pacificcyclist

I can not comment on the lower end Dahons, but most mid to high end Dahons are well made. If they are poorly made, no dealers would want to carry them anyhow. As a dealer, the last thing you want are mass returns from customers and having them be stuck with seconds or N.O.S. No dealer wants to be in this position anyhow. But I think what you are infering to is Dahon bikes outselling Bromptons worldwide due to price. Therefore, you have more Dahons vs Bromptons and if you take a 1% product failure rate for both makers, Dahons stick out like a sore thumb mainly due to the numbers. Does this mean they make bad bikes? No.

My Dahon Mu SL which is 4 years old is still going strong, took it on tours annd long riders and I am willing to bet that it has experienced more miles than most Brompton owners in my area. My local Canadian dealer told me that he sold a lot of Bromptons, but I commute a lot in the city and ride on the country and I had only seen less than 5 Bromptons and that was on a folding bike event. There were more Dahons. This is to be expected. So I wonder where are all the other Brompton owners in my area. Well, a bike has a longer expiry date if it does not get ridden a lot for sure.

Part of the appeal of the Brompton is the folding size and the roller wheel, so unless you live in big cities like London or New York, the appeal is less. Curve SL folds in a good small size and if you get the Dahon Carry On sack (I use this a lot during intercity travels), you can carry the bike into the bus, train and ferry plus residential buildings where they disallow bikes being brought in through the front gate. Obviously with the Carry On sack, it looks like a guitar on their CCTV!

The gearing on the Brompton is basically divided into single speed, double speed, 3 and then 6. Believe it or not, 6 speeds is all you need in the city. But in my area, a Brompton S1 (single speed) and ready to buy off the shelf is twice the price of a Dahon Mu Uno which I consider a better bike in my opinion. Again, the selling point of the Brompton is the fold size plus luggage selection which again ARE NOT CHEAP!

I have ridden a Brompton (The M and the S series) and I do not consider it anything special to justify myself paying such a high price. Not that I have a lot of extra cash these days in this tough economy. I rather save the cash and put it towards my next bike vacation. The Curve SL is a nice bike, well built. But remember that just with any bike, things will break. The more the bike is being sold, the more you hear about its problems.

You just do not hear $6000 bikes fail every month or so. Just yesterday, my friend with his $6000 BMC Team 01 carbon bike broke his cogset AGAIN. A cogset a month. A cog tooth got ripped out. Apparently he does this every month. He is a heavy guy, strong but filthy rich. He can justify this. I can not.

longlong14

I once helped a friend choose a folder, he decided on a Dahon mu. We test rode it, and honestly it did not impress me. He chose the Dahon solely on the cheaper price.

ningnangnong

"Compromise" is the word for this thread.

There's no one perfect bike; that's clear not only by the number of bikes people here own, but also by the comments on what we'd like to do/get out of a bike.

I've had road bikes, MTBs, hybrids and folders and one is never enough.

Three years ago I was convinced I would never get a Brompton, and instead bought a Birdy. Two weeks ago I took delivery of one.

It's not as fast as some bikes I've owned, not as easy on the eye, can't carry as much and won't go some places other bikes have.

But it was do is make me smile every time I ride it. It's hugely versatile and I can consider taking it places with me I wouldn't ever have considered. Commuting is effortless; even the Birdy caused me stress on a train. Tonight off into London and I'll take it with me. Stuff the rain: Freedom! I can get up enough speed to set off speed cameras, which makes a lot of people smile when they see the bike responsible!

The Curve may do it for you. I thought about one too. Resale, if that's an issue, appears to be better on a Brompton.

It's quirky, it's mine, and it's a great British invention.

brakemeister

good thread here.....
as I said usually the versus threads are getting awfull after the fifth post....
clearly shows what caliber people are here on this forum
Bravo

thor

fietsbob

Re: # 37/38 ETRO is bead seat diameter for rim/tire compatibility. ala 349 - 37 or 305 - 50.

2nd number, width , can be construed to be height, as tires tend to be roundish,
air-pressure in tire pushing out equally in all directions..

chubby 305 tire is almost as big as the outside of the narrower tire ,
but operating pressure will be lower, comfort gain at expense of some rolling resistance.

brakemeister

where it is dangerous to compare the outside rolling diameter with two tires.... without saying that these tires (even if the diameter is almost the same ) do NOT fit on the "other" rims....
they will pop off or cannot be mounted correctly ....
Thor