On the contrary, bikes are more expensive there in Singapore. Probably because margins need to be higher to cover their higher rentals, staffs, transportation etc.etc. My calculation states it's about 15% to 20 % higher than our RRP. That's before you negotiate a bit from the dealers. Even parts costs more but they do have an advantage though, they stock more variety and they have everything!

It doesn't matter where it is made. Most frames are now made in China, even very branded ones. The price for Dahon went a bit haywire because Rodalink has lost the franchise to Guan Chow and is trying sabo the price to safeguard their Terns. What you have now, is the last few units left in their inventory. I saw the Speed going for like RM1580 the other day but that was the last unit. We can pray though that Guan Chow, out of good will follow along the price set for the first few shipments which have already arrived and on the way to the distributors. Then the consumers win, right? The newer Dahon uses better drivetrain units now, I think they have discarded Neos already. For all we care , Tern can have all the Neos, hahahaaa.

I don't know Guan Chow will bring back the Dahon Curve as 16 inch wheelers are getting really hot now. Easy to fold and carry into LRTs. Let's hope thy do. But it's easily obtained in Singapore and Bangkok.

Try calling Jimmy (the boss) at Kimbell Jaya at 012-2927636 and enquire. His shipment has just arrived and talk to him. He can also send your bikes to your doorstep. Either you want to tune up yourself or ask him to take out the bike, tune it and pack it back into the box and then send it to you. Even Sarawak and Sabah customers have bought from him. No harm calling him.

any sifu knows what is the different btw dahon vybe c7s and c7a?
also how to tell if the dahon bike component (gear etc) is stock factory component?


Same design but different materials. c7s , S is steel ,while the c7a, A is aluminium. S rides better but heavier and it rusts, A is a harsher ride because it's stronger and ridgid but much lighter. If you want to upgrade to 8.9 or 10 speed later, better to get the c7a as the RD hanger is easier to mod while the c7s is just a slim plate and putting on an RD hanger is harder BUT possible. Kimbell Jaya has modded a few before to using Acera RD and shifters, 8 speed.

What you buy when the bike comes initially is the stock factory component. No bike shops will want to change it. Don't worry.

This post has been edited by etigge: Nov 28 2014, 10:11 PM

Why buy there when you can get here at the same price! In fact I can arrange cheaper for you, not much lab, maybe round figure.

Although they are now made in China, the Avid SD3 and the FR5 levers are OK, quite decent. Another plus point is they are light too. Another better V-brakes is the Shimano Deore which is about RM200 to RM230 for the V-brakes and the levers and this setup has better replaceble brake pads.

Most standard drop bars are now 31.8mm but during those days, the standard was 25.4mm. They do still have this but it's quite hard to find new. Search for Nitto dropbars and they still make 25.4mm dropbars. else you need to order OBErsea lorr. What to do? Or maybe you go to the smaller villages bike shop, maybe they have some left over.

A Dahon Speed P8 souped up to 18 speed or 20 speed ( but having a 27 speed is advantageous too) would be good. The ride is comfy and the frame able to withstand. I even used it on the Thompson trail in Cameron Highlands. A Dahon Vybe C7A is also quite robust.

I think Jimmy can solve it for you. It's not too expensive ( I think he has some unbranded one 53/39T) and he also has the adapters and FD. Just visit him and check it out. If you wan t me to do it, let me know. If climbing hills, you want to be sure, mod it to 27 speed. You can mod it 30 speed if you so wish , just that 27 and 30 speed , price difference is a lot with just a little improvement. If using the granny chain ring (30T), you cannot climb slopes, then you have to TnT or else install a motorised front hub and hang some huge batteries on your rear rack.

This post has been edited by etigge: Dec 5 2014, 09:34 PM

It's the same frame. Different colour scheme. The Speed is the best frame that Dahon ever designed and manufactured, don't think they will stop making it.

