yes bro, i am thinking if i want to sell my tern p9 and straight away buy a d16 instead of going all the way to mod it.
buy that time 3k plus never think much, not that neo is not good, but i want to upgrade to front double crank it is better with non neo derailleur.

I think you should go ahead and mod it because if you mod it, you will get a better drivetrains than the stock that d16 gives. If you get that adapter and put in a Sora chainring (off course better if you can afford a Tiagra but Tiagra is expensive now! ). Then again Sora is still a hollowtech crank. At least it is lighter and more fluid than the square taper that original equipment provides. Yes, Sora is 9 sped but it will work with 10 speed chain and 10 speed cassette. A Tiagra RD and a pair of Tiagra shifters plus cassette off course.

Even the 2 x 9 speed Sora is better than the stock drivetrain that Tern D16 comes equipped with. Compared with this,

Shifter(s): Shimano trigger, 8 spd Non series Shimano
Front Derailleur: Microshift, forged aluminium, chain catcher Non Shimano
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Claris entry level 8 speeder
Crankset: Cold-forged 6061 aluminum crank arms, hand-polished Non Series
Cassette/Freewheel: Sunrace 8 spd., 11-30T low budgetted cassette
Bottom Bracket: Cartridge, sealed bearings heavy square taper BB, some even called it a Legacy BB
Chain: KMC 8spd., narrow

I rather mod my bike with better groupset

Yeap, bought local at KL

I already got dual FSA front crankset, one unit Claris FD,
I am short of shifters 2x9 assuming i use back my 9sp behind, one unit RD, RD converter & FD bracket
not sure if it is cost effective?

Bro, better upgrade to 10 speed terus! I got quoted rm590 9 speed and rm610 for 10 speed..(cassette,deore rd, deore shifters, chains,installation and tuning)..since it was only rm30 in difference, it was really an easy decision!..

Fd bracket is only rm50.
Claris fd can use back.

If you want to maintain using 9 speed, that your budget is much cheaper.

Where bro

I'm still using my claris fd with my 10 speed mod, works good. My mods cost more than my bike cos i was using mixed ultegra, 105 and tiagra parts only the fd was stock

Then again Sora is still a hollowtech crank. At least it is lighter and more fluid than the square taper that original equipment provides.

Etigge, is the hollowtech bottom bracket, really that much difference compared to the square taper bottom brackets.? Im pondering on it as well, as mine is stock dahon single chainring with square taper.

Is it worth changing to another better single chainring, like the litepro single, just for the sake of having the hollowtech?

When do we feel the gain most?..during heavyload cranking like going uphill or accelerate hard?

wht bike u got from taiwan? a foldie

Just change the bike, can't put a number on the trouble you saved from learning, sourcing, fitting and tuning your bike.
Just pay up and all your troubles are gone.
but on the contrary, can't put a number on the satisfaction of solving problem…
it's one's choice…

This post has been edited by KenC: Oct 18 2016, 05:40 AM

A bike's drivetrain works in tandem with many parts of the bike's moving parts and the number of bearings in a complete bike is numerous, the BB, the hubs, pedals, the RD cage rollers. It all makes the bike easier to pedal when the bearings are smooth. Although many are sceptical when comes to the effectiveness of these advantages, they do help in some ways. A little here and a little there will make a bigger help on the whole.

While some are not so critical some are. In the case of the hollowtech crank, the biggest advantage is the weight. Imagine you turning a big wheel made of rock and also turning a wheel made of fibreglass, which is easier to turn. Off course it is the lighter one, right? Same principle. That's why a roadbike weighing 8 kgs is so much faster on the road compared to a 12 kgs foldies eventhough the wheels of the foldies are smaller and easier to pedal. But weight to us is not so critical as we don't ride competitively but not to the extent of weighing 30 to 50 percent more.

It all comes to priority. Weight is expensive in cycling. A kilo lighter may cost over thousands So, priority is the keyword. Off course if you can afford, get the lightest.

