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Dahon on Vacation: Suitcase to Riding

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Dahon on Vacation: Suitcase to Riding

Old 03-14-19, 10:51 AM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by brdeleo49
I'm out on my final Georgia coastal island ride before heading home to New Hampshire tomorrow. My Dahon hasn't disappointed me and has been a real pleasure to ride. I'll probably end up with about 180-90 miles.

Today I met a Corgi puppy!!! Sweet Pea will eventually live in NH about 25 miles from my house. Small world! I should mention I've been a Corgi owner for nearly 20 years.
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Old 03-14-19, 04:38 PM
  #27  
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Final picture for this trip. In the car for transport back to the condo where we are staying. It's already disassembled and in the suitcase for the flight home. Needs a good cleaning and a different set of wheels for the trip to the Florida panhandle during late April and early May.
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Old 03-16-19, 06:42 AM
  #28  
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New Hampshire update!

I flew home from Georgia yesterday via Jacksonville, FL with my connecting flight in Baltimore, MD. I had about a 3 hour layover. As I waited to de-board at BWI I watch both my suitcases come off the plane and go side by side on the same luggage cart. I felt that was a good sign. However, last night back in the Manchester, NH airport only one suitcase arrived with me, and the one with my neatly packed Dahon was missing!

Here's hoping it ended up on the last plane from BWI to MHT, which laded early this morning at about 1:30 a.m. Southwest promises to deliver it to my home 50 miles northwest of the airport sometime today. Fortunately I had taken all those pictures of me unpacking it, so I can prove what it contained. Also, my limited edition Brooks England saddle and Brooks bags were either in my carryon or my other suitcases. They would be the most difficult bits to replace if everything is lost or stolen.

The baggage agents who took the missing luggage report were absolutely amazed I could fit a bike into a regulation sized suitcase. They were very impressed when I showed them the pictures.
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Old 03-16-19, 11:13 AM
  #29  
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This winter I've upgraded it again and added a SRAM Dual Drive three speed rear hub with a 12-25 9 speed cassette. Combined with a 53-42 Shimano 105 crankset, and I have 54 speed Dahon !
Hello, do you have any build log for this modifcation ? Would love to see a tutorial for this.
Cheers
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Old 03-16-19, 01:48 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by Gribouille
Hello, do you have any build log for this modifcation ? Would love to see a tutorial for this.
Cheers
Welcome to Bike Forums and Folding Bikes. Glad you came along. How about sharing a little about yourself and your bikes?

The short tutorial would be that I sourced most of the parts from ebay and made them work. However, I can be more detailed to specific questions. My assumption (which could be very wrong) has to do with the SRAM Dual Drive system. Let me begin by describing the original drivetrain.

This Dahon is the Speed 7 model and it was either a 2013 or '14. It came with an inexpensive single crank with a bash guard and a 7 speed Shimano freewheel. IIRC the freewheel was 13-28 and the chainring was 48 or 50.

I was not happy with this gearing for the mostly coastal/beach riding I was doing while on vacation. I changed the freewheel to a mid '90s Sachs Aris 8 speed which was 12-24. I also went to Shimano 105 8 speed barends which I found shifted better in friction mode. However, the cheap permanent chainring somehow became bent in the suitcase, so I upgraded to an early '90s Shimano 105 double crankset (53-42) and added a Shimano FD and Litespeed mounting bracket. Thus the Speed 7 became a Speed 16.

This past Fall, while browsing ebay for a replacement part on the Dual Drive system I have on a Cannondale hybrid, I spotted the 20" (406mm) Dual Drive wheel. I was intrigued and the price was very reasonable since it was missing a few parts and came with no shifters. Digging in the archives I found that Dahon had offered this option in the past on certain models for a 24 speed system (8 speed cassette combined with the 3 speed IGH).

I knew the freehub on the Dual Drive can handle a 9 speed cassette (and probably a 10 speed). So combined with the double crankset and the IGH I have a 2X3X9 system, or a 54 speed Dahon (BTW I've ad my Cannondale set up as an 81 speed). This provides way more gearing options than ever needed--- but provides lots of flexibility, especially when coming to a sudden stop and there was not time to shift to a lower gear. The Dual Drive IGH lets you downshift while stopped.

