Wah cheap leh! The normal 7 speed Boardwalk is already RM1150. Dr. Hon also comes in cloud white too. I think it got better rims as well.

Dahon Eco C7 comes with a Tourney RD and a microshift shifter. If you want to fix a FD, you might as well get a set of Altus or Acera shifters for 7/8 speed for both sides. Trigger shifters are better than grip shifters. Most shifters comes in pairs anyway. Also check if there are old stocks for Alivio 8 speed trigger shifters and also change to an 8 speed freewheel. There are some cheaper aftermarket 8 speed freewheel cogs. Check with the cycle shops. The Tourney RD can be used for 8 speed also ( I have tried but shifting is not perfect ) but has since change to a Deore RD.

What crank will you be using? I have check the cheapest seems to be FSA for road bikes, 53/39T. Can you snap a photo of the modifications and post it here?

Dahons or Doppels are good bikes and Doppels seems to be trying to catch the market by selling it cheaper but Dahons are more popular. I have seen others using the Dahons 26 inches wheelers folding bikes before but not offroad. They look nice too but they are also quite expensive. I think Joo Ngan son's place (beside Village Nasi Lemak in Uptown) has one on display. If I just want to cycle around roads, I would prefer the 20 inch for their convenience.But if you want to really join touring expeditions, probably you want a 26 inch. If it is 26 inch, there's no need for Dahons or Doppels, right? There's loads of other cheaper alternatives like Raleighs, XDSs, GTAs etc. These are basically lower end mountain bikes.

Only if you want a folding bike, you should consider Dahons or Doppels or even higher ends like Bromptons, Birdys. Smaller tyres are easier to store into the trunk of your car and also in your home. I can fit 3 bikes in a car with 3 riders. All 3 are Dahons. Many think that in rides, the 20 inch are slower but in fact they are just as fast. Folding bikes lose out because in uphill rides they have insufficient gearing as opposed to the 27 to 30 speeds that mountain bike or roadies has. Unless you modify the same number of speed on foldies ( which is really expensive ) or buy one which is shodded with it ( even more expensive as only the highest end folding bikes comes with it ), you can actually go for hill climbs. But there are folding bike riders that have managed to cycle to Fraser's Hill.

A 2 X 8speed or 2 x 7speed for a folding is sufficient to cover most rides. The cheaper and more manageable way is to get 7 or 8 speed bike first and then upgrade the gearing on the front crank with a set of shifters, RD and 53 or 52/39 crank. I say RD too because it seems illogical not to upgrade the RD to a better one since you are already upgrading although the Shimano Tourney or the Neos ( usual on folding bikes ) can be used for 8 speed. Off course, you can just get an 16 speeds direct like the Java Fit, some XDS and some other brands which uses the more number of gears to entice buyers. If you go for Dahons, Terns or better bikes with the same specs, it will be costly. Also, you may already have improved on your riding ability later and feel there's no need for an upgrade altogether. I did a 12 km all uphill ride on the 32T gear and the standard 52T crank without any problem and it is still manageable. It all depends on you. You first have to determine what rides are you going to do? Mountain biking, hybrid, road bikes or just folding bikes? I have also seen blogs on riders on Strida doing the Taiping to Port Weld and many rides. They use an even smaller 16 inch wheels.

I think either one should be fine!

So many bought folding bikes, so where do you all ride? I ride every Wednesdays and Saturdays or Sundays in Putrajaya around the parks. I can do 30 km in one loop free of cars and traffic. I will be glad to guide anyone around the lakeside and parks if anyone interested. Just PM me if you want to join me riding. Wednesdays usually at 6.00pm and Sat/Sun usually in the mornings at 7.30am. Helmet is a must!

I was riding on Saturday evening and the weather was good. I did not do the full loop though, just 18 km at 20 kmh to 23 kmh to sweat it out. Usually if there's more riders, I cycle averagely 15 kmh to 18 kmh.

PM you already. Just SMS me if you want to join. I usually park my car at the bus parking area beside the main square behind Seri Perdana.

It's a 24" rim folding bike. A bit hard to get 24 inch tyres though, even if they have not much choice. If you want bigger than the usual 20 inch tyres folding, might as well get the 26 inch ones. Just my 2 cent.

I took my wife's Dahon Eco C7 to repair the handlebar as it was getting loose. Her's was a newer model ones compared to mine. As they were servicing it, I found out that the last 2 units of C7s wer sold out and there was no more production of it and the new ones are called Dr.Hon. The new replacement for it was similar except the body was extended to accomodate the Neos RD (the old C7 can't use Neos) and also the folding mechanism was big and ugly! Also the crank looks cheaper and the shifters are made specially for Dahons (plasticky and looks cheap) and also similarly the brakes are also the same. I think they are trying to cut cost by using more cheaper components but it now cost more than before.

If you still see the old models, get the old models. Especially the Eco C7s and the Speed P8s.

Just my opinion but choice is totally up to you, off course. Since your budget runs to 2K, I will definitely go for Dahon Speed 8 which can still be available in some older shops. Near my place there's still another red unit. It was selling for OVER 2K before but it can be bought for 1.8K now. It has a microshift shifter with an 8 speed Neos RD and also Kinetix Pro double walled rims. Kinetix are made by Classic, a well known MTB hub maker. It is shodded with nice Schwalbe Big Apple tyres and there's a bicycle pump within it's seat post. The handlebar height can be adjusted, in one word the specs are good for this bike. Dahon's precision in bike frames is reknown already, no need to explain.

