MuP8

I noticed recently that my stem was a little loose and rocks back and forth ever so slightly. When I looked at the stem I noticed what looked like to be a missing screw? The bike is barely 1.5 months old so I have no idea how it could have fallen out. Can anyone who has the bike confirm from the picture below? If so, anyone know the size of the screw and know where I can find it? Thanks

ThorUSA

don't even know .....
is the block adjusted correctly ? there is this 7 or 6 mm screw behind it which you can turn ?

chillspike

If you mean the hole on the left side of the image you posted, I just checked my never ridden Dahon Speed P8 and there is no screw there.

MuP8

Thanks for the help. Im talking about the empty screw right in the middle of the picture(the one facing the viewer), do you have a screw there? I figured out today why my stem was a little wobbly, I needed to tighten the metal clamp(the U-Shaped one with the 2 screws) at the bottom of the stem. For all you other MuP8 owners, watch out and dont tighten it all the way or the stem will no longer fully come up.

chillspike

On my speed p8 I see the same threads where you say in the picture you are missing a screw. Since I haven't really used my bike on the road yet, I'm pretty sure it is supposed to be like that...but maybe other dahon owners can confirm?

fusilierdan

My bike looks just like yours. I don't recall there ever being a screw there. at first I thought it was a hex bolt. I had a loose stem and adjusted those two screws, there needs to be a little play in them as you pointed out.

fietsbob

that is the hinge pin in the center , right? It's a rivet on my ( not a dahon ) folding bike, not a bolt.

jur

The hinge pin is threaded to aid in installation or extraction. There is no screw that fell out.

That hinge and latch is easily the worst POS ever "designed" by Dahon. Dahon have innovated many excellent things down the years but this is not one of those. A large number of things can and do go wrong on them, all of which result in a wobbly stem riser, and if you ride like that, possibly a broken off stem at the hinge pin.

My best advice is to study the mechanism in as much detail as possible, to understand exactly how and why each piece works, and keep it adjusted in perfect condition. A good place to start is to find a spare hinge kit's instructions.

chillspike

I have heard Tern builds better handlebar stems-- their Physis 3D exactly. Do you think it is possible to replace a Dahon folding stem with a Tern? They are basically cousins, right?