Hope this is helpful. Please feel free to ask any ore questions and I'll do my best to answer.
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Old 03-17-19, 03:30 PM
  #31  
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Yeah sorry, just did my presentation in the appropriate section.
My bike is a Dahon Vybe that i have to restore, i'am just looking at the tweaking possibility at this moment and your gear setup sounded interesting.
Thanks
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Old 03-18-19, 05:15 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by pastorbobnlnh
I'm out on my final Georgia coastal island ride before heading home to New Hampshire tomorrow. My Dahon hasn't disappointed me and has been a real pleasure to ride. I'll probably end up with about 180-90 miles.

Today I met a Corgi puppy!!! Sweet Pea will eventually live in NH about 25 miles from my house. Small world! I should mention I've been a Corgi owner for nearly 20 years.
Seriously hope your bike and gear shows up! Reminds me of the time my Father and I hiked the App Trail for a week and when we got back to my truck, we found it had been picked over by thieves. Better ending for you I’m sure!

Corgi breed, great choice. The one of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth herself!
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Old 03-20-19, 08:10 AM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by pastorbobnlnh
You are correct! It is absolutely amazing I can pack the whole thing in a regulation sized suitcase and still have spare room for my bike shoes, most of my bike gear and the tools needed for assembly. The key trick is to keep it at just under 50lbs so I don't incur a charge from Southwest Airlines.
I have the same issue with my S & S folding bike. My solution, especially on Southwest, where you can take two bags for free, is to split out some parts into a duffel bag with the rest of my luggage. The downside, of course, is if you don't get both of your bags at the other end, you only have part of a bike, which is why the one of my worst fears is what happened to you.

Originally Posted by pastorbobnlnh
I flew home from Georgia yesterday via Jacksonville, FL with my connecting flight in Baltimore, MD. I had about a 3 hour layover. As I waited to de-board at BWI I watch both my suitcases come off the plane and go side by side on the same luggage cart. I felt that was a good sign. However, last night back in the Manchester, NH airport only one suitcase arrived with me, and the one with my neatly packed Dahon was missing!

Here's hoping it ended up on the last plane from BWI to MHT, which laded early this morning at about 1:30 a.m. Southwest promises to deliver it to my home 50 miles northwest of the airport sometime today.

I hope it showed up.
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Old 03-20-19, 07:07 PM
  #34  
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@Rob_E and @3speedslow

Good News: Southwest found my suit case with my Dahon. Somehow their tag had come off in BWI when it transferred planes. Because I went back to the airport, Southwest gave me a $50 voucher for future travel.

Bad News: Someone, and I'm assuming TSA, unpacked the suit case and then tried to re-pack it and did a terrible job putting it back in the same order, padded in the same way, and forgot to secure the tie-down strap.

The biggest issues was they flipped over the rear wheel and had the cassette towards the outside (I had padded it and nested it into the rear triangle). The long Dual Drive axle poked a crack in the suit case. I had a wide plastic stop on the non drive side to prevent this as packed. I was so glad I removed the IGH Shift Rod. If it had been damaged I would have really been angry because they are exceptionally hard to find! They also moved the foam padding protecting the chainring and several teeth are bent.

Has anyone ever had any luck in collecting damages caused by the TSA?

I still need to go through it and reassemble to asses if there is any other damage.
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Old 03-20-19, 07:37 PM
  #35  
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I had a suitcase come through the baggage return an the end of a flight with a hole torn in it. The airport took my luggage and returned it with a patch over the hole .not exactly reimbursement, but it was a good patch job and I figured as good as I was going to get. I've used two, hard-sided suitcases to transport my Raleigh Twenty. I know one of them come out with a puncture, but since it was a thrift store purchase, I didn't even bother with it .I think the same might have happened with the replacement suitcase, but after that trip, I switched to an S&S bike and case. Fortunately my bikes have always come through undamaged. Good luck .
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Old 03-20-19, 09:09 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by pastorbobnlnh
[MENTION=109941]
Has anyone ever had any luck in collecting damages caused by the TSA?
I was refunded for damaged luggage by Delta and by Vietnam Airlines, though the amounts of time I spent on the claims (emails/phone calls/travel to airport) well outweighed the refunds. As to TSA, not on this Earth, in spite of several attempts - it felt as if I were dealing with a gang - I pursued it because I felt that I deserved a refund.

Myself I have not yet had a bike poke a hole through a case even though my bikes have been pretty routinely inspected by TSA. For Dahon and Bike Friday, that I took apart, I usually put some loose old cloth underneath and over the bike and I wonder whether it might have helped. For these bikes I also normally took a photo that I printed on a page and taped it to the inside of the case. The latter might have been even recommended by Bike Friday.
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Old 03-21-19, 04:54 AM
  #37  
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I'm guessing that TSA did not like my wiring for the Biologic dynohub, the lighting system with switches, and a USB charge adapter. All of that (with the exception of the lights) was stowed in the leather bag I made which hangs below the main tube.

