regfman

I just bought this bike on craigslist. The seller said he bought it and used it in Hong Kong. I didn't get a chance to talk to him much about it. Didn't even get a chance to ride it because the tires were flat and he couldn't find a pump and I forgot to bring one with me when I went to buy it. Fortunately it worked out. The tires hold air and the bike rides okay and shifts well.

I am trying to find info about this Dahon Archer bike and I can find some but I not much. I am trying to figure out which parts came standard and which are custom. It's a little harder of a ride than my fatter tire Dahon S7, but it feels lighter and quicker.

Here's a picture: Are these rims standard?

https://goo.gl/photos/6LbCXe71EGDNRYmKA

zoom26

Wow, that really looks good. I was searching for some info on the archer as well and found this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCYQotKF87c
How much did you pay for it?

zoom26

**********???
Just translate the page to english. I think it looks like this one

jimmie65

Here's some specs: Dahon Mp18 Folding Bike Archer Mp18 Kaa083

regfman

Yeah, I came across that video too. The guy was talking about having a pump in the seat stem, so I took a look at mine and it didn't have it. I have a Litepro seat stem. Wondering if that is a Dahon part or something added.

It has a Biologic seat. Seems nicer than the standard that I have on my Dahon S7.

It has Biologic grips that have the wider flat surface that is nicer to rest the hands. I think I will add them to the S7.

Avid brake levers. Wondering if that is standard.

Removable pedals.

It has Freedom Ryder 21 rims, Schwalbe Dahon branded 20 x 1.1 tires.

I measured the weight of this bike compared to my S7. The Archer is 26.2 lbs; the S7 is 30.3lbs. The S7 has the wider rims and tires and has fenders and a rear rack so I doubt the lighter weight of the Archer comes from better components, just lack of components.

I paid $180.

zoom26

Litepro is an upgrade, people from asia are obsessed with the brand because of weight reduction, avid levers might be standard as my speed comes with them, removed my stock rack from my dahon vybe and it weighed a lot,fenders dont weigh that much, and wider tires are a little heavier, pedals might be lighter on the archer but i think the seat may be heavier on the archer. how many speeds is the archer? that's a steal for 180!

ThorUSA

nice bike a real steal for 180 great find

thugpipe

according to that page the archer is a speed p8 and from what I saw in the image that seems to be the case as it has the same cromo 4130 frame, so I am sure you can find more info on the speed p8. it seems pretty well appointed, the sram x7 drive train is cool(newer models have the neos,I'm not a fan). great find

zoom26

i'm guessing in some parts of asia, china or taiwan particularly, the archer is almost an equivalent to some extent to the speed?

tds101 

It is the Speed P8, but with a better rear derailleur. I have the P8, and the neos derailleur is quite unreliable. Nice find.

zoom26

I have a pre-owned Speed P8, mine's came with a FSA Vero 53T. I don't see this too much in the internet except for some who post on instagram in Asia. I have no issues with my neos, other than when a trigger shifter was installed, the shifting is backwards. I have an older ultegra crankset on it now, a 6600 53/39t, if I'm not mistaken.

tds101 

My shifter constantly jumps gears, even after giving the cable more slack & having it lubed quite nicely. I plan on changing it out come summer, along with adding a trigger shifter. It's my only gripe with the bike,...it's wonderful otherwise.

zoom26

Im guessing you have the stock SRAM max compshift grip shifters? When I was using the grip shifts, it was doing a lot better than my Vybe's Microshift. The microshift grip shift in my vybe I'm planning to replace with a trigger shift but I'm not sure if it's my shifter or my RD that's giving me problems on that bike. Sometime's I'll be on the Vybe's top gear (7th) and it'll still shift to the 7th gear for some reason.

tds101 

It's the stock twist shifter. From what others have complained about, it's the Neos derailleur itself. I'll change both the shifter & derailleur, as the twist shifter has become damaged under normal use. It's not very well made. Still, for what it is, the bike is a fantastic bargain for what you get.

zoom26

I just got a call back from my LBS, he said the top gear of my cogs is worn out already. Purchased the Vybe last August, but rode through winter and rain. Strava logs me at 560mi, and probably ~100 more miles since I didn't use strava right away. Is it too soon to have the cogs and chains worn out or is it normal because of the hills and the weather that we had the last few months? Also, not sure if $88 is acceptable for a chain, cogs and shifter cable replacement + service.

ThorUSA

usually lasts much longer, but winter grit needs to be cleaned off daily ... 88 for all seems a decent to good price

invisiblehand

Winter riding through glop can eat up chains and cogs.

tds101 

Winter grime, grit, and especially SALT will make parts deteriorate extremely fast. $88 sounds good to me as well,...

bhkyte

People frequently use WD40, a water displacer instead of oil. This strips oil from the chain dries it out then rusts. Then people put more on as the chains gone rusty etc.
This wrecks transmissions in months or even weeks.
I am not suggesting you did, but it is used.

tds101 

I've used WD40 in the past. I ended up with rusted steel. Most people don't seem to know that WD40 is actually for cleaning, and NOT lubrication. And it's the maker of WD40 that's responsible for this. They market it as a lubricant,...

zoom26

I don't, I use simple green. Not sure how bad it is.

zoom26

Btw, got the bike back. I don't see anything wrong with the cog cosmetically, but the mechanic did say it is the cause of the skipping. Though asked him how to check the chain and it does look stretched.

regfman

It's four and half years since I bought this bike. I've really enjoyed my Archer and I'm thinking it feels so much quicker because of the rims and tires. I'm thinking of putting them on my S7. Freedom Ryder 21 rims. Anybody know who sells these or any other 20" 21mm rims? I'm searching but don't see anybody selling that size.

born2pdl

These look cool:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/20inch-Fold...Cclp%3A2334524

un.passant

Hi,
If I may, I was wondering about the possibility to get a Reach frame to build a customized bike. (The online store says «Now you can customize your own REACH in style! New in 2.0: flat welding, now compatible with standard 140mm rotor front and rear» but when I approached my local bike shop (only selling Bromptons and a few Birdy as far as folders go) about this project , they balked at the prospect of having to deal with the non standard wheels procurement.
The Reach STD lists :«20x1-1/8 451 24H(F)/32H(R) FV w/o CSW matt black anodized» for rims and , «Reach exclusive 2-bearing disc brake hub 15mm QR axle OLD: 100mm» for the front hub and «Reach exclusive 4-bearing disc brake hub OLD:135mm» for the rear hub.
The «Reach exclusive» is what worries me here.
Also, Pacific cycles sells a wheelset for the Reach but the price tag of $600 is too high to make it worth it (I'd be better off buying a complete bike and ditching most of the components ☹).
Hubsmith also sells a wheel set called «HS-MANTIS A451 (Reach Spec)» with «Fork Width ø15*100mm Frame Width ø5*135mm» while the regular (non «Reach spec» ) lists «Fork Width ø5*100mm».

What are the odds that I could use a pair of wheels such as the one you listed ? Any insight on this "fork width ø15" and if it would actually prevent me from building a customized bike with <$600 wheels would be greatly appreciated !