Dahon Speed PRO owners review - Tim Pestridge

I was delighted after a long wait to become one of the few owners in the UK (25 in total) of a 2002 model Dahon Speed Pro folding bicycle. I won't bother going into the bike's full specification here, needless to say that this machine has a great standard specification including a 3x8 gear system producing 24 gears, fully adjustable handlebar, carbon fibre seatpost, Primo tires, V - brakes, Truvativ crank arms, and a pair of the finest folding pedals I've ever experienced.

As of June 2002 I have only ridden around 50+ miles on the bike so far, but my reaction has largely matched that of the general public: admiration. Here is a folding bike which has real visual appeal & yet retained it's folding ability without requiring an allen key and half an hour to fold. Hats off to Dahon for producing a quality folding road bike.

Below are some pictures I took on the day of the bikes arrival. Pristine and (virtually) unmarked apart from a few scratches on the frame from a badly-packed box, the bike was hustled together and folded to it's full size without difficulty. It's simple really, just follow your instincts and you'll find it a logical folding procedure. The only slightly tricky bit is having to re-set the handlebar alignment with the front wheel if you want to fold the bike properly. If you are just chucking it in a corner or in a large car boot, you can leave the handlebars largely untouched in the folding procedure. Overall it takes only 10-20 seconds to fold, depending on whether you do the bars.

I took the bike for a quick excited spin up the road by our offices and it felt taught and responsive on the road, and considerable more 'sporty' than my other favourite ride to work bike, my trusty Dahon Boardwalk. The riding position is totally adjustable, the only glitch in the system is the otherwise beautiful carbon seat post which will be too low for anyone over six foot. You get lots of feedback through the bike, and it's nice to ride a machine which feels so 'tight' & new.TP

The Dahon Speed Pro

This article was written for A to B magazine as an owners opinion,
with comments added by Josh Hon of Dahon marked in the text in green.

> An owners opinion
>
> Just to get you up to speed (sic), I have been one of the illustrators for
> this magazine for several years, having been gently immersed into folding bike
> culture by one Peter Henshaw back in the summer of 1998 whilst producing a
> motorbike magazine together. Since then I've owned and ridden a range of
> folding bikes, and found myself wanting (it's rarely 'needing' with me) to
> swap my Brompton for something a bit less 'smaller-is-better' and a bit more
> 'proper-bike-that-folds'.
>
> I had a good look around the various manufacturers websites, comparing my
> criteria with what was on offer in the up to £600 bracket. It had to fold
> small enough to fit in a compact car boot, ride like a full sized frame bike,
> be foldable in under half a minute, have a decent range of gears and an image
> that wouldn't get me laughed into the kerb. To cut a long story short, after a
> brief spin on several 20 inch wheeled folders courtesy of david henshaw, I
> realised 20 inch wheels were a must. The ride and performance difference was
> much improved over 16 inch wheels, bearing in mind I was happy to trade true
> foldability for better performance, and shortly after this revelation I fell
> on Dahon's website, where the Speed Pro, Dahon's flagship model, the pinnacle
> of the range, the top of the tree, the one to have caught my eye. A sharp
> mango-coloured paint job was matched by an even sharper spec sheet, which
> reeled off a long list of handpicked components deemed as the best rather than
> the cheapest. It looked desirable, and I wanted one.
>
> Price wise it compared well with the other 20 inch wheel folders, coming in at
> less than a Moulton APB which doesn't fold really, and a lot less than a
> BikeFriday which separates rather than folds. The Pro's wealth of features
> made it all the easier for me to justify the arrival of one mango coloured
> 2002 model Speed Pro to my place of work in July of this year. All Dahon's
> destined for the UK are shipped from their place of manufacture in the USA to
> the UK importers headquarters in Kent for final assembly, and I was thankful
> it hadn't come any further, as mine had a large hole punched in the box, and
> arrived with several chips on the gorgeous sparkly paintwork.

Actually our bikes are manufactured in Taiwan, China, Macau, and in the case
of your bike, in Kent.

New for next year, the Speed Pro will feature a SuperGloss powder clear coat
which will be much more resistant to scratches.

> To my mind every bike has a character, and the Speed Pro evokes a very sporty
> & lean impression even before you settle on the saddle. The ride is fast and
> rigid, transmitting huge amounts of feel through the height and reach
> adjustable bars. The whole front end is satisfyingly strong, giving a
> flex-free connection between the bars and the front wheel, but for me the real
> delight is riding a folding bike with 'proper' gears. The SRAM 24 speed
> gearing system uses a 3 speed rear hub in conjunction with an 8 speed
> derralieur. Simply put, they are a joy to use, and are the main reason I now
> have 2 other folders languishing unused in my shed. The right twist grip
> allows you to select one of eight derailleur gears, and a curved switch on
> your right thumb gives you as choice of 3 settings on a rear hub, marked as
> uphill, level, and downhill terrain. They work smoothly, giving no false
> gears, and I have never experienced a thrown chain in 150 miles so far. I can
> absolutely guarantee there is a gear here for anything you will require. It
> can often be really handy to change up just using the thumb shifter for the
> enclosed hub, which gives you three really nice widely spaced ratios. I can
> now cruise comfortably on level ground at between 16-19mph without my legs
> spinning furiously, and top gear is high enough to allow you to really stamp
> on the pedals down long gradients (just for the heck of it) and still give
> input above 30mph if you're really keen. Whilst on the subject of downhills, I
> did my own stability test down a particularly steep hill into Teignmouth in
> Devon - with one hand. Whilst a bit of a reckless way of testing stability, it
> does prove the Pro:s geometry is just right, as the bike was controllable
> easily with one hand up to the 37mph I hit as I soared through the speed
> camera at the bottom of the hill (still couldn't get the blasted thing to go
> off though).

