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Dahon Boardwalk - Owners Report
Dahon Boardwalk owned by Tim Pestridge
Introduction
 I
bought the Dahon after reading a favourable review in the world's favourite
folding bicycle magazine - A to B.
They summed the bike up by admiring its practical down-to-earth good
honest frame and cycle parts, and ended by claiming that it was more
than the sum of its parts.
I took delivery of it from David Henshaw, the editor of said magazine at Castle
Cary station, and I became the owner of one ex-demonstrator Boardwalk. The
bike was handed to me on the platform and instantly found a home upon a busy
train to London, which it managed with a little tweaking and turning of its
folded parts. It was obviously no Brompton, but I was prepared for compromise:
yes, it was a much more cumbersome folded package than my Brompton, but I felt
happy to trade a little extra size for the benefits of bigger wheels and a
stiffer frame.
Folding had been fairly quick and easy, no manual was needed, and most people
will find it simple to fold. No special tools needed, no degree in Physics
required here. Unfolding at the Paddington end was slightly less easy, as cables
needed to be untucked, and the front wheel would swing out if you attempted
to carry it as a folded package. The seat post rather irritatingly made a nasty
graunching noise as I repositioned it, and I made a mental note to look at
the problem. The standard plastic seatpost bush was working loose, and sliding
up with the lifted post.
Jump on the with eagerness and you'll be pleasantly surprised; the Boardwalk
rides like a proper bike. And I don't just mean a proper BMX. I wasn't the
only person who was pleasantly surprised either. Friends and family alike took
an instant shine to it's riding position and long stable wheelbase, although
a few commented on it's very upright steering geometry, making it feel at least
as if it turns a little too quickly.
As a put a few miles on the Boardwalk, I was able to get leave behind the honeymoon
period and get stuck into a more realistic frame of mind, where you start to
notice a product's flaws and strengths with more clarity.
First off, after over a year riding the bike in all weathers, I can identify
it's strong points with ease:
1. It's a great workhorse. It will stand a fair bit
of hard work without complaining.
2. It's reliable. Indexed gears are sturdy, simple in use and remain in sync.
Need more care than a hub, but that's not viable in this price bracket.
3. It handles well, predictable and stable.
4. It suits a lot of different sized riders.
5. It's comfortable - gives a good quality 'safe' riding experience.
6. Good value for money.
On the minus side, I feel it has the following flaws:
1. Seat post collar can collect grit, resulting in nasty
scoring when the seat is lowered.
2. Head stock is a little weak, and needs retightening on occasions. Has slight
flex in the handlebar stem, but nowhere near as bad as a Brompton.
3. Rear mudguard just 2 inches too short where it meets the main frame, leaving
a 'dirt trap' where muck collects.
4. Standard tires are pretty shoddy, throw away and replace with Continental
Panaracers which dramatically improve bikes performance.
On the whole, it's a great value package, and comes highly
recommended. It will suit most people, most of the time. More running
reports soon.
April 2002 riding update
Well, as a result of emailing my thoughts above to Dahon
in the USA, I have been delighted to receive a response from Josh Hon,
their Director of Sales and Marketing, which addresses many of my comments, & which
he has agreed to allow me to post up below:
"Hi Tim,
Thanks - your list of weak points is so dead on in fact that we've already
addressed all of them. Other customers have mentioned the same things to
us and we've resolved them as part of our yearly improvements. I believe
the Boardwalk you have is a 1999 model - we've already had two years to fix
all of the weaknesses you mention (and many that you did not).
Our solutions are as follows:
1. Seat post collar can collect grit, resulting in nasty scoring
when the seat is lowered.
Our new seat post has a hard bead blast finish that is very resistant
to scratches. This new finish resolves the problem of scoring, which
was very unsightly.
2. Head stock is a little weak, and needs retightening on occasions.
Has slight flex in the handlebar stem, but nowhere near as bad as a
Brompton.
We've completely revised the front end of all of our bikes. The headset
is now an oversized MTB size unit. The fork steerer tube and handlepost
also increase in diameter. The head tube has also been lengthened by
15mm. The handlepost also gets an additional 360 degree gusset on the
underside. The main frame tube is also manipulated so that it bulges
vertically where it joins to the head tube. The end result of all of
these changes is that the handlebar stem and front end of the bike
are much, much stiffer than before. The headset should also be more
durable.
3. Rear mudguard just 2 inches too short where it meets the main
frame, leaving a 'dirt trap' where muck collects.
The rear mudguard has been lengthened by about 3 inches. No more dirt
trap and also a 3 point mounting system that makes the fender much
more secure.
4. Standard tires are pretty shoddy, throw away and replace with
Continental Panaracers which dramatically improve bikes performance.
Our stock tires are now 65 psi Kenda tires that are fast and perfectly
good for city riding. They are not as good as our Ritchey's or Primo's
or Conti's but what do you expect for a low cost bike."
Josh
Joshua Hon
Director, Sales and Marketing
Dahon
Email: info@dahon.com
www.dahon.com
So, is this a surprisingly personal response or what? I must admit
I'm impressed, that an international company is prepared to take the
time to respond to owners findings. Excellent. Boardwalk has now been
joined by a Dahon 24 gear Speed Pro, which
is a far different beast altogether. Keep up the good work Josh.
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