# Folding Commuter/College Bike?



## KillerQuads (Jul 22, 2002)

My niece is going to a far off plains state major university as a freshman. She is a long distance runner (on athletic scholarship) and enjoys cycling. Eventually, she would probably like a tri bike or road racing bike. However, I was thinking she might be better served with a folding commuter/college bike. Since she will be attending a pancake flat yet sprawling campus, I thought a folding bike would be ideal. She could fold it and stow it into her dorm room, or even take it into the back of a class room. It would also fit in a car for the very long drives between her home and school on holidays/breaks. The racing bike could come later if she decides to race, but I fear that a $2,000+ racing bike kept outside would get stolen within a week.

I was thinking about the Dahon Mu P8 which has 20" wheels and an aluminum frame. Very modern looking. However, her mother says she is very conscious about not wanting to "stick out" from the crowd. This does have a certain novelty/clown bike look to it with the small wheels and curved frame. Personally, I liked being different in college and this bike would be a great conversation starter. The risk here would be to have her reject it and never ride it.

The other option is the Dahon Jack, which has 26" wheels, looks like a conventional flatbar bike when open, and has a utilitarian black paint job. It comes in sizes with a small size would fit her (5' 4"). It folds in 5 seconds, and although not as tiny as the Mu P8, is compact when folded.

I can't buy either one locally, so I will have to order through the LBS or online. I was thinking of getting the Mu P8 for my wife who rides occasionally, and then seeing how my niece reacts to it. I would not mind having the Jack (medium) for myself. Or I could order a small size Jack for my wife and pass it along to my niece if need be.

For the bus/rail commuter, they would have obvious advantages. I got by with a regular bike in school and luckily never had one stolen, but I would have loved to have one of these in college for the practicality.

Anybody here have experience with these folding bikes?


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

I have a lot of experience with folding bikes. I own/owned Dahon's,. Bike Friday's, and Swift Folders... For her intented use, a 20" Mu will be perfect....The ride quality is excellent and speed is almost the same as a 700c bike...It's really hard to go wrong with any 20" model in the Dahon lineup...It just depends how much you want to spend. The Speed TT is another model worth looking at but it's more money..

For a true conversation starter, look at the Hammerhead....It doesn't fold but it's much more compact than a 700c bike and will fit in a dorm room nicely


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

SHE is going off to school. SHE probably would like a bike that won't embarress her to be seen on. 

Racing bikes are cool. Tri-bikes are cool. Likely real MTBs are cool. Fixed gear bikes are ultra cool.

Folding bikes are so not cool for an athlete she will hate the parental unit forever and never ride the thing.

Get her what she wants.


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

cheap beach cruisers were the rage when I was in school


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## treebound (Oct 16, 2003)

When I was still helping out at a LBS a few summers ago a family came in, mom, dad, daughter, younger brother who promptly disappeared in the store somewhere. Dad wanted to get her a step-thru frame and a wicker basket to carry her books in, mom wasn't so sure, daughter looked like she was about to die everytime dad kept coming back to the utilitarian look and functionality of the wicker basket for the bike. I eventually had something else to do so I don't know what they wound up with, but it if had the wicker basket on it I'd wager a fair sum that the basket graduated to a trash can before mom and dad left the campus, possibly with the bike still attached to it.

My suggestion would be to find out if there is an LBS in her college town, then get her a gift certificate for there. That way if she later decides to upgrade then she'll already be introduced to the local shop. No matter how good or practical or functional you think a folder will be, unless she likes it it will only be a waste of money.

Does she ride now? Can she just take her current bike along? I'd bounce the idea off of her before you do anything and take it from there. Some kids and young adults would totally love what you're thinking of doing for her and for them you'd be the greatest uncle in the whole wide world, but for other's the bike would get traded for the first Quarter Pounder and large soda that came down the lunch aisle.

My opinion and $2.49 will get you a Quarter Pounder, and another .89 will get you the soda, but $5 says that she would prefer to choose her own bike assuming that she even would want one initially. YMMV.