Just slightly higher than Malaysia. If convenience is the factor, it should be OK. Why don't you hunt around in Togoparts if there's any used unit? Most Singaporean bikes are in good condition, they don't ride much and also many of them are upgraded with really nice components.

www.togoparts.com>MARKETPLACE>Folding and Commuting Complete Bikes

First you must understand the theory of using the gears. Many misunderstand and starts freewheeling themselves till they get cramps we take an 8 speed as an example with 11T/32T

Presume, you ride a bike, let's say in a gym or riding on a flat ground. Choose a setting where you can ride comfortably without stressing. Eg. 53T front x 15T (usually 3rd gear). With this you ride just casually and you can ride for say 30 minutes without stopping and it doesn't really tire you out. Now! as you ride you came to a gradual slope and the pedaling gets a bit hard, so, you shift into lower gear (means bigger gears at the rear) Eg. 24T (that's the 6th gear) and at this ratio, you get back the same pedal force you exert at the flat roads. You stay at this ratio and never ride even lower gear that many riders tend to do! You shift at the same pedal force that you are comfortable with. And then you hit an even more steeper slope , so you shift up until you get the same force you exert at the flat roads.

So, further on , you come to an even more steep and you have shifted to the last low gear 32T and you still can't get to the same pedalling effort, then you ran out of gears. Here, you either have to push harder till you cannot continue and push lorr. In the case of 2 chainring, here you can downshift to 39T (front) and this will give you another few notches lower gearings and it you have triple 30T for the granny gear as we call it, then you have even lower than lower gears.

Over time, you improve, first your pedalling effort can go harder and also your time frame , you can pedal longer like 2 hours continuous or maybe more. That's how we train, slow and patiently. If you just rush in 'gung ho' style and get yourself all cramp up, you will think cycling is lousy and give up! Hahahaa

Yes, it is done before but it depends on your present crank now. If you see 5 lock nuts on the crank holding the chain ring, then you can just buy the smaller 39T (130BCD) chainring and bolt onto the present set up BUT if your present chain ring is the one piece type (means the chain ring cannot be taken out), then you have to buy another crank which cost quite substantial. The cheapest I notice is about RM180 for double chainring. Then the FD adapter and the FD itself and finally the shifter which are sold in pairs. All in all averaging about RM600.

On the other hand if you mod the rear first, you need an RD, shifter (also a pair), a cassette and new chain and cable. Let me do the calculation again, Gear inches is our aim. Simplified means, the bigger the number, the lower the gear and also the easier it is to pedal, in the expense of speed of course. You cannot have both. so, if your setup is 7 speed, usually the rear cogs are 13T to 28T . The front , I assume is 52T because my former Dahon Eco C7 was that size. For this setup, the gear inches ranges from 80.00 GI to 37.14 GI.

OK, let's say you maintain the rear setup and modify a second chain ring. So it's 52/39T with 13/28T at the rear. For this the GI is , 80.00 GI to 27.85 GI, so that is a gain of 9.19 GI on the lower gear spectrum but no change on the higher gear.

OK, now let's say you go for the 10 speed rear modifications. The rear cassette ranges from 11T (which gives you more speed, you can even pedal when you are going downhill) to 34T. With this the GI will range from
94.54 GI to 30.58 GI. With this you gain 6.56 GI on the lower gear BUT you gain 14.54 GI on the higher gear. Means you can ride faster on flats and downhill. Also sometimes with more gers the ratio gaps are smaller making gear changes fluid. Like with less gears, eg. your pedaling becomes hard so you shift to lower gear but one notch higher the pedaling becomes to free. That's why roadbike gears are near!

In the end, if you have modded the rear and now also modded the front as well, the range is from 94.54 GI to 22.94 GI. Just for comparison purposes, my Dahon Speed is 3 x 9 speeder. The gear ranges from 96.36 GI to 18.75 GI. That's a very wide range because the chain ring is 53T/40T/30T and the rear 11T/32T . See picture, pardon, tak cuci bike after last week's ride.