Next trip I'm going to remove the dynohub, the lights and the wiring. That is a great idea to tape pictures of the bike on the inside of the suitcase lid.

I was guessing that going after the TSA for damages would be as fruitless as trying to prove to the Post Office that even after a box is delivered it can still be stolen and their insurance should cover loss. Trust me--- don't even try.

I hope to reassemble it on Friday/Saturday and I'll let you know if I find other damages. I also need to prep it for my next trip after Easter to the Florida panhandle. I have a new rear wheel on the way and I'm planning to run SRAM Rival derailleurs on the 9 speed cassette with the bar end shifters in friction mode. I'll need to build a new front wheel. I have the matching rim and the hub should arrive today or tomorrow. Time to pull out my wheel building notes and the spoke calculator! And finally, the original Dahon seat post has always been a tad too short. Freehwheel work has been great the past couple of months so yesterday I ordered a longer carbon fiber seat post from Taiwan.
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Old 03-21-19, 05:03 PM
  #38  
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I run a layer of cardboard with dense foam used in pelican cases to prevent damage. The foam is awesome for protecting the crank. I recently began adding tennis balls on the outside facing rim bolts to provide extra protection. Works great for leg stools on floors so I figured why not. No damage after about 50 flights in the past 2 years but twice Southwest lost my bikes. Both were found in less than 24 hours. The one that ended up in San Diego after I arrived in Kansas city will always be a mystery to me.
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Old 03-21-19, 08:57 PM
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Originally Posted by kayakindude
I run a layer of cardboard with dense foam used in pelican cases to prevent damage. The foam is awesome for protecting the crank. I recently began adding tennis balls on the outside facing rim bolts to provide extra protection. Works great for leg stools on floors so I figured why not. No damage after about 50 flights in the past 2 years but twice Southwest lost my bikes. Both were found in less than 24 hours. The one that ended up in San Diego after I arrived in Kansas city will always be a mystery to me.
My packing and the foam protection was good to go. The bike made it to GA with no issues and it looked exactly like it did when I packed it in NH. The problem on the return flight was that TSA unpacked it and then didn't repack it correctly. The special flat plastic wheel axle protector was not facing the inside of the suitcase but was nested into the frame. The layer of foam that was sandwiched between the rear wheel and the frame was between the wheel and the inside of the suitcase. The padding between the front wheel (first thing in) was tossed to the side as was the padding around the chain rings on the crank. And finally, the securing strap was left unattached.

The moral of this story is, no matter how carefully we pack our bikes in our suitcases for travel--- the TSA can take it all apart and could care less about the damage they subsequently caused.
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Old 03-22-19, 12:12 PM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by pastorbobnlnh
The padding between the front wheel (first thing in) was tossed to the side as was the padding around the chain rings on the crank. And finally, the securing strap was left unattached. The moral of this story is, no matter how carefully we pack our bikes in our suitcases for travel--- the TSA can take it all apart and could care less about the damage they subsequently caused.
TSA has inspected my Vybe twice, luckily without damage. I do leave a packing diagram and contact # in the case. About halfway through my travels I began placing the wheels on top of the frame, rear wheel freewheel down and padded, front wheel offset of the rear. I used to do wheel, frame, wheel. I found on top still had plenty of room. I also only have to remove the crankside pedal. Also (I am guessing), but this way the TSA can pull the tires out and see all of the components and frame at once. less chance of them messing with it. I also leave one of their stamped inspection tickets in the case, as it may ward them off a bit.
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Old 03-22-19, 04:19 PM
  #41  
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@kayakindude great suggestions. Thank you. I'll try placing the frame in first to see if my wheels will fit on top. Where in New England are you located?
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Old 03-22-19, 06:13 PM
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Here is an old picture of the wheels on top. My newer packing has more foam and less plastic wrapping. I also added tennis balls on the wheel hubs. I'm in Mass on the RI border. I do go to Newport VT a few times a year for the Kingdom Swim events. Back then I kept my helmet in the suitcase...bad idea.
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Old 03-23-19, 05:41 AM
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I'll give that packing sequence a try with my suitcase. It does look doable. I spy you are a Market Basket shopper. Thanks again for the suggestion.

My sister in law was originally from Derby Line, VT and still has family in that area. Whenever they visit I usually head that way to spend the day. I've ridden the rail trail along the lake several times with a nephew.
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