She might think it's cool:









or not:


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## tcruse11 (Jun 9, 2006)

As a college student, folding bikes are huge fashion faux pas. I stored my road bike in my room my whole freshman year. This works really well if her dorm has that particle board with a bunch of holes in it. I just got some hooks and my bike stored fine on them. Fixed gears are all the rage on campus. If you don't like that idea for her try a single speed. Just build something dirt cheap. My commuter to campus is an old bianchi frame and the build frame and all was around $100 bucks because of all the spare parts I had lying around.


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## blackhat (Jan 2, 2003)

check out the puma urban bike. it's foldable and sort of cool.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/03/ride_a_puma_to.php


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## KillerQuads (Jul 22, 2002)

*Dahon Jack on Order*

My niece currently rides a department store mountain bike, which her mother says she enjoys riding. My niece is not asking for an ultra light weight race bike, although dual athlons could be in her future since she runs competitively. The mother was clear that her daughter would no doubt reject the Mu P8 as too funky looking. For whatever reason, the daughter does not want to draw attention.

I ordered a Dahon Jack (small size for 5'2" to 5'6" riders) thru my LBS who priced matched an Internet price of $399. I think it has a cool utilitarian look with normal 26" wheels and is not so bizarre as to make her feel like she is riding a clown bike. It has 7 speeds and a single chainring (with guard) with a range of 37" to 101" gear inches. It folds in 5 seconds. The terrain is flat at her university (could get very windy) but mildy hilly in her home town.

If she does not like the Jack (and I am fairly certain she will like it) I will make it my wife's bike. If it is really good, I may order another Jack in medium size for myself. If it were my bike, I would probably invert the stem (lower) and put on a straight flat bar with bar ends.


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## treebound (Oct 16, 2003)

KillerQuads said:


> I ordered a Dahon Jack ....


Interesting looking bike. Let us know how it rides when you get it.


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## KillerQuads (Jul 22, 2002)

*This Looks Better Already*

I digitally replaced the riser bar with a straight bar, inverted and lowered the stem, and deleted the kickstand. The bottom bracket stand helps hold it upright when folded, but I deleted that too. You have to admit, this is one sharp looking bike. I definitely want one for myself now.

The Dahon Jack is due to ship at the end of June. I should be able to give a full ride report by July 4th. If it is a good machine, I will then order the medium size for myself.


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## KillerQuads (Jul 22, 2002)

Here is my chrome Bianchi Pista track bike converted into a commuter/urban bike with a single speed freewheel, single front brake, bull horn bars, clamp on bottle cage, replacement carbon fork, Mavic wheels (quick release front), and aero brake lever. I rode a fast 30 miles in the country with it today. This is the bike I wish I had back in college. Doesn't fold in half though.


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## nbrennan (Feb 19, 2007)

I just finished up my freshman year. I got around all year on a fixed gear that i built for around 90 bucks. Turned out to be a great way to meet people. 
Any bike can easily fit in a car with the wheels off - on a fixed gear thats especially easy. No der. hanger to bend, etc. I also kept my '05 lemond buenos aires in my dorm room. You are correct in saying that a decent road bike (mine is cf/steel with a campy parts mix) would be stolen almost immediately.


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## KillerQuads (Jul 22, 2002)

I showed my niece photos of the Dahon Jack (on order) and she is excited about it. The blacked-out "street" look really appealed to her. She is a practical person and immediately saw the advantages of having a folding bike. In addition to keeping it safe in her dorm room (or in the back of a classroom), I told her that when she goes to away meets on the team bus, she can take it along to explore the other campuses and not be confined to the hotel. She thought that would be a great idea. 

While she visited, the two of us took a ride with her on my wife's bike which has black wire mesh handlebar basket. We used the bike basket to great effect carrying home stuff from the local athletic store. She wants a basket on the Dahon. The attachment mechanism bolts to the center of the handle bar but the basket releases with the push of a quick release button. I though for sure she would consider a basket as too geeky, but practicalilty won out again.

Her mother was right about her not liking the Dahon Mu P8. Despite it having an innovative design and tiny folded dimentions, she did not like the "weird" look. The Mu is lighter, has 20" wheels, has better components, and costs quite a bit more than the Jack.