Secondly, the hollowtech bearings have less tolerance making it more precision. This makes the bearings more lasting. I have taken out many square tapered BB and most of them are loose although the bearings are fine. In hollowtech the spindle of the crank is fixed directly to the cranks while in square taper, the spindle is incorporated with the BB itself. The spindle is solid metal making it heavy while hollowtech's is hollow, hence the term hollowtech. The hollowtech's BB seals are also better and more dust and mud resistant and this makes them last longer.

Finally, this is my own experience though. The square taper needs a torque wrench to bolt the crank on and most of time, we all don't use it as not all have a torque wrench. Even if a bike shop have it, they don't use it either We all depend on guessing the torque or as hard as our hands can exert when bolting on. This makes the tapering on the cranks widens. So, the next time you change a BB, it don't really fit and bolting, it seems OK. Then during a ride, when it loosens a bit (it will, it always does) we hear the irritating .....creak...creak....creak

Thanks Etigge...as usual, very informative and in depth explanation... certainly helps in understanding about this for us that haven't open and touch the BB stuff.

Got one seller online discourage me from converting front compact crank to Shimano hollowtech 2 saying difficult To tune and bla bla...

Melaka

Fd adaptor you can search online.

Is your crank is 10 speed compatible?

This post has been edited by fatani: Oct 18 2016, 04:54 PM

Haha.. of course! Those are expensive components!

I was itching for the ultegra crankset at first, but when i thinkabout it over and over again, I think it will be an overkill for a foldie..so I opted for the much cheaper litepro 53-39.

Fd dont need high end one. As long as it get the jobs done, than it's good enough. We don't shift the front gear as often as the rear one.

Even a deore rd is shifting smoothly enough for me.

High end components are never an overkill regardless of any kind of bike, be it road bikes, mountain bikes or folding bikes. You buy what you can afford. The higher end not only gives better performance but also they remain in-tune longer before they actually needs any servicing. Any LBS will tell you , they dread servicing those China made bikes. Why? Because they don't last at the peak performance for long and many don't even reach their peak tuning setting at all. In a ride, even the minutest of component like the shifter cable can spoil your mood riding. Ever tried adjusting and tuning till the best and then after 2 or 3 kilometers riding , the shifting becomes out of tune? The chain will jump at the RD rollers and you have this clackity...clackity .....clack at the rear end. Then the next thing is you start adjusting the barrel adjuster at the shifter and suddenly too much and it won't go to the highest gear. The other riders are all in front and you can't stop.

Don't take my word for it. If you have other friends riding good components, take it for a spin and compare. Only then you can compare. But nowadays, Shimano's technology has trickled down as they always have done so for so long. The Tiagras are the Shimano 105s of 2 years ago. It's a good 10 speeder as I have use 105s before. Many also have the notion that the cost of modding must not surpass the cost of the bike, if it is, better to buy a better bike. I tend to disagree with that. Why?

In the course of riding, say, a year or 2 or even 3 years, you get used to the frame, the handlebar and also the saddle. Change that and your usual ride will change for better or worse. Usually you need to re-adjust your cycling positions. So, apart from any other improvements, we come to components. The better it is, the smoother the ride will be. Yes, many says we just need to sweat it co a heavier and harder to pedal is no problem. I can accept that. But this confines to only the usual exercising rider. An hour a day and maybe a 20 kilometers ride at weekends. OK, I can accept that. Even so, the bikes will start making noises in a few rides. I am amazed at many riders don't seem to notice their bike's conditions. I have seen many with dry chains, creaking here and there, rubbing here and there and it seems that I am the only one noticing.

But higher end components also means reliability ! If I go for a major ride, like I did a month ago. A 2 days ride from Taiping to Trong and then to Parit Buntar, I rather have a bike where I can rely on. To ride 120 kilometers in 2 days, I can't gamble on the bike malfunction. In this ride, I found out I am too old for mini velos Need to go back to folding bikes, more upright riding position. So, it's a matter of how and where you ride. What kind of riding do you do, that's an important question. Also, another question is, will you progress to hardier and longer riding in future? Is it worthwhile to invest a 2K groupset on a 1K bike. You must understand, the frame and saddle is a stationary part of the bike. If it is right, it's right. Meanwhile the moving parts are the groupset. It grinds and grinds and it takes hard impacts most of the times.

