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| I don’t fully understand the need for a handlebar quick release on the Dahon. The way the bike folds does not require it to ever remove or rotate its handlebar. Perhaps it’s a feature that makes more sense with drop bars but not for this one. |
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| The stock holes are all too big for even an M7 bolt to tap into so what I did was go up a size to an M8. M8’s are quite large in diameter and can be pretty hefty so I immediately thought of drilling a hole down the axis to shave some weight and add a touch of flare. That’s when I quickly realized that chainring bolts are M8’s and they’re already drilled through! All I needed to do was bore out the clamp holes a bit and counter bore them so that the bolt and nuts sit flush on either side. I didn’t have counterbore bits so I made my own by sacrificing an old drill bit. Came out okay enough! |
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| Overall about 27 grams was saved and a cleaner look achieved. Hooray! (I ended up using a Ti M8x17mm bolt with an aluminum chainring nut) |
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| While I was at it I decided to get rid of the quick release lever on my seat post clamp as well. I don’t need it to stow my bike in my car’s trunk and I’m pretty fidgety with my seat height so having it fixed for good is a no brainer for me. Now some beauty shots: |
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| The look and finish of my non-branded carbon post looked so good that I didn't even give it a good inspection before installing it and riding it. After about a week of riding I happen to notice that my yokes weren’t seated onto the seat rails just right. Under close scrutiny I found that the bridge holes were drilled totally off axis from the centerline of the cradle. Terrible craftsmanship and quality I say! |
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| The bridge is in constant tension and will naturally align itself to the axis of the cradle if it’s allowed to. So the fix is simple: elongate the holes to the side that the bridge needs to rotate and viola! Under close scrutiny one can see the fix but that's a matter of aesthetics, mechanically the system is sound and strong. |
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| This bike is used to travel to and from different buildings at work. Its proven itself to be extremely useful and a joy to ride. It has the ease and zippiness of a bmx with a riding posture that’s more upright and efficient. For what it is I think it’s a really good bike and would recommend it to anyone looking for a simple foldable bike but my thirst to tinker is strong so here it goes! |
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| First to go is the stock crank setup. It’s heavy, chainrings aren’t removable, and it doesn't look good at all. For the sake of curiosity I decided this was a good chance to try out a Chinese made non “brand name” carbon crankset. The weight is pretty close to that of the older FSA carbon cranksets and the price is a definite plus. They come with ISIS (no you wont be contributing to terrorism by riding these cranks) bottom bracket interface, which I think is a great choice at this price point as standard BBs are cheap and the choice for very light ones are available. I opted for chainring, bottom bracket, and bolts and bits I had available so they aren’t choice parts but the full setup still saved me a good 450 grams! |
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| The chunky seat post also had to go. I’m a huge proponent of the cradle and yoke seat post design. I think its the most elegant, modular and cost effective design there is at the moment. Because of that there are a ton of choices available online, even for a huge 33.9m post that’s needed for this bike. I don’t like everything about this post but the basics are there and further tinkering is possibly in the works. It’s for sure much lighter than the stock post though: 245g. |
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| Foldable pedals are a bit terrible in my opinion. They save about 2 inches of space MAX on either end. They squeak and groan when broken in. They also weigh a ton. Up to replace then are AEST magnesium bodied and titanium spindled pedals. The weight difference is astonishing and so far no squeaks from the new unit. |
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| Similar to the cranks, these carbon saddles peddled by Taiwanese sellers all over the internet have always intrigued me. Their value per weight is incredible. You used to only get this kind of weight with AX-Lightness and Tune saddles. I got this saddle from a local distributor for $20 bucks! This is something I was reluctant to try out on my road rigs but will be perfect to test out with the Dahon. |
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| Last of the simple and obvious bolt-on mods is the handlebar. I happen to have this lying around but anyone can pick one up for super cheap anywhere on eBay. |
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| With minimal effort this bike already looks 200% more sleek and sexy. Sure, it can be seen as nerdy as well with all its ridiculous parts but Nerd Chic is now in! On going reviews and opinions on parts will come as I ride this more. Weight saved this round: 1600 grams (3.5 lbs) Current weight: 21.5 lbs |
That was quite an effort but super fun!
Good tips here. I'd like to add that using vinyl finishing tape is much much better than the typical electrical tape that people always use. Vinyl tends to not melt and have its adhesive residue go all over the place.
Reposted from Projekt-Bons, thanks Mr. John
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| Just picked this magnificent piece of kit up and now I am at a decisional crossroad. Being Ruegamer, and being made the way it is it will flow perfectly with my current Ruegamer build. However.. the combo weighs 355 grams whereas my current ZIPP SL and Extralite stem weigh only 248 grams… I’m not sure if I want to sacrifice 100 grams for purely superficial gains. Of course the combo could also turn out to be the most comfortable setup ever… |
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