This weekend (starts from Friday) , we have a ride from Tapah Road (the railway station) to Teluk Intan. There we put up a night and next morning we ride to Sitiawan and also put up a night there. The last day Sunday, we will ride to Batu Gajah and then take the train back to Tapah Road. There are a few pullouts from this ride and there are a few empty slots. Anyone interested in riding this weekend? The road is quite flat but the distance is 30 km, 70 km and 63 km respectively. It will be fun! Anyone interested PM me.

Yes, some of the old parts can be used. As for the crank, MTB cranks can be used but the chain rings are too small. The maximum size is only 44T and you can find 48T but that is also too small for a 20 inch wheel. Usually folding bikes use 52T or 53T but some are only 48T for the ease of pedaling. Many mistook this as easy to ride but in actual it is the gear ratios. When you are really riding fast, you will freewheel like a swimming dog even on the highest gear. The SRAMs RD is good for folding bikes actually as the design hooks smaller (almost like a Neo) but you need to adjust the chain length so that the lowest setting of the RD cage do not pass the tire rims below and also the not touching the rims on some settings. Problem can be solved if you use 10 speed road bike cassettes as the maximum is 32 T. Using 11/36T moiuntain bike cassette might be too low if the last 2 gears are engaged.

Shifters are off course OK! As for the FD , too bad, you cannot use because you need brazed FD like road bikes for all 3 models you mentioned above. You have to install an FD adapter so the FD has to be a brazed unit.

The MIT already has an FD brace so I think with just another set of 8 speed shifters + FD + a 39T chainring and cables can convert it to 16 speed.

The original SRAM X4 RD is medium caged. There is a tensioner on the whole setup. I have done one before and I don't recall any of that problem. There is another bike which folds quite similarly. Distributed by Pedalsport as well. Can't recall what's the brand. Another option which is the best option will be installing the Shimano Alfine internal gear hub which is 11 speed or better still the 14 speed Rohloff. Totally, no protruding rear derailleurs at all.

I have ride both before but I sold the Vigor later. That's me, I am more of a long distance rider and the Speed rides more comfortable than the very rigid Vigor. Also Vigor creaks a little when pushed hard. The frame is aluminium and to make it light, the tubes are big but thin and flexes a little. While the Speed is chromoly which absorbs bumps better making ride more comfortable. The Vigor is off course designed for speed as it is actually the new Vector frame. Check Dahon Vector P20 from which I modded it last time when I used it.

So, the choice is mainly between speed and comfort. As for gearings, they can be changed later , even to 30 speed for either of them. The 3 speed used at our 214km ride from Kampar/Sitiawan/Kampar ride. 2 modded to 27 speed and another modded with a Rohloff 14 speed internal hub.

I use a Kancil for rides nearby. If you take out the shelf cover at the rear, ( takingoff and put it aside, speaker wires still attached) you can fit one foldie but get a piece of rag or sponge to put between the bike and rear windscreen. But if you take out the shelf and also recline the back seats, you can actually fit 3 folding bikes, all standing side by side. I mean Dahons lah, but if Java which has a thick fold, I think you can fit 2. In fact I think Java or Tern won't be able to fit one like I described earlier. You have to recline the rear seats. If it is a Brompton or MIT, off course , no problems.

It all depends on what folding bike you have.

I don't know what bike you get or what saddles are you using but since it is your first ride, it might not be the saddle. Even if you buy an expensive gel saddle, it will not help. Most probably, I think is your butt has not got used to it. And also you were pushing the limits a bit. Pushing the ,limits is not your stamina but more on how long can your butt withstand sitting on the saddle. OFF COURSE a good saddle helps though. Some can pedal at high resistance for 3 hours in a gym but once on the road, it is a different matter. Just ride slowly and enjoy first. Then increase time gradually and see if it still pains.

One thing I know is, after so long of riding, my butt still pains if I push too hard. Once it pains, you have to endure it the whole ride!