for 2003, we also have a new frame geometry we call BioLogic. The new
geometry is even more stable than the 2002 version.

>
> Generally, I was impressed with how taught and together it felt for a folding
> bike, reminding me of the performance and stability I'd experienced on a
> friends Bike Friday, a bike I very much admired, but wished had folded rather
> than separated. The Speed Pro proves immediately ready to receive strong input
> from the rider that I find myself pushing myself and the bike just for
> pleasure. The quality components must be to thank for the urgency it will
> accelerate if you so require, but I have quickly learnt to keep the pedals up
> whilst cornering sharply as leaning well over into a roundabout on the slick
> Primos will scrape a pedal edge. If the pedals feel closer to the ground than
> a normal bicycle, the rear mechanism certainly almost brushes the ground, so
> don't even think about doing anything out of the ordinary for such a
> road-orientated bike as ride across a field. I did, and spent the next hour
> toothbrush and WD40 in hand cleaning grass and straw out of the cog wheels, it
> really is that low.
>
> But what about the folding bit? It's all simple and clever Dahon stuff, made
> only slightly more awkward by the necessity to undo the handlebar quick
> release to allow the bars to sit flush against the folded round front wheel.
> This must be reset on every unfolding, so personally I often don't bother when
> chucking it in my wife's car and leave them sticking out a bit. As a folded
> package the Speed Pro is no more awkward to carry than the Boardwalk I also
> own, and it's a fair bit lighter into the bargain at only 12kg. Remember
> though, it's no Brompton.

The 2003 version is significantly lighter still. Only 11 kg. We have an all
new frame with lighter 4130 chromoly tubing, a Puro U6 aluminum fork, and a
forged aluminum ProLite steering column.

> As always, living with a something for a while shows up a few weaknesses. The
> Dahon's beautiful paintwork will chip off the first time you lean it against a
> wall, which is heart-breaking, and the thoughtfully included pot of touch-up
> paint isn't up to the job of restoring the original finish. (Next years model
> will be powder coated, solving this issue.) When removing the handlebars (and
> occasionally the seatpost) the aluminium sleeves which sit inside the frame and
> clamp tight around each of them can either come out completely or occasionally
> scratch them. I have had the same problem on my Dahon Boardwalk. Not
> disastrous but mildly frustrating.

We will glue these into the frames for 2003.

The beautifully light carbon fibre seat post is only just long enough for me
> (5"11); so six footers will have to factor in a Dahon extension.

For 2003, the Speed Pro will come standard with a post that is 80mm longer
(about 3 inches).

Also there are the obvious negative aspects of
> owning any sports-orientated machine, and I'm not convinced these are minus
> points, but you need to know that mudguards, rack, bell, stand, pump and comfy
> ride are all optional extras. As anyone like me who's grown up through their
> teens sneering at bicycles with mudguards knows, cool, racy bikes look far
> cooler without all these trinclements, and I wonder whether the target buyer
> is really bothered about that. This is after all, the pared down slim line
> sports model of the folding range, not a 'pop to the shops' ladies folder. But
> I've already added my own 'bicycle essentials' - a wire-free bike computer,
> rack and lightweight bell, not to mention mudguards which will be ordered
> soon, proving I am well and truly over-the-hill.

2003 will also see the introduction of a bike called the Speed TR which is
basically a Speed Pro designed more for Touring. This bike will have full
fenders, chainguard, kickstand, etc. It will also have a custom Touring rack
that will accept panniers. It will also have a custom Cane Creek suspension
seat post.

> The speed Pro has so far willingly deliver all I expect from a modern bicycle,
> and as willingly as folding up in several quick stages to slot into the boot
> or back seat of our car when the need arises. In terms of image, portability,
> performance, and value for money, it's the best all round folding bike I've
> ever owned. One last thing worth mentioning is how willing Dahon as a company
are to listen and act on customers recommendations. I emailed some of my
thoughts about both my Boardwalk and Speed Pro to Josh Hon, the sales and
marketing manager of Dahon USA, and must admit to being surprised at how
quickly and openly he responded. He also let me in on a secret: if I thought
this years Speed Pro bike was good, I should see what they've done to it for
2003! I for one found it quite heartening that the biggest folding bike
manufacturer in the world welcomes comments from their customers. This year
only a lucky few got their hands on one on this side of the pond - so if you
fancy one, get your order in early.