I have seen the Java Fit and the specs are quite impressive, especially the components. Components can be replaced and also eventually most components will need to be changed but body is a permanent feature. I would rather go for a better made body from Dahon as I don't know anything about the Java's body. KHS is also another famous bicycle maker and I have ridden the KHS before and it's quite nice actually but I still went for the Dahon later.

Go check out the Dahon Speed 8.

Dahons are built strong which is important for folding bicycles especially at the fold. Many cheaper bikes will get loose here and the whole bike is ruined. That is why Dahons are well known for folding bikes. Other brands may have the same geometry and ride quality and shodded with better components, they will usually perform much better than the more expensive Dahons but Dahons folding mechanisms are guaranteed!

For 1K budget you can only get a 7speed Dahon. An 8 speed Boardwalk cost about 1.3K. The Dr.Hon D7 (replacement for Eco C7) is about 1K and the Dahon Boardwalk 7 is 1.2K. Problem is, an 8 speed is off course better, giving you more gearing for uphill rides but for a Dahon, it is over your budget. You can modify it to 8 speed later (as I did but it's not cheap either) but you need to change the shifter, freewheel cogs and the RD as well. This makes it more expensive than buying an 8 speed in the first place.

XDS has a model with 16 speed for only 1.3K but at the expense of an inferior frame and also a lousy looking handlebar! Just add another 200 bucks for a Dr.Hon 8 speed Boardwalk. I have ridden it before and it's light and easy to ride.

This post has been edited by etigge: Jan 19 2013, 12:22 PM

Very hard to find already. 7 speed means it's a freewheel type and not cassette type. If you want more gear ranges but don't want to change to 8 speed, you can change 53/39T crank and an FD with it's shifter. According to my bike shop here, Shimano stop producing it but an 8 speed can still get a 32T max, made by another company.

Mine is modified to 8 speed already and also changed to trigger shifters. I am waiting to change the rims and the new rims will use the cassette system hub and I am planning to change to 9 speed. Now I have to source an old LX 9 speed cassette which is rare nowadays which goes up to 36T.

The lower gear does not mean faster speed, in fact if you want speed, the smallest cog is the fastest but you need more pedal power to turn the crank. I need more teeths at the rear cog because in uphill rides, I need lower (easier and lighter pedalling) gears. After a while of riding, I seldom use the lowest but still, it's good to have lower in case we ride in hilly areas. As for tyres, I prefer the bigger ones as they provide some form of suspension and also on rainy days, I feel more confident ridng in bigger tyres compared to the slim ones. Ironically, BMX tyres offers better traction and it's cheap too! Only 20 bucks a piece Schwalbe's Big Apples are good but expensive

The KHS frame is made of chromoly steel just like the Dahon Boardwalks but the old Eco C7s and Speed8s are alloys.

This post has been edited by etigge: Jan 19 2013, 04:15 PM

Near the main road in Cheras Perdana, Kajang. Kimbell Jaya Trading. Yes, only one left and it's only red. I think the shop in Dengkil still has them.

What's to understand? You need to get on the bike and try. Once you try riding and fiddle with the gears, you will understand, naturally. If you can afford, go for more gear choices if not, start with 7 speed which is the least now, there's no more 6 speeds.

This post has been edited by etigge: Jan 20 2013, 10:01 AM

For those interested in riding in Putrajaya, here's a map of what I usually do! The blue plus the red route added is about 30 kilometers and I usually do the red route alone which is slightly less than 20 kilometers. It's ideal for foldies and also very ideal for family rides as the route is beside the lakeside walkway (bicycles are allowed) and definitely no inconsiderate car drivers. If interested, can join me for rides. PM me if interested. Usually I will ride Wednesday evenings and Sundays (unplanned).

Happy Riding

Sesat also no worries as there's a lot of links from the lakeside walkways to the main roads. You can alway ride your way back to your car park via the main roads. The red route takes me about 90 minutes with a break in between and if I don't cross the bridge (one full round the island) it's less than an hour. If this pix is still not clear you can PM me and I will send you the file, it's about 5.6 Mb.

Usually freewheel are locked and cassette types are usually with quick release. I think the Boardwalks are freewheel. The Speed P8 is cassette type.

I am in the midst of ordering wheelsets (see pix). They come with the cassette type hubs and if I am not mistaken, they can fit a 9 speed. The wheel set is about RM400 without the courier service. Then hunt around buysell bike forum for a second hand Deore or Alivio 9 speed shifter and also the cassette. Should be around RM250 for both. You can also buy the cheaper Sunrace cassette. Plus point is you get double walled rims and sealed bearing hubs and also maybe get the maximum 36T cogs! but mostly found are 34T. Or you can get the 8 speed cassette and shifter so you don't have to buy a new RD. But max is only up to 32T. I am using 32T now and riding up to Genting Peras is no problem.

Off course many will say it not worth the price but again it's personal. Being so, we can choose the components we want. If you look carefully, the Dahon MU and the Eco is just one slight difference, the reinforcement bar holding the rear arm. Other than that, it's all components. I am OK with the Eco's folding handlebar, the seat post, the crank and it's only the rims and gear system that I am changing. After changing it is even better spec than the MU.

The english version of tobao is ;

http://www.yoybuy.com/en/

Once you see what you want, there is a button to direct you to the taobao url of the same item. Get that url address and then you can proceed to
order through the agents here in LYN. Or you can join as a member and buy from them direct as they accept Paypal or Western Union. I prefer going
through the agents though.

Their english is atrocious though, I was looking for hubs but you won't find it under hubs but if you fill in wheel flower drum, then you get hubs. I got used
to their 20 inch or 28 holes already.

This post has been edited by etigge: Jan 24 2013, 08:32 PM