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## Dr. Placebo (May 8, 2007)

KillerQ:
How well do you think that dahon jack would do off road with some knobbies... could it clear knobbies? I'd like to know these things when you pick yours up. Looks like a champ.


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## KillerQuads (Jul 22, 2002)

I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my niece's Dahon Jack. I will have to give it a thorough test ride, tune up, and shake down before handing it over to her. If it is as cool and versatile as I think it will be, I will order another for myself. Here are the specs from the Dahon site. It has only one front chain ring, weighs 27.3 lbs, and has no suspension, so it would not be a hard core mountain bike. But with the rugged design, fat tires, and folding feature, it should be an excellent exploring/gravel trail bike. I wish I had this thing on a car camping trip I did a couple years back. It would also be handy riding around relatives' farms in Pennsylvania and Virginia. The tire clearance looks decent, but I will measure it for you when its delivered to my LBS (hopefully within the week)

SPEEDS 7 
FRAME SIZES S (16"), M (18"), L (20") 
GEAR INCHES 37" - 101" 
FOLDED SIZE 38 x 69 x 91 cm (14" x 27" x 36") 
WEIGHT 12.4 kg (27.3 lbs.) 
FOLDING TIME 5 seconds 
SUGGESTED RIDER HEIGHT S Frame (157 cm - 167 cm/5'2" - 5'6"); M Frame (167 cm - 183 cm/5'6" - 6'); L Frame (183 cm - 193 cm/6' - 6'4") 
MAX RIDER WEIGHT 105 kg. (230 lbs.) 

FRAME DA Series, Joe Murray design, 7005 aluminum, custom-drawn Sonus tubing, forged Lattice hinge, replaceable derailleur hanger, integrated head tube, patented ReBar technology 
FORK Oversized, straight, integrated design 

HANDLEBAR 6061-T6 aluminum, riser, 31.8mm oversize 
STEM NVO, patented InfiniteAdjust technology, 3D forged 6061-T6 aluminum 
HEADSET Dahon Fusion, Zero stack, cartridge, sealed, conical spacer 
GRIPS Dual Density Kraton 
SADDLE SDG BelAir RL 
SEAT POST BioLogic™ PostPump, 27.2mm 

BRAKES ProMax V, aluminum, linear spring 
BRAKE LEVER ProMax V, aluminum bracket/aluminum lever 
CABLES AND HOUSING SIS, Pearl silver housing, slick cables 

FRONT HUB Formula, QR, aluminum 
REAR HUB Formula cassette, aluminum, sealed 
SPOKES 14G stainless steel, brass nipples, black ano 
RIMS Aluminum, anodized black 
TIRES Schwalbe Big Apple, 26” x 2.0”, RaceGuard puncture protection, 75 psi 

SHIFTERS SRAM 3.0 Comp, 7 speed 
REAR DERAILLEUR SRAM SX4 
CASSETTE Suntour, 7 speed, 11-30T 
CRANKSET Truvativ IsoFlo, 38T 
CHAIN KMC Z50, Narrow, Noiseless function 
BOTTOM BRACKET CH, chromoly axle 
PEDAL VP 990-A 

KICKSTAND Aluminum, Dacromet bolt 
SUPPORT BRACKET Aluminum 
ACCESSORY Reflective pants clip 
WHEEL REFLECTORS Cateye 
FRONT AND REAR REFLECTORS Cateye


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## Art853 (May 30, 2003)

The idea of a folding bike for a classroom doesn't sound so feasible to me. The hallways may be crowded during changing of classes, let alone the classroom space. Often it seemed difficult enough to get my body and bookbag to a chair. I don't think bringing a folded up bike inside would work so well. It sure would stand out though. It also might be more difficult to lock up (at least for the smaller version).


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## bonkmiester (Sep 23, 2005)

*Giant Halfway*

I always thought this all Aluminum folder from Giant was a smart design


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## bonkmiester (Sep 23, 2005)

*Strida folder.....*

this one is cool....it woudl be a great conversation starter...


















https://strida.co.uk/bike/


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