Let's talk about the quality of the groupsets. Why a Dura ace is more expensive than Ultegra and why Ultegra is more expensive than 105s? 105s like the Shimano SLX on the mountain bike counterpart is the workhorse of the groupsets. It's hardy and strong. It gives fairly good performance and reliable. But some want better and that's when Ultegra comes in. Basically the design is the same, even performance. But why? They made it more precision and better metals and springs and shifters uses bearings rather than bushings for smoother shiftings. And finally comes Dura ace, which is actually made for race! It is not as strong as the Ultegras or 105s but it is made lighter. Titanium and carbon fibres are used to lighten the components. So, it is actually not suitable for daily users.

Great informative post sifu etigge!

I don't mean any offence in my previous post. I have a friend who has the exact same bike as mine, the cap ayam TRS Victor(to be precise, 2 bikes). One is setup with 105 groupset, and the other is almost similar to mine, but a 9 speeder with litepro crankset..

I haven't ride his 105s, but by his opinions and reviews, on that folding bike, there are not that much of a difference in terms of performance between the 105 groupset and the other one. Probably will make a much different results if it's a road bike. And he and his wife are a regular genting sempah climber using those bikes.

And by my own review, I've rode less than 100km since upgrading, and I haven't encounters any of the problems that you mentioned above, yet..maybe I'm just lucky so far. The only non shimano components that I used are the crankset and chain. others I use deore. For my dahon, I keep it stock, for the time being. Since I think the gear is enough for me, for now. And although the stock acera that came with the dahon doesn't shift as smooth as the deore, it gets the jobs done.

I'm sure the shimanos and sram components offer better quality components. Smoother and lighter. No debate. Whether if it's well worth it for a foldie, well, that's up to the individual valuation. There is no wrong or right there. In the end we just want to enjoy the ride. Yeah!

And btw, one question, can I change the the disc brake to v brake? I hate the annoying screeching sound that the disc is producing.

This post has been edited by fatani: Oct 19 2016, 03:03 AM

depends on ur frame.

if got v-brake socket,then just plug in. if no socket u can adopt caliper brake. maybe a long arm one like tektro r559..

do remember that u also need wheelset with brake lining surface for better braking.

my friend had convert his dahon dash 2015 model from disc to caliper. a better weight reduction i can say!

thanks sifu.

oh my..forgot about about the rim..I just recently changed the rim, and it's probably is not v brake compatible..

will changing to a another better disc break set can help reduce the screeching sound? or is this a common problem with all bikes that comes with disc?

This post has been edited by fatani: Oct 19 2016, 09:46 AM

No offence taken I am just saying what I opined, no worries. As I said before, it all boils down to personal requirements. The stock components are usually choosen because of a favorable marketing price that they have to adjust to. So, there could be some compromise there. But if one is happy , that's the ultimate importance in purchasing anything. When I had my Dahon Speed, I used mountain bike components too. I used that because I got a 9 speed LX shifter with brake levers from LeRun warehouse sale. So, myself, a stickler for everything in a set must be from the same group I hunted for LX V-brakes, LX RD but the front can't use LX components because you need roadbike chainrings. But I got a Sora triple chainring crank at the same warehouse sale though. Sometimes if we keep a lookout, there are many good components selling cheap, especially those outdated 9 speed components, even XTRs.

In Ipoh, where I ride mountain bikes with, they started riding folding bikes nowadays. They bought 20 units Mongoose 24 speeders bulk from a LBS. Problem, they say was, the Mongoose comes with mountain bike chainrings and once on the flats, they are freewheeling. The chainring, biggest 44T is too small. So, now , they have to change to 53T/39T and added to the price they purchased, it comes back to the same again, not to mention the other cheapo drive train components!