gataddhin

I asked Santa to send me one of this humped bikes for my Christmas present



But he sent me this beautiful humped bike



Hahaha.

gataddhin

Photobombed by the resort owner's pet

2_i 

I do not think that Brompton and Dahon are in any practical competition in China. Both Dahon and Brompton are well above price range that a typical Chinese will want to spend on a folding bike and Brompton is practically in outer space. Dahon is an upgrade in terms of quality compared to typical, that someone better off might go for. Brompton is a status symbol in terms of price and origin that someone very well off might buy and where Dahon does not compete. Far more serious competition for Dahon, I think, is Giant. While folding bikes are a bit of a margin for Giant, they have far more stores than Dahon and so someone wanting an upgrade might stray there.

Neither Dahon nor Brompton have a strong market penetration in China in terms of percentage. It is just the size of the country and common bike use that makes it an important market. I spend about one moth per year in China and I saw Brompton once in the street, when a customer was bringing the bike to a Brompton dealer. Dahons are obviously more difficult to notice than Bromptons but you sense their presence in that minor folding brands want to look like Dahons. By comparison, if you want to see a Tesla, in many areas of China you just look to the adjacent lane.

I think that both the share and electric bike developments throw a wrench into any development plans for folding bike industry. Maybe acceleration with Curl has more to do with the fact that the market might not tolerate anymore just coasting.

ThorUSA

Interesting read.... Curl right now is not in the planning to be electrified. We are happy actually to get a handful of 8 speeds Anni version in. Got a few 3 speeds already. These are just the very beginning, hence they will be like a needle in a haystack for a while.
And yes the Curl has a higher weight limit than all other Dahons

Winfried

"​Folding bike manufacturer Brompton saw its turnover rise 15 per cent in its latest financial year despite the number of bikes it sold remaining static for the third year running – a situation it hopes will be rectified as its new electric-bike hits the market in the coming months."

Brompton turnover up sharply in 2016/17 despite flat volumes | road.cc

2_i 

Maybe to add, at the monetary level Dahons are significantly cheaper in China than in US (though direct comparison may be hampered by differences in model specifications) and foreign folding bikes (Brompton, Bike Friday, Moulton) are more expensive by 20% or so. Details may vary as exchange rates move.

tds101 

Correct me if I'm wrong,...but isn't the actual weight limit supposed to be around 280lbs/127kgs? That sounds pretty solid to me,... I'm just not willing to spend the same $$$ for a 3 speed Dahon that I would if I'd wanted a Brompton. The pricing is ridiculous!

ThorUSA

you right I usually am a little conservative ..lol
and in the US we have only a few 3 speeds, they were stranglers from old orders I suppose... if they are gone there will be no more 3 speed. We do get 8 speeds same as anniversary model just without the nameplate on them. But also only a handful or two three.... they should evaporate pretty quickly... Than later in the year we will get only 8 speeds in regular color... but not firm yet ...


Even with 8 speeds I would love to sell that bike for less , no doubt in that regards ( and many others ) I agree wit TDS... but than I would love to sell all bikes for much less :-)

tds101 

I think I'll just take my Dahon Speed P8 to my LBS today. I'm having a wheel built,...8 speed IGH, hopefully trigger shifter. I just need to see if it'll be Shimano or Sturmey-Archer (Sun). I hate derailleurs!

Rick Imby

The 8 speed IGH on one of my Dahon's isn't wide enough ratios for me. I use it as a loaner...

tds101 

For me, it'll be fine as my commuter. This way, when the weather warms back up come springtime, I'll have a straight chainline bike to ride. I'm ALWAYS having issues with anything BUT a single cog/sprocket bike. And heading the 3 miles to the LIRR train in the mourning is mostly uphill,...with 1 BIG hill. I work outdoors, doing heavy work,...I don't like getting to my job already wasted.

I have no issues with the gearing on my Nexus 8 speed cruiser, so I'll be all set with this. I know exactly what to expect,...and I'm impatiently waiting for spring to arrive!!!

Besides, we had that discussion about that loaner bike,...

Lalato

Sorry for the necromantic thread resurrection, but has anyone actually tried this mod? How the heck did they fit this on the narrower frame?

tcs

Oh, you know Bike Forums - resurrect an old thread, and it's 'Why didn't you start a new one?' Start a new thread and it's 'We've discussed that. Why didn't you search the archives?'



It just so happened I had an Alfine 11 loafing around the shop, so I pulled the rear wheel of my Curl and tried to fit the big hub. Short answer: beats me how they got it in there, and I wonder if that was a totally working example.


Spring the Curl's 130mm OLD rear triangle apart? Make me laugh. The little bike is seriously, not foolin' around heck for stout.


How about the 135mm OLD hub, though? Well, the Alfine 11 has been produced in 371 iterations over the last 9 years, so maybe there's a version you can take 5mm off the OLD. On the individual hub I had available, it would have involved doing without the left cone lock nut (doesn't sound like a good idea) & machining the hub a bit, but even then the hub's on-board rotary shift mechanism interfered with the chain slack taker-upper subassembly on my Curl.


However, the Alfine 11's rotary shift isn't so very different from the Nexus 8, and the Curl is offered in a version with the Shimano 8-speed hub. I'm not saying it can't be done, just that my cursory look didn't produce an affirmative answer. Note: the banned for life, not welcome here Thor could probably definitively answer this question with straight from the factory's mouth information.

Lalato

Thanks @tcs. Much appreciated.

pastorbobnlnh 

@Lalato thanks for resurrecting this thread. Made me look at the FB pictures and I spotted this one.


Just last night I was working on my Dahon Speed and thought it is missing a head badge and it could really use a head badge! Now I have something to pattern one on!

Too bad that originally the thread turned contentious.