyer can choose to put their logo on.
Upon which :
a. Design is 'locked down' and is the property of the buyer (more costly)
b. Open design (cheaper and others can use the same design; so basically different logo and maybe components)

2. Design/manufacture to spec of customer

3. Conceptual design by branded company; mechanical/manufacturability design from partner; manufacturing either by partner or some other. (The "fruit company" that sells handphones now does this)

4. Concept and mechanical design by branded company; only manufacturing sub-contracted out


So Fnhon is probably one of the sub-cons or former sub-cons.


Bottom line in my case.
The Fnhon stuff looks and feels good.
Litepro components which work well as most stuff out there and looks good.