If budget is really that strict, go for the Dr.Hon Vybe. Components are a bit louyah already as Samosaurus said, " Dahons has gone mass market ". But they are still OK compared to other brands where the components are better but the frame and joint is a doubt! If you can shop a bit and pay a little bit more you can go for the Tern which is incidently a product of Dr.Hon's son.There are many similarity between Terns and Dahons of the older generation and he did a few better improvements on it too. I think the Tern C7 is slightly above 1K. Happy riding!

36 spokes, easier still. Change to road bike hubs. Can be easily found. I think 36 spokes on 20 inch rims are BMX rims.

I think it's quite hard to find already. If MU P8, Speed P8, still can be found, old stock but Eco C7s, a bit hard. The replacement for Eco C7 is the Dr.Hon VYBE. I saw it displayed at many outlets.

Or you can order from here ; Cheaper also but no warranty lah!
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=1612793...14.12317209.0.0

It is the same frame. There are many outfits that can order in for you. They have a warehouse in China and they ship in from there to you. Means you pay here and they ship it to your place.

This post has been edited by etigge: May 20 2013, 11:15 PM

Nowadays, we carry spare tubes, at least one. Very messy to patch and also the tyre gets bumpy if you are using narrow tyres. Patches are applicable for touring where space is restricted. another thing is usually the contact glue supplied with the patch kit is of inferior quality! Dunlop used to sell them in tubes but I can't find it nowadays.

Better to carry a spare tube.

Dahon Eco C7 is not on sale anymore! Sad because I find it quite OK compared to the new Dr.Hon VYBE 7 which is incidently also stopped being sold! Go for the Tern Link C7. It's a nice bike too. There are a few better improvements over the Eco C7.

This post has been edited by etigge: May 28 2013, 05:00 PM

It is within your budget. Check you PM if you are interested in an old Dahon Eco C7.

That would be the Tern Link C7. Available also in Sports Direct in Subang or My Bike Shop in Bandar Utama or any Rodalink outlets.

I have a friend who bought this and have great reviews over it except for the brakes which he will upgrade later on. Other than that, he says it's good. Funny colour though, the fork is neon green and a small patch of similar colour on the body.

It's not the usual 3X9 though. It uses 9 speed rear and another 3 spped internally in the rear hub.

The bike is actually quite nice. Canadian company but not popular, I don't know why. Good components too.

Folding bikes are mostly if not all, upright position. It's meant for more of a leisurely fitness riding. It's not for speed so you don't need the crouching down position for aerodynamics. Hahaha!

This bag is listed RM199 in Rodalink. I don't think you can get it for RM80. MBS in BAndar Utama still has 2 in stock! I have 2 of them and one word of caution though. If your crank is without the chain guard, like mine is double chainring, careful when you slip on the covers as it might shread it, if it bites onto the chainring cogs!

Actually Banglas have been riding those China made bikes to work all the time. If they can, I don't see how we can't! Hahaha.

The Speed P8 is an older model but a good one. There are some leftover stocks you just have to go look for them. I saw one red colour selling for RM1.7K (brand new). I hear there are many more. You can also consider the older MU P8 which can be had for 2K. Avoid the Dr.Hon Visc P18 though, there's a manufacturer defect on components.

The Dash P18 advantage is more gearing choices though. The old 2012 is also better built than the newer Dash. Nice to see potential foldie rider.

jojo_g2 says it is on sale now at RM950. Good price if can find and nice bike too. At least it uses Shimano components rather than microshifts and Neos. That's the susah part, many bike makers mask their inferior frame and fork with higher end components and also vice versa some mark down their better frames with cheaper components.

This post has been edited by etigge: Jun 6 2013, 06:35 PM

The Dash P18 is already good enough, in fact for most rides. Any modification is more to cosmetic. As for the rims, the next step is the Kinetix Pro which is RM2000 which I feel is not really worth the upgrade. Probably a sensible upgrade is to change the rear hub to a 4 sealed bearing unit. But hard to find a 28 holed hub locally. The front hub is a sealed bearing unit.

The LG was actually priced at 1.3K, it has a strong frame and also good components. I never said LG has a lousy frame. I was referring to many other brands that can sell sub 1K for 8 speed and some 1.3K for 16 speed. The higher cost factor in most 8 speeds is because 8 speed and above needs to use the cassette type cogs at the rear and this upgrade is costly and from the 8 speeds you can actually upgrade to 9 or 10 speed later without changing the wheelset.

I use this for my lights and suprisingly, it is quite bright but don't last long! It always get lost anyway! Only 10 bucks and another 3 bucks for the holder. For the rear lights, a RM5 from Daiso works fine also. I stock a spare set at home for emergencies.

Most popular Dahons are 8 speeders and cheaper ones 7 speeders. I bought mine, the cheapest I can find for Dahon, it's a 7 speed. Now it is an 18 speed bike. I think the front crank should be 50 or 52 cogs to compensate for the smaller wheels compared to a normal 26 inch wheelers.

Any 16 or 18 speed is over 1K and in the case of Dahons over 2K. Even the cheaper bikes like XDS is 1.3K for 16 speed. I choose to modify from 7 spped is because I can choose my components when I upgrade, that is the advantage of upgrading yourself although it can be more costly. They are all Shimano components. If you buy a ready installed 16 or 18 speed, you might get other components which are inferior.

So, your grouse about LG is unfounded! It's actually a good buy if it is sub 1K. Most important it has a double walled Weinman rims and tektro brakes compared to single walled rims and old style freehubs that can only accomodate 7 speed cogs at the rear for other sub 1K bikes. Heck even Dahon Boardwalk 8 speed uses single walled rims and lousy Neos and their own shifters.

My only dislike for the Louis Garneau LGS is the little metal cage that supports the bike when folded welded to the bottom bracket. Looks ugly! Looks like the XDSes.

I use BMX bike tyres. 20" X 2.0 Maxxis DTH tyres. Better grip and also better ride. Those sotong or slicks are too skinny although it rolls easier. Off course going uphill is easier but bigger tyres rides better downhill. Schwalbe Big Apple is good too.

If you change your brakes to Avid V-brake and levers, it will improve. You can find them in BBS or if you want them I can give you a contact. The Avid SD3 brakes and levers should cost about RM110 for both front and rear. The originals from Dahon Eco C7 are too flexy! The newer Dr.Hons are even worse. Their quality are similar to those China made bicycles.

As for disc brakes, it a bit hard to fold with hydraulics and as for mechanical disc brakes..........errr I will stick to v-brakes. A good v-brake stops better than a mechanical disc brake. In fact a lot of touring bikes use v-brakes for their ease of maintenance.

There's 2 Dahon jetstreams for sale at present in BBS. Check them out.

http://www.bicyclebuysell.com/view_item.php?id=188821
http://www.bicyclebuysell.com/view_item.php?id=202901